1 00:00:10,980 --> 00:00:14,210 'On St George's day 1377, 2 00:00:14,300 --> 00:00:19,530 'two young boys stood before the altar in the chapel at Windsor Castle 3 00:00:19,620 --> 00:00:22,690 'to be inducted into the Order of the Garter 4 00:00:22,780 --> 00:00:25,730 'the highest order of chivalry in the land. 5 00:00:29,170 --> 00:00:32,950 'The 10-year-old Richard was heir to the throne. 6 00:00:33,060 --> 00:00:36,840 'The 11-year-old Henry Bolingbroke was his cousin 7 00:00:36,929 --> 00:00:41,320 'and heir to the most powerful aristocratic family in England. 8 00:00:43,700 --> 00:00:47,570 'The ceremony marked their entrance onto the public stage. 9 00:00:49,850 --> 00:00:52,960 'The future of the English monarchy seemed assured 10 00:00:53,060 --> 00:00:57,450 'as the two boys swore never to take up arms against each other. 11 00:00:59,740 --> 00:01:02,039 'It was a promise they couldn't keep.' 12 00:01:02,140 --> 00:01:05,049 Instead, cousin clashed with cousin 13 00:01:05,140 --> 00:01:07,569 as Henry usurped Richard 14 00:01:07,650 --> 00:01:10,840 and made himself king, as Henry IV. 15 00:01:10,930 --> 00:01:15,280 The usurpation triggered the worst crisis in the English monarchy 16 00:01:15,370 --> 00:01:16,680 since Magna Carta. 17 00:01:16,780 --> 00:01:20,209 Over the next 100 years, there were seven kings 18 00:01:20,290 --> 00:01:23,400 and only three of them died in their beds. 19 00:01:23,500 --> 00:01:26,930 Three were murdered one was killed on the field of battle 20 00:01:27,010 --> 00:01:33,239 and three followed Henry IV's own example in violently usurping the throne. 21 00:01:33,340 --> 00:01:36,129 These bloody civil wars formed the background 22 00:01:36,209 --> 00:01:41,280 to Shakespeare's series of great history plays and their royal stars: 23 00:01:41,370 --> 00:01:43,280 the overweening Richard II, 24 00:01:43,370 --> 00:01:45,358 the heroic Henry V 25 00:01:45,450 --> 00:01:48,680 and the pathetic Henry VI. 26 00:01:48,780 --> 00:01:52,290 In these wars, the whole basis of the English monarchy 27 00:01:52,370 --> 00:01:54,599 was questioned and upturned 28 00:01:54,700 --> 00:02:01,450 and the royal house tore itself apart in a slow, painful suicide. 29 00:02:31,060 --> 00:02:33,288 'In England, in 1370, 30 00:02:33,370 --> 00:02:36,718 'the old and feeble-minded Edward III was king, 31 00:02:36,810 --> 00:02:40,038 'a shadow of his mighty younger self. 32 00:02:42,860 --> 00:02:47,210 'The hope for the future lay with Edward's eldest son and heir, 33 00:02:47,300 --> 00:02:48,810 'the Black Prince. 34 00:02:48,900 --> 00:02:51,408 'But then, in 1376 35 00:02:51,500 --> 00:02:53,568 'disaster struck. 36 00:02:53,650 --> 00:02:56,400 'Aged 45, he died. 37 00:02:58,370 --> 00:03:03,490 'In his place, his son, the nine-year-old Richard, became heir to the throne. 38 00:03:06,020 --> 00:03:09,288 'Honours and titles were now showered on the boy.' 39 00:03:09,370 --> 00:03:11,360 , He was made Earl of Chester 40 00:03:11,460 --> 00:03:14,370 Duke of Cornwall and Prince of Wales. 41 00:03:14,460 --> 00:03:17,810 He sat above his royal uncles at a banquet. 42 00:03:17,900 --> 00:03:21,250 He even opened Parliament on the old king's behalf. 43 00:03:22,300 --> 00:03:25,810 But, a year later, Edward III was dead, 44 00:03:25,900 --> 00:03:28,930 and Richard, aged only 10, 45 00:03:29,020 --> 00:03:30,610 became king. 46 00:03:30,688 --> 00:03:34,840 At his coronation, he was anointed with holy oils. 47 00:03:34,930 --> 00:03:38,360 He was crowned with Edward the Confessor's crown 48 00:03:38,460 --> 00:03:43,930 and the greatest bishops and earls knelt at his feet to pay him homage. 49 00:03:44,900 --> 00:03:47,770 'One of the boy's toys was a set of dice, 50 00:03:47,860 --> 00:03:50,810 'loaded so that he always won, 51 00:03:50,900 --> 00:03:54,330 'and life must have seemed just as rosy for the lad, 52 00:03:54,408 --> 00:04:00,639 'who grew up with the sense of his absolute, untrammelled right to power. 53 00:04:08,210 --> 00:04:13,520 'In reality, royal power relied on the support of the English nobility. 54 00:04:13,620 --> 00:04:16,730 'Chief amongst them was the Duke of Lancaster 55 00:04:16,810 --> 00:04:20,759 'the father of Richard's childhood friend Henry Bolingbroke. 56 00:04:20,860 --> 00:04:25,689 'The House of Lancaster had 30 castles scattered across England. 57 00:04:25,769 --> 00:04:29,079 'The jewel in their ducal coronet was Kenilworth 58 00:04:29,180 --> 00:04:35,410 'which far outclassed most royal castles in scale and in grandeur. 59 00:04:36,769 --> 00:04:39,000 'Extravagances like Kenilworth 60 00:04:39,100 --> 00:04:42,800 'were hugely resented by the common people of England. 61 00:04:42,889 --> 00:04:44,439 'In the last 50 years, 62 00:04:44,540 --> 00:04:48,610 'the Black Death had swept through the country three times, 63 00:04:48,689 --> 00:04:51,720 'wiping out half the population. 64 00:04:55,100 --> 00:04:59,170 'Rents had collapsed, and now Iandowners and the government 65 00:04:59,250 --> 00:05:02,160 'were trying to recoup their position. 66 00:05:03,329 --> 00:05:07,110 'In 1380, they introduced a new poll tax. 67 00:05:07,220 --> 00:05:10,759 'Not for the last time it triggered a revolt. 68 00:05:15,660 --> 00:05:21,050 'The rebels' target was not Richard but the noble clique around him. 69 00:05:21,129 --> 00:05:24,000 'The rebels even flew the banner of St George, 70 00:05:24,100 --> 00:05:26,399 'and, as they marched on London, 71 00:05:26,500 --> 00:05:30,009 'they swore loyalty to their young king.' 72 00:05:33,500 --> 00:05:37,569 As the rebels looted and burned in the city and suburbs, 73 00:05:37,660 --> 00:05:41,329 Richard, his mother and a handful of councillors 74 00:05:41,420 --> 00:05:43,850 took refuge in the Tower. 75 00:05:43,930 --> 00:05:47,040 The revolt was, of course a terrible threat 76 00:05:47,129 --> 00:05:50,829 but it was also an opportunity for the young king. 77 00:05:50,930 --> 00:05:54,470 The lords who had hitherto ruled England in his name 78 00:05:54,569 --> 00:05:57,879 were suddenly powerless and directionless 79 00:05:57,980 --> 00:06:00,250 in the face of the triumphant mob. 80 00:06:00,329 --> 00:06:04,319 On the other hand, that same mob was crying enthusiastically 81 00:06:04,420 --> 00:06:07,170 for Richard as their true king. 82 00:06:07,250 --> 00:06:10,000 Richard took them at their word. 83 00:06:10,100 --> 00:06:12,088 Aged only 14, 84 00:06:12,180 --> 00:06:15,850 and with a courage that was fully worthy of his father the Black Prince 85 00:06:15,930 --> 00:06:18,310 he met the rebels three times 86 00:06:18,420 --> 00:06:22,088 and, proclaiming that he was now their captain, 87 00:06:22,180 --> 00:06:25,569 he led them to safety outside the city. 88 00:06:29,250 --> 00:06:33,759 'Having tasted real power, Richard was reluctant to give it up, 89 00:06:34,569 --> 00:06:37,129 'but the nobility stood in his way. 90 00:06:41,660 --> 00:06:46,778 'For they had grown even more rich and powerful in the French wars. 91 00:06:48,569 --> 00:06:50,949 'From their castles across the country, 92 00:06:51,060 --> 00:06:56,410 'these lords could call upon large bands of armed retainers. 