The Tudors

I was thinking about a lesson we did some time back on The Tudors. Just pondering about Catherine of Aragon. She had been married to old Henry for quite some time, but sadly only managed to give him one live child, a girl, Mary. She went through numerous still births and miscarriages, bad enough in our time with  clean efficient hospitals, it must have been a ghastly business then. But what happened to poor Catherine? She was a  loyal  woman, who just wanted to live in peace and friendship, but along comes a scheming hussy who sees in Henry a rich man who can give her things, including, if handled properly, the Crown of England. Ann Boleyn was her name -  some thought her a witch, she did have an extra finger I believe, something to be abhorred in those days, they tended to be awfully superstitious.
 Ann worked on the principle of what Ann wants, Ann gets, and set herself the task of ruining  the relationship between Henry and Catherine. She didn't care how much hurt or humiliation the other woman went through, Ann had set her sights on her goal and trampled over anything in her way to get what she wanted.  Hampton Court Palace is a testament to her selfish greed and hypocrisy. I suppose, to her credit, she did produce Elizabeth, who turned out to be a marvellous Queen, and of course she did get her comeuppance  at the Tower, having her sweet little neck hacked through by a French sword. It's difficult to think about people so many centuries ago as real people, with real emotions, failings and achievements.  I hope we get more history lessons, putting flesh on well known names.