1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:03,040 BIRDSONG 2 00:00:03,040 --> 00:00:05,800 BELL TOLLS 3 00:00:05,800 --> 00:00:10,400 CHORISTER SINGS 4 00:00:10,400 --> 00:00:13,800 In early medieval France, the Count of Anjou 5 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:17,680 became enthralled by a mysterious woman. 6 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:21,800 They married and had several children. 7 00:00:23,560 --> 00:00:25,560 But the Count grew concerned 8 00:00:25,560 --> 00:00:30,920 because his wife always left church before Mass was celebrated. 9 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:34,600 BELL TOLLS, WIND WHISTLES 10 00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:37,800 One day he ordered his knights to stop her. 11 00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:45,800 But she pulled free and flew out through a window. 12 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:54,800 The Countess of Anjou was never seen again. 13 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:57,280 BELL TOLLS 14 00:00:57,280 --> 00:01:02,240 According to this legend, all 15 Plantagenet kings of England 15 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:05,240 were descended from the demon Countess of Anjou. 16 00:01:05,240 --> 00:01:07,800 Her blood flowed in their veins. 17 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:08,960 And over the centuries, 18 00:01:08,960 --> 00:01:11,960 this provided an explanation for the fierce temper, 19 00:01:11,960 --> 00:01:16,520 the bloody family feuds and the brutality of the Plantagenets. 20 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:19,760 Richard the Lionheart himself once declared defiantly, 21 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:23,360 "From the Devil we came, and to the Devil we will go." 22 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:33,240 In the medieval world, all politics was family politics, 23 00:01:33,240 --> 00:01:39,760 and the Plantagenet family dominated England for more than 300 years 24 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:44,080 through some of the nation's most famous and infamous kings. 25 00:01:46,720 --> 00:01:49,600 King John. Henry V. 26 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:51,600 Richard III. 27 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:56,600 They were driven by dynastic ambition, 28 00:01:56,600 --> 00:02:00,720 striving to expand their power beyond their French homeland. 29 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:03,560 In the process, the culture 30 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:06,240 and politics of the British Isles were transformed... 31 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:11,400 ..England's distinctive system of justice was established, 32 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:13,920 Parliament was born 33 00:02:13,920 --> 00:02:18,160 and the great Gothic cathedrals transformed the landscape. 34 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:25,360 The Plantagenets developed 35 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:29,640 a new style of warfare in their attempt to claim Scotland. 36 00:02:30,640 --> 00:02:31,840 They conquered Wales. 37 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:35,080 And half of Ireland. 38 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:41,400 And their great royal castles hammered home their power. 39 00:02:44,640 --> 00:02:46,840 When the Plantagenets won the kingdom of England, 40 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:48,840 it was shattered and lawless. 41 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:49,880 Under their rule, 42 00:02:49,880 --> 00:02:53,600 it was transformed into one of the best governed states in Christendom. 43 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:58,240 But their story is one of intrigue, conflict and violence. 44 00:02:58,240 --> 00:03:01,640 They fought their enemies but also turned on each other - 45 00:03:01,640 --> 00:03:05,000 sons made war on fathers, brothers betrayed brothers, 46 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:07,760 powerful queens conspired. 