93 00:06:56,500 --> 00:07:01,439 'The Duke of Lancaster alone had 4,000 men at his command. 94 00:07:05,329 --> 00:07:09,079 'Richard was determined to beat them at their own game 95 00:07:09,180 --> 00:07:12,250 'and formed his own private army. 96 00:07:14,930 --> 00:07:19,560 'They wore his badge, the White Hart, as a sign of their loyalty.' 97 00:07:25,889 --> 00:07:30,399 This beautiful painting is known as the Wilton Diptych. 98 00:07:30,500 --> 00:07:32,879 It's a work of private devotion 99 00:07:32,980 --> 00:07:40,970 and it takes us to the heart of Richard's obsessive, solipsistic view of kingship, 100 00:07:41,060 --> 00:07:45,410 which raised him gloriously above his subjects 101 00:07:45,500 --> 00:07:49,040 and dangerously cut him off from them. 102 00:07:49,889 --> 00:07:54,000 Richard was born on the 6th of January, the Feast of the Epiphany, 103 00:07:54,100 --> 00:07:58,050 when the three wise men, or kings, knelt in adoration 104 00:07:58,129 --> 00:08:01,879 before the Christ child and his Virgin mother. 105 00:08:01,980 --> 00:08:04,360 So here, in the centre of the picture, 106 00:08:04,449 --> 00:08:07,838 is Richard, repeating that act of homage. 107 00:08:08,689 --> 00:08:10,079 The 6th of January 108 00:08:10,180 --> 00:08:14,050 is also the date on which the Church commemorates Christ's baptism 109 00:08:14,129 --> 00:08:15,720 by John the Baptist, 110 00:08:15,810 --> 00:08:20,600 who appears here, beside the two English royal saints, 111 00:08:20,689 --> 00:08:22,040 Edward the Confessor 112 00:08:22,129 --> 00:08:26,399 and the Anglo-Saxon martyr monarch, Edmund. 113 00:08:28,180 --> 00:08:33,038 Even the angels surrounding the Virgin belong to Richard's dream world, 114 00:08:33,129 --> 00:08:36,720 as, like his earthly trustees, the Cheshire Archers 115 00:08:36,820 --> 00:08:40,970 they wear his badge of the White Hart. 116 00:08:41,048 --> 00:08:44,399 With the heavenly host in his pocket, Richard thought, 117 00:08:44,500 --> 00:08:47,090 who could stand against him? 118 00:08:49,340 --> 00:08:54,690 'The answer in the real world was the men who actually held power, 119 00:08:54,769 --> 00:08:55,879 'the nobility. 120 00:08:55,980 --> 00:08:59,649 'And one of their natural leaders was Henry Bolingbroke, 121 00:08:59,740 --> 00:09:02,610 'son and heir of the Duke of Lancaster. 122 00:09:03,649 --> 00:09:07,600 'Only ten years had passed since Richard and Henry had sworn 123 00:09:07,700 --> 00:09:10,808 'never to take up arms against each other, 124 00:09:10,889 --> 00:09:16,080 'but in the ten years the two boys had grown into very different men. 125 00:09:18,340 --> 00:09:21,210 'Henry had turned into a man of action. 126 00:09:21,288 --> 00:09:28,080 'He excelled at jousting and blood sports and he had a soldier's harsh piety, 127 00:09:31,860 --> 00:09:35,808 'but Richard had created a glamorous and luxurious court, 128 00:09:35,889 --> 00:09:38,450 'of which he was the glittering centre. 129 00:09:38,528 --> 00:09:41,720 'Here, style was everything. 130 00:09:41,820 --> 00:09:45,250 'Richard commissioned the first royal cookery book 131 00:09:45,340 --> 00:09:48,009 'and he invented the handkerchief. 132 00:09:48,889 --> 00:09:51,918 'But this was more than style wars. 133 00:09:52,009 --> 00:09:54,600 'It was a clash of political values. 134 00:09:55,820 --> 00:09:58,928 'Richard believed that a king was God on earth, 135 00:09:59,740 --> 00:10:02,808 'Henry, that he was a first amongst equals. 136 00:10:03,980 --> 00:10:06,360 'The result was real war - 137 00:10:06,460 --> 00:10:09,889 'Richard and his court favourites against the nobility. 138 00:10:10,980 --> 00:10:13,850 'On the 19th December 1387 139 00:10:13,940 --> 00:10:18,649 'the two sides met at Radcot Bridge, just outside Oxford. 140 00:10:18,740 --> 00:10:20,850 'Richard himself did not fight. 141 00:10:20,940 --> 00:10:25,850 'Instead, his army was led by his friend and favourite, Robert De Vere. 142 00:10:27,980 --> 00:10:31,649 'Henry led the rebel forces into battle. 143 00:10:33,769 --> 00:10:36,678 'De Vere was defeated and fled into exile. 144 00:10:36,769 --> 00:10:39,070 'Henry was victorious.' 145 00:10:43,528 --> 00:10:47,879 With Henry's defeat of his troops, Richard was powerless. 146 00:10:47,980 --> 00:10:51,759 News of the defeat was brought to him here at the Tower 147 00:10:51,860 --> 00:10:56,048 where he was spending Christmas 1387. 148 00:10:56,129 --> 00:11:00,759 Soon, the rebel lords arrived and mercilessly browbeat the king, 149 00:11:00,860 --> 00:11:05,408 threatening him with force and even with deposition. 150 00:11:05,500 --> 00:11:09,889 There was nothing for it but a complete and humiliating surrender. 151 00:11:09,980 --> 00:11:13,450 Richard's friends were executed or driven into exile. 152 00:11:13,528 --> 00:11:17,230 The kingdom was to be ruled by a committee of the lords 153 00:11:17,340 --> 00:11:19,570 and even Richard's personal affairs 154 00:11:19,649 --> 00:11:22,519 were put into the hands of a board of guardians, 155 00:11:22,620 --> 00:11:24,850 as though he'd been a child, 156 00:11:24,940 --> 00:11:26,570 or insane. 157 00:11:31,168 --> 00:11:35,278 'Richard was left only with the title of king, 158 00:11:35,370 --> 00:11:36,798 'but it was enough. 159 00:11:36,889 --> 00:11:41,360 'Slowly and painstakingly, he rebuilt his position and power. 160 00:11:41,460 --> 00:11:45,649 'Adversity had taught him patience and cunning 161 00:11:45,740 --> 00:11:51,048 'and he'd decided that revenge was a dish best eaten cold. 162 00:11:52,168 --> 00:11:55,158 'The depth of festering hatred was clearly illustrated 163 00:11:55,250 --> 00:12:00,110 'when his beloved favourite Robert De Vere died in exile. 164 00:12:03,100 --> 00:12:07,090 'In 1395, Richard arranged a funeral for him. 165 00:12:08,009 --> 00:12:11,519 'All the sometime rebel lords were obliged to attend, 166 00:12:11,620 --> 00:12:16,330 'the very men who'd fought against De Vere at Radcot Bridge. 167 00:12:21,340 --> 00:12:24,490 'Richard placed a ring on the dead man's finger, 168 00:12:24,580 --> 00:12:26,960 'and, in this quiet gesture, 169 00:12:27,048 --> 00:12:30,879 'he signalled that vengeance would be his. 170 00:12:33,649 --> 00:12:37,960 'By 1397, Richard was strong enough to strike, 171 00:12:38,048 --> 00:12:39,269 'and, one by one, 172 00:12:39,370 --> 00:12:44,278 'those lords who'd rebelled against him met with his revenge. 173 00:12:45,700 --> 00:12:50,168 'On trumped-up charges of treason, they were either executed or exiled. 