1 00:00:08,500 --> 00:00:14,810 This is the British Commonwealth War Cemetery at Bayeux in Normandy, 2 00:00:14,900 --> 00:00:17,530 where are buried 4,OOO men 3 00:00:17,620 --> 00:00:20,850 who fell during the D-day landings. 4 00:00:20,940 --> 00:00:26,088 Over the memorial archway are inscribed the Latin words which mean 5 00:00:26,170 --> 00:00:28,800 ''We, conquered by William, 6 00:00:28,890 --> 00:00:34,399 ''have liberated the conqueror's native land.'' 7 00:00:34,500 --> 00:00:36,850 At first sight, it's extraordinary 8 00:00:36,929 --> 00:00:39,880 that the memory of William and his conquest 9 00:00:39,969 --> 00:00:42,880 still lingers after 900 years. 10 00:00:42,969 --> 00:00:45,240 But it does so for good reason, 11 00:00:45,340 --> 00:00:47,289 because the Norman Conquest 12 00:00:47,380 --> 00:00:52,609 was a defining - arguably the defining - event in English history. 13 00:00:54,210 --> 00:00:58,158 'William and his descendants were foreigners who ruled England 14 00:00:58,250 --> 00:01:01,600 'in a radically different way from previously. 15 00:01:01,700 --> 00:01:05,209 'Eventually, that way proved not to work. 16 00:01:05,290 --> 00:01:09,519 'But it's left its mark on us right up to the present.' 17 00:01:09,620 --> 00:01:12,290 How we talk and how we are ruled 18 00:01:12,370 --> 00:01:15,640 what we believe and what we are 19 00:01:15,730 --> 00:01:20,920 were all reshaped by that man and those events 20 00:01:21,010 --> 00:01:23,718 almost a millennium ago. 21 00:01:57,209 --> 00:01:59,670 'ln the early winter of 1066, 22 00:01:59,780 --> 00:02:01,968 'William, Duke of Normandy, 23 00:02:02,060 --> 00:02:05,450 'rode with his army in triumph to London. 24 00:02:13,370 --> 00:02:17,718 'He had just pulled off the biggest gamble of his career. 25 00:02:17,810 --> 00:02:19,919 'But he'd always been a chancer. 26 00:02:20,020 --> 00:02:22,650 'He'd had to be, as he'd been born 27 00:02:22,740 --> 00:02:28,408 'the obscure bastard of an upstarrt dynasty, son of a tanner's daughter. 28 00:02:29,580 --> 00:02:32,530 'But his boldness and superlative generalship 29 00:02:32,620 --> 00:02:36,240 'had won him a dukedom and now a kingdom. 30 00:02:36,340 --> 00:02:40,038 'The Napoleon of Normandy had come into his own. 31 00:02:41,780 --> 00:02:44,050 'But what was it about England 32 00:02:44,128 --> 00:02:49,280 'that had driven William to risk everyything - his career, even his life?' 33 00:02:59,090 --> 00:03:03,520 The Normans held the English throne in awe because of its age. 34 00:03:03,620 --> 00:03:07,490 Norman power was barely 100 years old. 35 00:03:07,580 --> 00:03:11,568 But in England there was a continuous line of descent 36 00:03:11,650 --> 00:03:13,919 stretching back over 300 years, 37 00:03:14,020 --> 00:03:16,128 to Alfred and beyond. 38 00:03:20,340 --> 00:03:24,330 'For William and his house had ideas above their station 39 00:03:24,408 --> 00:03:29,038 'as this vast and pompous abbey at Jumièges suggests. 40 00:03:29,128 --> 00:03:32,080 'Like rulers throughout Western Europe, 41 00:03:32,180 --> 00:03:36,610 'the Normans had enlisted the powers of the Church to bolster their own. 42 00:03:36,688 --> 00:03:40,639 'This alone made the great Christianised monarchy 43 00:03:40,740 --> 00:03:43,490 'of Anglo-Saxon England attractive. 44 00:03:43,580 --> 00:03:47,360 'William also looked with envy across the Channel 45 00:03:47,460 --> 00:03:52,810 'to the richest, the most stable and best-administered country in Europe.' 46 00:03:53,968 --> 00:03:56,560 When, therefore, in 1051 47 00:03:56,650 --> 00:03:59,030 the childless Edward the Confessor 48 00:03:59,128 --> 00:04:02,438 promised to make William his heir in England, 49 00:04:02,530 --> 00:04:07,650 it offered the Norman duke the prospect of a quantum leap in power. 50 00:04:09,020 --> 00:04:13,210 'As a cousin of Edward's William had a genuine family c! laim 51 00:04:13,300 --> 00:04:15,598 'to the Anglo-Saxon succession. 52 00:04:15,688 --> 00:04:21,278 'But then, in 1066, the dying King Edward apparently changed his mind 53 00:04:21,370 --> 00:04:23,879 'and offered the crown to Harold 54 00:04:23,980 --> 00:04:27,050 'who, although the senior Anglo-Saxon earl, 55 00:04:27,129 --> 00:04:30,199 'had no direct blood ties to the throne.' 56 00:04:31,300 --> 00:04:35,930 William found the idea intolerable and illegal. 57 00:04:36,009 --> 00:04:38,199 There was only one thing to do - 58 00:04:38,300 --> 00:04:43,160 he would invade England and seize the throne by force. 59 00:04:43,250 --> 00:04:45,199 (Men yelling) 60 00:04:48,980 --> 00:04:51,930 'The Battle of Hastings was hard fought 61 00:04:52,009 --> 00:04:55,838 'and several times the Normans came close to losing. 62 00:04:55,930 --> 00:04:59,160 'The English held the upper hand, 63 00:04:59,250 --> 00:05:03,199 'but all that changed when Harold and his closest followers 64 00:05:03,300 --> 00:05:06,970 'the elite of Anglo-Saxon England, were killed. 65 00:05:08,009 --> 00:05:13,199 'But in England, power was not just held by an aristocratic elite. 66 00:05:13,300 --> 00:05:16,088 'William had disposed of his rival king 67 00:05:16,180 --> 00:05:19,290 'but could he win over the kingdom? 68 00:05:19,370 --> 00:05:24,079 'To do it, he had no more than 7,OOO Norman soldiers 69 00:05:24,180 --> 00:05:27,129 'against two million Anglo-Saxons. 70 00:05:27,220 --> 00:05:30,290 'His chosen method was typical of the man. 71 00:05:30,370 --> 00:05:34,639 'He would terrorise the population into submission. 72 00:05:39,129 --> 00:05:41,480 'William advanced towards London 73 00:05:41,569 --> 00:05:45,560 'taking a circular route to the south and west of the city. 74 00:05:45,660 --> 00:05:48,810 'His men burnt destroyed and slaug!htered 75 00:05:48,889 --> 00:05:52,199 'everyything and everyone in their path. 76 00:05:56,220 --> 00:05:59,649 'The Norman army sliced through southern England 77 00:05:59,740 --> 00:06:04,170 'and left a devastated ring of fire in its wake. 78 00:06:04,250 --> 00:06:08,639 'William's message to the English could hardly have been clearer - 79 00:06:08,740 --> 00:06:11,009 'submit or die.' 80 00:06:12,620 --> 00:06:16,129 Within weeks, William's victory was complete. 81 00:06:16,220 --> 00:06:21,129 The Witan, the council of Anglo-Saxon nobles, accepted him as king, 82 00:06:21,220 --> 00:06:23,850 and on Christmas Day 1066, 83 00:06:23,930 --> 00:06:26,278 William was crowned king 84 00:06:26,370 --> 00:06:29,040 here in Westminster Abbey. 85 00:06:38,980 --> 00:06:41,209 William's choice of Westminster 86 00:06:41,300 --> 00:06:46,209 and the rituals of the coronation service were highly significant. 87 00:06:46,300 --> 00:06:50,889 William was determined to demonstrate both the legality of his kingship 88 00:06:50,980 --> 00:06:55,838 and that he was the true heir of the Anglo-Saxon royal line. 89 00:06:55,930 --> 00:06:58,439 So his coronation took place here, 90 00:06:58,540 --> 00:07:02,079 in the church rebuilt by Edward the Confessor, 91 00:07:02,180 --> 00:07:04,480 the Anglo-Saxon royal saint. 