47 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:10,960 The future of Western Europe would be shaped by 48 00:03:10,960 --> 00:03:14,320 this extraordinary dynasty, this Devil's brood. 49 00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:16,080 BELL TOLLS 50 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:40,400 The story of England's longest reigning dynasty begins here, 51 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:43,280 in Anjou, western France. 52 00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:48,280 12th-century France was dominated by its great barons 53 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:50,000 rather than by its nominal king. 54 00:03:51,640 --> 00:03:54,800 And these fertile farmlands of the Loire Valley 55 00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:57,360 were the domain of the Count of Anjou. 56 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:03,960 In 1128, an enraged Princess arrived here. 57 00:04:03,960 --> 00:04:06,560 Her name was Matilda and she was the only surviving 58 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:10,680 legitimate child of King Henry I of England, and his acknowledged heir. 59 00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:14,720 Her father had commanded her to marry a 15-year-old boy, 60 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:18,080 Geoffrey, the oldest son of the Count of Anjou. 61 00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:20,000 Matilda was outraged. 62 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:21,080 She was 26 years old, 63 00:04:21,080 --> 00:04:23,960 she was the granddaughter of William the Conqueror, 64 00:04:23,960 --> 00:04:26,600 she was the widow of the mighty Holy Roman Emperor. 65 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:29,160 She always called herself "Empress". 66 00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:31,880 Geoffrey was the heir of a mere count. 67 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:39,160 Matilda was notoriously wilful. 68 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:42,480 But in the selection of a husband she had no say. 69 00:04:43,520 --> 00:04:48,600 Princesses were a powerful tool used by Europe's medieval dynasties 70 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:51,600 to expand their territories. 71 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:54,800 King Henry hoped that the arranged marriage at Le Mans Cathedral 72 00:04:54,800 --> 00:04:57,680 would produce a male heir, 73 00:04:57,680 --> 00:05:01,800 who would ultimately become Count of Anjou, 74 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:04,160 Duke of Normandy 75 00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:07,480 and King of England. 76 00:05:09,400 --> 00:05:11,480 Things didn't go according to plan. 77 00:05:11,480 --> 00:05:15,520 Both Geoffrey and Matilda were proud and quarrelsome people. 78 00:05:15,520 --> 00:05:18,640 and, after a tumultuous year, they separated. 79 00:05:18,640 --> 00:05:21,880 But this was, above all, a political union 80 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:24,640 and a reconciliation was soon imposed. 81 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:29,000 Matilda rejoined her teenage husband and performed her royal duty, 82 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:31,560 giving him three sons in three years. 83 00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:35,040 This ended any doubts about the succession 84 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:39,000 and also laid the foundations of a powerful new dynasty. 85 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:47,320 Le Mans Museum contains 86 00:05:47,320 --> 00:05:50,320 the only surviving image of Geoffrey of Anjou. 87 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:53,920 It once adorned his tomb. 88 00:05:59,160 --> 00:06:02,960 This plaque contains one of the earliest examples of heraldry - 89 00:06:02,960 --> 00:06:05,760 that system of vivid symbols through which the ruling families 90 00:06:05,760 --> 00:06:10,680 of Europe were beginning to proclaim their dynastic pride. 