Watching the Tudors

The Tudors continues to fascinate us and through the last couple of decades this interest has manifested itself through several movies and series of the infamous dynasty and the people who lived in it. This list contains documentaries as well as fiction so go ahead and dig in!

The Tudors (2007-2010)
The life of Henry VIII beginning in the middle of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon

Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)
The story of Anne Boleyn who is angry with the King for ending her relationship with Henry Percy but ends up marrying him which leads to her death

Mary, Queen of Scots (1971)
The tragic story of the Scottish Queen who eventually made the mistake of committing treason against her cousin, Elizabeth I, which sends her to the block

The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
Based on the historical fiction novel of Philippa Gregory that follows the two Boleyn sisters, Mary and Anne.

Elizabeth (1998)
A young Elizabeth survives the dangerous last days of Mary I and struggles to find her role as Queen

Elizabeth: the Golden Age (2007)
Elizabeth I has become an experienced monarch who defends her country against the Spanish armada

The Twisted Tale of Bloody Mary (2008)
The story of how Mary I went from a beloved princess to discarded bastard and finally became a Queen with a bloody reputation

Henry VIII and his Six Wives (1973)
The infamous six wives of the dominant Tudor King

Gunpowder, Treason and Plots (2004)
The turbulent reigns of Mary, Queen of Scots and her son James I

Elizabeth I, Red Rose of the House of Tudor (2000)
A part of the series "the Royal Diaries" that follow the childhood of Elizabeth Tudor

The Virgin Queen (2005)
Elizabeth Tudor through her early years as Queen of England

Henry VIII (1979)
A BBC-produced take on the story told by William Shakespeare

Lady Jane (1987)
The unwilling Queen who reigned for a mere nine days and was then executed

A Man for All Seasons (1966)
Thomas More as he serves the difficult Henry VIII

Young Bess (1953)
From the execution of Anne Boleyn to the coronation of Elizabeth I

The Virgin Queen (1955)
Walter Raleigh's arrival at court to finance his expedition to the New World

Gloriana (2000)
The Queen that outshone a court

Mary Stuart (1982)
The girl that went from being Dauphine of France to the scaffold for treason

The Shadow of the Tower (1972)
Mini-series of Henry VII during the first years of the Tudor dynasty

The Sword and the Rose (1953)
Mary Tudor on her path to find true love after her brother - Henry VIII - had married her off against her will


Stay in the Renaissance - other movies set during the Tudor times:

Martin Luther (2003)
A revolutionary German monk whose criticism of the Roman Catholic church sparks the Reformation

Princes in the Tower (2005)
Perkin Warbeck who claims to be prince Richard - the rightful heir to the English throne - is tried

The Conclave (2006)
Cardinals gathers to name a new pope - but everyone has their own agenda

Shakespeare in Love (1998)
A highly fictional account of William Shakespeare who embarks on a love affair with the aristocratic Lady Viola

The Taming of the Shrew (1967)
William Shakespeare's play is brought to life in this 1960's movie

The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965)
The troubles of Michelangelo during his work on the Sistine Chapel

God's Outlaw (1986)
William Tyndale faces mortal danger (in the shape of Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell) when he tries to translate the Bible into English