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The Best Episodes of The Tudors

Every episode of The Tudors ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of The Tudors!

Binge this in 1d 9h•Peaking at 8.6/10

The Tudors is a history-based drama series following the young, vibrant King Henry VIII, a competitive and lustful monarch who navigates the intrigues of the English court and the human heart with equal vigor and

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  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    The Tudors Season 2 Episode 10 - Destiny and Fortune
    8.6/10(983 votes)

    #1 - Destiny and Fortune

    S2:E10

    Queen Anne is imprisoned in the Tower, awaiting her execution. The king granted her wish for a special executioner, but he is delayed and the execution has to be postponed. King Henry proposes to Jane Seymour now that his marriage to Anne has been declared null and void. He hopes she will gave him a legitimate, male heir.

    Director:Jon Amiel
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. The Tudors Season 4 Episode 7 - Sixth And The Final Wife
    8.4/10(633 votes)

    #2 - Sixth And The Final Wife

    S4:E7

    Henry marries Catherine Parr - his sixth and final wife. A loving step-mother and compassionate companion, Catherine is liked and respected by all at court save the Catholic Bishop Gardiner who suspects her to be a heretic. Henry prepares to invade France.

    Director:Jeremy Podeswa
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. The Tudors Season 4 Episode 10 - Death of a Monarchy
    8.4/10(878 votes)

    #3 - Death of a Monarchy

    S4:E10

    Finale - Henry’s thoughts turn to his own mortality with the news that his long-time friend and sometimes foe King Francis, and his unshakable soldier Charles Brandon, are each dying. As he faces death, Henry encounters the ghosts of his former wives who each get a chance to confront him. Hans Holbein paints a last, iconic portrait of the Tudor King.

    Director:Ciarán Donnelly
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. The Tudors Season 2 Episode 4 - The Act of Succession
    8.2/10(787 votes)

    #4 - The Act of Succession

    S2:E4

    Sir Thomas More refuses to accept Henry's command that his people swear an oath of "allegiance and recognition of the King's supremacy" to both church and state. Anne is made aware of the King's womanizing ways, and arranges then gives her blessing to his next mistress. Also, Anne has a confrontation with Lady Mary, Henry's daughter.

    Director:Colm McCarthy
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. The Tudors Season 3 Episode 2 - The Northern Uprising
    8.2/10(707 votes)

    #5 - The Northern Uprising

    S3:E2

    The uproar over the king's break with the Catholic Church turns into a full-blown rebellion that comes to be known as "The Pilgrimage of Grace." Immobilized by an old jousting injury, Henry sends Charles Brandon to deal with the uprising and focuses his attention on the Lady Ursula Misseldon.

    Director:Ciarán Donnelly
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. The Tudors Season 3 Episode 7 - Protestant Anne of Cleves
    8.2/10(663 votes)

    #6 - Protestant Anne of Cleves

    S3:E7

    War looms with France and Spain aligning against England with backing from Rome, so Henry agrees to a politically fortuitous marriage with Anne of Cleves (Joss Stone), a plain and unsophisticated German aristocrat he has never met.

    Director:Jeremy Podeswa
    Writer:Unknown

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of The Tudors

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  7. The Tudors Season 4 Episode 6 - You Have My Permission
    8.2/10(624 votes)

    #7 - You Have My Permission

    S4:E6

    Unmarried once more Henry reflects on his dynasty and orders a new Act of Parliament which restores the succession rights of his two daughters, the Princesses Elizabeth and Mary. His roving eye undaunted by age or experience, he notices the attractive soon-to-be widow Catherine Parr. After the disastrous mismatch of his last marriage a mature woman is just what he needs.

    Director:Ciarán Donnelly
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. The Tudors Season 1 Episode 2 - Simply Henry
    8.1/10(1288 votes)

    #8 - Simply Henry

    S1:E2

    Henry contemplates an alliance with Holy Roman Emperor Charles V of Spain despite his "Field of Cloth of Gold" ceremony celebrating allegiance to France, and executes a rival; Elizabeth gives birth to the king's illegitimate son.

