Well, the moment has finally come.
Its been a season and a half of Catherine and Henrys romance and we knew wed get here eventually.
Everybody yo welcome, King Henry VIII, royal philandering a-hole.
Credit: Nick Briggs/Starz
This weeks episode ofThe Spanish Princesscenters on the unfaithfulness and untrustworthiness of the men in our heroines' lives.
But then he turns around and betrays her for power.
Maggie, you are still a scheming Plantagenet after all.
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Lets take a look at some of the historical observations from this week.
The Case of Anne Hastings
This episode is all about Henrys mistress, Anne.
Not Boleyn, but Hastings.
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Sister to Edward Stafford and lady-in-waiting to the queen, Anne is unhappy in her marriage.
She was spotted going in and out of the kings chambers, and why else would she be there?
The plot works, convincing Catherine that Henry was faithful and freeing Maggie from her unwanted betrothal.
The truth lies somewhere in the blurry middle.
Some accounts note that Anne was allegedly the kings mistress, but it’s difficult to confirm.
However, in 1510, Anne was the subject of a scandal involving William Compton.
He bequeathed land to her in his will.
There will be blood, she hisses, but Henry insists thats not always the case.
Anne pushes back, insisting that yes, every woman bleeds her first time.
Its only the slightest moment, but its enough to see the flicker of doubt enter Henrys eyes.
But its also, as a principle, total bollocks.
concept), its far from foolproof.
The Betrayal of Archibald Douglas
Things move fast for Meg and Angus this episode.
Ultimately, it comes via Catherine in the form of Thomas Howard and a small party focused on diplomacy.
Margaret Tudor was very much in love with him and did secretly marry him.
This immediately angered the lords, forcing her to submit to Albanys regency and forfeit her own.
In short order, the Privy Council also decided she had forfeited the right to supervise her own children.
Eventually, she did surrender.
Brave, dude, real brave.
By episodes end, shes returned to court, demanding help from both her brother and Catherine.
But as Thomas Howard says, shes a she-wolf and will find her way forward.
Meg really did return to the English court in 1516.
Henry had actually urged her by his letters to come home and live under English protection.
But only after Albany had returned to Scotland and played a direct role in taking her sons from her.
Additionally, Henry was not readily pro Albanys regency.
Baby Mary
At last, Catherine has a successful pregnancy.
She fears the worst when she once again goes into early labor.
But she is safely delivered of a child, a girl, whom she names Mary.
Mary Tudor would go on to become Queen of England, known colloquially to history as Bloody Mary.
But her very earliest years were perhaps not quite this grim.
But Marys birth was celebrated, and she was a well-loved child in her early days.
At that time, Henry still hoped a son would follow.
And in the second half of their marriage, Catherine was well aware of her husbands infidelity.
She regularly needled him and other members of the court about it.
It seems likely well get a lot more on Bessie and Henry’s transgressions in episodes to come.
