1 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:05,440 SAM WILLIS: 'Castles. 2 00:00:05,440 --> 00:00:09,880 'They dominate our landscape, tower over our history 3 00:00:09,880 --> 00:00:12,160 'and fuel our imagination.' 4 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:17,200 I was brought up on stories of castles, 5 00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:19,000 of knights in shining armour, 6 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:22,200 epic sieges and tactical ingenuity. 7 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:23,360 I learnt of the castle 8 00:00:23,360 --> 00:00:26,640 as the ultimate expression of military might. 9 00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:37,760 'And yet, fascinating as this is, 10 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:40,080 'it hides a deeper story. 11 00:00:40,080 --> 00:00:45,240 'For the story of the castle is the story of these Isles. 12 00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:48,960 'Of conquest, colonisation and civil war.' 13 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:50,800 Firing the cannon! 14 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:54,640 'In this series, 15 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:57,440 'I'll be looking at the impact of the castle on Britain - 16 00:00:57,440 --> 00:01:01,080 'finding out how an instrument of military power 17 00:01:01,080 --> 00:01:04,480 'rapidly took on far wider significance. 18 00:01:04,480 --> 00:01:08,280 'I'll discover how castles invaded every part of life - 19 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:11,200 'becoming homes to a new ruling elite, 20 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:13,960 'giving birth to the feudal system... 21 00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:19,720 '..and even entering our mythology and art. 22 00:01:20,560 --> 00:01:23,520 'I'll be visiting many of the greatest castles 23 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:26,000 'these islands have to offer - 24 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:30,880 'the brutal bastions Edward I used to subjugate the Welsh, 25 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:34,320 'Henry VIII's defensive fortresses 26 00:01:34,320 --> 00:01:38,040 'and Elizabethan palaces of seduction.' 27 00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:39,400 Have a care! 28 00:01:45,760 --> 00:01:48,440 'But our story begins with the arrival of the castle 29 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:51,120 'with the Normans in 1066. 30 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:57,560 'A weapon of invasion, these alien structures 31 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:02,320 'were to play a central role in the imposition of the new regime. 32 00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:03,920 OWL HOOTS 33 00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:08,640 'But then, in the hands of unruly barons, 34 00:02:08,640 --> 00:02:10,920 'they would lead to anarchy in the realm.' 35 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:16,640 The castle dominated our landscape for a thousand years, 36 00:02:16,640 --> 00:02:19,040 and changed the course of our history. 37 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:22,720 Join me, Sam Willis, for the story of the castle, 38 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:25,760 and its unparalleled role in shaping Britain. 39 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:52,200 'It was in 1066 that the castle first came to these shores, 40 00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:55,200 'brought here by a man set on rule. 41 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:00,680 'Carried as the weapon of the would-be monarch - 42 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:02,760 'William the Conqueror. 43 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:06,280 'It was a vital tool in his attempt to claim the throne. 44 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:09,360 'The castle began its intimate connection with this land 45 00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:12,520 'as part of the Norman invasion of England.' 46 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:18,120 Castles were an integral part of William's war chest from the outset. 47 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:22,000 Yes, his ships were packed with soldiers and horses, 48 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:26,240 but he also brought with him the wherewithal to build a castle. 49 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:29,000 A contemporary account of William's landing at Hastings 50 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:32,040 was made by the Norman historian Master Wace, 51 00:03:32,040 --> 00:03:34,840 and it includes a telling passage. 52 00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:41,800 "Then they cast out of the ships the materials, 53 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:45,000 "and drew them to land, all shaped, framed and pierced 54 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:47,400 "to receive the pins which they had brought, 55 00:03:47,400 --> 00:03:49,920 "cut and ready in large barrels - 56 00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:54,280 "so that before evening had well set in, they had finished a fort." 57 00:03:57,360 --> 00:04:01,800 What he's describing is essentially a pre-fabricated castle. 58 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:05,480 The castle was such an important part of any Norman campaign, 59 00:04:05,480 --> 00:04:07,640 William even invaded with one. 60 00:04:08,800 --> 00:04:12,600 It wasn't the Scandinavians that introduced flat pack to Britain. 61 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:15,480 It was their descendants in France, 62 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:18,960 the men from the north - the Normans. 63 00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:23,880 'If you look along the most famous record of the invasion, 64 00:04:23,880 --> 00:04:29,560 'the Bayeux Tapestry, you can even see a castle under construction. 65 00:04:29,560 --> 00:04:32,800 'William needed something light and quick to assemble. 66 00:04:32,800 --> 00:04:35,800 'A wooden castle fit the bill perfectly. 67 00:04:35,800 --> 00:04:39,120 'Looking at the tapestry, the tower appears to have been put up 68 00:04:39,120 --> 00:04:42,600 'before the digging of a protective mound has been completed. 69 00:04:42,600 --> 00:04:45,560 'You can see William's men still digging away 70 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:47,400 'to add to the earthwork pile. 71 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:52,960 'With cavalry to overwhelm King Harold's well-organised force, 72 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:55,520 'and a castle to secure his landing, 73 00:04:55,520 --> 00:04:57,160 'William won the day. 74 00:04:57,160 --> 00:04:59,880 'The Norman conquest of England was underway.' 75 00:05:06,400 --> 00:05:08,960 In his successful invasion of England, 76 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:13,760 the castle became an essential tool of William's power and authority - 77 00:05:13,760 --> 00:05:17,720 a way to secure both his claim and his territory. 78 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:22,040 The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle recorded how the Normans, 79 00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:25,760 "built castles far and wide across the country, 80 00:05:25,760 --> 00:05:28,200 "and oppressed the wretched people." 81 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:38,800 The castle was beginning to put its stamp on our land. 82 00:05:42,600 --> 00:05:45,240 To give himself the best chance of success, 83 00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:47,600 William needed something that was quick to construct, 84 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:49,240 but that was still effective. 85 00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:51,360 This is what he used. 86 00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:55,760 The classic castle design - the type I was taught about at school. 87 00:05:55,760 --> 00:05:57,680 The motte-and-bailey. 88 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:04,240 'A motte-and-bailey is the most basic castle design. 89 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:07,640 'A moat surrounded a walled enclosure - the bailey. 90 00:06:10,160 --> 00:06:12,520 'If this first line of defence was breached, 91 00:06:12,520 --> 00:06:15,120 'the defenders could retreat back to a tower 92 00:06:15,120 --> 00:06:18,680 'on a specially-constructed mound - the motte. 93 00:06:20,280 --> 00:06:22,200 'With the height advantage this provided, 94 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:26,080 'the defending archers could dominate the bailey and beyond. 95 00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:30,800 'It was a highly-practical design. 96 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:36,400 'In its very basic form, 97 00:06:36,400 --> 00:06:39,600 'the motte-and-bailey had one other significant advantage for William.' 98 00:06:42,080 --> 00:06:45,880 By using wood for the walls, a castle could be built very quickly, 99 00:06:45,880 --> 00:06:50,000 providing a secure place from which to assert your authority. 100 00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:53,600 'This is Berkhamsted near London. 101 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:58,640 'The place where William accepted the surrender of the English in 1066. 102 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:01,880 'But this didn't mark the end of the conflict.' 