"Senor Ambassador." "This is really most humiliating, Signore Bedoli." "What could be so important that you drag me from my bed before 7:00 in the morning?" "The duke has called an early meeting." "He wanted you to attend." "Monsieur." "Why are the French here?" "That is what His Grace wants to talk to you about." "French bastards!" "Bastards." " Mr. Pace." " Mr. More." "His Majesty wants council this afternoon to be brief." " He doesn't want a lot of speeches." " Where is the king?" "He's in seclusion and not to be disturbed." " How is he?" " With regards to...?" "With regard to Italy." "What the French are doing in Italy." " What other regard is there?" " His Majesty is counselling patience." "Yes, but you're his secretary." "You see him every day." "In private, he's mad with grief." "Almost inconsolable." "I think you ought to remember it was his uncle they murdered." "The king." "My lords." "We meet to consider questions of great moment." "The king of France has demonstrated to the world his aggressive policies." "He's already overrun five or six city-states in Italy." "He's a threat to every Christian nation in Europe yet he bullies the pope into declaring him Defender of the Faith." "On top of that, to prove that nobody can touch him he has our ambassador in Urbino and my uncle murdered in cold blood." "My lords I believe these are all just causes for war." "Your Majesty is certainly right." "You have every reason to prosecute a war." "I warned you a year ago about French ambitions." "It has taken this personal tragedy for Your Majesty to accept my word." "Norfolk." "I agree with my lord, Buckingham." "The king of England has an ancient and historic right to the French throne which the Valois have usurped." "It's high time we kicked them out." "We should attack France with all our might." "Yes." "What say you, Wolsey?" "I concur with Your Majesty." "These are indeed just causes." "Good." "Then it is settled." "We are to war with France." "Yes." "Your Eminence will make all the arrangements." "Now I can go play." "Do you really think we should go to war?" "I think we should try to do what the king wants us to do." "What if the king doesn't know his best interests?" "Then we should help him decide." "How is your husband?" "My husband is extremely jealous." "He's threatening to make a scandal." "Says he'll put me in a nunnery." "That would be such a waste." "His Excellency the French ambassador and Bishop Bonnivet." "Gentlemen, welcome." "Your Excellency." "What happened in Urbino?" "The butchering of our ambassador was most unfortunate especially for me." "Your Excellency is aware of my sentiments towards your country." "I've laboured long and consistently in French interests." "But how to explain this?" "The murder of my king's uncle." "Well, frankly, it was not done on my master's orders." "And those that committed the crime have been punished." "Now, you must understand, we are well beyond that." "King Henry is a young man." "He has an appetite for war." "And on this occasion he will not be easy to appease." "Then, by all means, let us have war." "With the greatest respect, you don't mean that." "Well, I believe that everything humanly possible should be done to avoid a war between our two countries." "It would do England no good to get involved in our European squabbles." "Far better she stands above them." "I'm sure Your Eminence has ways of pacifying the young lion." " Strike." " Play on." "Fifteen-love." " Thirty-love." " Yeah!" "Our game, I think, Anthony." "Your Majesty knows we're letting you win." "Actually, I was playing as hard as I can." "Now, there is someone I have to try." "See her?" "Middle gallery, blue dress?" "See that exquisite, virginal face?" "Who is she?" "Forty-love, game." "She's Buckingham's daughter." " A hundred crowns you don't succeed." " Done." "How is our daughter?" "She's well." "You know, her tutors say she has exceptional talents." "Especially in music." "You should be proud." "I am." "You know I am Catherine." "Mary's the pearl of my world." "You have not answered my nephew's letters." "Your nephew's the king of Spain." "Does he think I have nothing better to do?" "You know he advises you to sign a treaty with the emperor recognising France as our mutual enemy." "He also advises you not to heed everything Wolsey tells you because Wolsey is so biased for the French." "Since when are you a diplomat?" " I am my father's daughter." " You are my wife." "You are not my minister, you are not my chancellor, but my wife." "I should like to be your wife in every way." "Henry, will you not visit my bedchamber, as you used to?" "Eat." "Gown." "Your Majesty." "Where is Queen Catherine?" "Her Majesty is still at prayer, Your Majesty." "Tell Her Majesty I came to offer my love and devotion, as her true husband." "Yes, Your Majesty." "Jane." "Your Majesty." " Do you consent?" " Yes, Your Majesty." "Three points, Earl of Portland." "Mr. Charles Brandon has now entered the lists." "Your Majesties." "My Lady Buckingham." "Would you do me the honour of letting me wear your favours today?" "Lord Hallam challenges a plaisance." "Two points, Mr. Charles Brandon." "His