Henry's new wife Jane urges him to reconcile with his daughter Mary while Robert Aske leads a pilgrimage of thousands against Cromwell's monastic reforms.

The Duke of Suffolk is unable to defeat the rebellion militarily, so he resorts to lies and subterfuges.

Henry feigns reconciliation with Aske but ultimately has the leaders of the rebellion arrested; later he becomes ecstatic over Jane's pregnancy.

Forced to recant, Aske is hanged in Yorkshire, Cromwell coerces Brandon to execute more rebels as examples, and Jane suffers complications in childbirth.

While a grieving Henry remains in seclusion with his fool coming to grips with Jane's death, court intrigue turns to political assassination in his absence.

Frustrated in his efforts to assassinate Cardinal Pole, Henry has his relatives executed while Cromwell supports a marriage to Anne of Cleves.

Henry settles on Anne Of Cleves as his fourth wife but is disappointed with her attractiveness and blames Cromwell for his unhappy situation.

As Henry seeks to have his marriage to Anne of Cleves annulled and Cromwell removed, Bryan pimps teenage Catherine Howard as Henry's new mistress.