91 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:13,360 The distinctive pattern of blue and white 92 00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:15,880 on the inside of Geoffrey's cloak is called "vair", 93 00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:19,440 representing the winter pelt of squirrels. 94 00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:21,200 And the golden lions on his shield 95 00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:24,760 were adopted by his descendants as the royal coat of arms 96 00:06:24,760 --> 00:06:26,160 and, ultimately, 97 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:30,360 became one of the most familiar national symbols of England. 98 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:36,160 Geoffrey was an energetic, intelligent man 99 00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:37,600 with golden-red hair. 100 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:40,600 By all accounts he was handsome, 101 00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:43,120 and known as "Geoffrey the Fair". 102 00:06:44,800 --> 00:06:47,360 But he also had another name. 103 00:06:48,560 --> 00:06:51,920 It comes from the Latin for the broom plant. 104 00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:54,680 Planta genista. 105 00:06:54,680 --> 00:06:56,640 Plantagenet. 106 00:06:58,960 --> 00:07:02,320 No-one knows for certain why Geoffrey was called Plantagenet. 107 00:07:02,320 --> 00:07:04,040 One theory is that it's because 108 00:07:04,040 --> 00:07:06,160 he wore a sprig of the plant in his hat. 109 00:07:06,160 --> 00:07:07,240 But in any case, 110 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:10,160 for over 300 years none of his descendants bore the name. 111 00:07:10,160 --> 00:07:12,760 Kings don't need surnames. 112 00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:16,000 But it's proved a useful label for historians to describe 113 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:19,560 that long line of monarchs who descended from Matilda 114 00:07:19,560 --> 00:07:21,400 and the young Geoffrey of Anjou. 115 00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:28,520 15 Plantagenets would be crowned kings of England, 116 00:07:28,520 --> 00:07:30,680 but they had to fight to win the throne. 117 00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:36,120 Henry I had named Matilda his heir. 118 00:07:37,400 --> 00:07:40,000 But when he died in 1135, 119 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:44,600 the English throne was seized by Matilda's cousin - Stephen. 120 00:07:51,320 --> 00:07:53,040 The Plantagenets fought back. 121 00:07:53,040 --> 00:07:55,760 Geoffrey led a successful invasion of Normandy, 122 00:07:55,760 --> 00:07:58,160 which had been part of Henry I's dominions, 123 00:07:58,160 --> 00:08:01,640 while Matilda crossed the Channel to claim her crown. 124 00:08:01,640 --> 00:08:04,800 This started almost two decades of civil war. 125 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:07,680 Government virtually collapsed and England descended 126 00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:12,040 into a period of body conflict, often called simply "The Anarchy". 127 00:08:17,480 --> 00:08:20,120 The Peterborough Chronicle describes England's fate 128 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:24,120 as the Plantagenets fought to secure their birthright. 129 00:08:26,120 --> 00:08:27,800 "God and his saints slept. 130 00:08:29,320 --> 00:08:33,000 "Every powerful man built his castle and filled it with devils 131 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:34,680 "and evil men. 132 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:41,920 "They grievously oppressed the wretched people of the land. 133 00:08:41,920 --> 00:08:44,400 "They tortured them for their gold. 134 00:08:47,320 --> 00:08:51,600 "And when the people had no more to give, they plundered and burned." 135 00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:03,880 In the winter of 1142, the war turned against Matilda. 136 00:09:03,880 --> 00:09:08,040 Her cousin Stephen besieged her here in Oxford Castle. 137 00:09:08,040 --> 00:09:10,640 Her garrison held out for three months 138 00:09:10,640 --> 00:09:13,960 but with their supplies running low, they were close to surrender. 