Plot
In the 16th-century City of London, a poor boy called Tom Canty is bullied by his criminal father into stealing five shillings from a stranger. He is chased and escapes by getting through a gate into a palace garden. There, he meets and befriends Edward, Prince of Wales. They find they look very alike and that each craves the life of the other, so they swap clothes. Edward is then mistaken for Tom and marched out of the palace by guards. A stranger, Sir Miles Hendon (Aidan Quinn), meets the boy and takes him to join Tom's father, John Canty. They fight, and Canty believes he has killed Miles, so flees from London into the country, taking Edward with him. Meanwhile, in the palace, Tom does not know how to play the part of a prince and reveals who he is to the scheming Lord Hertford (Jonathan Hyde). Edward's father, Henry VIII, (Alan Bates) falls seriously ill, and after giving orders that no one is to go on doubting that Tom is his son, he dies. Tom is accepted by the court as king. Word of these developments reaches John Canty and Edward, on the run, before Canty is killed in a fight. Edward again meets Miles, recovered and very much alive, who takes him to Hendon Hall, his family seat, where they find Miles's younger brother Hugh has seized his property. Hugh imprisons Miles and Edward, but they escape, and Edward persuades Miles that he is not Tom but the new king.
On the day of the coronation, Edward and Miles travel to Westminster. Edward is able to halt the ceremony, and he and Tom are again able to exchange their clothes and identities. Archbishop Cranmer and others are suspicious, but Edward produces the Great Seal of the Realm to prove who he is. Afterwards, Edward gives Tom an official position, and Miles is restored to his lost honours.
Edward VI was King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. The only surviving son of Henry VIII by his third wife, Jane Seymour, Edward was the first English monarch to be raised as a Protestant. During his reign, the realm was governed by a regency council because Edward never reached maturity. The council was first led by his uncle Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset (1547–1549), and then by John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland (1550–1553).
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp, also known as Edward Semel, was an English nobleman and politician who served as Lord Protector of England from 1547 to 1549 during the minority of his nephew King Edward VI. He was the eldest surviving brother of Queen Jane Seymour, the third wife of King Henry VIII.
The Prince and the Pauper is a novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada, before its 1882 publication in the United States. The novel represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction. The plot concerns the ascension of nine-year-old Edward VI of England in 1547 and his interactions with look-alike Tom Canty, a London pauper who lives with his abusive, alcoholic father.
A whipping boy was a boy educated alongside a prince in early modern Europe, who supposedly received corporal punishment for the prince's transgressions in his presence. The prince was not punished himself because his royal status exceeded that of his tutor; seeing a friend punished would provide an equivalent motivation not to repeat the offence. An archaic proverb which captures a similar idea is "to beat a dog before a lion." Whipping was a common punishment administered by tutors at that time. There is little contemporary evidence for the existence of whipping boys, and evidence that some princes were indeed whipped by their tutors, although Nicholas Orme suggests that nobles might have been beaten less often than other pupils. Some historians regard whipping boys as entirely mythical; others suggest they applied only in the case of a boy king, protected by divine right, and not to mere princes.
A Modern Twain Story: The Prince and the Pauper also known as The Prince and the Pauper: The Movie is a 2007 film directed by James Quattrochi and starring Dylan and Cole Sprouse. The plot is based on the 1881 novel by Mark Twain, adapted by Amanda Moresco.
Henry VIII and His Six Wives is a 1972 British historical film adaptation, directed by Waris Hussein, of the BBC 1970 six-part miniseries The Six Wives of Henry VIII. Keith Michell, who plays Henry VIII in the TV series, also portrays the king in the film. His six wives are portrayed by different actresses, among them Frances Cuka as Catherine of Aragon, and Jane Asher as Jane Seymour. Donald Pleasence portrays Thomas Cromwell and Bernard Hepton portrays Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, a role he had also played in the miniseries and briefly in its follow-up Elizabeth R.
The Prince and the Pauper is a 1977 British action-adventure film directed by Richard Fleischer, based on the 1881 novel The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain. It stars Oliver Reed, Ernest Borgnine, Raquel Welch, George C. Scott, Charlton Heston, Sir Rex Harrison, and Mark Lester, playing the dual role of Edward VI of England and Tom Canty.
The Prince and the Pauper is a 1937 film adaptation of the 1881 novel of the same name by Mark Twain. It starred Errol Flynn, twins Billy and Bobby Mauch in the title roles, and Claude Rains and has been described as "a kids' fantasy."
Henry VIII and his reign have frequently been depicted in art, film, literature, music, opera, plays, and television.
Henry VII of England has been depicted a number of times in popular culture.
Edward VI of England has been depicted in popular culture a number of times.
Mary I of England has been depicted in popular culture a number of times.
Ian Leslie Redford is an English actor who has featured on stage, in film and on television in various roles.
The Prince and the Pauper is an 1881 novel by Mark Twain.
The Prince and the Pauper is a 1920 Austrian silent adventure film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Tibor Lubinszky, Albert Schreiber, and Adolf Weisse. It is based on Mark Twain's 1881 novel The Prince and the Pauper about a poor boy who switches places with Edward, Prince of Wales in Tudor England.
Thomas "Tom" Canty is a fictitious character from Mark Twain's 1881 novel The Prince and the Pauper. He was born the same day as Edward Tudor, the Prince of Wales in 1537 and grew up in a life of poverty with his abusive, alcoholic father and grandmother. His mother and his sisters always tried to protect him. He was well educated and learned Latin from Father Andrew, a local priest. One day, while taking a stroll, he meets Edward. They exchange clothes with one another, and then due to a mistake, it is assumed that Tom is the Prince of Wales, not Edward. When King Henry VIII died, Edward was to be crowned King, however Tom is nearly crowned instead.
The Prince and the Pauper is a lost 1915 silent film adventure starring Marguerite Clark based on the 1881 novel by Mark Twain. The film was produced by the Famous Players Film Company and was directed by Edwin S. Porter and Hugh Ford.
The Prince and the Pauper is a 1972 Soviet drama film directed by Vadim Gauzner.
The coronation of Edward VI as King of England and Ireland took place at Westminster Abbey, London, on 20 February 1547. Edward ascended the throne following the death of King Henry VIII.
