Why after 500 years, do we have this fascination with the Tudors?

It has been a while since I posted about the Tudors.  I should be studying for my exam that I have in December but I had the strong urge to post today:) .  I posted a question on my Tudor Facebook (Facebook information to the right) and received about 30 responses.  The question posted was, why after 500 years, do we have this fascination with the Tudors (the answer could be one word or more)?  
My answer was quite simple, after researching & learning more about Elizabeth I, that's how I became fascinated with Tudor history!  Below are the responses that I received from my Tudor Facebook page:

"I think that we all get drawn in by Henry VIII and his six wives. First heard it in the early 70's PBS drama with Keith Mitchell. My first thought is "How does a guy have 6 wive?" So I got drawn into that. Which then brought me to other history of that time."

"It's one of the greatest stories....better than fiction."

"One of my favourite periods in my countries history, closely followed by ww1."

"The sheer tyrannical power that Henry possessed. He was definitely England's most powerful king. Everyone was afraid to cross him."

"Passion"

"I think personally most of the fascination is with Henry's 2nd wife Anne Boleyn....and the fact that their daughter Elizabeth eventually became Queen during some of the most interesting times in British history...and that Queen Elizabeth quite frankly out did her father"

"My favorite part of European history"

"Drama"

"Here are a few words for ya: family problems, ambition, love, lust (ie physical or for power), powerful women in a powerless world and scandal. The Tudor dynasty reflects this so well, and I think anyone can relate to that."

"My interest has been since high school--in the early 80's--and I've never lost it--thanks to a great English teacher!!! She put Henry and his wives in my heart, and they've never left...hope they never will!!"

"Intrigue"

"Because you couldn't write a more fascinating story. And there is so much we don't know about them. Why did Henry decide he didn't like Anne of Cleves, for example."

"The Tudor Era had so many fascinating elements: romance, greed, jealousy, war, family problems, international intrigue, sports, brutal executions, fashion, backstabbing, religious struggles, and so on. How could you NOT be fascinated?"

"Love of history. King Henry the eighth, to six wives he was wedded, One died, one survide, 2 divorced and 2 beheaded."

"Well I think it is because the story of the Tudors combines so many different emotions and situations ..passion, crime, sex, love,hate,revenge.. and many other things..it is the most fascinating story in history"

"I love the contradiction of religion & debauchery of the period. Also that's a pretty heavy story of Anne Boylen even by todays standards."

"History is amazing, and this particular period of history with so many conflicting stories of wars, religion, beliefs, love, hate, power revenge, progress, greed, manipulation all in the name of the monarchy is fascinating. Women had such a lovely & also horrid time in those days and to us all it is just hard to comprehend how they were treated. All of the great historical fiction captivates the readers with the detail, and is extremely entertaining."

"The Tudors on Showtime got a lot of people interested. The books on the Plantagenet's are just as good, maybe better!"

"MY Family history"

"I needed to know how the heck one king went through six wives in such a short time, lol"

"Their story has become legend, almost mythical. Also, the similarities and contrasts between Henry's goal to have a male heir and what he went through and put others through with Elizabeth's legacy is a perfect example of life's twists and turns.  Oh and Keith Mitchell and Glenda Jackson are the best portrayals of Henry and Elizabeth IMO"

"Because they were the last dynasty to hold complete power and some of them used that power better than others. Henry VIII made a radical change to the way this country reviews its religious stance and Elizabeth put England on the map as a power to be reckoned with, for all time - girl power!"

"My husband asks me that all the time!!! The scandals, the wardrobe, the palaces- you can't make this stuff up!!"

"Splendid period! Do you need to ask. Inventions galore!"

"Wonderful era!"

"I was interested after being taught the history of my country at school and one of my first school trips was to Bosworth Battlefield."

"I never knew he had the other 5 wives. Just remember Ann Boleyn!!!"

"History repeats itself, and very little changes"

"Soap opera--no one would believe this if it were fiction---"

"Legacy"


All great responses.  Feel free to add your opinion!