139 00:09:17,640 --> 00:09:21,920 One wintry night, Matilda wrapped herself in a white cloak. 140 00:09:23,520 --> 00:09:27,560 Camouflaged against the heavy snow, she slipped out of a side gate. 141 00:09:29,920 --> 00:09:34,440 She crossed the frozen river in front of the castle 142 00:09:34,440 --> 00:09:39,440 and managed to pass unseen through the ranks of Stephen's army. 143 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:45,200 Matilda trudged for seven miles through the frigid night. 144 00:09:45,200 --> 00:09:49,640 She eventually made it to the safety of Wallingford Castle. 145 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:52,320 Now she was free to continue her struggle. 146 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:57,400 For another decade, civil war ravaged England. 147 00:09:57,400 --> 00:09:59,840 The fighting could only be brought to a stop 148 00:09:59,840 --> 00:10:01,960 when her eldest son came of age - 149 00:10:01,960 --> 00:10:06,200 a mail heir, a direct descendant of Henry I. 150 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:13,800 Matilda's son Henry was a charismatic young man 151 00:10:13,800 --> 00:10:16,960 who'd inherited Matilda's determination and temper... 152 00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:20,520 ..along with Geoffrey Plantagenet's red hair, 153 00:10:20,520 --> 00:10:23,320 intelligence and boundless energy. 154 00:10:25,400 --> 00:10:29,720 Henry also inherited his parents' claims to the English throne 155 00:10:29,720 --> 00:10:31,560 and much of northern France. 156 00:10:33,080 --> 00:10:35,760 As a young man, he was granted Normandy. 157 00:10:37,600 --> 00:10:40,200 Later, he inherited Anjou. 158 00:10:41,840 --> 00:10:45,080 He then expanded Plantagenet territory again, 159 00:10:45,080 --> 00:10:48,080 through a profitable and unexpected marriage. 160 00:10:50,880 --> 00:10:54,840 This is the great hall of the ducal palace in Poitiers, 161 00:10:54,840 --> 00:10:59,160 home of the court of Aquitaine - that vast and wealthy principality 162 00:10:59,160 --> 00:11:01,400 that encompassed a quarter of the French lands. 163 00:11:02,560 --> 00:11:04,200 The Duke had an only child, 164 00:11:04,200 --> 00:11:07,880 a beautiful and well-educated daughter called Eleanor. 165 00:11:09,040 --> 00:11:13,040 When she was about 15, her father died unexpectedly. 166 00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:17,680 Eleanor of Aquitaine was now the greatest catch in Europe. 167 00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:26,120 The King of France, Louis VII, snatched the prize. 168 00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:30,200 But Louis couldn't hold on to Eleanor or Aquitaine. 169 00:11:31,280 --> 00:11:33,520 The King was a pious man, 170 00:11:33,520 --> 00:11:37,720 but his new queen was ambitious and worldly. 171 00:11:40,360 --> 00:11:43,600 Eleanor once said, "I've married a monk not a monarch." 172 00:11:47,400 --> 00:11:48,960 And there was another problem. 173 00:11:48,960 --> 00:11:50,000 THUNDER RUMBLES 174 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:52,520 The French king needed a son 175 00:11:52,520 --> 00:11:56,760 and Eleanor gave birth only to girls. 176 00:11:56,760 --> 00:11:59,480 After 15 years and 2 daughters, 177 00:11:59,480 --> 00:12:03,000 Louis persuaded the church to declare the marriage void. 178 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:05,160 THUNDER RUMBLES 179 00:12:07,360 --> 00:12:09,960 The great heiress was once again available. 180 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:15,160 Suitors circled, eager to obtain her hand and her lands. 181 00:12:15,160 --> 00:12:18,360 But Eleanor was headstrong and independent. 182 00:12:18,360 --> 00:12:20,320 She was determined to marry the man 183 00:12:20,320 --> 00:12:23,720 who could help her fulfil her own dynastic ambitions - 184 00:12:23,720 --> 00:12:25,160 Henry Plantagenet. 185 00:12:33,040 --> 00:12:36,880 Eleanor sent word to Henry to meet her in Aquitaine. 186 00:12:38,360 --> 00:12:41,760 As she made her way there from Paris, Eleanor had to evade 187 00:12:41,760 --> 00:12:46,840 kidnappers, who wanted to marry her forcibly and lay claim to her lands. 