Historical accuracy in The Tudors has always been hit-or-miss, but Season 3, Episode 5 is the series’ weakest attempt at portraying actual history. The episode focuses on Henry VIII mourning Jane Seymour, the mysterious murder of Robert Packington, and the political fallout surrounding the Six Articles of Faith. Unfortunately, the show bends or ignores the historical record at every turn. From altering the circumstances of Packington’s murder to exaggerating Henry’s grief and simplifying the religious politics behind the Six Articles, the episode trades complexity for melodrama. Let’s break down what actually happened in history!

In This Post:

• Robert Packington’s Murder: What Really Happened
• Did Henry Withdraw from Court After Jane’s Death?
• Will Sommers, the King’s Fool
• The Six Articles of Faith Explained
• Minor Historical Inaccuracies

Episode 5: Problems in the Reformation

In 1538, undone by Jane’s death, Henry locks himself away in his rooms and refuses to attend to the business of being king, entertained only by his Fool. Cromwell struggles to keep control over the Council, with many of its members being bigoted toward him as a man of “low birth.” The Six Articles of Faith are produced, firmly turning England away from Reform and back toward primarily Catholic doctrines.

This is the worst episode in the series. It’s so boring.

Robert Packington’s Murder: What Really Happened

A farmer pushing a cart waylays Robert Packington, a friend and servant of Thomas Cromwell, in the street and shoots him in the face, causing a stir at court and a manhunt for the murderer.

The circumstances were slightly different in history; for one thing, his death happened two years earlier (in 1536). He was not waylaid, but shot from a distance on a misty morning on his way to church, and his crime was never solved. Reformists a decade later came up with anti-Catholic conspiracy theories that would have made him a martyr by blaming Catholic bishops for his death. John Foxe, a biased Reformist revisionist author, also blamed the clergy in the 1560s.

It’s possible he was killed as a message to Cromwell, that he was targeted for assisting Cromwell in closing down the religious houses, that someone didn’t like his actions in Parliament, or it was a personal quarrel we know nothing about… but he goes down in history as being the first person murdered with a handgun in London. Prior to this period, guns were hard to pull out of your cloak and fire because they required lighting a fuse; the wheel-lock mechanism created a spark that made the weapon fire as soon as you pulled the trigger. Poor dude, he literally did not see it coming.

The next episode blames Edward Seymour for the murder, but that would make no sense because historically he and Cromwell were buds.

Did Henry Withdraw From Court After Jane’s Death?

The Tudors spends an entire episode with Henry moping, refusing to see people, neglecting his court and politics, and only spending time with his Fool. Probably because it wants us to feel bad for this POS, despite all of his sins. The real Henry might not have even been at the palace when his wife died (he made plans to leave as she was getting ill); he only went into seclusion for three weeks, until after her funeral, which was the acceptable mourning period. Since he wasn’t gone that long, there was no breakdown of his court, no murders, and no chaos.

As soon as Henry emerged, he started thinking about new brides, cuz he’s the sort of person who can’t be alone. Mary and Chapuys in their little chat call this a “rather extreme step,” but they would have understood that one male heir isn’t enough to secure a throne. You need at least two sons, in case anything happens to your firstborn (as it did, when Henry’s older brother, Prince Arthur, died), ideally… more. It was expected, and marriage prospects and negotiations started up immediately.

Will Sommers, Henry VIII’s Fool

At least in this dullsville episode we get to meet Will Sommers, Henry’s fool. He came to court in 1525, but we don’t know how old he was, where he came from (possibly Shropshire) or how he found a patron who introduced him to the king. But only Will could lift Henry’s spirits, as he got older, more tyrannical, and endured more pain from his leg wound (as an undiagnosed diabetic, it refused to heal).

Cromwell actually liked Will because he would draw the king’s attention to waste within the court budget through jests. Fools could get away with a lot, provided they said it with a smile; it would be seen as in poor taste to be offended by them, so they could be “honest” in a way the nobility could not. They roamed the court, picking on people, demanding money (in good humor) from nobles, and could even playfully craft insults. Because most of them were considered ‘natural fools’ (idiots), they were given a pass for inappropriate or offensive behavior (within reason).

If you were witty and had a disability of some kind that made it difficult for you to work, and that would earn you scorn and contempt, you would be hard-pressed to do better than become a Fool. As long as you could be a smart-aleck, you would be well paid. (Some disabilities that would qualify you were dwarfism, missing limbs, speech impediments, or being simple-minded). It seems mean to us to think of people being mocked and ridiculed by the nobility, but at least they had a paying job and were not starving on the street.