92 00:07:04,569 --> 00:07:07,720 And he was crowned with Edward's own crown 93 00:07:07,810 --> 00:07:11,480 and he used the Anglo-Saxon coronation ritual. 94 00:07:11,569 --> 00:07:15,920 But there was one, final culminating symbol. 95 00:07:16,009 --> 00:07:19,550 For William insisted that he should be crowned 96 00:07:19,660 --> 00:07:24,490 in front of the very tomb of Edward the Confessor. 97 00:07:26,620 --> 00:07:30,449 'William was now more than just another duke. 98 00:07:30,540 --> 00:07:32,610 'As the anointed king of England, 99 00:07:32,689 --> 00:07:35,838 'he had entered an entirely different league. 100 00:07:35,930 --> 00:07:40,480 'lnternationally, he was one of the three most powerful rulers in Europe, 101 00:07:40,569 --> 00:07:45,120 'whilst in England, this was the starrt of a new Norman dynasty 102 00:07:45,220 --> 00:07:48,569 'that would rule for the next 88 years. 103 00:07:48,660 --> 00:07:51,610 'Three more Norman kings would be crowned 104 00:07:51,689 --> 00:07:56,709 'and each, like William, would lay claim to the Anglo-Saxon inheritance. 105 00:07:57,889 --> 00:07:59,838 'But could William build on 106 00:07:59,930 --> 00:08:03,360 'the achievements of his Anglo-Saxon predecessors 107 00:08:03,449 --> 00:08:05,680 'to make the English monarchy 108 00:08:05,769 --> 00:08:09,470 'once more the most effective in the Christian world?' 109 00:08:11,060 --> 00:08:14,730 The signs are that William began by making a serious attempt 110 00:08:14,810 --> 00:08:18,759 at winning over the surviving Anglo-Saxon earls. 111 00:08:18,860 --> 00:08:23,050 They were not killed or mutilated in the wake of the Battle of Hastings 112 00:08:23,129 --> 00:08:28,250 as had regularly happened during the Anglo-Saxons' succession struggles. 113 00:08:28,329 --> 00:08:32,678 lnstead, providing they were prepared to submit and to swear allegiance, 114 00:08:32,769 --> 00:08:36,278 William was happy to pardon them and to use them. 115 00:08:37,340 --> 00:08:41,210 'But, once the initial shock of Hastings was over, 116 00:08:41,288 --> 00:08:45,278 'most of the Saxon earls weren't interested in collaborating. 117 00:08:45,370 --> 00:08:49,720 'lnstead, they fled, rebelled or went underground. 118 00:08:49,820 --> 00:08:54,759 'Their lands were confiscated and given to William's Norman followers. 119 00:08:55,769 --> 00:08:57,720 'The barons spoke French 120 00:08:57,820 --> 00:09:01,730 'and brought French attitudes to their regional power, 121 00:09:01,820 --> 00:09:06,129 'which they saw as theirs by right, rather than held at the king's gift. 122 00:09:10,769 --> 00:09:14,000 'They also had new, French ways 123 00:09:14,100 --> 00:09:18,649 'of controlling the English population - the castle. 124 00:09:40,620 --> 00:09:44,129 'Hundreds of castles were thrown up across the country, 125 00:09:44,220 --> 00:09:48,090 'using the local population as forced labour. 126 00:09:48,168 --> 00:09:51,399 'The English had seen nothing like them, 127 00:09:51,500 --> 00:09:54,450 'for the English burhs, or forrtified towns, 128 00:09:54,528 --> 00:09:56,720 'were designed to protect the people, 129 00:09:56,820 --> 00:10:00,889 'but the Norman castles were there to intimidate. 130 00:10:03,700 --> 00:10:07,168 'The early castles were made of wood, not stone 131 00:10:07,250 --> 00:10:09,200 'and could be built in days. 132 00:10:09,288 --> 00:10:11,360 'The Normans would choose a site 133 00:10:11,460 --> 00:10:14,019 'often in the middle of a town. 134 00:10:14,100 --> 00:10:19,288 'They raised a huge mound of earrth - this one at Thetford is 80 feet high - 135 00:10:19,370 --> 00:10:23,639 'and then built the castle on top.' 136 00:10:23,740 --> 00:10:26,330 With their rough, uncut wood 137 00:10:26,408 --> 00:10:30,840 and raw earrth hacked out of a devastated landscape, 138 00:10:30,940 --> 00:10:36,850 each was the symbol of a profoundly alien, military occupation. 139 00:10:39,250 --> 00:10:41,710 'But, despite the castles 140 00:10:41,820 --> 00:10:45,690 'and the presence of Norman soldiers in almost every town, 141 00:10:45,769 --> 00:10:48,519 'Anglo-Saxon resistance was growing. 142 00:10:48,620 --> 00:10:53,808 'William was to find that England would not be defeated so easily. 143 00:10:58,370 --> 00:11:01,840 'William the Conqueror had captured the country 144 00:11:01,940 --> 00:11:05,009 'but he had not yet subdued its people. 145 00:11:05,100 --> 00:11:09,370 'lnstead, in 1069 the townspeople of Durha'm rose up 146 00:11:09,460 --> 00:11:12,928 'and slaughtered a Norman garrison of 700 men. 147 00:11:13,009 --> 00:11:17,120 'The revolt spread swiftly across the norrth of England, 148 00:11:17,220 --> 00:11:20,808 'encouraged by Danish forces, who had landed in the east. 149 00:11:20,889 --> 00:11:23,720 'William's response was typically ruthless. 150 00:11:23,820 --> 00:11:26,009 'He marched his army to York, 151 00:11:26,100 --> 00:11:28,090 'drove off the Danes 152 00:11:28,168 --> 00:11:32,519 'and then perpetrated the most infamous event of his reign - 153 00:11:32,620 --> 00:11:34,570 'the Harrying of the Norrth. 154 00:11:37,220 --> 00:11:42,158 'Over a huge area, from York up to Durham and across to Chester, 155 00:11:42,250 --> 00:11:46,278 'his men destroyed villages, burnt crops and food stores 156 00:11:46,370 --> 00:11:50,840 'and killed every person and animal they could find. 157 00:11:50,940 --> 00:11:56,090 'Foreign enemies had behaved like this, but never an English king. 158 00:12:01,220 --> 00:12:04,970 'The scale and savagery of the Harrying of the Norrth 159 00:12:05,048 --> 00:12:08,080 'shocked an often unshockable age. 160 00:12:08,168 --> 00:12:11,600 'Contemporary estimates of the number of victims - 161 00:12:11,700 --> 00:12:15,928 'those who were murdered, starved or subsequently died of the plague - 162 00:12:16,009 --> 00:12:18,000 'total 100,OOO.' 163 00:12:18,100 --> 00:12:21,048 Such figures aren't necessarily reliable, 164 00:12:21,129 --> 00:12:26,519 but here, in the Domesday Book - William's own meticulous tax survey - 165 00:12:26,620 --> 00:12:30,450 there's incontroverrtible evidence of the extent of the disaster. 166 00:12:30,528 --> 00:12:35,720 For, from York to Durham it notes, 18 years after the eve! nt, 167 00:12:35,820 --> 00:12:38,168 dozens upon dozens of villages 168 00:12:38,250 --> 00:12:41,918 where the land is largely waste - wasta - 169 00:12:42,009 --> 00:12:46,720 and which are worrth only a fraction of their pre-Conquest value. 170 00:12:46,820 --> 00:12:49,168 As well as the human suffering, 171 00:12:49,250 --> 00:12:53,960 the Harrying put back the economy of the Norrth by decades. 172 00:13:02,700 --> 00:13:05,288 (#music# Man singing lament in Latin) 173 00:13:29,649 --> 00:13:33,120 'The commentators of the time were appalled. 