This castle was built by a man whose ambitions were truly imperial: King Edward I, conqueror of Wales and hammer of the Scots. Monarchy by David Starkey s1e5: A United Kingdom
But the second Edward, unconventional and self-indulgent, reopened the old debate about royal power; his weaknesses brought the monarchy to the brink of disaster and may have inflicted a uniquely horrible death on the king. Nor was it all gore and glory. ibid.
By the end of the Edwardian century the shape of an England ruled by king, lords and commons was already becoming clear. ibid.
Wales was crushed under the heel of a brutal military occupation. ibid.
Bannockburn became infamous as England’s most shameful defeat by the Scots … Edward fled the battlefield. ibid.
For the first time in England history a reigning monarch was formally deposed from the throne. ibid.
Edward [III] was the perfect gentleman … This was a quiet revolution. ibid.
War with France offered the chance of rich booty … He was about to start a war that would last a hundred years. ibid.
Over the next hundred years there were seven kings and only three of them died in their beds. Monarchy by David Starkey s1e6: Death of a Dynasty
Hope for the future lay with Edward’s eldest son and heir, the Black Prince, but then in 1376 disaster struck: aged 45 he died. In his place his son, the nine year old Richard, became heir to the throne … Richard aged only 10 became King. ibid.
In 1380 they introduced a new poll tax; not for the last time it triggered a revolt. ibid.
One by one those Lords who had rebelled against him met with his revenge. ibid.
Henry [Bolingbroke] wanted far more than the Duchy of Lancaster: he would settle for nothing less than the crown of England itself. ibid.
Only a year after Henry’s coronation in 1400 the Welsh rose up against English rule, but the greatest threat to England came from within England and from the family which had been his own strongest supporters – the Percys. ibid.
No heir to the throne had served a more distinguished apprenticeship … He fought bravely against Hotspur … that led the English to victory … but suddenly at the age of 35 Henry caught dysentery and died. ibid.
Everything would depend on Henry’s son – the nine-month-old … Henry [VI] was also named King of France … The government of England and France was divided between the King’s two uncles … French resistance couldn’t be suppressed. ibid.
By the time Henry was 30 he’d lost everything his father had won. Only Calais remained in English hands. ibid.
Now York turned the tables on the house of Lancaster … Henry would remain King whilst he lived and York would succeed only after his death, but everybody reckoned without Queen Margaret’s ferocious mother-love … She led her forces against York: Margaret was victorious. ibid.
He seized the throne and ruled as King Edward IV; Henry was captured … But then his own followers started to quarrel … A total and final defeat for the house of Lancaster … Henry VI was dispatched with a blow of the head. ibid.
Relations between a state and its people can easily break down ... 800 years ago in England one such crisis – local, limited, particular ... a sort of blueprint ... It’s become a working constitution. David Starkey’s Magna Carta, BBC 2015
King John certainly knew how to abuse power. ibid.
The King would issue Magna Carta, and the barons would swear fealty in return. ibid.
A piece of parchment written by a medieval scribe, an agreement written in a long dead language between two warring parties, it is a legendary documentary of near mystical significance with the power to change lives and shape human events. They call it simply Magna Carta. Magna Carta Revealed: People vs The Crown aka Secrets of the Magna Carta, Channel 5 2020
‘For generation after generation we have paid in blood for the freedoms that were first won in Magna Carta.’ ibid. historian
$19m: word for word this is the most expensive document in the world, the most valuable piece of paper in human history. ibid.
By the time of Robin Hood the English are fed up with the ruthless exploitation. But there’s worst to come when in 1199 Richard the Lionheart is succeeded by his brother King John. ibid.
Out of the darkness of chaos and violence of the Middle Ages one family rose to seize control of England. Generation after generation they ruled the country for more than 300 years, ruthlessly crushing all competition to become the greatest English dynasty of all time: the Plantagenets. Dan Jones, Britain’s Bloodiest Dynasty s1e1: Revenge, Channel 5 2014
These Kings murdered, betrayed and tyrannised their way to spectacular success. ibid.
Matilda’s son, Henry Plantagenet, has watched from France as his birthright is ripped away. In 1153 Henry Plantagenet sails to England with an invasion force aiming to seize back the throne. ibid.
The whole of Europe blames him for the murder of the Archbishop of Canterbury. And his obsession with control has alienated his entire family. ibid.
He’s good at betrayal but he lacks his father’s political savvy. ibid.
England is turning into a disaster zone. ibid.
The Plantagenets forged England as a nation. Dan Jones, Britain’s Bloodiest Dynasty s1e2: Hatred, Channel 5 2014
1230: Henry III came to the throne at the age of nine. He has been king for fourteen years. His powers are limited by a document signed by his father King John. It’s called the Magna Carta. ibid. caption
Henry III is the fourth Plantagenet king. ibid.
He is a total dreamer. ibid.
Simon [de Montfort] marries Henry’s sister, Eleanor, the greatest catch in the kingdom. ibid.
The basis of our modern parliamentary democracy. ibid.
In 1264 England is plunged into a civil war. ibid.
Edward promises them to keep the reforms ... The Plantagenet army is back on the march. ibid.
Most famous for the story of his [Edward II] agonising death, but the story of his life is even more extraordinary – one of obsession, blood lust, political savagery and above all revenge. Dan Jones, Britain’s Bloodiest Dynasty s1e3: Revenge
Edward has promoted his best friend to Earl of Cornwall and made him his most trusted adviser. ibid.
The finances, security and political security have all gone to the dogs. ibid.
1321: 13 years into Edward II’s reign, [Piers] Gaveston’s murder by Lancaster remains unavenged. ibid.
1326: 19 years into Edward II’s reign, his support for the Despensers has made him hated throughout England. ibid.
The golden boy who single-handedly ended the Peasants’ Revolt. But Richard II became the most vicious Plantagenet of all. And his reign of terror brought the whole Plantagenet dynasty crashing down. Dan Jones, Britain’s Bloodiest Dynasty s1e4: Richard II: Tyranny
1377: England had suffered a decade of turmoil under the ailing King Edward III. His grandson, Richard II, succeeds him at the age of 10. He is hailed as the country’s saviour. But just 4 years later thousands of impoverished peasants storm London. ibid.
King Richard II had ridden out to meet rebel leader Wat Tyler. Richard’s men have just murdered Tyler. ibid.
Fear and paranoia stalk the land. ibid.
Henry takes him to London and bangs him up in the Tower. ibid.
Centuries ago Europe was a battleground fought over by kings and queens. For hundreds of years power-hungry families fought for the right to rule. And Europe transformed. These rivalries shifted borders, destroyed cities and brought the population to its knees. The fate of millions depended on their feuds and passions, their obsessions and betrayals. Dan Jones, Britain’s War of Thrones: The Hundred Years War I, History 2018
For 300 years the Capetian dynasty reigns in France, one of the most powerful kingdoms in Europe. ibid.
This bloody struggle was the longest war in European history: it became known as the Hundred Years War. ibid.
Edward III was now the undisputed master of England. ibid.
Edward was coming for Philip’s throne. ibid.
It’s difficult to imagine the scale of the disaster that took place at Cressy: more than 1,500 French lords and knights were killed and 10,000 soldiers were massacred by English arrows. The English only lost 2 knights and 80 men. ibid.
In early 1348 a plague known as the Black Death swept across France killing one third of the population. In August it jumped across the Channel. ibid.