---Royal Power---
Henry VIII's era was an expansion of royal power. In the era, with the wave of religious reforms in Europe, royal power began to challenge religious rights and in fact won. Regardless of whether the purpose of Henry VIII's reform in Britain was to get rid of Queen Catherine and his own passions, or to free England from the control of the Holy See, and develop in a more independent and flexible way, the reforms he led , Eventually became the Anglican Church and became a branch of the Protestant Church. Later, it was precisely because his children suppressed the state religion to preach Catholicism, or strengthened the Anglican religion to suppress Catholics and Puritans, which led to a large number of Puritans fleeing to the Americas, and later the British revolution triggered by the Puritan riots. It can be said that the British revolution and the establishment of the United States have an inseparable relationship with Henry VIII. Of course, this is something.
Rights are a good thing, and almost everyone wants to have it, and there are indeed few real pure-hearted desires. Once you have rights, you will always expect greater rights. In medieval European politics, one can often see the struggle between religious rights and secular power, and religious systems and secular systems are entangled. Although I am not clear about the purpose and reason of the initial creation of the two systems, I feel that, in fact, the existence of the two systems is a restriction on the rights of both parties; and European politics is in this kind of checks and balances of the rights of both parties. Looking for balance and maintaining a slow development.
Religious rule often sticks to the rules; secular politics often changes, but the direction of these changes is not necessarily very good. Religious thoughts often stick to the pedantic traditions of immutable etiquette norms, because these can maintain the control of religion. However, with economic development and trade exchanges between the East and the West, coupled with the evolution of the world structure, the country will eventually develop and break through the barriers of religious traditions. The flexibility of the secular rule provided the possibility for this kind of development, so the religious reform appeared, which is actually the challenge of the secular power to the religious power. From a long-term and overall perspective, the victory of secular forces is inevitable.
However, overcorrection, representing the kingship of the secular power (or the kingship on which the secular power depends), is constantly expanding in this reform. When the secular kingship got rid of the shackles of religion, it was out of control, because without new powers (such as the increasingly powerful parliamentary powers—in fact, groups of emerging businessmen and capitalists), who can control the power? What about the administrative power? Thus, the whole of England trembled at the feet of Henry VIII (and his daughter Bloody Mary afterwards). Anyone who disagrees with the king will inevitably die no matter how much he has done for the king. Cardinal Wolsey, Sir Thomas Moore, Charles Brandon Lord of Suffolk, etc., all died one after another. In the end, even Her Majesty the Queen fell under the king's butcher knife, one death after another.
The trembling England under the kingship finally sent away Henry VIII, Bloody Mary, and ushered in Edward and later Elizabeth I (that is, Elizabeth, who was just announced as an illegitimate daughter at the end of the second season), during the Elizabethan period , Britain’s politics was basically stable, the orthodox status of the state religion was established, the British economy developed rapidly, the American colonies were consolidated, and the culture was developed (Shakespeare and Bacon, etc.), Britain only entered the golden age. The revitalization of the bourgeoisie brought about by economic development finally met the challenge of the kingship. Elizabeth ended the Tudor dynasty, and the Stuart dynasty founded by its successor still tried to maintain the supremacy of the kingship and brought Britain into it. In terror, and finally fell to the ground in the bourgeois revolution. It's another story.
The right without restriction is terrible, so there is the theory of the separation of powers. Excessive administrative power, like an over-expanded royal power, will bring about temporary changes and development, but it will ultimately lead to corruption and terror. With the development of the economy and the improvement of people's living standards and education levels, people will demand more equal and free politics. Public opinion has promoted the development of Britain time and time again, and also promoted the development of the world.
We have seen too many disasters caused by the expansion of executive power. Legislation and justice have become the playthings of the executives. We don’t want to see a terrible revolution, but we don’t want to tremble forever under swelling power. The harmony of checks and balances based on public opinion is bound to emerge, because the people are becoming stronger and they will surely push it toward reality step by step.
---The king's women---
Many people say that Western society has been a monogamous society since ancient times. This statement will be self-defeating after seeing the Tudor dynasty.
Although Christianity requires that a man can only have one wife and a woman can only have one husband, children born out of wedlock should not have any inheritance rights. However, when the king asked to change his own queen, even the Holy See in Rome Once prepared to recognize the rights of the children of the king’s mistress, this is tantamount to acknowledging in fact that one person can have multiple women at the same time.
Here, I am not saying that the women of the Eastern monarchs are not sad, I just want to say that the women of the Western monarchs are no less sad than the Eastern ones, and even more so.
In the polygamous East, the women of the emperor have at least one name, and China has established a corresponding hierarchy for them. At least they have their own status, and they may become more expensive as female rulers or politicians in a country with more than 10,000 people. In Britain, the king flirted with other women openly and publicly had concubines, and these concubines would not have a real glorious reputation to death. People would just say, look, that was the mistress of the past. And her children may not have the chance to inherit the crown or any part of the royal family rights. They also have to meet half-brothers and sisters, and they will be disgusted by their (or their mother) king at any time, and worry about it. Get rid of their brothers and sisters. Mistresses, don't think that being a mother is expensive, as long as the king will give you some benefits when he pampers you, it will be great. After being abandoned by the king, their dilapidated reputation made it almost impossible for them to find a suitable husband.
But this tragedy seemed to be resolved by the great Henry VIII. It can be seen in "Tudor Dynasty" that Henry VIII's queen will be Catherin in the first season, Anne in the second season, and Jane in the third season. The king himself became the head of religion. Finally, he did not have to wait for the pope to decide whether his marriage was legal. He could, at any time, abolish any queen or even kill them, to free up the queen's throne for the new woman and put it on Flowery crown. The king’s mistresses finally have hope and finally have a chance to become a queen. Looking at the excited expression and eyes of Jane Seymour at the end of the second season, I don’t remember that a woman who just ascended to the throne of queen in the same way was cut off. Lost his head. Later, Henry VIII killed another queen. The reason may depend on the third season and beyond. The daughters of the deceased queen, Mary and Elizabeth, were deprived of their inheritance rights and declared bastard.
Poor Anne, ever since she married the king, has never gained a good reputation. Everyone cursed her, and her father and brother only regarded her as a tool to gain their own political benefits. It was she who helped Henry VIII rescued from the oppression of the Pope and religion, and realized the powerful kingship of Henry VIII, but it was also this powerful kingship that ultimately killed her and let her die. In the film, when Anne is dying, the atmosphere is rendered unusually moving, which makes people unavoidably moved. And Henry VIII, who killed Anne, may never get real happiness and peace of mind.
How sad, it looks like a result, but the death is even worse, it looks like a hope, but it is a bottomless abyss. The women under the autocratic system are pitiful and pathetic. Whether under the religious system they can never get their name right, or their heads are cut off when the king is strong, they can only fight the weakest.
This world is still a male-dominated world, and absolute equality is impossible. We can only treat our beloved people well, keep their lives away from sorrow, and let our hearts find comfort and peace.
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