174 00:13:33,220 --> 00:13:36,918 'Even the 11th-century c,hronicler, Orderic Vitalis 175 00:13:37,009 --> 00:13:40,759 'an Anglo-Norman, and usually a parrtisan of the king, wrote, 176 00:13:40,860 --> 00:13:44,288 '''Never did William commit so much cruelty. 177 00:13:44,370 --> 00:13:48,440 '''To his lasting disgrace, he yielded to his worst impulse 178 00:13:48,528 --> 00:13:50,720 '''and set no bounds to his fury, 179 00:13:50,820 --> 00:13:54,808 '''condemning the innocent and the guilty to a common fate. 180 00:13:54,889 --> 00:14:00,360 '''l asserrt that such barbarous homicide should not pass unpunished.'' 181 00:14:08,769 --> 00:14:13,360 'The Harrying of the Norrth was not mere revenge or ethnic cleansing, 182 00:14:13,460 --> 00:14:16,450 'but a deliberate policy of terror.' 183 00:14:16,528 --> 00:14:20,639 The Anglo-Saxons of other regions might be tempted to rebel - 184 00:14:20,740 --> 00:14:24,730 they would share the same terrible fate as the Norrth. 185 00:14:24,820 --> 00:14:28,769 But despite the threat, there were still some Anglo-Saxons 186 00:14:28,860 --> 00:14:31,808 who would not submit to the Norman yoke. 187 00:14:31,889 --> 00:14:34,639 Resistance was not yet over. 188 00:14:35,740 --> 00:14:38,168 'And from this struggle came leaders 189 00:14:38,250 --> 00:14:41,399 'whose exploits are still remembered today. 190 00:14:41,500 --> 00:14:46,330 'Hereward the Wake, lionised by the Victorians as an Anglo-Saxon hero, 191 00:14:46,408 --> 00:14:50,960 'was an English landowner who ran a guerilla campaign against the Normans 192 00:14:51,048 --> 00:14:53,240 'in the fenlands of East Anglia.' 193 00:14:53,340 --> 00:14:57,288 'lt took William two years to put down this rebellion 194 00:14:57,370 --> 00:15:01,480 'and he never caught Hereward, thus a legend was born.' 195 00:15:02,528 --> 00:15:04,480 (Bell chiming) 196 00:15:06,980 --> 00:15:11,009 'ln 1075, William was faced with yet another revolt, 197 00:15:11,100 --> 00:15:13,129 'as a formidable coalition 198 00:15:13,220 --> 00:15:17,408 'of Danes and Anglo-Saxon and disaffected Norman nobles 199 00:15:17,500 --> 00:15:19,928 'plotted to overrthrow the king. 200 00:15:23,100 --> 00:15:27,090 'Among the conspirators was a trusted Anglo-Saxon earl, 201 00:15:27,168 --> 00:15:29,360 'Waltheof of Bamburgh. 202 00:15:29,460 --> 00:15:33,570 'Waltheof had been one of the very few Saxon nobles 203 00:15:33,649 --> 00:15:36,480 'who'd tried to work with William. 204 00:15:36,580 --> 00:15:39,528 'William was so incensed at his betrayal 205 00:15:39,620 --> 00:15:43,649 that Waltheof became the only Anglo-Saxon nobleman 206 00:15:43,740 --> 00:15:46,330 'to be executed by the Normans. 207 00:15:46,408 --> 00:15:48,788 'William had him beheaded for treason 208 00:15:48,889 --> 00:15:52,000 'outside the walls of Winchester castle. 209 00:15:52,100 --> 00:15:54,399 (Birds cawing) 210 00:15:54,500 --> 00:15:58,090 Waltheof became an instant folk hero. 211 00:15:58,168 --> 00:16:02,519 He was even revered unofficially, as a saint!. 212 00:16:02,620 --> 00:16:05,928 For Waltheof was a highly symbolic figure. 213 00:16:06,009 --> 00:16:11,519 With his death, the last of the great Anglo-Saxon earls had gone. 214 00:16:11,620 --> 00:16:16,168 But from William's point of view, his execution had done its work. 215 00:16:16,250 --> 00:16:18,200 After 1075 216 00:16:18,288 --> 00:16:23,840 there was no furrther, serious Anglo-Saxon resistance in England. 217 00:16:25,820 --> 00:16:29,850 'William could now turn his attention to governing the country 218 00:16:29,940 --> 00:16:32,168 'rather than to subduing it. 219 00:16:32,250 --> 00:16:36,600 'The Domesday Book tells us much about the scale of his ambitions. 220 00:16:36,700 --> 00:16:40,570 'Using the sophisticated system of local government 221 00:16:40,649 --> 00:16:43,080 'created by the Anglo-Saxons, 222 00:16:43,168 --> 00:16:48,190 'William carried out the first-ever audit of land ownership in England, 223 00:16:48,288 --> 00:16:51,720 'right down to the last cow and pig. 224 00:16:51,820 --> 00:16:56,048 'Here was an English king whose aim was not simply to list 225 00:16:56,129 --> 00:17:00,158 'but to exploit the entire wealth of his nation. 226 00:17:02,700 --> 00:17:05,650 'As a devout Christian William was aware 227 00:17:05,740 --> 00:17:09,930 'of the power of the Church over a population of simple believers. 228 00:17:10,009 --> 00:17:14,278 'So he made sure that the Church was run by Normans for Normans 229 00:17:14,380 --> 00:17:17,970 'and ordered a huge programme of church-building, 230 00:17:18,048 --> 00:17:21,078 'including spectacular new cathedrals.' 231 00:17:22,140 --> 00:17:27,160 This is Ely, one of the most splendid of the Norman cathedrals. 232 00:17:27,250 --> 00:17:32,269 We think of it as a noble monume, nt to God and the Christian faith 233 00:17:32,380 --> 00:17:35,328 but there's much more to it than that. 234 00:17:35,420 --> 00:17:39,368 For Ely, then an island in the middle of the marshy fens, 235 00:17:39,460 --> 00:17:43,490 was one of the last centres of resistance to the Normans 236 00:17:43,568 --> 00:17:45,519 under Hereward the Wake. 237 00:17:45,608 --> 00:17:49,150 But within ten years of Hereward's final defeat 238 00:17:49,250 --> 00:17:51,598 and disappearance into legend, 239 00:17:51,700 --> 00:17:54,210 there was a Norman abbot in Ely 240 00:17:54,288 --> 00:17:58,240 and the building of this vast cathedral had begun, 241 00:17:58,328 --> 00:18:04,960 whose massive walls seem to crush out even the memory of revolt. 242 00:18:05,980 --> 00:18:09,490 So Norman cathedrals are like Norman castles - 243 00:18:09,568 --> 00:18:13,190 at once, centres of Norman administration 244 00:18:13,288 --> 00:18:17,068 adverrtisements for a new, Norman way of life 245 00:18:17,180 --> 00:18:21,328 and monuments to the permanence of Norman power. 246 00:18:21,420 --> 00:18:24,528 And above all they were visible p!roof 247 00:18:24,608 --> 00:18:28,390 that God was on King William's side. 248 00:18:29,980 --> 00:18:31,930 (Metal clinking) 249 00:18:32,009 --> 00:18:36,278 'Of course, control of the Church meant control of its vast wealth. 250 00:18:36,380 --> 00:18:38,940 'The fact that England was so rich 251 00:18:39,009 --> 00:18:42,710 'had always been a factor in William's decision to invade. 252 00:18:43,700 --> 00:18:47,930 'But what had attracted the Normans also drew other eyes. 253 00:18:52,900 --> 00:18:55,328 'ln 1085, William learned 254 00:18:55,420 --> 00:19:00,009 'that the Danes and their allies were once again scheming invasion. 255 00:19:00,088 --> 00:19:04,759 'So, next year, he brought over a great force of French mercenaries. 256 00:19:04,848 --> 00:19:10,278 'But he also had to take political steps to head off trouble at home.' 257 00:19:12,740 --> 00:19:15,690 He summoned a meeting of the great council 258 00:19:15,769 --> 00:19:20,000 here, to Old Sarum, the original site of the city of Salisbury. 