    Director:Charles McDougall
    Writer:Michael Hirst

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  9. The Tudors Season 1 Episode 4 - His Majesty, The King
    8.1/10(1111 votes)

    #9 - His Majesty, The King

    S1:E4

    As a reward for his denunciation of Martin Luther, the Pope christens Henry “Defender of the Faith,” but a brush with death causes the king to seek a solution to his lack of an heir. Princess Margaret marries the decrepit King of Portugal reluctantly, but the union is short-lived; Henry's desire for Anne Boleyn intensifies when Anne goes home to her family estate.

    Director:Steve Shill
    Writer:Michael Hirst

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  10. The Tudors Season 1 Episode 6 - True Love
    8.1/10(983 votes)

    #10 - True Love

    S1:E6

    As King Henry gains in confidence, his displeasure with the way the Catholic church handles his request for an annulment of his marriage to Katherine of Aragon grows. As a result, Cardinal Wolsey's position is weakening, leaving him vulnerable to his enemies.

    Director:Brian Kirk
    Writer:Michael Hirst

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  11. The Tudors Season 1 Episode 8 - Truth and Justice
    8.1/10(945 votes)

    #11 - Truth and Justice

    S1:E8

    A papal envoy has come to discuss the annulment of the King's marriage to Katherine of Aragon, as requested by the King. The outcome of these discussions will determine Cardinal Wolsey's future career as well as the King's romance with Anne Boleyn. These discussions will also influence the nature of the relationship between England and Rome.

    Director:Alison Maclean
    Writer:Michael Hirst

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  12. The Tudors Season 4 Episode 8 - As It Should Be
    8.1/10(627 votes)

    #12 - As It Should Be

    S4:E8

    The siege of Boulogne is a long, expensive and difficult military campaign that is finally won by Henry’s troops at great financial and human cost. Rejuvenated, Henry rejects the idea of marching on to further conquests, preferring to return to England in triumph.

    Director:Jeremy Podeswa
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. The Tudors Season 4 Episode 9 - Secrets of the Heart
    8.1/10(615 votes)

    #13 - Secrets of the Heart

    S4:E9

    Henry VIII’s health is on the slide: the recent siege of Boulogne has taken its toll on his aging body and his ulcerous leg is constantly in pain. Bishop Gardiner and the Catholic Church are once again in the ascendant at court but, tired of conflict, Henry demonstrates little enthusiasm for the ambitious Bishop’s accusation that Catherine Parr is a heretic.

    Director:Ciarán Donnelly
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. The Tudors Season 2 Episode 3 - Checkmate
    7.9/10(802 votes)

    #14 - Checkmate

    S2:E3

    Henry's patience finally wears out and he marries Anne in secret, appoints his Lutheran chaplain Thomas Cranmer the head of the Church of England, and strips Queen Katherine of her title and status; the king and new queen have their first child, and are disappointed that it's a girl...whom they christen Elizabeth.

    Director:Colm McCarthy
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. The Tudors Season 3 Episode 4 - The Death of a Queen
    7.9/10(711 votes)

    #15 - The Death of a Queen

    S3:E4

    The leaders of the Pilgrimage of Grace uprising are put to death, but Brandon is disturbed by the cruelty and mercilessness of the suppression; Henry celebrates the birth of a son but his joy is short-lived as Queen Jane dies within days.

    Director:Ciarán Donnelly
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. The Tudors Season 4 Episode 2 - Sister
    7.9/10(651 votes)

    #16 - Sister

    S4:E2

    Thomas Culpepper - Henry VIII’s newest servant - continues to make eyes at his King’s young bride, Katherine Howard. Her servant suggests seduction. While the King shows his age by going to bed early during the Christmas celebration the young but not so innocent members of his court party on.

    Director:Dearbhla Walsh
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. The Tudors Season 4 Episode 3 - Something For You
    7.9/10(648 votes)

    #17 - Something For You

    S4:E3

    Buoyed by the happiness that a young wife brings an aging man, Henry is noticeably more tolerant and forgiving than he once was. Such goodwill is well appreciated by the peasants of the North who gratefully accept Henry’s forgiveness for the Pilgrimage of Grace revolt, during a Royal visit. But the King’s benevolence may yet be tested by his new Queen: Katherine Howard has submitted to seduction by the young and handsome Thomas Culpepper.