174 00:12:51,769 --> 00:12:56,120 'No one was safe. Amongst the victims was one of his own uncles 175 00:12:56,220 --> 00:12:58,250 'the Duke of Gloucester. 176 00:12:58,340 --> 00:13:01,769 'Richard's was a triumph of divide and rule 177 00:13:01,860 --> 00:13:06,408 'but the king saved a special revenge for his cousin Henry. 178 00:13:07,220 --> 00:13:11,528 'When Henry was involved in a quarrel with another noble, Thomas Mowbray, 179 00:13:11,620 --> 00:13:17,048 'Richard ordered that the two men fight to the death in a judicial combat. 180 00:13:18,168 --> 00:13:22,519 'God would be on the just man's side.' 181 00:13:24,009 --> 00:13:30,000 Richard's behaviour in the affair shows him at his most malign and vain. 182 00:13:30,100 --> 00:13:33,798 He deliberately played up the quarrel between Henry and Mowbray 183 00:13:33,889 --> 00:13:36,080 and he'd chosen the means of settling it 184 00:13:36,168 --> 00:13:39,759 that showed off his own glory to the uttermost. 185 00:13:40,700 --> 00:13:44,320 'But this was the pageantry of the Colosseum 186 00:13:44,408 --> 00:13:48,480 'for Richard would preside like a Roman emperor in the amphitheatre 187 00:13:48,580 --> 00:13:51,730 'as the defeated man was stripped of his armour, 188 00:13:51,820 --> 00:13:54,808 'dragged at a horse's tail from the field 189 00:13:54,889 --> 00:13:59,240 'and strung up on the gallows, which stood ready.' 190 00:13:59,340 --> 00:14:00,808 But in the event 191 00:14:00,889 --> 00:14:05,278 Richard behaved more like a royal conjuror than a Roman emperor, 192 00:14:05,370 --> 00:14:08,038 for, just as the combatants were ready to charge, 193 00:14:08,129 --> 00:14:11,750 Richard, in a dramatic gesture, threw down his staff 194 00:14:11,860 --> 00:14:16,129 stopping the fight and resuming judgement himself. 195 00:14:16,220 --> 00:14:22,450 Henry, the king ruled, would go into exile for 10 years, and Mowbray for life. 196 00:14:23,500 --> 00:14:29,970 Thus, King Richard, like a demigod, struck down his remaining foes. 197 00:14:33,100 --> 00:14:38,970 'In 1399, Henry Bolingbroke was exiled, here in Paris. 198 00:14:39,820 --> 00:14:42,450 'Within the year he received a double blow - 199 00:14:42,528 --> 00:14:45,090 'his father, the Duke of Lancaster, died 200 00:14:45,168 --> 00:14:50,600 'and Richard seized all of Henry's vast inheritance for himself. 201 00:14:50,700 --> 00:14:53,928 'Henry was left with nothing. 202 00:14:54,009 --> 00:14:56,879 'But Richard had overreached himself. 203 00:14:56,980 --> 00:14:58,730 'All landowners in England 204 00:14:58,820 --> 00:15:03,009 'now had cause to fear for their own property. 205 00:15:03,740 --> 00:15:05,288 '22 years had passed 206 00:15:05,370 --> 00:15:08,519 'since Henry had been made a Knight of the Garter with Richard, 207 00:15:08,620 --> 00:15:12,570 'but now, any vestige of cousinly feeling had gone, 208 00:15:12,649 --> 00:15:18,519 'and Henry determined to reclaim what was rightfully his by force.' 209 00:15:23,649 --> 00:15:27,269 En route on this make-or-break journey back to England, 210 00:15:27,370 --> 00:15:32,000 Henry paused here, at the great royal abbey of Saint-Denis. 211 00:15:32,100 --> 00:15:35,370 Saint-Denis was where the kings of France were buried. 212 00:15:35,460 --> 00:15:40,889 It was also where they came to receive the sacred banner of the Oriflamme 213 00:15:40,980 --> 00:15:44,519 the standard of Saint-Louis on their way to battle. 214 00:15:45,048 --> 00:15:47,759 Henry was on the way to his battle 215 00:15:47,860 --> 00:15:52,450 and he needed all the help, human and divine, that he could get. 216 00:15:52,528 --> 00:15:56,149 But he made sure that God, at least was on his side 217 00:15:56,250 --> 00:15:58,840 by a single revealing gesture. 218 00:15:58,940 --> 00:16:00,158 Before he left the abbey, 219 00:16:00,250 --> 00:16:03,320 he promised the abbot that he would restore to Saint-Denis 220 00:16:03,408 --> 00:16:07,720 the revenues of the little priory of Deerhurst in Gloucestershire 221 00:16:07,820 --> 00:16:12,408 given to the abbey long, long ago by Edward the Confessor 222 00:16:12,500 --> 00:16:16,250 and purloined, like so much else, by Richard. 223 00:16:16,340 --> 00:16:19,490 Already, therefore, before he even left France 224 00:16:19,580 --> 00:16:23,450 Henry saw himself as true king of England, 225 00:16:23,528 --> 00:16:27,678 fully able to redress Richard's wrongs. 226 00:16:31,288 --> 00:16:33,558 'With a fleet of only ten ships, 227 00:16:33,649 --> 00:16:36,960 'Henry sailed round England to the Yorkshire coast. 228 00:16:37,769 --> 00:16:41,278 'Luck was on his side as Richard was away in Ireland. 229 00:16:44,528 --> 00:16:48,798 'Yorkshire was the heartland of his confiscated estate. 230 00:16:48,889 --> 00:16:51,600 'As Henry moved from castle to castle, 231 00:16:51,700 --> 00:16:54,730 'they surrendered easily to their rightful master. 232 00:16:56,100 --> 00:16:59,570 'As Henry marched south, his army swelled, 233 00:16:59,649 --> 00:17:03,158 'reinforced by the great northern earls. 234 00:17:07,180 --> 00:17:14,170 'Richard, back home, now sought safety in Edward I's great Welsh castles, 235 00:17:14,250 --> 00:17:17,868 'but Henry lured him out, with the promise that he came 236 00:17:17,980 --> 00:17:21,048 'only to claim his inheritance of Lancaster 237 00:17:21,140 --> 00:17:25,009 'but had no intention of threatening the crown itself. 238 00:17:25,088 --> 00:17:27,720 'It was a lie, but it was a successful one. 239 00:17:27,808 --> 00:17:29,200 'As Richard emerged, 240 00:17:29,288 --> 00:17:31,920 'an ambush of Henry's men lay in waiting. 241 00:17:32,009 --> 00:17:37,160 'The king of England was Henry Bolingbroke's prisoner. 242 00:17:37,250 --> 00:17:42,240 'For it was clear Henry wanted far more than just the Duchy of Lancaster. 243 00:17:42,328 --> 00:17:48,038 'He would settle for nothing less than the crown of England itself.' 244 00:17:48,660 --> 00:17:53,890 But how to justify dethroning Richard and replacing him with Henry? 245 00:17:53,980 --> 00:17:55,930 The neatest solution would be 246 00:17:56,009 --> 00:18:01,640 to show that Richard had never been true king by hereditary right anyway, 247 00:18:01,740 --> 00:18:03,930 but that Henry was. 248 00:18:04,009 --> 00:18:06,720 Conveniently, a story to this effect 249 00:18:06,808 --> 00:18:10,118 was an article of faith in the House of Lancaster. 250 00:18:11,220 --> 00:18:15,568 Henry and Richard were both descended from King Henry III. 251 00:18:15,660 --> 00:18:20,848 Richard from the eldest son Edward who'd succeeded as King Edward I, 252 00:18:20,940 --> 00:18:25,088 and Henry from the second son Edmund, Earl of Lancaster 253 00:18:25,180 --> 00:18:27,410 surnamed Crouchback. 254 00:18:27,500 --> 00:18:32,048 According to the story, however, Crouchback was really the eldest son, 255 00:18:32,140 --> 00:18:35,088 but he'd been shunted aside in favour of Edward 256 00:18:35,180 --> 00:18:37,769 on account of his supposed deformity. 