Will did not always get away with stuff, since the king once threatened to kill him after he insulted Anne Boleyn and Princess Elizabeth. But he was quite fond of writing and performing poetry as part of his public insults, which included throwing things at people. He was quicker of wit than this Will, who mostly has mean-spirited things to say; but I think his role here is as a “Fury” to Henry’s angst (“You let the perfect wife die, and you think I’m the idiot. Poor abandoned Catherine. And that other one, whose name escapes me, as her head escaped her. All lost.”). He may not even be real, so much as a manifestation of Henry’s guilt and grief.

Though we’re not sure how old Will was, he served through Mary I’s reign and lived until 1560.

The drawings they show of Nonsuch Palace are pretty close to the eventual design.

The Six Articles of Faith Explained

Henry and Will kick-start talking about the doxology, which makes Henry decide his ‘new church’ needs an Article of Faith, since they’ve been bickering about them for years. To Cromwell’s dismay, all of them were Catholic Lite, since Henry was still a Catholic, whatever he called himself. It’s possible the offshoot religions Henry heard about put a nasty taste in his mouth and made him revert to tradition. More likely, he knew that by being a Reformist country, he was politically isolated and risked an invasion. Either way, it was time to “make peace” and show that England had not abandoned the old ways.

In 1537, the clergy came up with the Bishop’s Book, a Reformist doctrine for the Church of England. Henry had 250 suggested changes for its second edition. Then, in 1539, the Six Articles were passed by Parliament. Because the clerics could not agree on about the Articles of Faith, Henry presided over the vote, which was rigged in his favor. The questions put to Parliament and voted on were phrased in such a way it made arguing with them difficult, so they passed out of fear of reprisals.

This caused upheaval in religious circles; several of Henry’s bishops resigned. Archbishop Cranmer did not, but he was appalled. The Reformation had been going at a breakneck pace for years, but this brought it screeching to a halt. Those who did not accept the Articles of Faith were rounded up and fined or executed.

Cromwell and his friends should have seen the massive shift coming, because Henry took part in the “traditional” Catholic Easter ceremonies (including some stations of the cross and taking holy communion) that spring.

Here’s why the Reformists were upset.

1. Transubstantiation: the bread and wine become the real body and blood of Christ (the Reformists saw it as a metaphor).
2. Communion in both kinds is unnecessary: the laity (common people) need not receive both bread and wine (Reformists argue that the bread and the wine must be received by all).
3. Clerical Celibacy: priests must remain unmarried (Reformist theology emphasized that the priesthood is metaphorical, made up of all believers, and allowed marriage for the clergy).
4. Vows of Chastity: such vows are binding and must be kept among the clergy (Reformers viewed those vows as unscriptural and not mandatory).
5. Private Masses: were encouraged; Reformists argued the Eucharist should be a communal act, not a sacrificial, private ritual.
6. Confession to a Priest of Sin: this was a requirement. Protestants believed one need only confess their sins directly to God, and confessing to a priest is unnecessary for salvation.

So, in one vote of Parliament, Henry made the Church of England “all but Catholic” except that he, not the Pope, had become the “head” of it.

Minor Inaccuracies:

• The episode opens with Henry mourning Jane in her tomb, cuz it’s fancy, but she was interred in a plain crypt, with a plan to move her into Henry’s tomb.
• It’s doubtful Elizabeth moved with Mary to Hunston.
• Francis Bryan did not stalk Reginald Pole to Ital, and he would not have been looking in brothels, since there’s Cardinal Pole never visited them.
• Charles Brandon’s marriage is falling apart because he committed genocide in the north, which never happened.
• A fictional crime is invented where a young man employed by Edward Seymour is murdered in the court.
• Thomas Wyatt should have been at court as a friend to Thomas Cromwell.
• Ursula and Henry spend one last night together, despite her not existing and Henry not having mistresses at this point.

Curious what personality types feature in The Tudors? Check out my analysis here!

This article is part of my Historical Accuracy in Historical TV Shows & Movies series, where I break down the real history behind popular historical dramas.

About the Author: Charity Bishop writes historical fiction, historical fantasy, and suspense novels that explores the darkness in human hearts, and the light that refuses to be extinguished. Discover her books.