259 00:19:20,088 --> 00:19:24,880 Every substantial landowner in the kingdom - William's own barons - 260 00:19:24,980 --> 00:19:30,528 was required to attend and swear an oath of allegiance to King William. 261 00:19:30,608 --> 00:19:34,558 No Anglo-Saxon king had ever needed to do such a thing 262 00:19:34,660 --> 00:19:36,769 and the fact that William had 263 00:19:36,848 --> 00:19:39,519 showed that though he was a strong king, 264 00:19:39,608 --> 00:19:43,519 he had created a form of kingship that was inherently weak 265 00:19:43,608 --> 00:19:48,200 and depended to a dangerous extent on his own force of character. 266 00:19:48,288 --> 00:19:51,720 Neverrtheless, the oath of Salisbury worked. 267 00:19:51,808 --> 00:19:54,440 The planned invasion was called off 268 00:19:54,528 --> 00:19:57,960 and William's regime was secured once more. 269 00:20:00,900 --> 00:20:04,769 'Less than a year later, William was dead - 270 00:20:04,848 --> 00:20:08,160 'fatally injured in a riding accident. 271 00:20:08,250 --> 00:20:12,240 'He may have been born a chancer, but he died a king. 272 00:20:12,328 --> 00:20:15,519 'As a king, he'd preserved the unity of England 273 00:20:15,608 --> 00:20:18,558 'and the strength of the English monarchy 274 00:20:18,660 --> 00:20:20,808 'but at a terrible cost 275 00:20:20,900 --> 00:20:25,328 'to his people and, finally, to his own conscience.' 276 00:20:27,460 --> 00:20:32,288 William was buried here at Caen Abbey in Normand!y. 277 00:20:32,380 --> 00:20:37,240 For though becoming king of England was William's greatest achievement, 278 00:20:37,328 --> 00:20:40,038 he'd remained a Norman to the last. 279 00:20:40,140 --> 00:20:44,088 He's the first king of England to be buried abroad. 280 00:20:44,180 --> 00:20:48,288 There was a final macabre postscript to Will'iam's life. 281 00:20:48,380 --> 00:20:51,730 ln his later years, he'd become very fat. 282 00:20:51,808 --> 00:20:55,588 But his sarcophagus had been made too small 283 00:20:55,700 --> 00:20:58,730 so when the body was lowered into it, 284 00:20:58,808 --> 00:21:02,160 some force was necessary to fit it in. 285 00:21:02,250 --> 00:21:05,788 The result was described by the monk Orderic. 286 00:21:06,608 --> 00:21:09,519 William's swollen bowels burst 287 00:21:09,608 --> 00:21:15,558 and an intolerable stench assailed the nostrils of the bystanders. 288 00:21:15,660 --> 00:21:18,650 Despite the clouds of fragrant incense, 289 00:21:18,740 --> 00:21:22,490 the funeral service had to be rushed to a conclusion. 290 00:21:25,180 --> 00:21:28,608 'For all his achievements William's violent rule 291 00:21:28,700 --> 00:21:32,528 'also left a stench in the nostrils of his people. 292 00:21:32,608 --> 00:21:36,558 'What kind of legacy was this for his successor? 293 00:21:36,660 --> 00:21:38,890 'And who would his successor be? 294 00:21:38,980 --> 00:21:42,930 'For the Normans had no strict rules of royal inheritance. 295 00:21:43,009 --> 00:21:47,640 'lnstead, it was left to the dying king to make his wishes known. 296 00:21:47,740 --> 00:21:51,690 'Normandy, William decided, should go to his eldest son 297 00:21:51,769 --> 00:21:54,230 'and England to his second born. 298 00:21:54,328 --> 00:21:56,278 'So, at the age of 29, 299 00:21:56,380 --> 00:22:01,400 'William Rufus became the second Norman king of England. 300 00:22:02,769 --> 00:22:07,000 'Like his father, the Conqueror, William Rufus was a skilled soldier 301 00:22:07,088 --> 00:22:09,318 'and a natural leader of men. 302 00:22:09,420 --> 00:22:14,650 'He was determined to enforce his authority on the whole country. 303 00:22:14,740 --> 00:22:18,009 'He was, if anyything, even more avaricious. 304 00:22:18,088 --> 00:22:21,200 He'd need to be because in everyything'he did, 305 00:22:21,288 --> 00:22:24,828 his ambitions were on the grandest scale. 306 00:22:24,940 --> 00:22:31,278 Hence the fact that he built this the Great Hall at Westminster. 307 00:22:32,420 --> 00:22:34,980 lt's as big as a cathedral. 308 00:22:35,048 --> 00:22:40,759 When it was built, it was the largest secular space norrth of the Alps. 309 00:22:40,848 --> 00:22:44,318 lt was the setting for feasts and enterrtainments 310 00:22:44,420 --> 00:22:46,720 and, above all, for the crown-wearings, 311 00:22:46,808 --> 00:22:50,400 which took place in Westminster every Whitsuntide. 312 00:22:50,500 --> 00:22:53,130 The king sat here... 313 00:22:54,500 --> 00:22:56,250 in the middle of the dais 314 00:22:56,328 --> 00:22:59,920 crowned, robed and enthroned 315 00:23:00,009 --> 00:23:03,318 whilst the choir sang his praises in Latin, 316 00:23:03,420 --> 00:23:06,170 hailing him like a Roman emperor 317 00:23:06,250 --> 00:23:10,519 and wishing him ''vita et victoria'' - 318 00:23:10,608 --> 00:23:13,798 long life and victory. 319 00:23:13,900 --> 00:23:16,490 (#music# Choir singing laudatory song) 320 00:23:20,220 --> 00:23:22,170 (Jangling) 321 00:23:24,180 --> 00:23:28,048 King William Rufus was always Iooking for new ways 322 00:23:28,140 --> 00:23:30,368 to extract money from England. 323 00:23:30,460 --> 00:23:33,410 When he couldn't get it from the Norman barons 324 00:23:33,500 --> 00:23:35,450 or Anglo-Saxon townsfolk, 325 00:23:35,528 --> 00:23:38,200 he wrung it from the Church instead. 326 00:23:38,288 --> 00:23:40,640 He taxed the monasteries hard. 327 00:23:40,740 --> 00:23:45,930 When bishops or archbishops died, he often refused to appoint a successor, 328 00:23:46,009 --> 00:23:49,358 keeping instead the revenues for himself. 329 00:23:49,460 --> 00:23:52,930 But William didn't on,ly plunder the Church 330 00:23:53,009 --> 00:23:55,680 he was actively irreligious. 331 00:23:55,769 --> 00:23:58,598 He never married or fathered children. 332 00:23:58,700 --> 00:24:04,048 lnstead, he had male favourites and was almost cerrtainly homosexual. 333 00:24:04,140 --> 00:24:09,490 This unchristian life, in turn Ied churchmen to loathe him!. 334 00:24:10,328 --> 00:24:15,348 All this meant that William Rufus was a very different kind of ruler 335 00:24:15,460 --> 00:24:18,769 from his famously pious Norman ancestors. 336 00:24:18,848 --> 00:24:20,798 And he was even more remote 337 00:24:20,900 --> 00:24:24,890 from the Anglo-Saxon tradition of Christian monarchy 338 00:24:24,980 --> 00:24:28,328 of Alfred the Great and Edward the Confessor. 339 00:24:30,848 --> 00:24:35,838 'England, it seemed, had exchanged the iron rule of the Conqueror 340 00:24:35,940 --> 00:24:41,009 'for the dangerous whims of a capricious and degenerate tyrant. 341 00:24:44,328 --> 00:24:48,028 'William the Conqueror had been the most resolute of men 342 00:24:48,140 --> 00:24:53,078 'and his son William Rufus inherited his father's steely resolve. 343 00:24:53,180 --> 00:24:57,210 'But too often, it expressed itself merely as a whim of iron. 344 00:24:57,288 --> 00:24:59,240 'Take the Forest Law. 345 00:24:59,328 --> 00:25:03,200 'The Conqueror had ridden roughshod over English custom 346 00:25:03,288 --> 00:25:06,828 'by inventing this law which gave him hunting rights 347 00:25:06,940 --> 00:25:08,890 'over huge areas of countryside. 