103 00:07:10,320 --> 00:07:12,560 It's so easy to think of the Norman conquest 104 00:07:12,560 --> 00:07:14,640 as nothing more than William's crossing 105 00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:17,000 and the Battle of Hastings in 1066. 106 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:18,840 But, of course, it was a much longer, 107 00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:20,440 more drawn out process than that. 108 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:25,720 'William's army travelled on foot and on horseback. 109 00:07:26,880 --> 00:07:28,600 'It took time to cross England. 110 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:34,240 'The Saxons may not have had castles with which to oppose this invasion, 111 00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:37,080 'but there were a handful of fortified towns - 112 00:07:37,080 --> 00:07:39,360 'like the walled city of Exeter. 113 00:07:41,640 --> 00:07:45,840 'It was to become the site of one of the first stone castles 114 00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:48,040 'built by the Normans. 115 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:51,320 'But before that, they would have to lay siege to it.' 116 00:07:53,480 --> 00:07:59,000 By 1067, Exeter was already a large city with an impressive history. 117 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:02,040 And you can actually read that history in its walls, 118 00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:03,840 like a historical document. 119 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:07,480 You can see clearly here how we have Roman masonry. 120 00:08:07,480 --> 00:08:11,600 Then above that, several courses of Saxon stones. 121 00:08:11,600 --> 00:08:15,600 And then above it, this dark course of Norman masonry. 122 00:08:15,600 --> 00:08:19,080 'This was added when the Normans took control of these walls, 123 00:08:19,080 --> 00:08:21,680 'and finally made Exeter their own.' 124 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:24,320 But first they had to capture the city. 125 00:08:26,200 --> 00:08:30,080 'The citizens had refused to swear allegiance to William. 126 00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:33,600 'This is a man who is reputed to have chopped the hands and feet 127 00:08:33,600 --> 00:08:38,440 'off the defending force of a French town, for insulting his mother.' 128 00:08:38,440 --> 00:08:41,560 'William was not a man to cross, 129 00:08:41,560 --> 00:08:43,480 'and he was marching on their city. 130 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:49,720 'William was marauding with an army including 500 cavalry. 131 00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:52,160 'On the way he laid waste to parts of Dorset - 132 00:08:52,160 --> 00:08:55,080 'a forbidding sign for the people of Exeter. 133 00:08:56,320 --> 00:08:59,320 'Some of the city fathers faltered at the thought 134 00:08:59,320 --> 00:09:03,560 'and brought him hostages in exchange for striking a deal. 135 00:09:03,560 --> 00:09:06,000 'But the people of Exeter had other ideas, 136 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:08,120 'and they reneged on the arrangement. 137 00:09:08,120 --> 00:09:10,720 'William set about surrounding the city, 138 00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:12,560 'cutting it off from supplies. 139 00:09:12,560 --> 00:09:14,600 'The siege of Exeter had begun.' 140 00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:20,520 William and his army approached the city from the north-east, 141 00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:22,600 fording a stream called the Longbrook, 142 00:09:22,600 --> 00:09:25,640 and riding up what is now known as Longbrook Street. 143 00:09:25,640 --> 00:09:29,880 At the East Gate, William had one of the hostages blinded 144 00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:32,560 to show the citizens of Exeter what to expect. 145 00:09:32,560 --> 00:09:35,200 But they didn't surrender, and there's even an account 146 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:37,480 that one of them took to the castle walls, 147 00:09:37,480 --> 00:09:40,000 dropped his trousers, and farted. 148 00:09:41,400 --> 00:09:43,080 The East Gate has now been demolished, 149 00:09:43,080 --> 00:09:45,640 but you can get a sense from these walls behind me 150 00:09:45,640 --> 00:09:48,160 that it was once a formidable obstacle. 151 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:50,120 William had his engineers dig tunnels 152 00:09:50,120 --> 00:09:53,480 to try and undermine the walls, and after 18 days, 153 00:09:53,480 --> 00:09:55,400 they partially collapsed. 154 00:09:55,400 --> 00:09:57,760 It was the beginning of the end for the defenders. 155 00:09:57,760 --> 00:10:01,400 But the siege was only broken when Exeter's bishop and his clergy 156 00:10:01,400 --> 00:10:03,840 took a Bible and some holy relics to William, 157 00:10:03,840 --> 00:10:06,760 and made him swear an oath not to sack the city 158 00:10:06,760 --> 00:10:08,720 or harm its people. 159 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:12,120 He kept his word. 160 00:10:18,720 --> 00:10:21,920 To secure his victory, William turned to the castle. 161 00:10:21,920 --> 00:10:24,080 He charged Baldwin, Sheriff of Devon, 162 00:10:24,080 --> 00:10:26,200 to build Rougemont Castle - 163 00:10:26,200 --> 00:10:29,040 so named for the colour of the mound it was built upon, 164 00:10:29,040 --> 00:10:32,640 and the blocks that were used in its construction. 165 00:10:35,120 --> 00:10:37,120 'This gatehouse at Exeter Castle 166 00:10:37,120 --> 00:10:40,720 'is one of the oldest Norman structures in England. 167 00:10:40,720 --> 00:10:44,160 'It captures its moment in history perfectly.' 168 00:10:44,160 --> 00:10:47,680 What we have here is a pure Norman arch, 169 00:10:47,680 --> 00:10:51,680 but above it two characteristically Anglo-Saxon windows. 170 00:10:51,680 --> 00:10:55,120 It's evidence of an Anglo-Saxon building gang 171 00:10:55,120 --> 00:10:58,680 working under their new Norman masters. 172 00:11:00,720 --> 00:11:04,760 'This marks the arrival of a brand new type of building in England. 173 00:11:04,760 --> 00:11:08,520 'Stone castles were unlike anything anyone here had ever seen before - 174 00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:11,840 'the Norman equivalent of the building of the pyramids.' 175 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:15,520 These stone castles were utterly alien, 176 00:11:15,520 --> 00:11:19,320 and it's hard to over-emphasise the impact of their arrival. 177 00:11:19,320 --> 00:11:21,360 Both literally and figuratively, 178 00:11:21,360 --> 00:11:24,720 they cast a shadow over their surroundings. 179 00:11:24,720 --> 00:11:28,920 A permanent reminder that there was a new boss in town. 180 00:11:31,640 --> 00:11:34,520 'This was an invasion cast in stone, 181 00:11:34,520 --> 00:11:38,880 'built by the very people the castles were designed to control.' 182 00:11:38,880 --> 00:11:43,000 At a time when most dwellings were simple single-storey structures, 183 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:45,440 the castle was a vast undertaking, 184 00:11:45,440 --> 00:11:48,600 which required the assembly of an army of masons, 185 00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:50,320 carpenters and labourers, 186 00:11:50,320 --> 00:11:53,280 and the movement of thousands of tons of materials 187 00:11:53,280 --> 00:11:55,120 for the construction. 188 00:11:55,120 --> 00:11:58,280 They were enormously expensive, time-consuming projects, 189 00:11:58,280 --> 00:12:00,840 which took years to complete. 190 00:12:00,840 --> 00:12:03,920 'The choice of where to build in stone 191 00:12:03,920 --> 00:12:06,240 'was a carefully-considered decision 192 00:12:06,240 --> 00:12:08,000 'based on strategic importance, 193 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:11,120 and the ability to dominate the skyline.' 194 00:12:16,320 --> 00:12:18,480 'One of the earliest castles to be built 195 00:12:18,480 --> 00:12:20,200 'was the Tower of London - 196 00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:24,880 'its famous white tower designed to strike awe into the population.' 197 00:12:26,680 --> 00:12:30,120 'And soon, it wouldn't just be the new ruler from across the Channel 198 00:12:30,120 --> 00:12:34,000 'who erected these imposing edifices across the land.' 199 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:37,440 William set about rewarding his nobles. 200 00:12:37,440 --> 00:12:39,800 He divided England amongst his followers, 201 00:12:39,800 --> 00:12:42,800 and created a new class of Norman baron. 202 00:12:42,800 --> 00:12:45,240 Each was given permission to build a castle 203 00:12:45,240 --> 00:12:47,320 from which to exert their power. 204 00:12:49,760 --> 00:12:52,560 'They were known as the Companions of William the Conqueror. 205 00:12:52,560 --> 00:12:55,800 'Men like Robert de Beaumont, who became Earl of Leicester, 206 00:12:55,800 --> 00:12:58,560 'and one of William's most-trusted advisors.' 207 00:12:59,880 --> 00:13:01,480 From Northumberland to Cornwall, 208 00:13:01,480 --> 00:13:04,800 these new barons now were lords of all they could survey 209 00:13:04,800 --> 00:13:07,240 from the tops of their castle walls. 210 00:13:09,760 --> 00:13:12,520 'And where the barons chose to build their castles 211 00:13:12,520 --> 00:13:15,840 'was just as important as how they were built. 212 00:13:15,840 --> 00:13:18,880 'This was not just an invasion of territory. 213 00:13:18,880 --> 00:13:22,960 'It was a annexation of Britain's history and its mythology.' 214 00:13:27,320 --> 00:13:29,520 Norman castles had symbolic functions, 215 00:13:29,520 --> 00:13:32,320 symbolic importance on a whole variety of levels. 216 00:13:32,320 --> 00:13:34,680 In some senses they were built to impress, 217 00:13:34,680 --> 00:13:37,480 to overawe the native population. 