Grace, the Duke of Buckingham will now joust a plaisance with the Earl of Newcastle." "Another three points for His Grace." "Does Your Eminence have a plan?" "A way to avoid war?" "This is the outline of a new peace treaty uniting the English with the French." " May I?" " No." "I want you to take it away and read it very carefully." "I believe it represents something new in the world of diplomacy." "If your king accepts it in principle, he can sign it without any loss of face." "Indeed, he can rejoice." "My master can rejoice." "We can all rejoice." "In which case, what does Your Eminence want in return?" " Nothing." " Nothing?" "Nothing from you." "What I want, Your Grace, only you can give me." "The Duke of Buckingham has reentered the lists." "He's won 10 courses already." "What is he trying to prove?" " I'm gonna take him." " No." "I'll do it." "I'd love to damage Buckingham's pride." "My lords, the king has entered the lists." "His Majesty makes the challenge a la guerre." "Here we go again." "Claim or no claim, Buckingham's not the king." "Not all of the court is as loyal as you, Charles." "My lady." "His Majesty wins the day." "The king." "And easy." "Present oars." " Thomas." " Your Majesty." "This is my family." "Your Majesty." "My wife, Alice." "Alice, won't you kiss the king?" "Mistress Alice." "Your Majesty." "Shall we walk by the river, Thomas?" "I like walking." "Why won't you come live at court?" "You know perfectly well why." "I don't like it." "My legal practise and my life are here." "The court is for more ambitious men." "You didn't say much in council last month." " About what?" " Going to war with France." "As a humanist, I have an abhorrence of war." "It's an activity fit only for beasts yet practised by no kind of beast so constantly as by man." "As a humanist, I share your opinion." "As a king, I'm forced to disagree." "Spoken like a lawyer." " You should know." "You taught me." " Not well enough, it seems." " Are you finished?" " Yes." " Harry." "Harry." " Easy." "I must urge you that instead of spending ruinous amounts of money going to war you should spend it rather on the welfare of your people." "Thomas, I swear to you I intend to be a just ruler." "But tell me this:" "Why is Henry V remembered?" "Because he endowed universities?" "Built aims houses for the destitute?" "No." "He is remembered because he won the battle of Agincourt." "Three thousand English bowmen against 60,000 French." "The flower of French chivalry destroyed in four hours." "That victory made him famous, Thomas." "It made him immortal." "He has no right to any of this." "His father seized the crown on the battlefield." "He had no claim, only through a bastard on his mother's side." "Your Grace's family is more ancient." "I am a direct descendant of Edward II." "This is my crown, and this is my court." "Not his crown or his court." " That's treason, Your Grace." " It's the truth." "And one day we shall make it come true." "Your Grace." "My Lord." "My Lord." "What's this?" " Brandon." " It's what it looks like, Your Grace." "You violated my daughter." "No, no, she begged." "You've taken her honour." "I swear to Your Grace, someone else was there before me." "You son of a whore." " Yes, that is true, Your Grace." " I should kill you for this." "Get out." "Eminence, Lady Blount is here." "Very well." "Your Eminence." "What can I do for you, Lady Blount?" "I am with child, Your Eminence." "Yes." "It is His Majesty's child." " You are certain?" " Yes." "Have you told the king?" "No." "Good." "I will inform His Majesty in due time." "In the meantime, you will say nothing to anybody on pain of death." "Do you understand?" "When you are no longer able to hide your condition you will be removed to a private place for your lying-in." "And there you can give birth to your bastard." "Thank you, Your Eminence." "Will you bless my sick child?" "Your Eminence, please." "All my lords and masters, make way for his Lord's Grace." "Away." "Get back." "Please, you're my last chance." " Your Eminence." " Mr. Pace." "I trust you're keeping a good eye on my interests?" "Of course, Your Eminence." "Like an eagle." "Or an eagle, Mr. Pace." "They can soar too high." "Be a pigeon and shit on everything." "Yes." " Where's the king?" " Out hunting." "Good." "It keeps him in good humour." " Send word when he returns." " Yes, Eminence." "Who are you?" "What is it you want?" "I have letters of introduction, sir." "But these are from the dean of Canterbury Cathedral." " Yes, sir." " Why did you not present yourself?" " Thomas Tallis." " Yes, sir." "And you can play, it says, the organ and the flute and can sing more than moderately well." "Anything else?" "Yes, sir." "I compose a little." "Indeed." "Well, if the dean commends your talents we shall have to see, won't we?" "Thomas." "I trust Your Majesty enjoyed hunting today." "How are the preparations going?" "Very well." "Both your army and fleet are assembling." "Stores and provisions are being laid in." "You could go to war in a matter of weeks." "Excellent." "I knew I could depend on you." "I am grateful to Your Majesty." "What is it?" "Your Majesty, wars are