348 00:25:08,980 --> 00:25:12,130 'William Rufus took over this arbitrary law 349 00:25:12,220 --> 00:25:15,368 'and made it even harsher. 350 00:25:16,328 --> 00:25:18,278 This is the New Forest. 351 00:25:18,380 --> 00:25:22,160 Or rather, it's a tiny porrtion of the vast forest 352 00:25:22,250 --> 00:25:24,960 that once covered most of Hampshire. 353 00:25:25,048 --> 00:25:30,170 To make it, William the Conqueror expelled over 500 families 354 00:25:30,250 --> 00:25:32,548 and seized 90,OOO acres. 355 00:25:32,660 --> 00:25:36,200 And William Rufus added 20,OOO more. 356 00:25:36,288 --> 00:25:39,358 The New Forest was only one of many. 357 00:25:39,460 --> 00:25:43,608 At their maximum extent towards the end of the 13th ce'ntury, 358 00:25:43,700 --> 00:25:47,650 the forest covered one third of the area of England, 359 00:25:47,740 --> 00:25:51,970 all of which was subject to the special, oppressive system of law 360 00:25:52,048 --> 00:25:54,400 known as Forest Law. 361 00:25:57,460 --> 00:26:01,608 'William Rufus increased the penalties for breaking Forest Law 362 00:26:01,700 --> 00:26:03,650 'to barbarous levels. 363 00:26:03,740 --> 00:26:06,690 'Killing a deer was punishable by death. 364 00:26:06,769 --> 00:26:10,519 'lf you were caught shooting at one, your hands were cut off 365 00:26:10,608 --> 00:26:14,558 'and the punishment for simply disturbing a deer was blinding.' 366 00:26:17,048 --> 00:26:19,078 The laws were hated 367 00:26:19,180 --> 00:26:23,528 parrtly because they were savage and punished poaching with mutilation, 368 00:26:23,608 --> 00:26:27,598 but above all because they were perceived as arbitrary 369 00:26:27,700 --> 00:26:30,848 and as being the product merely of the king's will 370 00:26:30,940 --> 00:26:33,210 and only serving his pleasure. 371 00:26:33,288 --> 00:26:36,000 ln other words, they were un-English 372 00:26:36,088 --> 00:26:38,440 and they were the most vivid reminder 373 00:26:38,528 --> 00:26:42,200 of the fact that England was a conquered country 374 00:26:42,288 --> 00:26:45,440 with an alien ruler with alien values. 375 00:26:45,528 --> 00:26:50,598 lf the Normans were serious about trying to win English hearrts and minds, 376 00:26:50,700 --> 00:26:52,808 as they sometimes claimed to be, 377 00:26:52,900 --> 00:26:57,210 then the Forest Laws were the wrong way to go about it. 378 00:26:59,380 --> 00:27:03,690 'After only 13 years, Rufus's end was ironic. 379 00:27:03,769 --> 00:27:06,200 'For the hunter became the hunted. 380 00:27:06,288 --> 00:27:10,440 'ln the August of 1100, he was out hunting in the New Forest 381 00:27:10,528 --> 00:27:14,519 'with a parrty that included his younger brother, Henry. 382 00:27:14,608 --> 00:27:16,640 'A huntsman fired an arrow 383 00:27:16,740 --> 00:27:20,519 'that hit William in the chest. He died on the spot. 384 00:27:20,608 --> 00:27:24,078 'No one knows whether it was an accident or murder. 385 00:27:24,180 --> 00:27:26,558 'Henry and the other nobles fled 386 00:27:26,660 --> 00:27:29,608 'and it was left to the king's servants 387 00:27:29,700 --> 00:27:33,170 'to bundle his body unceremoniously out of the forest.' 388 00:27:35,220 --> 00:27:38,920 William Rufus always got a bad press from contemporary writers, 389 00:27:39,009 --> 00:27:41,598 especially after he was safely dead. 390 00:27:41,700 --> 00:27:44,690 The Anglo-Saxon Ch, ronicle, for instance 391 00:27:44,769 --> 00:27:47,038 delivered the damning verdict - 392 00:27:47,140 --> 00:27:51,690 he was hateful to almost all his people and odious to God. 393 00:27:51,769 --> 00:27:54,400 But its authors would say that, 394 00:27:54,500 --> 00:27:59,250 because they were monks who detested his irreligion, his homosexuality 395 00:27:59,328 --> 00:28:02,598 and his plundering of the wealth of the Church. 396 00:28:03,848 --> 00:28:08,278 'ln fact, William Rufus was a highly competent king, 397 00:28:08,380 --> 00:28:11,608 'who maintained the unity and the stability 398 00:28:11,700 --> 00:28:14,410 'of the kingdom that he'd inherited.' 399 00:28:14,500 --> 00:28:16,650 But he added nothing more, 400 00:28:16,740 --> 00:28:21,130 with the result that even after three decades of Norman rule 401 00:28:21,220 --> 00:28:24,650 the English felt no ownership in their king 402 00:28:24,740 --> 00:28:27,200 and had no investment in him. 403 00:28:30,140 --> 00:28:32,930 'But this would begin to change. 404 00:28:36,088 --> 00:28:40,680 'Within hours of Rufus's death his brother Henry rushed to Winche!ster, 405 00:28:40,769 --> 00:28:45,519 'seized the royal crown from the treasury and rode off to London. 406 00:28:45,608 --> 00:28:49,759 'There's no proof that Henry was implicated in his brother's death, 407 00:28:49,848 --> 00:28:53,440 'but he cerrtainly wasted no time in mourning him 408 00:28:53,528 --> 00:28:57,960 'before declaring himself the next king of England. 409 00:28:58,048 --> 00:29:01,000 'Henry's claim to the crown was dubious. 410 00:29:01,088 --> 00:29:04,000 'Rufus had not named him as his heir 411 00:29:04,088 --> 00:29:06,078 'and their elder brother Roberrt 412 00:29:06,180 --> 00:29:09,210 'was still alive and ruling as Duke of Normandy. 413 00:29:09,288 --> 00:29:13,558 'ln the circumstances, Henry needed all the supporrt he could get 414 00:29:13,660 --> 00:29:15,930 'and he turned, dramatically, 415 00:29:16,009 --> 00:29:19,118 'to the hitherrto despised English people.' 416 00:29:21,568 --> 00:29:25,598 Kings traditionally swore an oath at their coronation 417 00:29:25,700 --> 00:29:29,890 in which they promised to rule justly and well. 418 00:29:29,980 --> 00:29:32,410 But Henry's coronation charrter, 419 00:29:32,500 --> 00:29:37,650 of which this is the slightly later official government copy, was different. 420 00:29:37,740 --> 00:29:42,048 lt was written down, it was widely circulated throughout the kingdom 421 00:29:42,140 --> 00:29:45,088 and the promises were more far-reaching. 422 00:29:45,180 --> 00:29:48,568 Above all, it announced Henry's determination 423 00:29:48,660 --> 00:29:51,730 to carry out a legal counter-revolution 424 00:29:51,808 --> 00:29:55,278 and bring back the laws of Edward the Confessor. 425 00:29:55,380 --> 00:29:58,848 ln other words, he would rule in the traditional way, 426 00:29:58,940 --> 00:30:02,250 with consent like an Anglo-Saxon' king, 427 00:30:02,328 --> 00:30:06,440 and not with force and extorrtion like a Norman. 428 00:30:07,328 --> 00:30:11,519 'Henry openly acknowledged the tyranny of his brother and father 429 00:30:11,608 --> 00:30:15,680 'by vowing to, ''take away all the bad customs 430 00:30:15,769 --> 00:30:20,078 '''by which the kingdom of England was unjustly oppressed.'' 431 00:30:20,180 --> 00:30:25,088 'The imporrtance of the charrter wasn't lost on later generations. 