188 00:12:54,560 --> 00:12:58,720 CHORISTER SINGING 189 00:13:00,320 --> 00:13:03,680 Henry and Eleanor married in a hastily arranged ceremony 190 00:13:03,680 --> 00:13:05,960 in Poitiers Cathedral. 191 00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:09,800 This was a scandalous marriage. 192 00:13:09,800 --> 00:13:14,360 Henry was 19, Eleanor around 30. 193 00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:17,080 And Eleanor's union with the King of France 194 00:13:17,080 --> 00:13:20,000 had been annulled only two months earlier. 195 00:13:22,920 --> 00:13:25,800 The French king had been outmanoeuvred by his ex-queen 196 00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:27,400 and Henry Plantagenet. 197 00:13:27,400 --> 00:13:33,000 He was humiliated by the scandal and he'd also lost half his territories. 198 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:36,360 By inheritance, by conquest, and now by marriage, 199 00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:40,360 Henry had built up an enormous conglomeration of lands in France, 200 00:13:40,360 --> 00:13:43,200 and soon he and Eleanor would have four sons 201 00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:45,600 to secure the future of the dynasty. 202 00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:49,320 But the French king never forgave the Plantagenet upstart. 203 00:13:51,880 --> 00:13:55,160 CHORISTER SINGING 204 00:13:55,160 --> 00:13:59,160 The Plantagenets were still fighting for their birthright in England, 205 00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:01,680 but the dynasty was thriving. 206 00:14:06,760 --> 00:14:08,680 A decade after Henry and Eleanor's wedding, 207 00:14:08,680 --> 00:14:13,000 this cathedral was completely rebuilt in the new Gothic style 208 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:15,440 sweeping across France. 209 00:14:16,760 --> 00:14:19,640 Structurally stronger, pointed arches 210 00:14:19,640 --> 00:14:23,440 allowed these dramatic, soaring vaults 211 00:14:23,440 --> 00:14:25,800 and vast windows. 212 00:14:30,560 --> 00:14:33,000 Henry and Eleanor graced the new cathedral 213 00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:35,640 with the gift of this wonderful east window. 214 00:14:35,640 --> 00:14:38,240 It's one of the oldest stained-glass windows in France. 215 00:14:48,280 --> 00:14:51,240 The royal couple are themselves depicted on it, 216 00:14:51,240 --> 00:14:54,440 along with their four sons, presenting their gift to God. 217 00:15:03,880 --> 00:15:07,040 It proclaims the piety of the Plantagenet dynasty 218 00:15:07,040 --> 00:15:08,560 and their family solidarity. 219 00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:21,400 Henry now set his sights on winning the greatest prize of all - 220 00:15:21,400 --> 00:15:22,720 the English crown. 221 00:15:35,320 --> 00:15:37,680 Crossing the Channel with a small army, 222 00:15:37,680 --> 00:15:42,840 Henry found England devastated by nearly two decades of the civil war 223 00:15:42,840 --> 00:15:45,440 between Stephen and Matilda's supporters. 224 00:15:50,040 --> 00:15:54,840 His arrival persuaded many barons to join the Plantagenet cause. 225 00:15:58,320 --> 00:16:01,280 Henry's and Stephen's armies confronted one another 226 00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:03,760 here at Wallingford Castle. 227 00:16:03,760 --> 00:16:05,800 These few mounds and walls are all that 228 00:16:05,800 --> 00:16:09,200 remain of one of the mightiest fortresses of Medieval England. 229 00:16:10,520 --> 00:16:12,800 Stephen was besieging the castle 230 00:16:12,800 --> 00:16:16,440 and Henry had come to relieve Matilda's royal forces. 231 00:16:16,440 --> 00:16:18,960 The armies faced one another across the river. 232 00:16:19,960 --> 00:16:24,600 A contemporary chronicle describes what happened next. 233 00:16:29,680 --> 00:16:35,440 "It was a terrible thing to see so many armed men with drawn swords, 234 00:16:35,440 --> 00:16:38,840 "ready to kill their relatives and fellow countrymen. 235 00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:49,320 "And so the chief men on each side shrank in horror from civil war. 236 00:16:51,360 --> 00:16:54,360 "And the destruction of their kingdom." 