257 00:18:37,848 --> 00:18:42,240 If this story were true, it was the perfect solution for Henry. 258 00:18:42,328 --> 00:18:47,078 So Henry referred the story to a specially convened panel of historians 259 00:18:47,180 --> 00:18:49,250 and constitutional experts. 260 00:18:49,328 --> 00:18:52,480 The panel was supposed to meet in secret 261 00:18:52,568 --> 00:18:57,240 but then, as now constitutional experts are a garrulous lot, 262 00:18:57,328 --> 00:18:59,440 and one of the panel, Adam of Usk, 263 00:18:59,528 --> 00:19:03,598 recorded their deliberations in his chronicle here. 264 00:19:03,700 --> 00:19:05,450 Like all good historians, 265 00:19:05,528 --> 00:19:09,440 the panel went back to the sources, as Adam reports. 266 00:19:09,528 --> 00:19:11,118 Unfortunately for Henry, 267 00:19:11,220 --> 00:19:17,170 these unanimously confirmed that Edward was indeed the eldest son. 268 00:19:17,900 --> 00:19:22,410 Eduardus Primogenitus Regis Henrici. 269 00:19:24,660 --> 00:19:28,930 The Crouchback story was indeed too good to be true. 270 00:19:29,009 --> 00:19:32,000 Henry would have to think again. 271 00:19:34,608 --> 00:19:38,000 'Richard, for his part, put up a brief struggle, 272 00:19:38,088 --> 00:19:43,920 'but, faced with the threat of force he abdicated his throne to God. 273 00:19:44,009 --> 00:19:46,308 'For the first time since the conquest, 274 00:19:46,420 --> 00:19:49,048 'the continuity of the legitimate succession 275 00:19:49,140 --> 00:19:51,410 'had to be deliberately broken. 276 00:19:51,500 --> 00:19:55,410 'Only one body could do that - Parliament.' 277 00:19:56,700 --> 00:20:00,450 Henry moved quickly and a parliament was summoned 278 00:20:00,528 --> 00:20:03,200 to meet here, in Westminster Hall. 279 00:20:03,288 --> 00:20:06,400 The hall had been splendidly rebuilt by Richard 280 00:20:06,500 --> 00:20:08,930 as a monument to his own glory, 281 00:20:09,009 --> 00:20:12,838 but now it was to witness his final humiliation. 282 00:20:13,900 --> 00:20:17,730 First, the terms of the king's abdication were read out. 283 00:20:17,808 --> 00:20:21,720 Then followed a long list of the charges against him. 284 00:20:21,808 --> 00:20:25,759 Finally, he was declared dethroned and deposed 285 00:20:25,848 --> 00:20:28,720 and his subjects renounced their allegiance. 286 00:20:28,808 --> 00:20:31,960 All this had taken place in Richard's absence. 287 00:20:32,048 --> 00:20:38,519 'The royal throne, under its great canopy of cloth of gold, had remained empty. 288 00:20:38,608 --> 00:20:43,548 'But now, Henry, in a theatrical gesture worthy of Richard himself, 289 00:20:43,660 --> 00:20:47,440 'moved to lay claim to that vacant throne.' 290 00:20:47,528 --> 00:20:49,240 He descended, he said 291 00:20:49,328 --> 00:20:53,680 of the true royal blood of good King Henry III. 292 00:20:53,769 --> 00:20:56,278 Thanks to the help of God and his friends 293 00:20:56,380 --> 00:20:58,288 he'd been able to reclaim that right, 294 00:20:58,380 --> 00:21:02,848 and, in so doing, he'd saved the realm from ruin 295 00:21:02,940 --> 00:21:06,170 by the bad government of his predecessor Richard. 296 00:21:07,220 --> 00:21:12,160 Put like that, Henry's claim sounds logical and convincing. 297 00:21:12,250 --> 00:21:15,838 In fact, it was a mere ragbag, 298 00:21:15,940 --> 00:21:20,730 for, in reality, he had only a single compelling claim - 299 00:21:20,808 --> 00:21:23,598 he was the man of the hour. 300 00:21:27,940 --> 00:21:31,558 'In 12 weeks, Henry Bolingbroke had transformed himself 301 00:21:31,660 --> 00:21:37,130 'from a landless exile to Henry IV, king of England. 302 00:21:37,220 --> 00:21:40,088 'But, to prove that he was more than a usurper, 303 00:21:40,180 --> 00:21:43,528 'he needed God's blessing as well as Parliament's. 304 00:21:47,180 --> 00:21:49,480 'So, at his coronation 305 00:21:49,568 --> 00:21:50,920 'Henry was anointed 306 00:21:51,009 --> 00:21:54,920 'with an opportunely rediscovered vial of holy oil, 307 00:21:55,009 --> 00:21:59,160 'reputedly given to Thomas Becket by the Virgin Mary. 308 00:21:59,250 --> 00:22:03,519 'Divine oil would surely wash away the sins of his past. 309 00:22:03,608 --> 00:22:07,440 'But Henry was about to commit the greatest sin of all. 310 00:22:09,500 --> 00:22:12,769 'Richard may have been deposed by law before Parliament 311 00:22:12,848 --> 00:22:16,240 'but he was still an anointed monarch. 312 00:22:16,328 --> 00:22:21,480 'However, Henry would have no security so long as Richard lived, 313 00:22:21,568 --> 00:22:24,759 'so Henry decided to kill the former king. 314 00:22:27,328 --> 00:22:31,440 'But secretly, and without leaving marks on the body. 315 00:22:31,528 --> 00:22:37,200 'Richard was left, slowly to starve to death in Pontefract Castle.' 316 00:22:38,980 --> 00:22:40,608 (Door slams) 317 00:22:40,700 --> 00:22:44,730 'Edward II, of course, had been murdered even more nastily, 318 00:22:44,808 --> 00:22:50,278 'but none of the blame attached to his successor, Edward III. 319 00:22:50,380 --> 00:22:56,808 'In 1399, however, the king had indeed murdered his predecessor king. 320 00:22:56,900 --> 00:22:58,930 'The taboo was broken. 321 00:22:59,009 --> 00:23:04,200 'What was there to stop others doing the same to Henry or his descendants? 322 00:23:05,769 --> 00:23:09,240 'Only a year after Henry's coronation, in 1400 323 00:23:09,328 --> 00:23:12,200 'the Welsh rose up against English rule.' 324 00:23:14,380 --> 00:23:18,130 But the greatest threat to Henry came from within England 325 00:23:18,220 --> 00:23:22,130 and from the family which had been his own strongest supporters. 326 00:23:22,848 --> 00:23:25,640 The Percys, whose head was the Earl of Northumberland 327 00:23:25,740 --> 00:23:28,930 were the most powerful family in the north of England, 328 00:23:29,009 --> 00:23:33,920 with vast estates, strong castles and a multitude of armed followers. 329 00:23:34,740 --> 00:23:38,130 They had been the first to back Henry, in 1399, 330 00:23:38,220 --> 00:23:42,000 and it was their support which had carried him to victory. 331 00:23:42,088 --> 00:23:46,880 But, having made Henry king, why should the Percys stop there? 332 00:23:46,980 --> 00:23:51,250 Especially as Henry refused to behave as an obedient puppet. 333 00:23:51,328 --> 00:23:55,759 Perhaps they could do even better by backing another claimant. 334 00:23:55,848 --> 00:23:59,470 Perhaps a Percy could become king himself. 335 00:24:00,220 --> 00:24:04,250 Henry recognised the threat and did his best to conciliate them 336 00:24:04,328 --> 00:24:07,440 but in 1403, he learned that Hotspur, 337 00:24:07,528 --> 00:24:10,088 the son and heir of the Earl of Northumberland 338 00:24:10,180 --> 00:24:14,450 had joined the Welsh rebels and was invading England. 