432 00:30:25,180 --> 00:30:28,328 'lt was copied almost eKactly in Magna Carrta 433 00:30:28,420 --> 00:30:31,848 'and it was used by all the kings in-between.' 434 00:30:32,769 --> 00:30:36,470 But the charrter was only one of Henry's attempts 435 00:30:36,568 --> 00:30:40,519 at reconnecting his rule with the Anglo-Saxon past. 436 00:30:40,608 --> 00:30:42,960 He married a Scottish princess 437 00:30:43,048 --> 00:30:47,000 who was descended directly from King Alfred the Great 438 00:30:47,088 --> 00:30:50,960 and he gave his only son and heir a double name. 439 00:30:51,048 --> 00:30:55,440 The boy was christened William, after the Norman conqueror, 440 00:30:55,528 --> 00:31:01,278 and Aetheling, an Anglo-Saxon name meaning ''kingworrthy''. 441 00:31:01,380 --> 00:31:04,608 There could have been no clearer demonstration 442 00:31:04,700 --> 00:31:11,890 of Henry's determination to found a new, genuinely Anglo-Norman dynasty. 443 00:31:15,700 --> 00:31:20,818 'And an Anglo-Norman England was slowly beginning to emerge. 444 00:31:22,980 --> 00:31:25,210 'The ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdoms 445 00:31:25,288 --> 00:31:29,240 'of Mercia, Wessex, East Anglia and Norrthumbria were gone, 446 00:31:29,328 --> 00:31:31,519 'as were the earls who'd ruled them. 447 00:31:31,608 --> 00:31:34,798 'ln their place were the Norman barons. 448 00:31:36,380 --> 00:31:38,568 'The barons spoke French, 449 00:31:38,660 --> 00:31:42,730 'but they increasingly claimed the rights of their English predecessors. 450 00:31:42,808 --> 00:31:44,920 'Many Normans took Saxon wives 451 00:31:45,009 --> 00:31:47,240 'and their children and grandchildren 452 00:31:47,328 --> 00:31:52,160 'began to think of themselves as as much English as Norman. 453 00:31:53,769 --> 00:31:58,759 'Alongside this fusion of cultures, a new social class was emerging, 454 00:31:58,848 --> 00:32:04,078 'a class that would dominate our history for the next 1,OOO years.' 455 00:32:04,180 --> 00:32:06,130 (Whinnying) 456 00:32:06,220 --> 00:32:10,568 'By the time of King Henry, England was a heavily militarised society 457 00:32:10,660 --> 00:32:14,890 'in which all landowners were expected to provide troops 458 00:32:14,980 --> 00:32:18,930 'either to their superior lord or directly to the king himself. 459 00:32:19,009 --> 00:32:22,318 'The most imporrtant troops were called knights - 460 00:32:22,420 --> 00:32:25,568 'that is, heavily armed soldiers on horseback.' 461 00:32:25,660 --> 00:32:28,450 These too were a Norman innovation 462 00:32:28,528 --> 00:32:32,680 as the Anglo-Saxons had ridden to battle but fought on foot. 463 00:32:32,769 --> 00:32:36,720 But the imporrtance of knights went beyond the purely military 464 00:32:36,808 --> 00:32:40,680 because knights were a social as well as a military elite 465 00:32:40,769 --> 00:32:42,720 and they gave their name 466 00:32:42,808 --> 00:32:46,558 to a new code of values and behaviour called chivalry. 467 00:32:50,700 --> 00:32:52,650 'The key idea of chivalry 468 00:32:52,740 --> 00:32:56,440 'was that, instead of killing your defeated enemies, 469 00:32:56,528 --> 00:32:59,480 'you captured them and treated them honourably - 470 00:32:59,568 --> 00:33:02,558 'if they were of the right social class - 471 00:33:02,660 --> 00:33:05,848 'for chivalry was a purely class code. 472 00:33:05,940 --> 00:33:08,210 'This, too, was a new idea 473 00:33:08,288 --> 00:33:10,240 'because the Anglo-Saxons 474 00:33:10,328 --> 00:33:14,558 'had usually killed their defeated enemies, whatever their rank. 475 00:33:18,088 --> 00:33:23,278 'Chivalry was the apex of this new, Anglo-Norman culture. 476 00:33:23,380 --> 00:33:26,130 'But its foundation was the bedrock 477 00:33:26,220 --> 00:33:29,368 'of the old, Anglo-Saxon state, the coinage. 478 00:33:29,460 --> 00:33:34,528 'England's stable currency had been the envy of Europe for three centuries 479 00:33:34,608 --> 00:33:37,759 'but it was now under insidious attack. 480 00:33:40,009 --> 00:33:43,880 'ln 1124, Henry's soldiers began complaining 481 00:33:43,980 --> 00:33:46,358 'that their wages were being paid 482 00:33:46,460 --> 00:33:50,650 'in coins which were Iess silver than cheap tin. 483 00:33:50,740 --> 00:33:55,858 'The result was what we're all familiar with - galloping inflation. 484 00:33:55,940 --> 00:33:58,890 'As the Anglo-Saxon, Chronicle recorded 485 00:33:58,980 --> 00:34:00,930 'the man who had got a pound 486 00:34:01,009 --> 00:34:04,788 'could not get the value of a penny for it in the market. 487 00:34:04,900 --> 00:34:09,090 'Henry took decisive action, which the modern Treasury could only envy. 488 00:34:09,170 --> 00:34:13,518 'There were 150 men who made all the money in England. 489 00:34:13,610 --> 00:34:17,760 'Henry had every one arrested and sent for trial at Winchester. 490 00:34:17,860 --> 00:34:21,929 '94 of them were found guilty of debasement of the coinage.' 491 00:34:22,010 --> 00:34:24,000 (Clinking) 492 00:34:24,940 --> 00:34:28,809 'The punishment for what we would regard as a white-collar crime 493 00:34:28,900 --> 00:34:30,849 'was barbaric. 494 00:34:30,940 --> 00:34:33,210 'First, each one of the guilty men 495 00:34:33,300 --> 00:34:35,760 'had his right hand cut off. 496 00:34:35,860 --> 00:34:38,010 'Then he was castrated.' 497 00:34:38,940 --> 00:34:42,480 The vast majority of the moneyers weren't Norman. 498 00:34:42,570 --> 00:34:45,079 They were Englishmen of high rank. 499 00:34:45,170 --> 00:34:48,239 Even so, there was no popular protest. 500 00:34:48,340 --> 00:34:53,170 'Here at last was something which united everybody.' 501 00:34:53,260 --> 00:34:57,289 From the Norman king to the lowliest Anglo-Saxon peasant, 502 00:34:57,380 --> 00:35:00,768 everybody was agreed that the value of the coinage, 503 00:35:00,860 --> 00:35:04,210 that great achievement of Anglo-Saxon England, 504 00:35:04,300 --> 00:35:07,010 must be protected at any cost. 505 00:35:10,690 --> 00:35:13,150 'But the king was about to lose 506 00:35:13,260 --> 00:35:16,880 'something more precious even than his coinage. 507 00:35:25,900 --> 00:35:29,679 This is the harbour at Barfleur in Normandy. 508 00:35:29,780 --> 00:35:33,480 Here, William the Conqueror's own ships were built 509 00:35:33,570 --> 00:35:36,639 and here, on 25th November 112O 510 00:35:36,730 --> 00:35:40,960 King Henry and his courrt were about to return to England 511 00:35:41,050 --> 00:35:44,320 after one of the king's many visits to Normandy. 512 00:35:44,420 --> 00:35:48,369 Then as now, members of the royal family travelled separately 513 00:35:48,460 --> 00:35:53,579 and Henry's heir, William Aethe, ling, with his suite of over 30O 514 00:35:53,650 --> 00:35:56,800 including many of the cream of the young Norman nobility, 515 00:35:56,900 --> 00:35:59,650 were to sail in the White Ship. 516 00:35:59,730 --> 00:36:01,760 There was a parrty atmosphere. 