A Matter of Faith: Henry VIII, the days of the Phoenix

When Anne Boleyn is delivered of a daughter and Henry faces personal bereavement and discord at court, Anne’s enemies gather. When the next pregnancy fails and the queen miscarries of a son, the need for an heir is imperative. Waiting in the wings is Jane Seymour, a lady-in-waiting, who offers the king respite from Anne’s fiery passions.

But, when Anne falls foul of her former ally, Thomas Cromwell, and the king is persuaded that Anne has made him a cuckold, Henry strikes out and the queen falls beneath the executioner’s sword, taking key players in Henry’s household with her.

Jane Seymour, stepping up to replace the fall, quickly becomes pregnant. Delighted with his dull but fertile wife, Henry’s spirits rise even higher when the prince is born safely. At last, Henry has all he desires, but even as he celebrates, fate is preparing to deliver one more staggering blow.

As the king’s optimism diminishes, his intractability increases, and the wounded lion begins to roar