218 00:13:37,480 --> 00:13:39,120 Some important Norman castles 219 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:42,040 were built on centres of early significance. 220 00:13:42,040 --> 00:13:45,880 Castles such as Colchester in Essex re-used Roman sites. 221 00:13:45,880 --> 00:13:48,160 Roman masonry was incorporated. 222 00:13:48,160 --> 00:13:52,280 In other cases, castles perpetuated Anglo-Saxon centres of authority 223 00:13:52,280 --> 00:13:53,600 and government. 224 00:13:53,600 --> 00:13:57,000 So, while the seats of power remained the same, 225 00:13:57,000 --> 00:13:59,320 the face of lordship was transformed. 226 00:14:01,280 --> 00:14:04,520 'This was one of the keys to the success of the Normans in Britain. 227 00:14:06,440 --> 00:14:08,600 'Old Sarum, just outside Salisbury, 228 00:14:08,600 --> 00:14:11,280 'had been a settlement since the Iron Age. 229 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:16,000 'The Anglo-Saxons had built a fortified town here. 230 00:14:19,280 --> 00:14:20,880 'It was a strategic location 231 00:14:20,880 --> 00:14:23,440 'controlling a hub of roads and rivers. 232 00:14:25,560 --> 00:14:28,880 'High on a hill, it was also a very visible location. 233 00:14:30,200 --> 00:14:32,760 'It was a perfect setting for a Norman castle. 234 00:14:34,880 --> 00:14:37,680 By building his castle on a pre-existing site, 235 00:14:37,680 --> 00:14:39,800 William gained the strategic value 236 00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:42,520 that had made it important to the Anglo-Saxons. 237 00:14:42,520 --> 00:14:45,440 But he also gained an immense symbolic value. 238 00:14:47,320 --> 00:14:50,440 The takeover of England was given physical embodiment 239 00:14:50,440 --> 00:14:52,200 in the castles of William. 240 00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:57,960 'Old Sarum is where William paid off the troops 241 00:14:57,960 --> 00:14:59,760 'who had fought so successfully for him.' 242 00:15:01,560 --> 00:15:04,560 But it's also said that it's where he chose to compile 243 00:15:04,560 --> 00:15:08,040 one of the most important documents in British history - 244 00:15:08,040 --> 00:15:11,280 the foundation of our National Archives here at Kew. 245 00:15:11,280 --> 00:15:12,680 Our earliest public record, 246 00:15:12,680 --> 00:15:16,920 and a legal document that's still valid evidence of land title today. 247 00:15:18,400 --> 00:15:20,600 'The great Domesday Book.' 248 00:15:26,200 --> 00:15:30,560 This is an exact facsimile of the original historical document, 249 00:15:30,560 --> 00:15:33,400 which is such an important part of British history 250 00:15:33,400 --> 00:15:35,520 that it sits in a climate-controlled room. 251 00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:41,880 This was the most thorough survey of a country ever undertaken, 252 00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:45,760 a work that defined just what it was that William had conquered 253 00:15:45,760 --> 00:15:49,800 and more importantly, how he could extract taxes from it. 254 00:15:49,800 --> 00:15:51,840 Domesday means day of judgement, 255 00:15:51,840 --> 00:15:54,320 so-called because it was so thorough and complete 256 00:15:54,320 --> 00:15:56,840 that it was likened to the Day of Judgement, 257 00:15:56,840 --> 00:16:00,480 when Christians believed that all would be judged before God. 258 00:16:04,640 --> 00:16:08,200 And the book also records the transfer of lands. 259 00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:11,600 Where once a Saxon lord ruled, by the time of Domesday 260 00:16:11,600 --> 00:16:13,040 those lords had been replaced 261 00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:16,040 by the barons William had brought with him from France, 262 00:16:16,040 --> 00:16:20,520 each now safely ensconced within their own castles. 263 00:16:20,520 --> 00:16:28,320 And the 913 pages describe more than 13,000 places in identical detail. 264 00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:32,600 No wonder the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle said of William's thoroughness: 265 00:16:49,400 --> 00:16:53,440 Today, Old Sarum is just a shadow of its former self, 266 00:16:53,440 --> 00:16:56,840 largely because Henry VIII gave permission for its walls 267 00:16:56,840 --> 00:16:58,920 to be plundered for building materials. 268 00:16:59,880 --> 00:17:01,920 'But these old walls bore witness 269 00:17:01,920 --> 00:17:04,760 'to yet another outcome of the Norman invasion. 270 00:17:08,400 --> 00:17:13,360 'In the summer of 1086, William had a plan to drive his authority home - 271 00:17:13,360 --> 00:17:15,800 'an idea that would turn his invasion 272 00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:18,840 'into something of lasting significance. 273 00:17:18,840 --> 00:17:23,440 'On 1st August, William gathered all "landowning men of any account" 274 00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:25,760 'to his castle at Old Sarum. 275 00:17:25,760 --> 00:17:29,040 'His intention - nothing less than the imposition 276 00:17:29,040 --> 00:17:31,360 'of a new hierarchy on England.' 277 00:17:32,720 --> 00:17:35,400 'The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles recorded that: 278 00:17:53,520 --> 00:17:57,240 This was the first time that every landowner in the realm 279 00:17:57,240 --> 00:18:00,120 was required to swear an oath to the King. 280 00:18:00,120 --> 00:18:03,800 From now on, if a leading figure rebelled against William, 281 00:18:03,800 --> 00:18:06,160 the loyalty of his tenants would be to the King 282 00:18:06,160 --> 00:18:08,960 rather than to their immediate master. 283 00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:12,080 It became known as the Oath of Sarum. 284 00:18:12,080 --> 00:18:15,600 Feudal England was born here in a castle. 285 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:18,120 And the castle became the symbol of it. 286 00:18:26,960 --> 00:18:31,000 'What sets the Norman fortress apart is not just its appearance, 287 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:33,360 'but its purpose.' 288 00:18:33,360 --> 00:18:36,200 A castle combined many functions under one roof. 289 00:18:36,200 --> 00:18:40,400 First and foremost it was home to the new Norman rulers. 290 00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:43,680 The barons derived immense status from their castles. 291 00:18:45,120 --> 00:18:47,120 'They made them feared. 292 00:18:47,120 --> 00:18:50,400 'Each baron would have his own force of mercenaries. 293 00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:53,640 'Their castle gave them a place from which to exert their power, 294 00:18:53,640 --> 00:18:57,880 'but which could also offer a safe haven of protection. 295 00:18:57,880 --> 00:19:00,760 'The barons used them to administer their lands. 296 00:19:00,760 --> 00:19:03,560 'They were the place justice was meted out. 297 00:19:03,560 --> 00:19:06,560 'In short, wherever you were in the country, 298 00:19:06,560 --> 00:19:10,360 'life in Norman England revolved around the baron and his bastion. 299 00:19:11,640 --> 00:19:13,960 'And they led the life of a rich elite.' 300 00:19:15,360 --> 00:19:19,280 LAUREN JOHNSON: Our picture of castles usually is ruined buildings, 301 00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:22,160 and actually what you have to imagine every time you enter 302 00:19:22,160 --> 00:19:26,160 any sort of castle space is that these were luxury accommodations. 303 00:19:26,160 --> 00:19:30,520 In an age when even to have unnatural light and warmth - 304 00:19:30,520 --> 00:19:32,680 to have a fire - cost money, 305 00:19:32,680 --> 00:19:34,520 then to have a huge building 306 00:19:34,520 --> 00:19:37,840 with walls that were potentially metres thick, 307 00:19:37,840 --> 00:19:42,840 keeping out the wind and the rain, for a start, that was a luxury. 308 00:19:42,840 --> 00:19:46,480 And it's a space in which many, many people are living. 309 00:19:46,480 --> 00:19:50,800 Because for a lord or a lady to show their authority, 310 00:19:50,800 --> 00:19:53,240 they need to be surrounded by servants. 311 00:19:57,280 --> 00:20:00,600 'Every part of life was designed to reinforce 312 00:20:00,600 --> 00:20:03,480 'the status of the new masters. 313 00:20:03,480 --> 00:20:06,640 'The simple act of taking a meal became a constant reminder 314 00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:08,200 'of who was in charge - 315 00:20:08,200 --> 00:20:10,080 'starting with preparing to eat. 316 00:20:10,080 --> 00:20:11,840 'Seren Evans-Charrington 317 00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:15,760 'has studied the significance of castle mealtimes.' 318 00:20:17,240 --> 00:20:21,480 When you're dining in a medieval castle, 319 00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:23,160 you start off with your hand-washing. 320 00:20:23,160 --> 00:20:28,040 You would have a designated servant, and he would wash his own hands. 321 00:20:28,040 --> 00:20:32,120 He would then wash the carver's hands, and it goes on like that. 322 00:20:32,120 --> 00:20:33,640 What we're finding in this period 323 00:20:33,640 --> 00:20:36,360 is actually the Normans are bringing over, "Come on," 324 00:20:36,360 --> 00:20:38,080 you know, "Let's start behaving." 325 00:20:38,080 --> 00:20:40,840 OK. So they're sort of imposing a new way of behaving? 326 00:20:40,840 --> 00:20:43,840 They are, because they actually believe they're slightly superior. 327 00:20:43,840 --> 00:20:46,440 A touch of arrogance? Oh, just a little. Yes, just a little. 328 00:20:46,440 --> 00:20:47,720 What's next? 329 00:20:47,720 --> 00:20:51,840 We've actually got in here - this is some wine imported from France. 330 00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:53,560 It was a lamentable quality. 331 00:20:53,560 --> 00:20:56,360 You might have to spice it a little, and this is what this is. 332 00:20:56,360 --> 00:20:58,160 This is spiced wine. Right. 