517 00:36:01,860 --> 00:36:04,929 William had bought several casks of wine 518 00:36:05,010 --> 00:36:09,039 and everybody, including members of the crew, had drunk heavily. 519 00:36:09,130 --> 00:36:13,000 They set sail in the evenin, g but, within half an hour 520 00:36:13,090 --> 00:36:17,159 disaster struck when the drunken pilot steered the ship 521 00:36:17,260 --> 00:36:22,929 onto a jagged rock that layjust beneath the surface at high tide. 522 00:36:23,010 --> 00:36:26,119 'A great gash was torn in the side of the ship 523 00:36:26,210 --> 00:36:28,280 'and it sank within minutes.' 524 00:36:28,380 --> 00:36:33,170 'William's bodyguard managed to get his young master onto the only boat 525 00:36:33,260 --> 00:36:35,369 'and began to row him to safety. 526 00:36:35,460 --> 00:36:40,250 'But the young prince insisted on going back to rescue his sister. 527 00:36:40,340 --> 00:36:45,809 'The little boat was overrwhelmed as men scrambled to get on board 528 00:36:45,900 --> 00:36:51,018 'and William and everybody else, bar a single survivor, was drowned. 529 00:36:51,730 --> 00:36:56,199 lt was, as they say, a moment that changed history. 530 00:36:59,050 --> 00:37:03,840 'For weeks afterrwards, bodies were washed up along the Normandy shore, 531 00:37:03,940 --> 00:37:08,880 'but the majority, including William Aetheling's, were never found. 532 00:37:08,980 --> 00:37:10,929 'Henry was devastated. 533 00:37:11,010 --> 00:37:13,679 'lt was said he never smiled again. 534 00:37:13,780 --> 00:37:16,010 'This was a personal tragedy 535 00:37:16,090 --> 00:37:20,840 'that would, in time tear the Norman dynasty!aparrt.' 536 00:37:24,650 --> 00:37:26,599 'For the rest of his reign, 537 00:37:26,690 --> 00:37:29,920 'Henry wrestled with the problem of the succession.' 538 00:37:30,010 --> 00:37:34,119 At first sight, there seemed no shorrtage of possible heirs. 539 00:37:34,210 --> 00:37:37,159 Henry had been an inveterate womaniser 540 00:37:37,260 --> 00:37:39,639 and had fathered a score of bastards. 541 00:37:39,730 --> 00:37:44,000 But none of the bastards carried the Anglo-Saxon royal blood 542 00:37:44,090 --> 00:37:47,039 of the dead prince, William Aetheling. 543 00:37:47,130 --> 00:37:51,400 Nor did another possible candidate, Henry's nephew, Stephen. 544 00:37:51,500 --> 00:37:54,449 Stephen was a tried and tested warrior 545 00:37:54,530 --> 00:37:58,440 and he was popular with the Church and much of the baronage. 546 00:38:02,130 --> 00:38:04,880 'But Henry rejected Stephen as well. 547 00:38:04,980 --> 00:38:10,250 'lnstead, he decided that his heir should be his daughter, Matilda, 548 00:38:10,340 --> 00:38:13,289 'named after her mo,ther Queen Matilda 549 00:38:13,380 --> 00:38:18,210 'and carrying also her mother's Anglo-Saxon royal blood. 550 00:38:18,300 --> 00:38:23,050 'ln 1127, Henry summoned a meeting of the baronage, including Stephen, 551 00:38:23,130 --> 00:38:27,320 'and required them all to swear an oath of allegiance to Matilda 552 00:38:27,420 --> 00:38:31,329 'and to recognise her as the future monarch of England. 553 00:38:31,420 --> 00:38:33,690 'For Henry, this settled the matter.' 554 00:38:33,780 --> 00:38:37,610 For everybody else, it raised the fundamental question 555 00:38:37,690 --> 00:38:39,639 of female succession 556 00:38:39,730 --> 00:38:45,960 and whether or not a woman should or could rule in a warrior age. 557 00:38:47,610 --> 00:38:51,800 'lf any woman could pull off that challenge, it was Matilda. 558 00:38:51,900 --> 00:38:56,840 'She was an indomitable character a woman who rode astride like a ma!n 559 00:38:56,940 --> 00:38:59,289 'and who led her army into battle. 560 00:38:59,380 --> 00:39:04,090 'She also had powerful allies, as her husband was the count of Anjou. 561 00:39:04,170 --> 00:39:08,360 'But the Angevins were the traditional rivals of the Normans 562 00:39:08,460 --> 00:39:10,760 'so, if Matilda became queen, 563 00:39:10,860 --> 00:39:15,210 'the English crown would pass, many Anglo-Norman barons feared, 564 00:39:15,300 --> 00:39:19,768 'out of Norman control and into the hands of their archenemies 565 00:39:19,860 --> 00:39:23,010 'and that they were determined to stop.' 566 00:39:24,170 --> 00:39:28,039 Matters came to a head in the autumn of 1135. 567 00:39:28,130 --> 00:39:32,719 Henry was a on a visit to Normandy here, when he suddenly fell ill. 568 00:39:32,820 --> 00:39:35,090 Within a week, he was dead. 569 00:39:35,170 --> 00:39:39,239 At his request, his embalmed body was taken for burial 570 00:39:39,340 --> 00:39:43,409 at Reading Abbey in the England that he'd made his own. 571 00:39:43,500 --> 00:39:47,690 But already, everybody had forgotten the oath of 1127. 572 00:39:47,780 --> 00:39:50,159 lnstead, Stephen moved decisively 573 00:39:50,260 --> 00:39:54,889 to seize the throne and get himself crowned and acclaimed by the English. 574 00:40:00,980 --> 00:40:03,539 'Stephen was popular at first, 575 00:40:03,610 --> 00:40:07,639 'although he lacked the ruthless touch of his predecessors. 576 00:40:07,730 --> 00:40:12,039 'But within a year or two he had lost control over the barons. 577 00:40:12,130 --> 00:40:14,639 'They began ignoring his commands 578 00:40:14,730 --> 00:40:19,280 'and some of them tried to carve out petty kingdoms for themselves, 579 00:40:19,380 --> 00:40:22,090 'just like their cousins in Normandy. 580 00:40:22,170 --> 00:40:26,480 'lf they succeeded, it would be the death of England. 581 00:40:29,420 --> 00:40:33,289 'The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle described the situation. 582 00:40:36,050 --> 00:40:38,039 '''ln the days of this king, 583 00:40:38,130 --> 00:40:41,719 '''there was nothing but strife, evil and robbery. 584 00:40:41,820 --> 00:40:45,849 '''For quickly, the great men who were traitors rose against him. 585 00:40:45,940 --> 00:40:51,650 '''When the traitors saw that Stephen was a good-humoured, kindly man 586 00:40:51,730 --> 00:40:53,760 '''who inflicted no punishment, 587 00:40:53,860 --> 00:40:58,090 '''then they committed all manner of horrible crimes.''' 588 00:40:59,420 --> 00:41:03,369 lt's a sign of Stephen's Iack of control over the barons 589 00:41:03,460 --> 00:41:06,489 that some of them starrt to mint their own coins 590 00:41:06,570 --> 00:41:10,760 in the centres of their regional power, just as in Normandy. 591 00:41:10,860 --> 00:41:12,809 This, for instance, is a penny 592 00:41:12,900 --> 00:41:16,768 minted by Henry, Earl of Norrthumberland, at York. 593 00:41:16,860 --> 00:41:21,010 This is another, minted by Roberrt of Gloucester, at Bristol. 594 00:41:21,860 --> 00:41:24,369 lt's the first and the last time 595 00:41:24,460 --> 00:41:27,489 aparrt from the Civil War of the 17th century, 596 00:41:27,570 --> 00:41:31,599 that an English king Ioses control of the coinage. 597 00:41:31,690 --> 00:41:33,800 But meanwhile, in Normandy, 598 00:41:33,900 --> 00:41:38,170 a more direct threat to Stephen's authority was brewing. 