339 00:24:17,700 --> 00:24:20,730 'Hotspur rode south to join up with the Welsh. 340 00:24:20,808 --> 00:24:27,640 'On 21st July 1403, the joint army arrived just outside Shrewsbury. 341 00:24:27,740 --> 00:24:31,088 'From here, Hotspur sent a defiant message to Henry, 342 00:24:31,180 --> 00:24:34,690 'challenging his right to the throne.' 343 00:24:35,328 --> 00:24:37,558 (Shouting and horses neighing) 344 00:24:37,660 --> 00:24:40,528 'Henry too was eager for a fight to the finish. 345 00:24:40,608 --> 00:24:42,519 'The sides were evenly matched 346 00:24:42,608 --> 00:24:45,880 'and the battle raged from midday to nightfall. 347 00:24:45,980 --> 00:24:49,490 'The hardest fighting was around the king and Hotspur. 348 00:24:49,568 --> 00:24:52,920 'In the end, it was a personal battle between the two men. 349 00:24:57,808 --> 00:24:59,680 'Henry was victorious.' 350 00:25:01,180 --> 00:25:03,130 (Battle cries) 351 00:25:10,808 --> 00:25:14,318 About 1,600 men were killed in the battle. 352 00:25:14,420 --> 00:25:17,650 Hotspur's own body was taken to Shrewsbury, 353 00:25:17,740 --> 00:25:22,088 where, as the corpse of a traitor, it was quartered. 354 00:25:22,180 --> 00:25:28,410 But the low-ranking slain of both sides were buried on the spot, in a mass grave. 355 00:25:29,048 --> 00:25:33,598 In commemoration the site was renamed Battlefield 356 00:25:33,700 --> 00:25:37,930 and this church, complete with an armed statue of Henry IV, 357 00:25:38,009 --> 00:25:41,548 was built as a monument to his victory. 358 00:25:41,660 --> 00:25:44,808 'But Henry's victory brought him no security, 359 00:25:44,900 --> 00:25:49,250 'for no sooner had he cut down one enemy than another arose.' 360 00:25:49,328 --> 00:25:52,798 Moreover, the king himself, doggedly though he fought, 361 00:25:52,900 --> 00:25:55,200 harboured private doubts. 362 00:25:55,288 --> 00:25:56,880 And if Henry doubted, 363 00:25:56,980 --> 00:26:01,088 why should anybody else believe the Lancastrian title? 364 00:26:04,088 --> 00:26:10,558 'Henry IV's last years were a sad contrast to the promise of 1399. 365 00:26:10,660 --> 00:26:15,490 'Gone was the vigorous crusading youth who'd won a country to his cause. 366 00:26:15,568 --> 00:26:18,759 'Now he developed a disfiguring skin disease - 367 00:26:18,848 --> 00:26:23,759 'perhaps leprosy, perhaps a psychosomatic acute dermatitis. 368 00:26:23,848 --> 00:26:25,278 'Whatever the diagnosis, 369 00:26:25,380 --> 00:26:29,848 'to many contemporaries the disease seemed proof of God's displeasure 370 00:26:29,940 --> 00:26:32,088 'at the usurper king.' 371 00:26:36,460 --> 00:26:40,450 In March 1413 Henry came to Westminster 372 00:26:40,528 --> 00:26:43,558 with the hand of death already on him. 373 00:26:43,660 --> 00:26:46,848 On the 20th, whilst praying at the Confessor's tomb 374 00:26:46,940 --> 00:26:53,328 he had a seizure and was brought to this chamber here, in the abbot's lodging. 375 00:26:53,420 --> 00:26:55,798 The crown was placed beside his pillow. 376 00:26:55,900 --> 00:27:00,088 He seemed to cease breathing and his face was covered. 377 00:27:00,180 --> 00:27:04,009 Thinking, like everybody else, that his father was already dead, 378 00:27:04,088 --> 00:27:07,558 his son and heir Prince Henry took the crown. 379 00:27:07,660 --> 00:27:10,490 Suddenly, the old king roused himself 380 00:27:10,568 --> 00:27:14,400 and demanded of Henry by what right he took the crown, 381 00:27:14,500 --> 00:27:17,450 since he himself had none to it. 382 00:27:17,528 --> 00:27:19,680 Coolly, Henry replied, 383 00:27:19,769 --> 00:27:25,480 "As you have kept it by the sword, so will I keep it whilst I have life." 384 00:27:25,568 --> 00:27:29,318 It's a good story and is an insight into the prince's character. 385 00:27:29,420 --> 00:27:34,130 It's shrewd, for, whatever doubts Henry IV might have harboured 386 00:27:34,220 --> 00:27:36,410 about his right to the throne, 387 00:27:36,500 --> 00:27:39,410 Henry V had none at all. 388 00:27:41,900 --> 00:27:44,808 Prince Henry might not have been born to be king 389 00:27:44,900 --> 00:27:50,450 but no heir to the throne has served a more distinguished apprenticeship. 390 00:27:50,528 --> 00:27:55,038 He was created Prince of Wales immediately after his father's accession 391 00:27:55,140 --> 00:27:58,210 and, though he was only in his early teens, 392 00:27:58,288 --> 00:28:01,000 he quickly became his right-hand man. 393 00:28:01,088 --> 00:28:05,240 He fought bravely against Hotspur at the Battle of Shrewsbury 394 00:28:05,328 --> 00:28:07,078 and led the English to victory 395 00:28:07,180 --> 00:28:10,368 in the hard-fought campaign against the Welsh. 396 00:28:11,088 --> 00:28:14,759 But mere military glory wasn't enough for Prince Henry. 397 00:28:14,848 --> 00:28:18,200 He wanted the reality of power as well. 398 00:28:18,288 --> 00:28:21,680 His father was disfigured, diseased 399 00:28:21,769 --> 00:28:24,640 and hopelessly tainted by the usurpation. 400 00:28:24,740 --> 00:28:26,088 Henry, in contrast, 401 00:28:26,180 --> 00:28:31,250 was the great white hope for his father's enemies as well as for his friends. 402 00:28:35,568 --> 00:28:39,680 'Henry V's first task was to unite the fractured realm 403 00:28:39,769 --> 00:28:41,960 'that his father had bequeathed to him. 404 00:28:43,009 --> 00:28:46,880 'As the son of a usurper, Henry knew, from personal experience, 405 00:28:46,980 --> 00:28:51,250 'the importance of letting bygones be bygones. 406 00:28:53,140 --> 00:28:56,838 'So Henry pardoned his father's enemies and Richard's supporters. 407 00:28:56,940 --> 00:28:59,170 'He even restored the Percys. 408 00:29:00,250 --> 00:29:02,808 'By and large, the policy paid off 409 00:29:02,900 --> 00:29:06,890 'and former bitter enemies became Henry's loyal lieutenants. 410 00:29:07,660 --> 00:29:09,450 'Only one thing remained.' 411 00:29:10,568 --> 00:29:14,038 Henry's smartest move was to make his peace 412 00:29:14,140 --> 00:29:17,328 with the unquiet ghost of Richard II. 413 00:29:18,088 --> 00:29:22,480 Henry IV had accorded Richard the dignity of a public funeral 414 00:29:22,568 --> 00:29:26,759 but he'd refused him burial here in the abbey. 415 00:29:26,848 --> 00:29:32,038 The result was that Richard's memory continued to plague his successor. 416 00:29:32,140 --> 00:29:35,009 Miracles took place at his modest tomb. 417 00:29:35,088 --> 00:29:39,358 His name was constantly invoked to justify rebellion. 418 00:29:39,460 --> 00:29:43,078 Many refused to believe that he was dead at all. 419 00:29:43,769 --> 00:29:46,358 So when Henry V became king 420 00:29:46,460 --> 00:29:50,490 he moved to tackle the problem with his characteristic decisiveness 421 00:29:50,568 --> 00:29:53,759 and, in December 1413 422 00:29:53,848 --> 00:29:56,838 only eight months after his own coronation 423 00:29:56,940 --> 00:30:00,130 Richard's body was brought to Westminster Abbey 424 00:30:00,220 --> 00:30:02,680 in a magnificent procession 425 00:30:02,769 --> 00:30:06,118 and reburied amongst his fellow kings, 426 00:30:06,220 --> 00:30:11,528 here, in the tomb which Richard had commissioned for himself. 