333 00:20:58,160 --> 00:20:59,200 Here we go. 334 00:20:59,200 --> 00:21:01,040 So, again, the idea is that 335 00:21:01,040 --> 00:21:04,400 this is a refined thing to do because it's wine. 336 00:21:04,400 --> 00:21:05,440 Ahh. 337 00:21:05,440 --> 00:21:08,720 It's imported. That's like cold vin chaud. That's what that's like. 338 00:21:08,720 --> 00:21:11,240 So, you've got gingers in there. You've got galingale. 339 00:21:11,240 --> 00:21:13,520 You've got all of these wonderful exotic spices. 340 00:21:15,560 --> 00:21:17,880 So, pottage. Now, this is a dish... 341 00:21:17,880 --> 00:21:22,920 Cor, look at this. Yes. Now, this is actually the high-end version. 342 00:21:22,920 --> 00:21:27,520 So, fine dish, ground almonds, lots of sugar in there. 343 00:21:27,520 --> 00:21:29,120 Lots of lovely, rich ingredients. 344 00:21:29,120 --> 00:21:31,000 So, even though it doesn't look very nice, 345 00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:32,920 it's made out of stuff that's been imported. 346 00:21:32,920 --> 00:21:35,520 Again, it's new, it's actually exotic. Expensive, yeah. 347 00:21:35,520 --> 00:21:38,680 This is the exotic version. So, take a small piece up to your mouth. 348 00:21:38,680 --> 00:21:40,560 HE EXHALES 349 00:21:42,040 --> 00:21:45,480 Like spiced porridge. It's like sweet... 350 00:21:45,480 --> 00:21:49,320 Yeah. Sweet, spiced, tangy, gloopy porridge. Mm. 351 00:21:51,600 --> 00:21:54,280 You need some of that now, don't you? 352 00:21:54,280 --> 00:21:57,280 Does it taste better now that you've taken the pottage? It does. 353 00:21:57,280 --> 00:21:59,920 Yeah, it goes together. That's actually really interesting. 354 00:21:59,920 --> 00:22:02,720 The first time I had the wine, it was really spicy and quite harsh, 355 00:22:02,720 --> 00:22:05,440 but once I'd had the sweet, gloopy mixture called pottage, 356 00:22:05,440 --> 00:22:07,240 the wine tasted great. 357 00:22:07,240 --> 00:22:09,440 There you go. So, after you've had your pottage, 358 00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:12,520 which I know you don't want to leave, you're then over here. 359 00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:17,960 This is amazing! Well, this is made from marchpane, and marchpane 360 00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:22,360 is an early form of marzipan. This is all about, "Look at this." 361 00:22:22,360 --> 00:22:26,160 Food was theatre. This is the period where food starts to be theatre. 362 00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:29,200 The Crusades are bringing over your sugar, your spices. 363 00:22:29,200 --> 00:22:32,880 You've got your wine being imported from the Continent, 364 00:22:32,880 --> 00:22:35,720 so all of these wonderful, exotic things are coming over. 365 00:22:35,720 --> 00:22:36,960 And, for example, 366 00:22:36,960 --> 00:22:41,880 a monarch was reported as spending 1,500 on sugars and spices a year. 367 00:22:41,880 --> 00:22:45,560 Doesn't sound much, but a castle at the time cost 15,000 to build. 368 00:22:45,560 --> 00:22:47,400 Wow! So, that puts it in perspective. 369 00:22:47,400 --> 00:22:50,040 So, a significant portion of their budget was spent on sugar. 370 00:22:50,040 --> 00:22:51,320 This is it. 371 00:22:51,320 --> 00:22:55,080 It was like they were obsessed with how they appeared at all times, 372 00:22:55,080 --> 00:22:57,920 and there was a way that would make you appear Norman, 373 00:22:57,920 --> 00:23:01,000 part of this ruling elite, by just the way that you ate. 374 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:03,200 This is it. So actually by you being the lord, 375 00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:06,160 and, you know, you have all these people come to your feast, 376 00:23:06,160 --> 00:23:11,160 you're actually getting them to, almost, give allegiance to you. 377 00:23:11,160 --> 00:23:15,040 This is about gaining order over every situation. 378 00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:17,400 So, you have your hierarchy of your staff. 379 00:23:17,400 --> 00:23:20,240 You have your hierarchy of how you eat, how you serve. 380 00:23:20,240 --> 00:23:24,800 And everything is pointing toward that lord, that King, 381 00:23:24,800 --> 00:23:28,880 that whoever it be, that is sat at that top table, is in charge. 382 00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:32,160 And even the way the tables are laid out points to that. 383 00:23:34,720 --> 00:23:38,080 'These new rules of etiquette at the dining table 384 00:23:38,080 --> 00:23:42,440 'were yet one more way in which the castle acted as a constant reminder 385 00:23:42,440 --> 00:23:45,760 'of the presence of the new Norman aristocrats.' 386 00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:50,920 William the Conqueror had used castles 387 00:23:50,920 --> 00:23:53,280 to impose his will on England. 388 00:23:53,280 --> 00:23:58,160 His intention now was to create a network to assert royal authority. 389 00:24:02,720 --> 00:24:05,400 'But in creating the new baronial class, 390 00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:08,840 'William had given them their own power base. 391 00:24:08,840 --> 00:24:10,480 'Their castles. 392 00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:13,840 'And not all barons were happy to follow the will of the King. 393 00:24:15,920 --> 00:24:19,960 'Distant lands such as Northumbria gave the likes of Robert de Mowbray 394 00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:23,360 'the opportunity to revolt against William's heir. 395 00:24:23,360 --> 00:24:26,640 'William II had to lay siege to the castle at Bamburgh 396 00:24:26,640 --> 00:24:29,400 'to bring the region back in line. 397 00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:33,000 'But more and more barons began to flex their muscle. 398 00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:35,320 'Within 100 years of the Norman conquest, 399 00:24:35,320 --> 00:24:37,480 'England faced a new crisis. 400 00:24:40,280 --> 00:24:44,200 'The King was Henry I. He had no male heir. 401 00:24:44,200 --> 00:24:47,040 'In a revolutionary move, Henry gathered the barons 402 00:24:47,040 --> 00:24:49,040 'and called on them to swear allegiance 403 00:24:49,040 --> 00:24:52,760 'to his daughter Matilda in 1127. 404 00:24:52,760 --> 00:24:56,680 'She was opposed by the grandson of William the Conqueror - Stephen.' 405 00:24:58,320 --> 00:25:02,120 When Henry I died, there were two claims to the throne - 406 00:25:02,120 --> 00:25:04,800 Stephen and Matilda. 407 00:25:04,800 --> 00:25:08,680 This was the first time that a woman had claimed the throne of England. 408 00:25:10,960 --> 00:25:14,520 'It was a watershed moment in our history.' 409 00:25:14,520 --> 00:25:16,960 LAUREN JOHNSON: If history is made up of what we remember, 410 00:25:16,960 --> 00:25:19,520 Matilda isn't a crucial part of history any more. 411 00:25:19,520 --> 00:25:22,400 She's been dropped from our collective consciousness, 412 00:25:22,400 --> 00:25:24,000 and she's hugely important. 413 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:28,520 To think that less than 100 years after the Norman conquest a man - 414 00:25:28,520 --> 00:25:32,400 a king - is trying to put his daughter on the throne of England. 415 00:25:32,400 --> 00:25:36,440 It's one thing for women to transmit power through themselves 416 00:25:36,440 --> 00:25:38,080 to their husbands, or to their sons. 417 00:25:38,080 --> 00:25:39,960 It's quite another thing to actively say, 418 00:25:39,960 --> 00:25:42,120 "I want my daughter to run the country." 419 00:25:42,120 --> 00:25:46,840 In a period when... I mean, really. It's sort of still a tribal country. 420 00:25:46,840 --> 00:25:50,760 It's made up of sets of lands that are ruled by warrior lords. 421 00:25:50,760 --> 00:25:52,520 And the ability to fight and lead an army 422 00:25:52,520 --> 00:25:54,240 is one of the most important things, 423 00:25:54,240 --> 00:25:56,840 and it's perceived that women can't do that. 424 00:25:56,840 --> 00:25:58,800 In Matilda, there is an example of a woman 425 00:25:58,800 --> 00:26:01,600 who could have been an extremely successful ruler, 426 00:26:01,600 --> 00:26:03,600 it's just that she is up against a man 427 00:26:03,600 --> 00:26:06,800 who has managed to get himself crowned before her. 428 00:26:08,320 --> 00:26:09,840 'That man was Stephen.' 429 00:26:11,200 --> 00:26:13,760 What followed was a protracted civil war 430 00:26:13,760 --> 00:26:16,360 with noble families across the country 431 00:26:16,360 --> 00:26:19,200 divided between two legitimate claims. 432 00:26:19,200 --> 00:26:23,040 The result was one of the bleakest periods in our history. 433 00:26:25,080 --> 00:26:28,480 'England descended into what's become known as The Anarchy. 434 00:26:28,480 --> 00:26:31,440 'The barons might declare support for either side, 435 00:26:31,440 --> 00:26:35,560 'but all they were really interested in was their own power - 436 00:26:35,560 --> 00:26:38,600 'a power provided by their castles.' 437 00:26:38,600 --> 00:26:42,160 According to medieval chroniclers of the 12th century, 438 00:26:42,160 --> 00:26:45,640 castles were not really a symptom of The Anarchy, 439 00:26:45,640 --> 00:26:48,560 they were the cause of violence, and disruption, 440 00:26:48,560 --> 00:26:50,200 and political turmoil. 441 00:26:50,200 --> 00:26:51,960 The Anarchy, the so-called Anarchy, 442 00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:55,760 was a period when castle building proliferated. 443 00:26:55,760 --> 00:26:58,440 Castle building had been quite rigidly 444 00:26:58,440 --> 00:27:01,480 and tightly controlled by the Crown until that point. 445 00:27:01,480 --> 00:27:04,560 But those systems broke down, and even quite minor lords 446 00:27:04,560 --> 00:27:07,720 were able to fortify their estate centres, 447 00:27:07,720 --> 00:27:11,080 and build little castles of their own across the landscape. 