expensive." "To pay for them you have to raise taxes." "That's not always popular." "What if Your Majesty could gain more power and prestige by other means?" "Other means?" "Peaceful means." "What?" "No battles?" "No glory?" "I think Your Majesty should hear him out." "In the past few weeks, I have conducted, on Your Majesty's behalf an intense round of diplomatic talks." "Not just with the French ambassador." "Also, with representatives of the emperor." "With envoys from Denmark, Portugal, the Italian States and so on." "What for?" " To make a treaty." " What kind of treaty?" "A treaty of universal and perpetual peace." "How is it to be effected?" "In several stages." "In the first place, there would be a summit meeting between the kings of France and England." "At the summit, Your Majesty's daughter would be betrothed to the French dauphin." "At the end of the summit, you would both sign the treaty." "The treaty is entirely new in the history of Europe." "Committing all its signatories to the principles of collective security and universal peace." "How would it be enforced?" "If any of the signatory countries suffer aggression all the others would immediately demand that the aggressor withdraws." "If he refuses, within one month the rest would declare against him and continue until peace is restored." "The treaty also envisages the creation of pan-European institutions." "In some ways I like it." "I recognise it." " So do you, Thomas." " Indeed." "It's the application of humanist principles to international affairs." "Your Eminence is to be congratulated." "I do not seek praise." "Your Majesty would be known as the architect of a new and modern world." "And that would be reward enough." "Always be assured of our love." "Good night, gentlemen." " What is it?" " Your Majesty the Duke of Buckingham insists upon an audience." "Your Grace." "Your Majesty ought to be aware that I have discovered Charles Brandon in flagrante delicto with my daughter." "Mr. Brandon has brought shame to my family." "I demand that Your Majesty banish him from court with whatever other punishment Your Majesty sees fit." "There will be no punishment." "Unless your daughter accuses Mr. Brandon of rape." "Does she so claim?" "Does your daughter claim Mr. Brandon raped her?" "She doesn't need to." "The offence is against me and my family." "As far as I know, there has been no offence." "So there is no need for any punishment." " Your Majesty." " Your Grace." "Be careful of Buckingham, Harry." "He may be stupid, but he is richer than you are." "And he can call upon a private army." "Not even your father crossed him." "I'm very happy that the King of France has agreed to sign the treaty and to host the summit." "His Majesty is delighted there will be no war." "As we all are." "About the other matter we discussed." "Which other matter, Your Eminence?" "I saved your master's arse." "Now I want my reward and you can arrange it." "Do you understand?" "Poor you." "Now, where were we when we were so rudely interrupted?" "Charles." "We shouldn't." "My father will kill you." "Then I shall die a happy man." "Now, have you all finished your reading?" " Yes, Father." " Yes, Father." "Yes." "Very well." "May God and his angels bless you and keep you this night and always." "Good night." "Good night, children." "Stop." "The letter to King Francis, Your Majesty?" "My dearest royal cousin..." "No." "Make that my beloved cousin." "We send you our love." "We love you so much it would be impossible to love you better." "Make all the necessary arrangements so we may meet face to face." "Nothing is now closer or more dear to my heart than this treaty of universal peace." "As a token of my goodwill my commitment to this treaty and my love for Your Majesty I have decided..." "I have decided..." "Yes, Your Majesty?" "I've decided I will not shave again until we meet." "My beard will be a token of universal friendship of the love between us." " Your Eminence." " Your Grace." "I have some news for Your Eminence." "His Holiness, Pope Alexander, is desperately ill." "It cannot be long before he is summoned to God's house." "In view of Your Eminence's well-known piety as well as your great learning and diplomatic skills I can assure Your Eminence of the support of the French cardinals at the conclave to elect a successor." "With the votes of your own cardinals and if it is pleasing to God you will be elected pope." "Bishop of Rome." "Our new Holy Father." "Thank you, Your Grace." "You make me feel truly humble." " Are you ill, Lady Blount?" " No, Your Majesty." "Please stay." "Thank you." "Good night." "I have not talked to anyone for a long time." "Cardinal Wolsey dismissed my Spanish confessor and most of my Spanish ladies, in case they were spies." "And I cannot trust my English confessor." "But I can trust you though." "Can I not, Lady Blount?" "Yes, madam." "What is my sadness?" "It is that I..." "I cannot give the king a living son." "I gave birth to a baby boy once." "Sweet boy." "But he died in my arms after just four weeks of life." "The king blames me, I know it." "He thinks it all my fault." "He does not know how much I suffer, how