237 00:17:02,280 --> 00:17:05,000 Because the two armies refused to fight, 238 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:08,120 Stephen and Henry were forced to talk. 239 00:17:08,120 --> 00:17:10,880 According to the chronicles, they met outside the castle, 240 00:17:10,880 --> 00:17:14,160 one on either side of the stream. 241 00:17:14,160 --> 00:17:17,360 And eventually they came to an agreement. 242 00:17:17,360 --> 00:17:20,400 Kind Stephen would continue to rule... 243 00:17:20,400 --> 00:17:23,080 but he recognised Henry as his lawful heir. 244 00:17:24,560 --> 00:17:26,080 The very next year, 245 00:17:26,080 --> 00:17:30,480 Stephen was seized by a terrible pain in the gut and a flow of blood. 246 00:17:32,320 --> 00:17:34,320 The King was dead. 247 00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:38,040 The negotiations that began here would lead to more than three 248 00:17:38,040 --> 00:17:41,200 centuries of Plantagenet rule in England. 249 00:17:45,120 --> 00:17:48,400 On the 19th of December, 1154, 250 00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:52,680 Henry II became the first Plantagenet King of England. 251 00:17:56,400 --> 00:18:00,640 This French speaking monarch now ruled a vast empire that 252 00:18:00,640 --> 00:18:02,960 stretched from the Scottish borders... 253 00:18:05,560 --> 00:18:07,280 ..to the Pyrenees. 254 00:18:14,360 --> 00:18:18,040 Henry's first priority was to restore peace and order. 255 00:18:22,840 --> 00:18:25,800 He tore down hundreds of the barons' castles. 256 00:18:30,240 --> 00:18:34,120 Then, to extend Plantagenet power across the country, 257 00:18:34,120 --> 00:18:36,200 Henry turned to the law. 258 00:18:41,360 --> 00:18:44,720 This manuscript, which is more than 800 years old, 259 00:18:44,720 --> 00:18:48,280 is one of the treasures of Bailey Old College, Oxford. 260 00:18:48,280 --> 00:18:50,840 It contains a text known as Glanvill, 261 00:18:50,840 --> 00:18:53,840 the earliest guide to the workings of English law. 262 00:18:55,040 --> 00:18:57,320 It was written during the reign of Henry II 263 00:18:57,320 --> 00:18:59,920 and is one of the foundations of the English legal system. 264 00:19:01,080 --> 00:19:02,840 These are its opening words. 265 00:19:04,160 --> 00:19:08,480 "Royal power should not only be adorned with arms to fight rebels 266 00:19:08,480 --> 00:19:13,360 "and hostile peoples, but also with laws to rule its subjects in peace." 267 00:19:16,080 --> 00:19:19,120 Henry inherited a complex judicial system, 268 00:19:19,120 --> 00:19:23,040 where cases could be heard in a variety of local courts. 269 00:19:23,040 --> 00:19:25,920 In order to concentrate power in his own hands, 270 00:19:25,920 --> 00:19:30,520 Henry introduced swift and consistent royal justice, 271 00:19:30,520 --> 00:19:32,400 as set out here in Glanvill. 272 00:19:36,680 --> 00:19:40,000 Henry established central courts at Westminster, 273 00:19:40,000 --> 00:19:43,680 and sent newly appointed royal justices on a circuit 274 00:19:43,680 --> 00:19:45,040 around the country. 275 00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:49,640 These circuit judges would meet regularly 276 00:19:49,640 --> 00:19:53,240 and agree to follow one another's decisions... 277 00:19:53,240 --> 00:19:56,280 thus ensuring common practice throughout England. 278 00:20:00,040 --> 00:20:03,440 A distinct method of law making emerged. 279 00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:07,360 Laws now evolved through precedent as well as royal decree. 280 00:20:10,280 --> 00:20:15,080 Disputes over land were important in this agricultural society. 281 00:20:15,080 --> 00:20:18,440 Rationally, they had been determined by trial by battle, 282 00:20:18,440 --> 00:20:22,680 in which opponents exchanged blows to resolve the issue. 283 00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:27,560 Only the King could summon a body of men to give a verdict on oath, 284 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:31,720 so royal justice could offer a new, non-violent, alternative, 285 00:20:31,720 --> 00:20:36,040 something not available in baronial courts - trial by jury. 286 00:20:37,880 --> 00:20:41,840 "Every free man can retain his right in his tenement 287 00:20:41,840 --> 00:20:45,800 "and avoid the doubtful outcome of a duel. 288 00:20:45,800 --> 00:20:47,920 "When the 12 knights have been chosen, 289 00:20:47,920 --> 00:20:50,160 "they are to be summoned to come to court 290 00:20:50,160 --> 00:20:53,200 "to swear on oath which party has the greater right." 