448 00:27:11,080 --> 00:27:14,760 'The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle describes this as the period when, 449 00:27:14,760 --> 00:27:18,440 '"Christ and his Saints slept."' 450 00:27:42,360 --> 00:27:45,680 The conflict lasted for almost two decades. 451 00:27:45,680 --> 00:27:49,600 Castles were the key to victory, and both sides set about capturing them. 452 00:27:52,360 --> 00:27:54,600 'Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight 453 00:27:54,600 --> 00:27:57,280 'was held by a supporter of Matilda. 454 00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:01,240 'The motte dominated the land around, 455 00:28:01,240 --> 00:28:03,360 'making this a formidable fortress.' 456 00:28:05,400 --> 00:28:07,600 'But when Stephen laid siege to it, 457 00:28:07,600 --> 00:28:10,960 'the castle's Achilles heel soon brought it down.' 458 00:28:12,680 --> 00:28:14,800 This is the original Norman well. 459 00:28:14,800 --> 00:28:17,640 'At top of the old motte, it had been here 460 00:28:17,640 --> 00:28:20,120 'since it was built in William the Conqueror's reign.' 461 00:28:20,120 --> 00:28:23,080 The idea was that rain water and surface water would 462 00:28:23,080 --> 00:28:26,720 be enough to keep it topped up, but it never worked. 463 00:28:26,720 --> 00:28:30,440 And without water, the defending army were forced to surrender. 464 00:28:32,680 --> 00:28:36,480 'Stephen was determined that the same would not happen on his watch. 465 00:28:36,480 --> 00:28:38,800 'He ordered the digging of a new well - 466 00:28:38,800 --> 00:28:41,920 'one that would be deep enough to keep the castle supplied 467 00:28:41,920 --> 00:28:43,240 'no matter what. 468 00:28:43,240 --> 00:28:47,520 'It's said it took two prisoners a year to dig.' 469 00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:50,320 It's 161 ft deep, 470 00:28:50,320 --> 00:28:53,400 and to give you just some sense of how deep that is, 471 00:28:53,400 --> 00:28:54,960 have a look at this. 472 00:29:01,200 --> 00:29:03,040 WATER SPLASHES 473 00:29:03,040 --> 00:29:05,000 Four seconds it took for that water 474 00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:07,560 to get down to the water table at the bottom. 475 00:29:08,840 --> 00:29:12,640 Attached to this rope is a bucket, and to raise or lower it, 476 00:29:12,640 --> 00:29:17,920 it's attached up to this axle, which is attached to this enormous wheel. 477 00:29:17,920 --> 00:29:20,200 Now, Stephen had prisoners dig the well, 478 00:29:20,200 --> 00:29:23,440 but he also had them turn the wheel to raise the bucket up, 479 00:29:23,440 --> 00:29:25,080 and I'm going to give it a go. 480 00:29:35,880 --> 00:29:37,600 Ohh, I'm getting dizzy. 481 00:29:37,600 --> 00:29:39,000 HE LAUGHS 482 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:41,080 It's surprisingly disorientating. 483 00:29:42,240 --> 00:29:44,800 Makes me feel a bit seasick, weirdly. 484 00:29:44,800 --> 00:29:49,160 Once you've got it going, it's all right, but it hurts your calves. 485 00:29:49,160 --> 00:29:50,480 Whoa. 486 00:29:50,480 --> 00:29:53,880 I've got to keep an eye on the bucket to see where it's going. 487 00:29:53,880 --> 00:29:55,760 There it is. It's coming up now. 488 00:30:05,280 --> 00:30:07,400 I managed to stop it. 489 00:30:07,400 --> 00:30:08,920 So, there we go. 490 00:30:10,040 --> 00:30:13,480 I'm slightly out of breath, and that was with an empty bucket, 491 00:30:13,480 --> 00:30:17,520 and it was only a matter of metres down the well. 492 00:30:17,520 --> 00:30:20,640 You'd think that with a full bucket it'd take as much as an hour 493 00:30:20,640 --> 00:30:23,000 for someone to turn this wheel and get it up, 494 00:30:23,000 --> 00:30:24,520 and that would be really hard work. 495 00:30:25,400 --> 00:30:28,160 It's an amazingly efficient bit of kit, this. 496 00:30:33,040 --> 00:30:36,160 'Stephen may have prevailed at Carisbrooke... 497 00:30:39,720 --> 00:30:42,560 'But in Lincoln, the castle fell to Matilda, 498 00:30:42,560 --> 00:30:45,040 'when her supporters sent their wives on a visit 499 00:30:45,040 --> 00:30:47,000 'to the governor's wife. 500 00:30:47,000 --> 00:30:50,320 'When the men joined them, they were able to overpower the guards, 501 00:30:50,320 --> 00:30:53,600 'and throw open the gates as the castle fell.' 502 00:30:57,520 --> 00:31:02,720 'At the later Battle of Lincoln in 1141, Stephen was taken prisoner.' 503 00:31:03,720 --> 00:31:07,720 But, even then, Matilda was unable to complete her victory. 504 00:31:07,720 --> 00:31:11,480 Stephen's wife marched on London to prevent Matilda's coronation. 505 00:31:11,480 --> 00:31:14,160 She was never crowned Queen. 506 00:31:18,160 --> 00:31:19,760 'When Stephen was released, 507 00:31:19,760 --> 00:31:23,000 'the war seemed to be turning against Matilda. 508 00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:26,760 'But her castle, guarding a crossing of the Thames at Wallingford, 509 00:31:26,760 --> 00:31:28,920 'proved vital to her fortunes. 510 00:31:30,040 --> 00:31:33,800 'By 1142, it had already successfully survived 511 00:31:33,800 --> 00:31:35,640 'a sustained siege. 512 00:31:35,640 --> 00:31:38,040 'Then its location proved vital 513 00:31:38,040 --> 00:31:41,880 'when Stephen found himself with the chance to land a knock-out blow.' 514 00:31:44,800 --> 00:31:49,160 Stephen had managed to trap Matilda in the nearby castle at Oxford. 515 00:31:49,160 --> 00:31:50,840 He laid siege to it. 516 00:31:50,840 --> 00:31:52,360 But these are the Middle Ages. 517 00:31:52,360 --> 00:31:54,800 This is long before the night vision goggles, 518 00:31:54,800 --> 00:31:58,200 minefields and barbed wire of modern times. 519 00:31:58,200 --> 00:32:03,440 No medieval siege could be 100% effective, and Matilda escaped. 520 00:32:04,520 --> 00:32:07,160 'With Stephen's army camped all around, 521 00:32:07,160 --> 00:32:10,040 'Matilda climbed from a window with a rope. 522 00:32:11,040 --> 00:32:15,520 'Dressed completely in white, and accompanied by three loyal knights, 523 00:32:15,520 --> 00:32:17,920 'she made her way through the besieging army 524 00:32:17,920 --> 00:32:20,880 'using a snowstorm for cover. 525 00:32:20,880 --> 00:32:23,240 'She crossed the frozen Thames at Abingdon 526 00:32:23,240 --> 00:32:25,920 'and then escaped to the castle at Wallingford.' 527 00:32:27,200 --> 00:32:31,160 Stephen had let his rival slip through his grasp. 528 00:32:31,160 --> 00:32:34,160 Wallingford continued to play a vital role in the conflict. 529 00:32:34,160 --> 00:32:36,560 So much so that it was at Wallingford 530 00:32:36,560 --> 00:32:40,400 that the two sides reached the truce that ended The Anarchy. 531 00:32:55,080 --> 00:32:59,520 'Matilda agreed to accept Stephen's rule until his death. 532 00:32:59,520 --> 00:33:03,280 'In return, Stephen accepted the claim of Matilda's son Henry 533 00:33:03,280 --> 00:33:04,960 'as his successor. 534 00:33:04,960 --> 00:33:08,120 'His reign would found a new royal dynasty, 535 00:33:08,120 --> 00:33:10,880 'one of the most powerful in England's history - 536 00:33:10,880 --> 00:33:12,680 'the Plantagenets.' 537 00:33:14,040 --> 00:33:18,000 Even though she was one of the most significant women in our history, 538 00:33:18,000 --> 00:33:21,000 Matilda's legacy is defined by her relationship 539 00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:23,600 with the men in her life. 540 00:33:23,600 --> 00:33:25,520 Her epitaph reads - 541 00:33:25,520 --> 00:33:28,320 "Great by birth, greater by marriage, 542 00:33:28,320 --> 00:33:30,400 "greatest in her offspring: 543 00:33:30,400 --> 00:33:36,000 "Here lies Matilda, daughter, wife, and mother of Henry". 544 00:33:43,440 --> 00:33:45,760 'Her son was to be one of the greatest monarchs 545 00:33:45,760 --> 00:33:48,480 'of the age - Henry II. 546 00:33:48,480 --> 00:33:51,400 'He quickly set about taking control of his lands 547 00:33:51,400 --> 00:33:53,600 'both at home and in France. 548 00:33:53,600 --> 00:33:57,600 'Henry also introduced sweeping reforms to the legal system.' 549 00:33:59,720 --> 00:34:02,280 The far-sighted Henry wanted to bring to an end 550 00:34:02,280 --> 00:34:06,400 the practice of the clergy having its own separate legal system. 551 00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:08,680 It was a fundamental attack, 552 00:34:08,680 --> 00:34:12,960 and it was opposed by the Archbishop of Canterbury - Thomas Beckett. 553 00:34:14,520 --> 00:34:17,240 'Beckett proved such an obstinate opponent 554 00:34:17,240 --> 00:34:20,840 'that Henry's frustration eventually boiled over. 555 00:34:20,840 --> 00:34:23,640 'When Beckett was murdered by sword-wielding knights 556 00:34:23,640 --> 00:34:27,920 'in Canterbury Cathedral, Henry was guilty by association. 557 00:34:30,200 --> 00:34:35,080 'In these violent times, power was enforced with sharpened steel, 558 00:34:35,080 --> 00:34:37,600 'and castles would ring to the sound of metal 559 00:34:37,600 --> 00:34:39,920 'being beaten into weapons in the forge. 560 00:34:42,000 --> 00:34:47,480 'The specialist skills required to make these arms endure to this day. 561 00:34:47,480 --> 00:34:51,120 'Owen Bush has been a swordsmith for 20 years.' 562 00:34:54,440 --> 00:34:55,920 Right, Owen, what are we doing? 563 00:34:55,920 --> 00:35:01,240 We've got some bloomery steel here. It's some stuff I've made from ore. 564 00:35:01,240 --> 00:35:03,000 Right. And you're gonna refine it. 565 00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:06,160 So, there are impurities in that, that I'm going to get out by smashing it? 566 00:35:06,160 --> 00:35:08,600 Yeah. I'm getting it to the point just before it melts, 567 00:35:08,600 --> 00:35:11,200 and you can hammer it, and squirt some of that slag out. Good. 568 00:35:11,200 --> 00:35:14,400 My face is heating up quite dramatically just standing here. 569 00:35:14,400 --> 00:35:17,120 It's hot. It really is hot. It has to be, yeah. 570 00:35:18,720 --> 00:35:23,680 So, up on there. It's quite heavy, and then just hammering in. 571 00:35:24,920 --> 00:35:28,000 'In the Middle Ages, weapons would have been produced 572 00:35:28,000 --> 00:35:30,400 'by artisans inside the castles. 