    Director:Dearbhla Walsh
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. The Tudors Season 4 Episode 4 - Natural Ally
    7.9/10(629 votes)

    #18 - Natural Ally

    S4:E4

    Rejuvenated by his tour of the north of England, Henry feels a new man and longs after his new Queen; unaware that her affections are diverted elsewhere. Katherine’s past begins to catch up as an old liaison comes looking for a job threatening to reveal all about their sexual history. Someone beats him to it when an anonymous letter is sent to the King containing accusations of adultery. Although unconvinced of the rumor, Henry confines Katherine to her apartments pending a thorough investigation.

    Director:Ciarán Donnelly
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. The Tudors Season 1 Episode 9 - Look to God First
    7.8/10(907 votes)

    #19 - Look to God First

    S1:E9

    Cardinal Wolsey's fall is quick and pitiless. Stripped of office and authority, he is banished from the court and sent far from his much-beloved King. His unlikely successor is Sir Thomas More, a man unlike the overbearing Wolsey in every way but one...his loyalty to Henry.

    Director:Ciarán Donnelly
    Writer:Michael Hirst

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  20. The Tudors Season 2 Episode 8 - Lady in Waiting
    7.6/10(767 votes)

    #20 - Lady in Waiting

    S2:E8

    At Henry's command Jane Seymour is made a lady-in-waiting to Anne Boleyn, to the discomfort and suspicion of the Queen. When Henry is seriously injured in a jousting match all thoughts turn to who might succeed him. There will be far-reaching consequences if Anne's pregnancy does not deliver a healthy son.

    Director:Dearbhla Walsh
    Writer:Unknown

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  21. The Tudors Season 1 Episode 1 - In Cold Blood
    7.4/10(1635 votes)

    #21 - In Cold Blood

    S1:E1

    Henry prepares for war with France but receives cautious counsel from the powerful Cardinal Wolsey, who urges a treaty; the king learns that his queen's lady-in-waiting Elizabeth Blount is pregnant with his child.

    Directors:Steve Shill, Charles McDougall
    Writer:Michael Hirst

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  22. The Tudors Season 3 Episode 8 - The Undoing of Cromwell
    7.1/10(726 votes)

    #22 - The Undoing of Cromwell

    S3:E8

    Henry moves swiftly to annul his loveless marriage to Anne of Cleves, and beds a new mistress, 17-year-old Katherine Howard; Princess Mary falls in love with Duke Philip of Bavaria; Cromwell's fall from favor is sudden and dramatic.

    Director:Jeremy Podeswa
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. The Tudors Season 1 Episode 3 - Wolsey, Wolsey, Wolsey!
    7.0/10(1177 votes)

    #23 - Wolsey, Wolsey, Wolsey!

    S1:E3

    A visit from Charles V forces Henry to conceal his growing disaffection from Queen Katherine, who is the influential Spanish monarch's aunt - even as Henry comes face-to-face with the seductive Anne Boleyn for the first time.

    Director:Steve Shill
    Writer:Michael Hirst

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  24. The Tudors Season 2 Episode 1 - Everything is Beautiful
    7.0/10(885 votes)

    #24 - Everything is Beautiful

    S2:E1

    The King makes himself head of the Church of England while the Catholic Church fights a losing battle to control Henry VIII's desire for an annulment. Anne Boleyn demands that Henry break off contact with Katherine, so the noble Queen is banished from court. On top of that The Reformation is underway.

    Director:Jeremy Podeswa
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. The Tudors Season 3 Episode 3 - Dissention and Punishment
    7.0/10(701 votes)

    #25 - Dissention and Punishment

    S3:E3

    Henry reconciles with his estranged daughters Mary and Elizabeth in time for the Christmas holidays, but betrays and brutally suppresses the rebellion against him after making conciliatory promises to the uprising's leaders.

    Director:Ciarán Donnelly
    Writer:Unknown

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Best Episodes Summary

"Destiny and Fortune" is the best rated episode of "The Tudors". It scored 8.6/10 based on 983 votes. Directed by Jon Amiel and written by Unknown, it aired on 6/1/2008. This episode scored 0.2 points higher than the second highest rated, "Sixth And The Final Wife".