291 00:20:54,640 --> 00:20:58,520 This legal revolution was motivated by Henry's royal 292 00:20:58,520 --> 00:21:00,480 and dynastic ambitions, 293 00:21:00,480 --> 00:21:03,640 but it laid the foundations for the common law, 294 00:21:03,640 --> 00:21:06,440 the system that still governs legal practice 295 00:21:06,440 --> 00:21:10,800 and procedure in England and in the United States to this day. 296 00:21:14,040 --> 00:21:16,880 Henry's imposition of Plantagenet control 297 00:21:16,880 --> 00:21:19,000 alienated many English barons. 298 00:21:20,120 --> 00:21:24,280 It also provoked a power struggled between crown and church. 299 00:21:27,040 --> 00:21:31,160 It came to a head in bitter conflict between Henry 300 00:21:31,160 --> 00:21:34,040 and one of his most loyal friends - 301 00:21:34,040 --> 00:21:35,400 Thomas Beckett. 302 00:21:37,600 --> 00:21:40,400 Beckett was the son of a London merchant who'd enjoyed 303 00:21:40,400 --> 00:21:42,720 an extraordinary rise to power. 304 00:21:42,720 --> 00:21:45,760 Henry had made him his chancellor, in charge of the day to day 305 00:21:45,760 --> 00:21:48,120 running of the government on the King's behalf, 306 00:21:48,120 --> 00:21:50,280 and he's acquired enormous wealth. 307 00:21:50,280 --> 00:21:52,920 While Henry distained luxury and pageantry, 308 00:21:52,920 --> 00:21:55,320 his chancellor revelled in it. 309 00:21:55,320 --> 00:21:56,920 But the two were close friends. 310 00:21:56,920 --> 00:22:00,000 William Fitzstephen, who later served as Beckett's clerk, 311 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:04,640 says that the two of them hunted, joked and played together like boys. 312 00:22:10,680 --> 00:22:14,080 The unexpected reverse in the friendship came in 1162, 313 00:22:14,080 --> 00:22:17,440 following the death of the Archbishop of Canterbury. 314 00:22:20,080 --> 00:22:25,520 The King was convinced that Beckett would make an ideal replacement, 315 00:22:25,520 --> 00:22:29,120 someone who would support him in curtailing the judicial 316 00:22:29,120 --> 00:22:30,280 powers of the church. 317 00:22:32,880 --> 00:22:35,400 Once Beckett was in office, he immediately resigned 318 00:22:35,400 --> 00:22:39,400 as chancellor and devoted himself to the interests of the church. 319 00:22:39,400 --> 00:22:44,160 The two of them soon clashed over the proper limits of priestly power. 320 00:22:44,160 --> 00:22:47,680 Beckett supported the church's views that the clergy should not be 321 00:22:47,680 --> 00:22:50,400 subject to King Henry's royal courts, 322 00:22:50,400 --> 00:22:53,960 but should be tried in special church courts where the worst 323 00:22:53,960 --> 00:22:58,080 punishment, even for rape or murder, was expulsion from the clergy. 324 00:23:02,640 --> 00:23:06,200 Beckett refused to compromise. 325 00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:11,040 In fear of the King's wrath, he spent six years exiled in France. 326 00:23:13,800 --> 00:23:18,320 In 1170, he reached a form of reconciliation with the King 327 00:23:18,320 --> 00:23:20,840 and came home. 328 00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:24,720 But from the pulpit in Canterbury, he immediately began to 329 00:23:24,720 --> 00:23:27,440 excommunicate all who had crossed him. 330 00:23:30,760 --> 00:23:36,120 This news provoked an outburst of demonic Plantagenet fury. 331 00:23:36,120 --> 00:23:39,440 "I have brought up and raised some feeble, wretched men in my kingdom 332 00:23:39,440 --> 00:23:41,080 "who are not loyal to their Lord. 333 00:23:41,080 --> 00:23:42,520 "Whom they allow to be mocked 334 00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:46,320 "so shamefully by some low born clergyman." 335 00:23:46,320 --> 00:23:49,240 Legend has simplified King Henry's words into, 336 00:23:49,240 --> 00:23:51,920 "Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?" 337 00:23:57,000 --> 00:24:00,960 Four knights decided they understood the King's wish. 338 00:24:03,360 --> 00:24:07,720 In Canterbury, they found Beckett eating in the Bishop's Palace. 