427 00:30:11,608 --> 00:30:15,480 The stain of 1399 was wiped out 428 00:30:15,568 --> 00:30:19,558 and Henry was able to benefit from the usurpation 429 00:30:19,660 --> 00:30:25,450 without incurring the stigma or the bad conscience of his father. 430 00:30:32,180 --> 00:30:34,328 'Having settled domestic politics, 431 00:30:34,420 --> 00:30:36,528 'Henry was able to turn his attention 432 00:30:36,608 --> 00:30:39,598 'to the project that would dominate his reign - 433 00:30:39,700 --> 00:30:42,930 'the War of Conquest with France. 434 00:30:46,380 --> 00:30:48,250 'Henry needed war. 435 00:30:48,328 --> 00:30:51,000 'The reign of the peace-loving Richard II 436 00:30:51,088 --> 00:30:54,278 'had shown that the English war monarchy of the Edwards 437 00:30:54,380 --> 00:30:56,808 'was ungovernable in peace. 438 00:30:56,900 --> 00:31:00,170 'Better that the English nobles should fight the French 439 00:31:00,250 --> 00:31:03,440 'than each other or their king. 440 00:31:04,660 --> 00:31:10,410 'But Henry's claim to France was also, for this intensely religious man, 441 00:31:10,500 --> 00:31:12,170 'an article of faith.' 442 00:31:13,700 --> 00:31:17,890 For Henry, the war was essentially about justice. 443 00:31:18,740 --> 00:31:20,650 From his ancestor Henry II, 444 00:31:20,740 --> 00:31:25,009 he'd inherited claims to the whole of the Angevin empire, 445 00:31:25,088 --> 00:31:28,160 of Normandy, Anjou and of Aquitaine. 446 00:31:28,250 --> 00:31:32,000 Whilst from his other ancestress Isabella of France 447 00:31:32,088 --> 00:31:33,640 the Queen of Edward II 448 00:31:33,740 --> 00:31:37,410 he claimed the throne of France itself. 449 00:31:37,500 --> 00:31:40,930 Only let these claims be conceded, Henry announced, 450 00:31:41,009 --> 00:31:43,308 and there would be no war. 451 00:31:44,568 --> 00:31:49,480 'From the French point of view, this was an outrageous demand and they refused. 452 00:31:49,568 --> 00:31:53,920 'Denied his legitimate claim, Henry's conscience was now clear. 453 00:31:54,009 --> 00:31:56,720 'The French had refused peace with justice, 454 00:31:56,808 --> 00:32:00,720 'so the god of battles must decide. 455 00:32:01,608 --> 00:32:06,400 'Henry set sail for France on 11th August 1415. 456 00:32:06,500 --> 00:32:11,288 'His first campaign is the stuff of legend and drama. 457 00:32:14,528 --> 00:32:18,118 '"For Harry, England and St George!"' 458 00:32:18,740 --> 00:32:22,970 'This was the battle cry that Shakespeare gave the English soldiers 459 00:32:23,048 --> 00:32:25,118 'on the field at Agincourt. 460 00:32:25,220 --> 00:32:30,288 'Here, Henry showed himself everything that an English king should be - 461 00:32:30,380 --> 00:32:34,568 'resolute, heroic and a born leader of men. 462 00:32:34,660 --> 00:32:38,088 'The English soldiers were far outnumbered by the French, 463 00:32:38,180 --> 00:32:39,528 'perhaps by three to one, 464 00:32:39,608 --> 00:32:43,000 'but, fired up with loyalty to their king and country, 465 00:32:43,088 --> 00:32:45,759 'they won an astounding victory. 466 00:32:49,660 --> 00:32:55,048 'It seemed proof positive that Henry V was God's chosen king. 467 00:33:03,940 --> 00:33:07,848 'It was also proof that Henry's war policy could work. 468 00:33:07,940 --> 00:33:15,088 'Within two years Henry was back. This time his aim was conquest. 469 00:33:17,328 --> 00:33:20,200 'The English army swept through Normandy, 470 00:33:20,288 --> 00:33:24,798 'systematically besieging and capturing the greatest cities - 471 00:33:24,900 --> 00:33:28,130 'Caen, Falaise and Rouen. 472 00:33:28,220 --> 00:33:30,930 'But the key to France was Paris. 473 00:33:32,940 --> 00:33:37,328 'Rather than risk reuniting the French by attacking the capital, 474 00:33:37,420 --> 00:33:41,568 'Henry, who was a subtle politician as well as a dashing general, 475 00:33:41,660 --> 00:33:46,328 'decided to exploit the profound divisions within the French court. 476 00:33:46,420 --> 00:33:49,808 'He made, apparently, enormous concessions. 477 00:33:49,900 --> 00:33:54,250 'He would no longer claim Western France as heir of Henry II. 478 00:33:54,328 --> 00:33:58,000 'The present king of France could even keep his title. 479 00:34:00,048 --> 00:34:01,400 'The ploy worked. 480 00:34:02,140 --> 00:34:06,410 'By a treaty, signed here at Troyes, Henry seemed to have won the prize 481 00:34:06,500 --> 00:34:09,449 'that had eluded even Edward III.' 482 00:34:12,260 --> 00:34:13,929 By the terms of the treaty, 483 00:34:14,010 --> 00:34:17,518 Henry was recognised as the legitimate heir 484 00:34:17,610 --> 00:34:20,760 of the present king of France, Charles VI, 485 00:34:20,860 --> 00:34:24,849 whose daughter Catherine he married a few days later. 486 00:34:24,940 --> 00:34:28,409 In other words, Henry was seeking to apply in France 487 00:34:28,500 --> 00:34:31,570 that same model of traditional kingship 488 00:34:31,650 --> 00:34:34,679 which had served him so well in England. 489 00:34:34,780 --> 00:34:39,329 He would rule France not as a conqueror but as a legitimate king. 490 00:34:39,820 --> 00:34:44,889 'And above all, he promised he would bring peace with justice. 491 00:34:49,010 --> 00:34:51,840 'On 1st December 1420 492 00:34:51,940 --> 00:34:57,130 'Henry entered Paris in triumph as heir and regent of France. 493 00:34:57,210 --> 00:35:02,360 'He was warmly received and the French Parliament ratified the Treaty of Troyes. 494 00:35:03,570 --> 00:35:06,559 'It remained, it seemed only to mop up opposition. 495 00:35:14,170 --> 00:35:17,480 'But suddenly, at the age of only 35, 496 00:35:17,570 --> 00:35:21,239 'Henry caught dysentery and died. 497 00:35:23,780 --> 00:35:30,289 'In only nine years, Henry V had reunited England and taken France 498 00:35:30,380 --> 00:35:34,449 'and he'd done it all as a consciously English king, 499 00:35:34,530 --> 00:35:39,039 'speaking and writing English, even for official documents. 500 00:35:39,130 --> 00:35:42,119 'For the first time since the Norman conquest, 501 00:35:42,210 --> 00:35:45,829 'England was a nation-state once more.' 502 00:35:48,050 --> 00:35:54,119 This is the upper storey of the splendid funerary chapel of King Henry V. 503 00:35:54,940 --> 00:35:58,929 The king's image below was originally covered in silver gilt, 504 00:35:59,010 --> 00:36:03,400 while amongst the rich sculptures are two coronation scenes 505 00:36:03,500 --> 00:36:08,768 representing Henry's two kingdoms - of England and of France. 