573 00:35:30,400 --> 00:35:32,600 'The Tower of London, for instance, 574 00:35:32,600 --> 00:35:36,320 'was a major source of tips for crossbow bolts.' 575 00:35:36,320 --> 00:35:39,040 Right. Let me come round here, then. See what this feels like. 576 00:35:41,440 --> 00:35:43,920 Right. Here we go. I'm surprisingly nervous. 577 00:35:49,520 --> 00:35:52,040 Right. Hammer time. 578 00:35:53,640 --> 00:35:56,880 'The sparks being beaten out are the impurities, 579 00:35:56,880 --> 00:35:59,360 'leaving pure steel behind.' 580 00:35:59,360 --> 00:36:02,640 Then flip over and do the other side? Stick it back in the fire. 581 00:36:02,640 --> 00:36:04,360 It needs to be hot. Right, OK. Yeah. 582 00:36:04,360 --> 00:36:07,200 Not hot enough. 583 00:36:07,200 --> 00:36:08,920 It's the second attempt. 584 00:36:08,920 --> 00:36:11,160 The first one, it wasn't hot enough, so this one... 585 00:36:11,160 --> 00:36:12,760 This is going to send more sparks out. 586 00:36:12,760 --> 00:36:15,040 This one's going to make the sparks fly. 587 00:36:17,600 --> 00:36:18,720 Whoo! 588 00:36:25,040 --> 00:36:26,240 That's better. 589 00:36:28,640 --> 00:36:30,240 Good? That's looking good, yeah. 590 00:36:30,240 --> 00:36:31,520 The more you work it, 591 00:36:31,520 --> 00:36:33,920 the more you're going to squirt that slag out of it, 592 00:36:33,920 --> 00:36:37,320 and it'll become a more homogenous, usable steel. 593 00:36:37,320 --> 00:36:38,720 Great. Back in? Yep. 594 00:36:49,520 --> 00:36:51,800 How would these skills have been passed on? 595 00:36:51,800 --> 00:36:55,840 They certainly would have been a secretive craft... 596 00:36:55,840 --> 00:36:59,000 ..in that sense, passed on from master to apprentice, 597 00:36:59,000 --> 00:37:00,400 or from father to son. 598 00:37:00,400 --> 00:37:03,160 Cos it's a very valuable thing to be able to do properly, isn't it? 599 00:37:03,160 --> 00:37:04,600 Absolutely. It certainly is. 600 00:37:04,600 --> 00:37:08,160 I mean, a smith making weapons, making swords, 601 00:37:08,160 --> 00:37:11,960 would be a valuable and valued commodity. 602 00:37:17,440 --> 00:37:19,480 Stage two. What's this involve? 603 00:37:19,480 --> 00:37:22,800 You're going to forge the point on it and start working on the bevels. 604 00:37:22,800 --> 00:37:25,080 A bevel are the angular bits towards the edge. 605 00:37:25,080 --> 00:37:27,640 So, we've got a flat bar, and you've got to put edges on it. 606 00:37:27,640 --> 00:37:29,800 We've got to be a bit more gentle with the heat, 607 00:37:29,800 --> 00:37:32,400 cos if we burn it at this stage, the whole thing is ruined. 608 00:37:32,400 --> 00:37:35,400 Do we have to be more gentle with the hammering as well? 609 00:37:35,400 --> 00:37:38,760 More precise with the hammering. Not gentle, unfortunately. Just precise. 610 00:37:38,760 --> 00:37:43,280 The words "precise" and "hammering" don't usually go together with me. 611 00:37:45,240 --> 00:37:47,040 So, flat, and then pointed. 612 00:37:53,600 --> 00:37:56,080 How was that? That was fine, yeah. You need to do it again. 613 00:37:57,280 --> 00:37:59,360 And you did actually burn it. Did I? Yeah. 614 00:37:59,360 --> 00:38:00,640 HE GROANS 615 00:38:00,640 --> 00:38:02,880 'When steel burns, it oxidises, 616 00:38:02,880 --> 00:38:06,840 'which ruins the blade, causing it to crack and break.' 617 00:38:09,960 --> 00:38:12,520 It's one of these brilliant skills that looks quite simple - 618 00:38:12,520 --> 00:38:14,680 and it is, really. 619 00:38:14,680 --> 00:38:16,480 It's just hammering a piece of hot iron, 620 00:38:16,480 --> 00:38:18,400 but when you see it done properly, 621 00:38:18,400 --> 00:38:21,600 you realise how many years of practice you need 622 00:38:21,600 --> 00:38:22,760 to be able to do it right. 623 00:38:28,400 --> 00:38:32,560 We're now onto the very mundane task of filing this sword to shape. 624 00:38:32,560 --> 00:38:36,120 Nice and steady does it. It's actually very therapeutic. 625 00:38:42,000 --> 00:38:46,280 It's a really enjoyable process, this, because you can... 626 00:38:46,280 --> 00:38:49,280 It's obviously a lengthy process, but... 627 00:38:50,640 --> 00:38:53,000 ..there's a little bit happening every time 628 00:38:53,000 --> 00:38:56,520 you put the file across the sword. 629 00:38:56,520 --> 00:38:58,840 And just because there's a little bit of process... 630 00:39:00,120 --> 00:39:02,480 ..there's a bit of hope. 631 00:39:02,480 --> 00:39:04,280 There we go. That's getting it. 632 00:39:04,280 --> 00:39:06,000 'This is tempering. 633 00:39:06,000 --> 00:39:09,040 'The speed at which the heat is conducted away from the metal 634 00:39:09,040 --> 00:39:11,280 'affects how brittle it becomes.' 635 00:39:11,280 --> 00:39:14,120 I'd say this is the point at which the sword actually becomes born, 636 00:39:14,120 --> 00:39:17,080 when you bring it out of the fire and putting it into oil. 637 00:39:17,080 --> 00:39:19,320 Did they always use oil? 638 00:39:19,320 --> 00:39:23,160 Sometimes oil, sometimes water. Sometimes brine. 639 00:39:23,160 --> 00:39:25,720 If you're going to get esoteric, there's certainly, um... 640 00:39:26,840 --> 00:39:28,480 ..there's certainly writings 641 00:39:28,480 --> 00:39:34,520 of using the urine of a ginger virgin boy. Right. To quench into. 642 00:39:34,520 --> 00:39:36,840 Which is, you know, it's written down, 643 00:39:36,840 --> 00:39:39,720 and it may just be that if someone did do that in reality, 644 00:39:39,720 --> 00:39:42,920 and it worked, that they stuck by rote to that process. 645 00:39:42,920 --> 00:39:44,080 I don't know. 646 00:39:45,600 --> 00:39:49,560 'In fact, urine has since been shown to be a very effective conductor, 647 00:39:49,560 --> 00:39:53,000 'which might explain its place in the stories. 648 00:39:53,000 --> 00:39:55,640 'But not the ginger hair. Or the virgin bit.' 649 00:39:56,800 --> 00:39:57,920 Polished. 650 00:39:59,680 --> 00:40:01,880 So, this is a finished sword. 651 00:40:02,800 --> 00:40:04,240 Wow. 652 00:40:04,240 --> 00:40:07,440 A real transformation, isn't it? It is, yeah. 653 00:40:08,320 --> 00:40:10,560 Thank you very much for that. It's a pleasure. 654 00:40:10,560 --> 00:40:12,880 It's always very nice to bring a sword into the world. 655 00:40:18,520 --> 00:40:21,040 'The sword that struck Thomas Beckett down 656 00:40:21,040 --> 00:40:23,560 'only enhanced his influence. 657 00:40:23,560 --> 00:40:26,040 'He was beatified as a saint by the church 658 00:40:26,040 --> 00:40:30,240 'and Henry II watched powerless as pilgrims crossed Europe, 659 00:40:30,240 --> 00:40:32,920 'and began to arrive at Beckett's shrine. 660 00:40:36,040 --> 00:40:38,640 'The pilgrims passed straight through Dover. 661 00:40:39,800 --> 00:40:44,600 'Henry submitted himself to public penance to try and offset the guilt. 662 00:40:45,840 --> 00:40:47,680 'But then he decided it was time 663 00:40:47,680 --> 00:40:50,720 'to restore his royal status and prestige. 664 00:40:50,720 --> 00:40:55,800 'He needed an unmistakeable sign of royal authority. 665 00:40:55,800 --> 00:40:57,840 'He turned to the castle at Dover. 666 00:41:01,040 --> 00:41:04,960 'Henry ordered Dover to be rebuilt at vast expense, 667 00:41:04,960 --> 00:41:08,040 'lavishing almost a third of his annual income 668 00:41:08,040 --> 00:41:09,960 'on this single project. 669 00:41:09,960 --> 00:41:12,720 'The design is one of the greatest examples 670 00:41:12,720 --> 00:41:16,640 'of the Norman style of tower anywhere in the country.' 671 00:41:18,920 --> 00:41:21,360 The tower is often known as the keep, 672 00:41:21,360 --> 00:41:25,080 a word that conjures up ideas of defence and protection. 673 00:41:25,080 --> 00:41:28,400 'But in fact the arrival of the tower in castles 674 00:41:28,400 --> 00:41:31,280 'was yet another symbol - of dominion. 675 00:41:31,280 --> 00:41:35,800 'Even the name they were given supports the notion of power. 676 00:41:35,800 --> 00:41:38,520 'Their name was not keep but donjon, 677 00:41:38,520 --> 00:41:41,960 'which derives from the Latin word for dominion or lordship.' 678 00:41:43,160 --> 00:41:46,680 A donjon is a projection of authority - 679 00:41:46,680 --> 00:41:51,040 a symbol announcing its power to the surrounding settlements. 680 00:41:54,760 --> 00:41:58,120 'Dover has been described as the key to England. 681 00:41:59,920 --> 00:42:02,000 'By choosing to build here at Dover, 682 00:42:02,000 --> 00:42:04,800 'Henry was making a very clear statement. 683 00:42:06,800 --> 00:42:09,560 'This was the place pilgrims passed through 684 00:42:09,560 --> 00:42:12,400 'on their way to Thomas Beckett's shrine. 685 00:42:12,400 --> 00:42:15,960 'But it was also the most visible of English castles - 686 00:42:15,960 --> 00:42:20,520 'a dominating presence in Henry's Anglo-French realm. 687 00:42:21,640 --> 00:42:25,400 'Even Henry's choice of building materials carried a message. 688 00:42:25,400 --> 00:42:28,000 'there are bands of lighter-coloured stone 689 00:42:28,000 --> 00:42:31,040 'specially imported from his lands in France. 690 00:42:31,040 --> 00:42:34,720 'A reminder of the breadth and wealth of Henry's domain. 691 00:42:38,400 --> 00:42:40,960 'But Henry didn't choose the strongest design 692 00:42:40,960 --> 00:42:43,960 'available at the time, nor even the latest fashion. 693 00:42:45,480 --> 00:42:48,600 'Instead he consciously drew on the past 694 00:42:48,600 --> 00:42:51,280 'to remind people of his noble ancestry, 695 00:42:51,280 --> 00:42:54,760 'and his links back to rulers like William the Conqueror.' 696 00:42:57,800 --> 00:43:02,960 The tower at Dover echoed the designs of the strongest kings. 697 00:43:02,960 --> 00:43:06,040 This was a deliberate attempt by Henry to associate himself 698 00:43:06,040 --> 00:43:10,400 with the castles and crowns of his predecessors. 699 00:43:10,400 --> 00:43:13,000 There's more than a little Tower of London about it, 700 00:43:13,000 --> 00:43:14,280 don't you think? 