much I pray." "I've been thinking about my brother." "Arthur." "When he died, it was decided that I should marry Catherine." "I think my father didn't want to lose her dowry or the prestige of a Spanish marriage." "In any case Catherine swore the marriage was never consummated." "That's why a papal dispensation was granted." "And so I married her." "And since then, we have had five stillborn children." "A boy who lived for 26 days." "And a single living daughter." "What if their marriage was consummated?" "She has sworn before God that it was not." "What does it say in the Gospels?" "If a man should marry his brother's wife." "Tell me." "In Leviticus it says:" ""If a man marries his brother's wife they will die childless."" "But you have a child." "But not a son." "I have no son." "Sir Thomas Boleyn, Your Grace." "Sir Thomas." "I hope you didn't find my invitation presumptuous." "I heard you've been recalled from France." "I'm here for a short while, Your Grace." "Come." "They tell me you're an excellent ambassador." "Then, whoever they are, they are very kind." "You come from an old family." "Though not as ancient, nor as grand as Your Grace's." "The king chooses to surround himself with commoners." "Men of no distinction." "New men without pedigree." "How does that help the prestige of his crown?" " Your Grace..." " His father only acquired the crown by force, not by right." "Your Grace no one wants to return to the evil days of civil war." "What is done is done." "The king is the king." "The king is the king." "Wolsey." "A man of the cloth with a mistress and two children." "How do you like this fellow?" "Not at all." "We shall talk again." "Tell me about King Francis, Sir Thomas." "He's 23 years old." "Is he tall?" "Yes." "But ill-proportioned." "What about his legs?" "Are his calves strong, like mine?" "Your Majesty, no one has calves like yours." "Is he handsome?" "Some people might think so." " He certainly thinks so himself." " He's vain?" "Your Majesty, he's French." "What about his court?" "It has a reputation for loose morals and licentiousness which the king, by his own behaviour, does nothing to dispel." "You have two daughters, Sir Thomas." "How do you protect them?" "I keep a watchful eye on them." "But I also trust in their goodness and virtue." "You will return immediately to Paris." "I'm entrusting you with all the diplomatic negotiations for the summit." "Checkmate." " Your Majesty." " Your Majesty." " Your Majesty." " Your Majesty." "Mary." "Papa." "Aren't you beautiful?" "The most beautiful girl in the world?" " I don't know." " Yes, you are." "How do you feel?" " Well." " Well?" "Papa's busy." "Be good." "And do everything you're told." "May we speak?" "Continue." "My Lady." " Your Majesty." " Your Majesty." " I do not like it." " What don't you like?" "Your beard." " Nor what it represents." " Catherine." "You are giving my daughter away to the dauphin and to France." "You did not even consult me." "The Valois are the sworn enemies of my family." "She is mine to do with, as I see fit." "It's a great marriage." "I see Wolsey's hand behind this." "Though I love Your Majesty and am loyal to you in every way I cannot disguise my distress and unhappiness." "Well, you're going to have to." "Where are my daughters?" "I have some exciting news." "There is to be a summit between King Francis and King Henry near Calais." "I am to arrange it." "That means you'll have the opportunity to meet the king of England." "Mary and Anne Boleyn." "To your futures." "His Eminence Cardinal Wolsey." "I want your opinion." "Do you like this cloth?" "I think it suits Your Majesty very well." "Perhaps, if I might suggest with these." "Do you think Francis will have anything as fine as these?" "Only if he steals them." "Come." "Let's eat together." "We can talk." "Hold." "Your Grace will apologise." "I said, you will apologise." "I apologise if I have offended, Your Majesty." "Your Grace may leave us." "Boy, fetch the chancellor a new pair of shoes." "Hopkins." "Hopkins." "Your Grace." "It's time." "Speak to me." "Yes, well, everything is prepared for the summit." "It will take place in the Pale of Calais." "English territory." "In a valley known as the Val d'Or." "The valley of gold." "A thousand labourers have constructed a palace for Your Majesty." "It's known as the palace of illusion." "Some say it's the eighth wonder of the world." "Purchase cloth of gold and silver." "It's a better thing to bribe the guards with." "Yes, Your Grace." "Then proceed to our estates and do as we discussed." "Just making noise that we're only raising men to defend ourselves." "Yes, your Grace." "Lady Blount is with child." "Lady Blount." "If you want to keep the child, I will arrange for her to be moved to the house in Jericho." "I will also deal with her husband." "My father once told me how he'd planned to assassinate Richard III." "He would come before him with a knife secreted about his person." "Your Majesty." "I can't wait for this summit." "It will change the world forever." "That is my dearest hope, and my ultimate belief." "Nothing will ever be the same, Your Eminence." "You and I will be immortal."