506 00:36:08,860 --> 00:36:12,010 But what really impresses is the sheer scale 507 00:36:12,090 --> 00:36:14,599 and the magnificent location of the chapel 508 00:36:14,690 --> 00:36:17,440 directly at the east end of the abbey. 509 00:36:18,300 --> 00:36:22,969 Here, they say, is the apogee of the medieval English monarchy 510 00:36:23,050 --> 00:36:26,880 and the monument of the perfect medieval king. 511 00:36:27,730 --> 00:36:31,349 The institution could scarcely go any higher. 512 00:36:31,460 --> 00:36:36,050 Could it even survive at its present high-water mark? 513 00:36:36,130 --> 00:36:39,239 Everything would depend on Henry's son, 514 00:36:40,300 --> 00:36:41,969 the nine-month-old infant 515 00:36:42,050 --> 00:36:47,679 who, in his cradle was heir of England and of France. 516 00:36:52,050 --> 00:36:54,920 'On the 1st of September 1422, 517 00:36:55,010 --> 00:37:02,159 'Henry V's infant son became the new king of England, as Henry VI. 518 00:37:02,260 --> 00:37:06,969 'If this was not enough, two months later his French grandfather died 519 00:37:07,050 --> 00:37:10,829 'and Henry was also named king of France. 520 00:37:13,090 --> 00:37:16,199 'The new king was a nine-month-old baby, 521 00:37:16,300 --> 00:37:20,768 'but the polished machinery of English government adapted easily. 522 00:37:23,650 --> 00:37:27,159 'The nobility made arrangements for the cradle king. 523 00:37:27,980 --> 00:37:30,010 'The government of England and France 524 00:37:30,090 --> 00:37:33,079 'was divided between the king's two uncles, 525 00:37:33,170 --> 00:37:35,469 'each assisted by a council. 526 00:37:37,780 --> 00:37:42,329 'This enabled the English to hold on to the conquests of Henry V, 527 00:37:42,420 --> 00:37:46,010 'but French resistance couldn't be suppressed. 528 00:37:49,050 --> 00:37:52,159 'In 1431, Henry's council decided 529 00:37:52,260 --> 00:37:55,530 'that the time had come for the 10-year-old Henry VI 530 00:37:55,610 --> 00:37:59,119 'to take possession of his second kingdom of France. 531 00:38:00,820 --> 00:38:04,360 'Henry was taken to Notre Dame, where he was crowned 532 00:38:04,460 --> 00:38:08,050 'but he stayed in Paris for less than a month. 533 00:38:08,130 --> 00:38:11,880 'This was his first and last visit to France. 534 00:38:15,380 --> 00:38:18,768 'Henry VI was very different from his father. 535 00:38:18,860 --> 00:38:22,889 'Whilst Henry V had spent over half his reign fighting in France, 536 00:38:22,980 --> 00:38:27,449 'Henry VI showed no interest in war at all. 537 00:38:27,530 --> 00:38:31,070 'Instead, his passion was religion.' 538 00:38:34,050 --> 00:38:38,989 How a king wishes to be remembered takes us to the heart of his kingship, 539 00:38:39,090 --> 00:38:42,789 and this is the chosen monument of Henry VI, 540 00:38:42,900 --> 00:38:46,599 son of the warrior king, Henry V. 541 00:38:46,690 --> 00:38:50,230 But it's not a battlefield or a great castle. 542 00:38:50,340 --> 00:38:54,369 Instead, it's the chapel of Eton College. 543 00:38:54,460 --> 00:38:59,369 Nowadays, we think of Eton as perhaps the most famous school in the world 544 00:38:59,460 --> 00:39:02,929 but the school was incidental to Henry's purpose. 545 00:39:03,010 --> 00:39:06,710 Instead, he was interested in size. 546 00:39:06,820 --> 00:39:08,768 He wanted this chapel to become 547 00:39:08,860 --> 00:39:13,690 one of the biggest, richest and holiest churches in England, 548 00:39:13,780 --> 00:39:17,449 as long as Lincoln Cathedral, as wide as York Minster 549 00:39:17,530 --> 00:39:20,679 his very own Westminster Abbey. 550 00:39:20,780 --> 00:39:23,768 'But, thanks to constant changes of plan, 551 00:39:23,860 --> 00:39:28,010 'which led him to demolish parts already built and start again, 552 00:39:28,090 --> 00:39:33,559 'only this fragment was finished at the time of his fall from power. 553 00:39:33,650 --> 00:39:37,039 'It's an apt symbol of a reign that began with high hopes 554 00:39:37,130 --> 00:39:39,079 'and a magnificent inheritance 555 00:39:39,170 --> 00:39:43,320 'and ended in failure and disaster. 556 00:39:49,530 --> 00:39:52,320 'But not merely was Henry unwarlike - 557 00:39:52,420 --> 00:39:55,130 'once he took government into his own hands 558 00:39:55,210 --> 00:39:58,599 'he pursued an active peace policy. 559 00:39:58,690 --> 00:40:03,809 'He was even prepared to surrender parts of his father's conquests. 560 00:40:04,610 --> 00:40:08,559 'This was hugely unpopular with the English nobles, 561 00:40:08,650 --> 00:40:11,599 'who'd done so well out of the war. 562 00:40:15,420 --> 00:40:21,289 'The most dramatic signal of Henry's intentions came when, at the age of 22, 563 00:40:21,380 --> 00:40:26,289 'he married a French princess, Margaret of Anjou. 564 00:40:27,380 --> 00:40:32,449 'Margaret was the symbol of the controversial peace policy with France.' 565 00:40:33,690 --> 00:40:37,389 After she came to England and married her impressionable husband, 566 00:40:37,500 --> 00:40:41,250 Margaret became more than the symbol of the peace party. 567 00:40:41,340 --> 00:40:44,929 She became its most effective partisan, 568 00:40:45,010 --> 00:40:49,440 and the English always distrusted politically active queens, 569 00:40:49,530 --> 00:40:52,119 especially when they were foreign 570 00:40:52,210 --> 00:40:54,639 and especially when, like Margaret, 571 00:40:54,730 --> 00:40:58,429 they looked suspiciously like a French secret agent 572 00:40:58,530 --> 00:41:00,960 at the heart of the English court. 573 00:41:04,730 --> 00:41:08,349 'Soon, the worst English fears had come true. 574 00:41:08,460 --> 00:41:13,130 'By the time Henry was 30, he'd lost everything that his father had won. 575 00:41:14,010 --> 00:41:17,079 'Only Calais remained in English hands. 576 00:41:17,900 --> 00:41:24,210 'Thanks to Henry, 100 years of war with France had yielded nothing. 577 00:41:24,300 --> 00:41:29,159 'The prestige and the glory of the English crown were destroyed.' 578 00:41:30,010 --> 00:41:32,679 But most lethal for the monarchy 579 00:41:32,780 --> 00:41:36,400 was the fact that the war like most unsuccessful wars 580 00:41:36,500 --> 00:41:40,889 had been marked by vicious quarrels between the English generals. 581 00:41:40,980 --> 00:41:45,250 The most dangerous was the feud between Richard, Duke of York 582 00:41:45,340 --> 00:41:47,449 and Edmund, Duke of Somerset. 583 00:41:47,530 --> 00:41:49,829 Both were members of the royal house, 584 00:41:49,940 --> 00:41:55,409 whilst York, arguably, had a better claim to the throne than Henry himself. 585 00:41:55,500 --> 00:41:57,250 In the aftermath of defeat 586 00:41:57,340 --> 00:42:02,090 their quarrel had translated itself into English domestic politics 587 00:42:02,170 --> 00:42:05,710 when Somerset became Henry's chief minister 588 00:42:05,820 --> 00:42:13,289 whilst York set himself up as the leader of an increasingly disloyal opposition. 