701 00:43:17,440 --> 00:43:20,000 'Everything about Henry's castle at Dover 702 00:43:20,000 --> 00:43:23,560 'was designed to create the right impression. 703 00:43:23,560 --> 00:43:28,320 'This was a strictly-regulated world in which hierarchy was key. 704 00:43:28,320 --> 00:43:31,400 'It affected every element of life in the castle. 705 00:43:32,440 --> 00:43:35,160 'It was even designed into the fabric of the building.' 706 00:43:36,280 --> 00:43:39,040 The King's guests didn't just knock on the front door, 707 00:43:39,040 --> 00:43:40,960 but were invited to the throne room, 708 00:43:40,960 --> 00:43:43,640 and they were taken through this door... 709 00:43:43,640 --> 00:43:44,800 HE GRUNTS 710 00:43:46,760 --> 00:43:48,680 ..and up these stairs behind me. 711 00:43:49,760 --> 00:43:52,760 They ascended to the seat of authority above them 712 00:43:52,760 --> 00:43:54,320 in every sense. 713 00:44:02,600 --> 00:44:06,040 In medieval life, the monarch travelled from castle to castle, 714 00:44:06,040 --> 00:44:10,040 and wherever the King resided was said to be the throne of England. 715 00:44:10,040 --> 00:44:12,960 The Tower at Dover has been furnished to reflect 716 00:44:12,960 --> 00:44:16,880 what it might have looked like when Henry II was on the throne. 717 00:44:22,760 --> 00:44:24,560 I could get used to this. 718 00:44:28,840 --> 00:44:33,560 'Henry travelled with an entire household staff - hundreds of people 719 00:44:33,560 --> 00:44:35,760 'divided into separate departments, 720 00:44:35,760 --> 00:44:39,080 'each with their own area of responsibility. 721 00:44:39,080 --> 00:44:43,280 'His arrival here must have been one of the spectacles of the age. 722 00:44:43,280 --> 00:44:46,800 'At a time when mass communication was unheard of, 723 00:44:46,800 --> 00:44:49,400 'the king had to be constantly on the move, 724 00:44:49,400 --> 00:44:52,840 'maintaining his rule over every part of the country. 725 00:44:56,160 --> 00:44:59,640 'Dover Castle became a crucial part of Henry's legacy - 726 00:44:59,640 --> 00:45:01,840 'not just a symbol of strength, 727 00:45:01,840 --> 00:45:06,160 'but a tool with which his successors could defend their crown. 728 00:45:06,160 --> 00:45:07,680 'They were going to need it.' 729 00:45:09,640 --> 00:45:12,320 We like to think of Britain as an island fortress. 730 00:45:12,320 --> 00:45:15,800 We saw off the Armada, Napoleon and Hitler. 731 00:45:15,800 --> 00:45:17,640 But here's an interesting fact for you. 732 00:45:17,640 --> 00:45:20,680 We've actually been invaded successfully by sea 733 00:45:20,680 --> 00:45:24,600 nine times since 1066. 734 00:45:24,600 --> 00:45:26,120 And in the history of castles, 735 00:45:26,120 --> 00:45:29,360 the most important of those happened in 1216, 736 00:45:29,360 --> 00:45:32,960 when Prince Louis of France seized the throne. 737 00:45:35,720 --> 00:45:38,760 'By this time, it was Henry's son John who was King. 738 00:45:38,760 --> 00:45:42,520 'But he was so unpopular, he faced constant opposition. 739 00:45:42,520 --> 00:45:45,080 'With the security their castles gave them, 740 00:45:45,080 --> 00:45:48,400 'the barons had already taken the unprecedented step 741 00:45:48,400 --> 00:45:51,000 'of forcing a monarch to sign an agreement 742 00:45:51,000 --> 00:45:53,800 'restricting his authority - Magna Carta. 743 00:45:55,160 --> 00:45:58,040 'When John began to break the terms of Magna Carta, 744 00:45:58,040 --> 00:46:00,120 'it was the final straw. 745 00:46:00,120 --> 00:46:02,160 'The barons invited one of their own, 746 00:46:02,160 --> 00:46:04,120 'Prince Louis of France, 747 00:46:04,120 --> 00:46:06,720 'to invade and seize the throne from John.' 748 00:46:06,720 --> 00:46:10,480 It was Dover Castle that stood in Louis' way. 749 00:46:10,480 --> 00:46:14,600 But this time the royal castles faced their biggest challenge yet - 750 00:46:14,600 --> 00:46:18,920 a powerful combination of warrior barons and a foreign prince. 751 00:46:21,360 --> 00:46:24,080 Dover presented a formidable obstacle, 752 00:46:24,080 --> 00:46:27,680 and it gave Louis a dilemma - if left in his enemies' hands, 753 00:46:27,680 --> 00:46:31,280 it could cut off his lines of supply across the Channel. 754 00:46:31,280 --> 00:46:34,200 But a prolonged siege could hold up his progress. 755 00:46:44,280 --> 00:46:46,120 'Louis' army surrounded the castle. 756 00:46:47,040 --> 00:46:49,520 'His catapults flung rocks against the walls, 757 00:46:49,520 --> 00:46:51,480 'but with little effect. 758 00:46:51,480 --> 00:46:54,760 'His men, meanwhile, dug tunnels underneath the walls 759 00:46:54,760 --> 00:46:57,080 'to try to bring them down. 760 00:46:57,080 --> 00:47:00,040 'The only defence against this was counter-tunnels.' 761 00:47:01,960 --> 00:47:05,000 Attackers and defenders dug furiously. 762 00:47:05,000 --> 00:47:07,720 First, part of the wooden outer wall fell. 763 00:47:07,720 --> 00:47:11,840 And then, far more significantly, one of the stone towers. 764 00:47:11,840 --> 00:47:15,840 The castle walls were breached. Was victory in sight? 765 00:47:17,360 --> 00:47:20,920 'Hand-to-hand combat ensued, but the well-drilled garrison 766 00:47:20,920 --> 00:47:23,160 'were able to push back the attackers, 767 00:47:23,160 --> 00:47:24,760 'and make good the breach.' 768 00:47:26,520 --> 00:47:31,320 With stalemate re-established, Louis abandoned the siege at Dover. 769 00:47:31,320 --> 00:47:33,280 'And ultimately his claim.' 770 00:47:34,280 --> 00:47:36,360 'Louis returned to France defeated, 771 00:47:36,360 --> 00:47:39,480 'but the siege of Dover marks one of the last times 772 00:47:39,480 --> 00:47:42,840 'that a castle was able to play such an active part 773 00:47:42,840 --> 00:47:45,160 'in defending the English Crown. 774 00:47:45,160 --> 00:47:47,520 'In the uncertain times that followed, 775 00:47:47,520 --> 00:47:51,040 'castles began to acquire a new purpose. 776 00:47:58,160 --> 00:48:01,160 'John was succeeded by Henry III. 777 00:48:01,160 --> 00:48:02,880 'His reign saw the creation 778 00:48:02,880 --> 00:48:05,680 'of one of the most famous castles ever built, 779 00:48:05,680 --> 00:48:10,920 'constructed by his brother Richard, Earl of Cornwall, around 1230. 780 00:48:10,920 --> 00:48:14,800 'But its function was not a military one.' 781 00:48:14,800 --> 00:48:18,440 In the heart of Cornwall, there is a castle of unique status. 782 00:48:18,440 --> 00:48:21,320 Tintagel conjures more imagery in our mind 783 00:48:21,320 --> 00:48:23,880 than any other castle in England. 784 00:48:27,640 --> 00:48:29,880 'It was build by Richard, Earl of Cornwall, 785 00:48:29,880 --> 00:48:33,880 'on what is said to have been the birthplace of King Arthur. 786 00:48:34,960 --> 00:48:37,520 'Tintagel is a well-protected site - 787 00:48:37,520 --> 00:48:41,200 'the name even means "the fort of the constriction".' 788 00:48:43,600 --> 00:48:46,680 'Tintagel was once a very significant settlement. 789 00:48:46,680 --> 00:48:50,640 There's a little harbour behind me here, which ships used to connect 790 00:48:50,640 --> 00:48:54,440 Tintagel with distant waters as far afield as the Mediterranean. 791 00:48:54,440 --> 00:48:58,240 In fact, if you dig down almost anywhere on this headland here, 792 00:48:58,240 --> 00:49:01,840 you'll find treasures from all over the Mediterranean world. 793 00:49:01,840 --> 00:49:04,000 I've got some of them here. 794 00:49:04,000 --> 00:49:08,200 There's more fifth and sixth century pottery that's been found here 795 00:49:08,200 --> 00:49:11,560 than anywhere else in the British Isles put together. 796 00:49:11,560 --> 00:49:13,720 I particularly like this piece. 797 00:49:13,720 --> 00:49:16,040 It's from Africa, and you can still feel 798 00:49:16,040 --> 00:49:18,920 where the potter has pressed his fingers into the clay. 799 00:49:21,000 --> 00:49:23,960 So, this was once a thriving settlement. 800 00:49:23,960 --> 00:49:26,440 'But by Richard, Earl of Cornwall's day, 801 00:49:26,440 --> 00:49:28,960 'all that was already far in the past. 802 00:49:30,040 --> 00:49:32,840 'This land had no military value whatsoever. 803 00:49:34,040 --> 00:49:36,240 'There hadn't been any fortifications here 804 00:49:36,240 --> 00:49:37,600 'since the Iron Age. 805 00:49:39,080 --> 00:49:42,680 'But the association with Arthur was to change all that. 806 00:49:44,440 --> 00:49:48,320 'These ruins on a rocky headland exert a power 807 00:49:48,320 --> 00:49:51,360 'far beyond their physical elements. 808 00:49:51,360 --> 00:49:54,160 'For a character far more fiction that fact, 809 00:49:54,160 --> 00:49:58,720 'Arthur holds an extraordinary fascination for us.' 810 00:49:58,720 --> 00:50:00,960 It was the cleric Geoffrey of Monmouth 811 00:50:00,960 --> 00:50:05,840 who had identified Tintagel as the birthplace of Arthur in the 1100s. 812 00:50:05,840 --> 00:50:09,360 A French scholar later added the story of the Round Table, 813 00:50:09,360 --> 00:50:12,960 round so that no knight could enjoy higher status than any other. 814 00:50:12,960 --> 00:50:17,000 And later writers still added the story of the Holy Grail. 815 00:50:22,440 --> 00:50:27,200 'Over the centuries, authors and artists would return 816 00:50:27,200 --> 00:50:30,800 'again and again to the legend, adding their own ideas. 817 00:50:30,800 --> 00:50:35,160 'Mallory's Morte D'Arthur, Tennyson's Idylls of the King, 818 00:50:35,160 --> 00:50:39,600 'and image upon image of Camelot have fuelled imaginations everywhere 819 00:50:39,600 --> 00:50:42,640 'to such an extent that this fictional character 820 00:50:42,640 --> 00:50:44,120 'in an imaginary castle 821 00:50:44,120 --> 00:50:48,520 'somehow became a living legend from our past.' 822 00:50:48,520 --> 00:50:51,680 It's no wonder that dealing with Arthur has been described as 823 00:50:51,680 --> 00:50:55,560 dealing with the history of the story of the legend. 824 00:50:56,680 --> 00:51:00,600 'The man behind Tintagel Castle had been made Earl of Cornwall 825 00:51:00,600 --> 00:51:02,800 'by his brother, Henry III. 826 00:51:02,800 --> 00:51:06,040 'He came from the same Anglo-Norman elite. 