Allies & Enemies: Who's Who

(dramatic music) - Cromwell's primary enemy is from the Howard family, a man called Norfolk.

Tim Spall plays.

The old families, the Courtenays and the Poles are not friends of Cromwell, primarily 'cause they're not really friends of Henry VIII.

They see the Tudor Dynasty as a blip in the much longer dynasties of their families, the Plantagenets.

- The Duke of Norfolk is probably one of the villains of the Tudor period in some ways.

He's very ambitious and ruthless.

He is part of the Howard family.

Most famously Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, they are both nieces of the Duke of Norfolk.

They're also the two queens who get executed.

- The ally thing is an ever-changing, shifting sands, you know, they, they go in and out of favor 'cause they're always got an eye on which way the king is looking.

What suits them, what influence they can have.

Even their allies for one minute are their enemies the next.

- Norfolk will never be your ally.

Work his discredit now with the king, My Lord.

Destroy him.

- Who are other allies?

- Jane Seymour is an ally, and the Seymour family generally because they feel Cromwell has been part of their success.

- Jane finds her strength from close women, her sister Bess Oughtred and her sister-in-law, Nan Seymour.

Those women appear a lot through "Mirror and the Light".

And then Cromwell would be someone who she really relies on too.

- One of his wards- - Done?

- Rafe Sadler.

Done.

Is definitely an ally and has progressed from being Cromwell's secretary or assistant in the first series to being Henry VII's kind of chamber man.

- Rafe's one of the few good guys I think in this whole thing.

He was taken in by Cromwell and he kind of sees Cromwell as a bit of a father figure really, and is well prepped for this mad, mad environment of egos and death and horror.

- You keep that man, Wriothesley close?

- Wriothesley's developing relationship with Cromwell is, is really quite nuanced and quite naughty really.

He starts off and he's really trying to show Cromwell what an addition he's to the team, how smart he is.

He needs a father figure and he just doesn't receive it back from Cromwell.

And so that kind of builds into a great sort of frustration within Wriothesley and a deep sadness.

When Wriothesley was very young, he was taught by Stephen Gardiner, who's been in France for quite a while and Stephen Gardiner comes back and puts some pressure on Wriothesley to shift sides.

- It's not far from being a gangster film.

You are reaping great benefits, great wealth, but you are dealing with a lot of people who are trying to put the knife in your back.

(dramatic music)