599 00:41:38,260 --> 00:41:41,210 Matilda maintained her claim to the throne 600 00:41:41,300 --> 00:41:43,409 and she was gathering allies. 601 00:41:43,500 --> 00:41:46,170 And on 30th September 1139, 602 00:41:46,260 --> 00:41:50,090 she landed on the Sussex coast with a large army, 603 00:41:50,170 --> 00:41:52,400 supporrted by Roberrt of Gloucester 604 00:41:52,500 --> 00:41:55,889 and demanding to be recognised as queen. 605 00:41:55,980 --> 00:42:00,768 Norman England's first civil war was about to begin. 606 00:42:01,690 --> 00:42:03,360 (Men yelling) 607 00:42:03,460 --> 00:42:06,050 'ln petty skirmishes and long sieges, 608 00:42:06,130 --> 00:42:08,510 'the armies of Stephen and Matilda 609 00:42:08,610 --> 00:42:12,880 'fought it out across the length and breadth of England. 610 00:42:24,050 --> 00:42:27,480 'The rules of chivalry only prolonged the conflict. 611 00:42:27,570 --> 00:42:29,599 'When Stephen captured Matilda 612 00:42:29,690 --> 00:42:34,039 'he dutifully released her, even granting her safe conduct. 613 00:42:34,130 --> 00:42:38,079 'Matilda then took control of most of the west of England, 614 00:42:38,170 --> 00:42:42,119 'with Stephen holding the eastern parrt of the country. 615 00:42:42,210 --> 00:42:46,800 'The fate of England now lay in the hands of two French cousins 616 00:42:46,900 --> 00:42:49,809 'fighting each other for the Crown.' 617 00:42:51,460 --> 00:42:54,329 On 2nd February 1141, 618 00:42:54,420 --> 00:42:57,570 the most dramatic incident of the civil wars 619 00:42:57,650 --> 00:42:59,719 took place here, at Lincoln. 620 00:42:59,820 --> 00:43:04,760 King Stephen and his army were here in the city, high on its hill. 621 00:43:04,860 --> 00:43:09,130 Whilst below, on the plain, were Matilda's troops. 622 00:43:09,210 --> 00:43:14,599 'lt was the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or Candlemas. 623 00:43:14,690 --> 00:43:18,440 'King Stephen carried the customary candle to Mass, 624 00:43:18,530 --> 00:43:20,480 'held in the cathedral. 625 00:43:20,570 --> 00:43:25,360 'But, as the candle was being lit, it broke aparrt in his hands. 626 00:43:28,340 --> 00:43:32,610 'Despite the ill omen, Stephen persisted with his determination 627 00:43:32,690 --> 00:43:34,639 'to give battle to the enemy 628 00:43:34,730 --> 00:43:37,679 'in the hope of striking a knockout blow. 629 00:43:37,780 --> 00:43:41,730 'But his army was heavily outnumbered and most of his troops fled, 630 00:43:41,820 --> 00:43:43,889 'leaving the king and his bodyguard, 631 00:43:43,980 --> 00:43:46,929 'who dismounted to fend for themselves. 632 00:43:47,010 --> 00:43:51,869 As usual, Stephen fought valiantly and killed several opponents, 633 00:43:51,980 --> 00:43:55,489 but he was felled, igno,miniously, with a stone 634 00:43:55,570 --> 00:43:59,679 and taken in triumph to Matilda's capital at Bristol. 635 00:43:59,780 --> 00:44:02,369 And there, as a final indignity, 636 00:44:02,460 --> 00:44:05,090 he was imprisoned in chains. 637 00:44:07,130 --> 00:44:11,760 'With Stephen out of the way, Matilda declared herself queen. 638 00:44:11,860 --> 00:44:14,849 'But when she went to London to be crowned 639 00:44:14,940 --> 00:44:17,320 'there was an uprising against her 640 00:44:17,420 --> 00:44:19,980 'and she was chased out of the city. 641 00:44:20,050 --> 00:44:23,000 'For the first time since the Conquest, 642 00:44:23,090 --> 00:44:27,760 'the people had some say in who would rule over England. 643 00:44:27,860 --> 00:44:29,809 (Men shouting) 644 00:44:31,860 --> 00:44:34,449 'The tide was turning against Matilda. 645 00:44:34,530 --> 00:44:36,639 'She was forced to release Stephen 646 00:44:36,730 --> 00:44:40,800 'when her greatest ally, Roberrt of Gloucester, was captured. 647 00:44:40,900 --> 00:44:43,809 'Stephen was back on the throne. 648 00:44:46,650 --> 00:44:49,440 'But even that didn't end the war. 649 00:44:49,530 --> 00:44:53,280 'For the next seven years, Matilda refused to give up, 650 00:44:53,380 --> 00:44:58,369 'urging her army on in a conflict that was exhausting the energy 651 00:44:58,460 --> 00:45:01,170 'and the resources of both sides. 652 00:45:03,650 --> 00:45:05,599 'Finally, in 1148, 653 00:45:05,690 --> 00:45:09,159 'Matilda accepted that she would never be queen 654 00:45:09,260 --> 00:45:11,250 'and returned to France. 655 00:45:11,340 --> 00:45:15,289 'Stephen had won, but England had paid a high price. 656 00:45:22,900 --> 00:45:25,849 'Stephen, the last of the Norman kings, 657 00:45:25,940 --> 00:45:28,889 'died six years later, in 1154, 658 00:45:28,980 --> 00:45:31,929 'having settled with Matilda's son, Henry, 659 00:45:32,010 --> 00:45:34,389 'that Henry would inherit the throne. 660 00:45:34,500 --> 00:45:38,489 'So the English crown went to Matilda's heirs after all 661 00:45:38,570 --> 00:45:40,518 'beginning a new dynasty 662 00:45:40,610 --> 00:45:44,559 'that was to rule in England for more than 300 years.' 663 00:45:47,860 --> 00:45:50,010 This is Faversham in Kent. 664 00:45:50,090 --> 00:45:54,320 l'm walking across what was once the site of Faversham Abbey. 665 00:45:54,420 --> 00:45:59,130 Here Stephen's wife, Queen Matil,da, his eldest son, Count Eustace 666 00:45:59,210 --> 00:46:03,639 and the king himself, were buried in the magnificent abbey church 667 00:46:03,730 --> 00:46:05,960 which Stephen had constructed. 668 00:46:06,050 --> 00:46:08,000 But 400 years later, 669 00:46:08,090 --> 00:46:11,760 Faversham, like the rest of the abbeys, was dissolved. 670 00:46:11,860 --> 00:46:16,329 The abbey was demolished and scarcely a trace of it remains. 671 00:46:16,420 --> 00:46:18,610 And there's no sign either 672 00:46:18,690 --> 00:46:23,280 of the royal tomb of the last Norman king of England. 673 00:46:28,730 --> 00:46:31,320 The key to English politics has been 674 00:46:31,420 --> 00:46:36,539 a combination of strong government with government by consent. 675 00:46:36,610 --> 00:46:41,039 The latter was the great achievement of Anglo-Saxon England, 676 00:46:41,130 --> 00:46:44,119 which the Normans were wise enough to keep. 677 00:46:44,980 --> 00:46:47,130 But the Norman kings themselves, 678 00:46:47,210 --> 00:46:51,360 with their castles, their knig,hts, their administrative flair 679 00:46:51,460 --> 00:46:54,449 and above all, their indomitable wills 680 00:46:54,530 --> 00:46:57,679 made the monarchy infinitely stronger. 681 00:46:57,780 --> 00:47:01,809 Their cathedrals and abbeys made England more beautiful 682 00:47:01,900 --> 00:47:05,849 and their language, their courrtesy and their chivalry 683 00:47:05,940 --> 00:47:08,090 made it more civilised. 684 00:47:08,170 --> 00:47:10,400 They also, on the debit side, 685 00:47:10,500 --> 00:47:13,489 made it infinitely more class ridden. 686 00:47:13,570 --> 00:47:16,320 But still, there are worse legacies 687 00:47:16,420 --> 00:47:19,570 of conquest and colonisation.