How historically accurate is the TV series 'The Tudors'?

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The TV series The Tudors (2008-2010) depicts the reign of Henry VIII. So far I've not noticed any historical inaccuracies. How truthful to history is it?

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Best Answer

Wikipedia has listed various inaccuracies as character names, relationships, historical costume, physical appearance and the timing of events.

As creator Hirst noted, "Showtime commissioned me to write an entertainment, a soap opera, and not history ... And we wanted people to watch it." He added that some changes were made for production considerations and some to avoid viewer confusion, and that "any confusion created by the changes is outweighed by the interest the series may inspire in the period and its figures."

Some listed errors from Wikipedia are:

  • Historically, Cardinal Wolsey died of an unspecified illness in Leicester in 1530
  • The character of Henry's sister, called "Princess Margaret" in the series, is actually a composite of his two sisters: the life events of his younger sister, Princess Mary Tudor, coupled with the name of his elder sister, Margaret Tudor.
  • The king's natural son Henry Fitzroy was shown to be born near the beginning of the series and dying at a very young age from the sweating sickness. In fact, he lived until 1536, long enough to marry the only daughter of Anne Boleyn's uncle Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, and be a witness to Anne Boleyn's execution.
  • Henry's daughter Mary is shown to be openly hostile towards Catherine Parr having discovered her Protestant view. Mary didn't fall out with Catherine until after Henry's death, when the Queen hastily married Thomas Seymour.

And many more inaccuracies are there.

Also, from www.thetudorswiki.com:

Writer Michael Hirst believes that The Tudors brings out into the open the gaps and contradictions in the historical record that academic history shies away from. “Of course, there are certain facts which are incontrovertible,” he says, “but beyond that there’s just interpretation and there are surprisingly few sources. So I discovered that the truth is variable and I also discovered that most historians are very bad psychologists: They don’t tell you very much about the human relationships in history. I’ve discovered that nearly all the caricatures of Henry’s wives for instance, are nonsense or only tell a little bit of the story.”




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Is The Tudors Historical?

The Tudors are one of the best-known royal dynasties in history, popularised by the likes of Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I.

Which is more accurate The Tudors or The Other Boleyn Girl?

Both the movie and the series take huge liberties with the historical accuracy, but The Tudors is far better than The Other Boleyn Girl.

Was Maria Doyle Kennedy pregnant during filming of The Tudors?

In Real Life, Maria Doyle Kennedy was pregnant with her fourth son during filming, leading to the show having to use a prosthetic torso and legs in order to hide the baby bump while Catherine is dying in her bed.

Why was The Tudors Cancelled?

Series creator and executive producer Michael Hirst explained to reporters in January that the reason was \u201cThe collapse of the dollar.\u201d At the time, Hirst said that he and the other producers were hoping to be able to make the fourth season a full 10 episode season and apparently they've been successful.



Top 5 Historically Accurate TV Shows You Need to Watch !!!




More answers regarding how historically accurate is the TV series 'The Tudors'?

Answer 2

1st episode in the 1st fifteen minutes they use the term 7 o'clock and they play tennis. Clocks didn't exist for 100 years later and tennis wasn't created for another 300 years.

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