827 00:51:06,040 --> 00:51:09,040 'But he needed to be accepted by the Cornish 828 00:51:09,040 --> 00:51:11,440 'to make it easier to assert his authority 829 00:51:11,440 --> 00:51:14,240 'and, more importantly, collect his taxes. 830 00:51:14,240 --> 00:51:17,040 'It seems that Richard, Earl of Cornwall, 831 00:51:17,040 --> 00:51:20,360 'was so eager to link his fortunes with those of Arthur 832 00:51:20,360 --> 00:51:24,360 'that he decided to build his very own Camelot.' 833 00:51:24,360 --> 00:51:27,080 Richard decided that this was the exact spot 834 00:51:27,080 --> 00:51:29,040 that Arthur was conceived. 835 00:51:29,040 --> 00:51:30,880 Don't ask me how he knew. 836 00:51:30,880 --> 00:51:35,800 And so the castle had to be built here. Just by the cliff's edge. 837 00:51:35,800 --> 00:51:38,800 The ruins tell the story of its construction elegantly. 838 00:51:42,360 --> 00:51:44,640 Richard built the outer walls first, 839 00:51:44,640 --> 00:51:48,480 and then filled in this central area to make it level. 840 00:51:48,480 --> 00:51:52,880 The only problem was that the walls started to fall towards the sea. 841 00:51:56,240 --> 00:51:59,560 'If the castle was to be prevented from falling into the sea, 842 00:51:59,560 --> 00:52:01,040 'something needed to be done.' 843 00:52:02,040 --> 00:52:05,600 Hence these buttresses - they're not tied into the walls, 844 00:52:05,600 --> 00:52:08,600 which suggests that they're a later addition. 845 00:52:10,960 --> 00:52:12,760 And how did he build his walls? 846 00:52:12,760 --> 00:52:14,920 Well, these holes give the answer. 847 00:52:14,920 --> 00:52:16,360 They're known as putlogs, 848 00:52:16,360 --> 00:52:19,320 because if you put a log in them, 849 00:52:19,320 --> 00:52:23,320 you could then put a plank across as well, and create a platform. 850 00:52:23,320 --> 00:52:26,160 And then, bit by bit, the walls would rise. 851 00:52:27,880 --> 00:52:31,800 'But these are thin walls built from the local slate. 852 00:52:31,800 --> 00:52:34,360 'Looking at them convinces me that this castle 853 00:52:34,360 --> 00:52:36,920 'had no military value whatsoever. 854 00:52:36,920 --> 00:52:41,040 'Tintagel's not a fortress, but a purely symbolic edifice. 855 00:52:42,360 --> 00:52:44,520 'Looking at these evocative ruins, 856 00:52:44,520 --> 00:52:47,400 'it seems little more than an expensive folly.' 857 00:52:48,880 --> 00:52:52,360 And yet, Tintagel seems to have served its purpose. 858 00:52:52,360 --> 00:52:55,040 The tin in Cornwall made Richard wealthy, 859 00:52:55,040 --> 00:52:59,560 and he used that money to enhance his status at every opportunity. 860 00:52:59,560 --> 00:53:04,040 He even bribed some German barons to elect him King of the Romans - 861 00:53:04,040 --> 00:53:06,160 the first and only time 862 00:53:06,160 --> 00:53:08,000 that an Englishman has held that title. 863 00:53:09,520 --> 00:53:12,440 'But for Richard's brother, Henry III, 864 00:53:12,440 --> 00:53:14,920 'faced with a barons' rebellion, 865 00:53:14,920 --> 00:53:19,040 'castles were to prove a very different proposition - 866 00:53:19,040 --> 00:53:21,680 'one that could threaten his very rule. 867 00:53:23,640 --> 00:53:26,800 'The Second Barons' War would see The Earl of Leicester, 868 00:53:26,800 --> 00:53:30,240 'Simon de Montfort, lead an putsch against the King.' 869 00:53:30,240 --> 00:53:33,360 Although de Montfort had been defeated and killed 870 00:53:33,360 --> 00:53:35,000 at the battle of Evesham, 871 00:53:35,000 --> 00:53:37,840 in 1266, his supporters were locked in conflict 872 00:53:37,840 --> 00:53:40,160 with the King here at Kenilworth. 873 00:53:44,880 --> 00:53:48,400 'Outside, the King brought all the resources of the Crown 874 00:53:48,400 --> 00:53:49,600 'to bear on the castle. 875 00:53:49,600 --> 00:53:52,920 'Inside, the rebels stood firm.' 876 00:53:52,920 --> 00:53:56,680 The siege lasted 172 days, 877 00:53:56,680 --> 00:53:59,080 as the unruly warrior barons 878 00:53:59,080 --> 00:54:00,800 took on the might of the Crown. 879 00:54:04,840 --> 00:54:07,520 The castle was exceptionally well-defended. 880 00:54:07,520 --> 00:54:11,000 It was surrounded by an artificial lake, or a mere. 881 00:54:11,000 --> 00:54:12,840 There's nothing left of it now, 882 00:54:12,840 --> 00:54:15,120 but these were once the largest-scale 883 00:54:15,120 --> 00:54:18,080 defensive water features anywhere in the kingdom. 884 00:54:20,680 --> 00:54:22,320 'With a garrison of 1,200, 885 00:54:22,320 --> 00:54:23,840 'there were plenty of archers 886 00:54:23,840 --> 00:54:26,160 'and crossbowmen to man the battlements.' 887 00:54:28,200 --> 00:54:30,200 The best way to take such a castle 888 00:54:30,200 --> 00:54:33,080 was to sit and wait for the occupants to run out of food. 889 00:54:33,080 --> 00:54:35,840 But Henry was not just out for victory. 890 00:54:35,840 --> 00:54:39,240 He needed to crush this opposition to his Crown. 891 00:54:47,520 --> 00:54:50,440 Henry's army was one of the largest ever assembled 892 00:54:50,440 --> 00:54:52,520 to lay siege to an English castle. 893 00:54:52,520 --> 00:54:54,840 But things did not go to plan. 894 00:54:54,840 --> 00:54:57,280 They managed to attach a tower to the walls, 895 00:54:57,280 --> 00:55:00,480 but the subsequent attack failed when the tower was damaged. 896 00:55:00,480 --> 00:55:03,160 Barges full of troops approached across the mere, 897 00:55:03,160 --> 00:55:07,640 but they were repulsed, and plans to undermine the walls failed. 898 00:55:11,440 --> 00:55:14,520 Even the latest heavy siege engines, eight in all, 899 00:55:14,520 --> 00:55:17,200 firing stone missiles into the castle, 900 00:55:17,200 --> 00:55:19,600 were unable to make a breakthrough. 901 00:55:19,600 --> 00:55:22,840 But it was a fight that the king could not afford to lose. 902 00:55:25,880 --> 00:55:30,520 Even after months of struggle, the two sides were locked in stalemate. 903 00:55:32,360 --> 00:55:35,920 'With the military attack showing no signs of success, 904 00:55:35,920 --> 00:55:39,720 'Henry adopted other tactics to try to bring about a victory.' 905 00:55:39,720 --> 00:55:43,880 He brought a papal legate and two bishops to Kenilworth 906 00:55:43,880 --> 00:55:46,400 to excommunicate the garrison within, 907 00:55:46,400 --> 00:55:51,120 but the defenders simply dressed one of their own to look like the legate, 908 00:55:51,120 --> 00:55:54,560 and excommunicated the Royal Army in return. 909 00:55:54,560 --> 00:55:56,280 Two months into the siege, 910 00:55:56,280 --> 00:55:59,320 Henry celebrated the Assumption of the Virgin Mary 911 00:55:59,320 --> 00:56:03,800 with a feast costing the equivalent of £25,000 912 00:56:03,800 --> 00:56:06,920 within plain sight of the castle walls - 913 00:56:06,920 --> 00:56:11,920 just imagine the psychological impact on the starving defenders. 914 00:56:11,920 --> 00:56:14,560 The garrison simply refused to surrender. 915 00:56:14,560 --> 00:56:17,600 And what's more, the gates of the castle remained open 916 00:56:17,600 --> 00:56:19,200 throughout the siege, 917 00:56:19,200 --> 00:56:22,800 a permanent taunt to the attacking royalists. 918 00:56:22,800 --> 00:56:25,680 The castle, once a hallmark of royal authority, 919 00:56:25,680 --> 00:56:29,560 was threatening to become a symbol of its impotence. 920 00:56:30,360 --> 00:56:33,480 'Henry never did get his crushing capitulation. 921 00:56:33,480 --> 00:56:36,040 'Instead, he was forced to strike a deal. 922 00:56:36,040 --> 00:56:38,200 'Although they were running out of food, 923 00:56:38,200 --> 00:56:41,560 'the garrison was ready to fight to the last man. 924 00:56:41,560 --> 00:56:44,240 'The siege only came to an end when Henry accepted 925 00:56:44,240 --> 00:56:47,320 'that he would have to show leniency to the defenders 926 00:56:47,320 --> 00:56:50,200 'if they were to give themselves up.' 927 00:56:50,200 --> 00:56:53,880 Henry had his victory, but it was a hollow victory. 928 00:56:53,880 --> 00:56:56,760 At 172 days, the siege of Kenilworth 929 00:56:56,760 --> 00:57:00,480 is the longest to take place on English soil. 930 00:57:02,680 --> 00:57:06,640 'The castle, the weapon that had spearheaded the conquest of England, 931 00:57:06,640 --> 00:57:10,480 'had become a direct threat to the authority of the Crown. 932 00:57:15,280 --> 00:57:16,920 'The castle had been pivotal 933 00:57:16,920 --> 00:57:20,400 'to the successful invasion of England in 1066. 934 00:57:21,720 --> 00:57:25,120 'From the outset, it had been part of William's plan. 935 00:57:25,120 --> 00:57:28,520 'And as castles went on to secure the Norman takeover, 936 00:57:28,520 --> 00:57:30,440 'they came to have a symbolic role. 937 00:57:33,000 --> 00:57:35,840 'Castles shaped taste and culture, 938 00:57:35,840 --> 00:57:38,040 'and even entered our mythology. 939 00:57:40,280 --> 00:57:43,000 'But in building the castles that conquered this land, 940 00:57:43,000 --> 00:57:46,240 'William unwittingly sowed the seeds of problems 941 00:57:46,240 --> 00:57:49,720 'that these fortresses would cause for his successors. 942 00:57:49,720 --> 00:57:53,480 'Kenilworth was just the latest in a long line of castles 943 00:57:53,480 --> 00:57:55,760 'that were used to defy the Crown.' 944 00:57:58,040 --> 00:58:00,720 'The role of the castle was becoming unclear. 945 00:58:00,720 --> 00:58:03,920 'Were they now more of a liability than an asset?' 946 00:58:06,560 --> 00:58:08,400 If castles would have a future 947 00:58:08,400 --> 00:58:12,160 in the ever-changing conflicts and allegiances of the time, 948 00:58:12,160 --> 00:58:14,320 they needed a new champion. 949 00:58:14,320 --> 00:58:18,400 And the right man for the job was soon to inherit the throne. 950 00:58:18,400 --> 00:58:21,560 'Next time - how Edward I took the castle 951 00:58:21,560 --> 00:58:23,320 'to a new level of ruthlessness, 952 00:58:23,320 --> 00:58:26,640 'and how the Welsh and the Scots paid the price.'