589 00:42:16,300 --> 00:42:20,170 'In 1450, the antagonism turned into open conflict 590 00:42:20,260 --> 00:42:24,449 'and a popular revolt temporarily seized control of London. 591 00:42:26,420 --> 00:42:29,809 'Two years later, York himself took up arms, 592 00:42:29,900 --> 00:42:32,489 'claiming he was not rebelling against the king, 593 00:42:32,570 --> 00:42:36,719 'but against his evil councillors, principally Somerset. 594 00:42:39,530 --> 00:42:41,000 'York won little support 595 00:42:41,090 --> 00:42:44,599 'and surrendered when Henry promised to dismiss Somerset. 596 00:42:50,820 --> 00:42:52,489 'But the king broke his word 597 00:42:52,570 --> 00:42:56,559 'and Somerset and his ally Queen Margaret seemed impregnable. 598 00:42:56,650 --> 00:43:00,880 'Then suddenly, Henry had a fit of madness.' 599 00:43:03,730 --> 00:43:06,518 Three months after the onset of Henry's illness, 600 00:43:06,610 --> 00:43:11,000 his wife Queen Margaret gave birth to a son. 601 00:43:11,090 --> 00:43:14,000 After nearly eight years of childless marriage 602 00:43:14,090 --> 00:43:18,280 the future of the Lancastrian dynasty seemed secure 603 00:43:18,380 --> 00:43:23,130 but Henry acknowledged his son only with a flickering of his eyes 604 00:43:23,210 --> 00:43:27,639 and he could not even raise a finger in the government of his kingdom. 605 00:43:27,730 --> 00:43:31,079 But without a king as a final decision maker 606 00:43:31,170 --> 00:43:33,360 England was paralysed. 607 00:43:33,460 --> 00:43:35,329 'Who would act in his name? 608 00:43:35,420 --> 00:43:36,449 'Queen Margaret, 609 00:43:36,530 --> 00:43:40,309 'her position immeasurably strengthened as mother of the heir 610 00:43:40,420 --> 00:43:43,210 'put herself forward as Queen Regent. 611 00:43:43,300 --> 00:43:46,730 'But Margaret commanded little support amongst the lords, 612 00:43:46,820 --> 00:43:49,809 'who instead nominated the Duke of York 613 00:43:49,900 --> 00:43:52,489 'the man that Margaret most feared, 614 00:43:52,570 --> 00:43:55,440 'as protector and defender of England. 615 00:43:58,530 --> 00:44:01,679 'And Margaret had good reason to fear York. 616 00:44:02,980 --> 00:44:05,280 'Based in his stronghold at Ludlow, 617 00:44:05,380 --> 00:44:09,489 'York was head of the most powerful family in the country 618 00:44:09,570 --> 00:44:15,199 'and, as a relation of the king, he also had a blood claim to the throne. 619 00:44:16,650 --> 00:44:22,400 'Events of the usurpation 50 years previously were about to be replayed. 620 00:44:22,500 --> 00:44:29,369 'In 1399, Henry's grandfather Henry IV had shown that a blood claim and force 621 00:44:29,460 --> 00:44:32,809 'were all that were needed to seize the crown. 622 00:44:32,900 --> 00:44:37,210 'Now York would turn the tables on the house of Lancaster.' 623 00:44:40,530 --> 00:44:44,800 In 1460, his followers defeated and captured the king, 624 00:44:44,900 --> 00:44:51,210 and in the ensuing Parliament, York formally laid claim to the throne. 625 00:44:51,300 --> 00:44:54,530 The claim was greeted with a shocked silence 626 00:44:54,610 --> 00:44:57,320 because no one not even York's followers 627 00:44:57,420 --> 00:45:02,010 wanted a repetition of the usurpation of 1399. 628 00:45:02,090 --> 00:45:05,239 So York was forced to accept a compromise. 629 00:45:05,860 --> 00:45:08,369 Henry would remain king whilst he lived 630 00:45:08,460 --> 00:45:13,130 and York would succeed only after his death. 631 00:45:13,210 --> 00:45:18,679 But everybody reckoned without Queen Margaret's ferocious mother love. 632 00:45:21,980 --> 00:45:25,809 'Margaret refused to see her son's inheritance forfeit 633 00:45:25,900 --> 00:45:30,289 'and broke the truce when she led her forces against York. 634 00:45:30,380 --> 00:45:34,610 'Margaret was victorious, York killed in battle 635 00:45:34,690 --> 00:45:37,880 'and his head displayed on the walls of York. 636 00:45:39,860 --> 00:45:44,530 'But the feeble-witted Henry VI was held in widespread contempt. 637 00:45:45,460 --> 00:45:49,159 'Margaret was unpopular, especially in the south, 638 00:45:49,260 --> 00:45:52,329 'where London shut its gates against her. 639 00:45:54,130 --> 00:45:56,079 'This gave York's son Edward 640 00:45:56,170 --> 00:45:59,480 'the opportunity to avenge his father's death. 641 00:45:59,570 --> 00:46:03,599 'He seized the throne and ruled as King Edward IV. 642 00:46:03,690 --> 00:46:08,239 'Henry was captured and Margaret fled into exile. 643 00:46:10,210 --> 00:46:14,800 'It took Edward three years to put down the Lancastrians of the north 644 00:46:16,650 --> 00:46:21,400 'but then his own followers started to quarrel over the spoils. 645 00:46:21,500 --> 00:46:24,730 'Even Edward's brother turned against him. 646 00:46:28,730 --> 00:46:31,190 'These divisions within the House of York 647 00:46:31,300 --> 00:46:35,730 'handed the House of Lancaster a last chance. 648 00:46:35,820 --> 00:46:39,170 'lts hopes were pinned on one young man. 649 00:46:39,260 --> 00:46:44,570 'In 1471, Henry VI and Margaret's son, Edward of Lancaster 650 00:46:44,650 --> 00:46:48,159 'was 18, energetic and courageous. 651 00:46:48,260 --> 00:46:52,489 'He'd inherited his grandfather's drive and his mother's will. 652 00:46:52,570 --> 00:46:55,199 'Was he to be another Henry V 653 00:46:56,050 --> 00:46:59,480 'and would he revive the Lancastrian cause?' 654 00:47:02,090 --> 00:47:06,800 The two Edwards - the Lancastrian prince and the Yorkist king - 655 00:47:06,900 --> 00:47:09,460 met here, at Tewkesbury. 656 00:47:09,530 --> 00:47:13,719 The result was a total and, it turned out, final defeat 657 00:47:13,820 --> 00:47:15,768 for the House of Lancaster. 658 00:47:15,860 --> 00:47:21,530 Prince Edward was butchered on the battlefield and buried here in the abbey. 659 00:47:21,610 --> 00:47:24,679 A fortnight later, his father, King Henry VI, 660 00:47:24,780 --> 00:47:30,050 was dispatched with a heavy blow to the back of the head in the Tower. 661 00:47:30,130 --> 00:47:36,199 Even 400 years later, the hair could still be seen matted to the skull. 662 00:47:37,090 --> 00:47:40,679 With their deaths the male line of the House of Lancaster 663 00:47:40,780 --> 00:47:44,650 which had promised to revive the monarchy, was extinguished. 664 00:47:44,730 --> 00:47:49,670 The House of York made similar even more extravagant promises. 665 00:47:49,780 --> 00:47:51,489 Would it be able to keep them 666 00:47:51,570 --> 00:47:55,880 or was it more than a matter of mere personalities? 667 00:47:55,980 --> 00:47:58,929 Would the institutions of English kingship, 668 00:47:59,010 --> 00:48:01,079 fashioned under the Anglo Saxons 669 00:48:01,170 --> 00:48:06,440 and perfected under the Henrys and the Edwards, have to change as well? 670 00:48:06,530 --> 00:48:10,880 Was England on the threshold not merely of a new dynasty 671 00:48:10,980 --> 00:48:13,929 but of a new monarchy?