339 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:11,960 Harsh words were exchanged. 340 00:24:13,480 --> 00:24:17,040 The Archbishop then made his way through these cloisters 341 00:24:17,040 --> 00:24:18,480 and into the cathedral. 342 00:24:27,560 --> 00:24:30,520 The four found Beckett here, in the north transept. 343 00:24:30,520 --> 00:24:32,800 They attempted to drag him back outside, 344 00:24:32,800 --> 00:24:34,920 but the Archbishop clung to a pillar, 345 00:24:34,920 --> 00:24:37,960 calling them pimps and madmen. They struck out. 346 00:24:43,880 --> 00:24:46,440 The first blows felled Beckett. 347 00:24:46,440 --> 00:24:48,080 Then one of the knights hit him 348 00:24:48,080 --> 00:24:51,120 with such force that he sliced off the top of his head. 349 00:24:53,520 --> 00:24:56,680 The sword itself shattered on the paving stones. 350 00:25:00,800 --> 00:25:04,800 The knights spread Beckett's brains on the floor and ran off, 351 00:25:04,800 --> 00:25:07,920 one of them calling out, "This one won't rise again." 352 00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:33,120 Within days, stories began to circulate that Beckett's 353 00:25:33,120 --> 00:25:35,840 blood had miraculous powers. 354 00:25:37,520 --> 00:25:42,720 Soon people with fevers, tumours, swollen legs, 355 00:25:42,720 --> 00:25:48,040 were being cured by a single drop. 356 00:25:48,040 --> 00:25:50,840 The pope declared Beckett a saint. 357 00:25:58,160 --> 00:26:01,600 Pilgrims came here in their thousands. 358 00:26:01,600 --> 00:26:04,520 The purchased little badges or tokens, like this one, 359 00:26:04,520 --> 00:26:06,880 and they would take these home and wear them 360 00:26:06,880 --> 00:26:08,800 on their clothes or on their hats. 361 00:26:10,840 --> 00:26:13,600 Or they might acquire flasks, like this, 362 00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:17,800 containing a tiny drop of Beckett's blood diluted in water. 363 00:26:17,800 --> 00:26:21,320 And they would wear them around their necks for protection or 364 00:26:21,320 --> 00:26:24,240 even drink the water in hopes of a miraculous cure. 365 00:26:26,520 --> 00:26:31,400 These objects show that Beckett was more successful in death than 366 00:26:31,400 --> 00:26:32,720 he had been in life. 367 00:26:48,480 --> 00:26:51,880 Henry's expansion of Plantagenet power had turned many 368 00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:53,840 nobles against him... 369 00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:57,400 and Beckett's murder shattered his reputation in France. 370 00:27:02,400 --> 00:27:06,320 Henry struggled to hold his sprawling empire together. 371 00:27:06,320 --> 00:27:10,360 He had limitless energy and was never in the same place for long. 372 00:27:10,360 --> 00:27:12,400 King Louis of France once said of him, 373 00:27:12,400 --> 00:27:14,240 "Now in England. Now in Normandy. 374 00:27:14,240 --> 00:27:18,480 "He must fly rather than travel by boat or horse." 375 00:27:18,480 --> 00:27:20,520 The French king was always eager to stir up 376 00:27:20,520 --> 00:27:22,680 dissention in the Plantagenet family. 377 00:27:22,680 --> 00:27:26,240 He was still furious about Eleanor's marriage to Henry. 378 00:27:26,240 --> 00:27:29,320 Complicating matters was Eleanor herself. 379 00:27:29,320 --> 00:27:33,040 She may have been Henry's queen, but she was not always his ally. 380 00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:39,880 In fact, the greatest threat to Henry 381 00:27:39,880 --> 00:27:42,480 came from his own wife and children. 382 00:27:47,960 --> 00:27:52,480 Henry and Eleanor had three daughters and five sons together. 383 00:27:52,480 --> 00:27:56,120 Four of the boys lived to adulthood. 384 00:27:56,120 --> 00:27:58,320 Henry, 385 00:27:58,320 --> 00:27:59,600 Richard, 386 00:27:59,600 --> 00:28:00,960 Geoffrey, 387 00:28:00,960 --> 00:28:04,000 and the youngest and the King's favourite, John. 388 00:28:07,040 --> 00:28:10,560 After John's birth, Eleanor moved back to Aquitaine. 389 00:28:11,560 --> 00:28:15,480 She insisted her favourite son, Richard, be made Duke. 390 00:28:17,200 --> 00:28:20,880 Her scheme was to rule her homeland in his name. 391 00:28:21,960 --> 00:28:26,120 But Henry frustrated Eleanor and his teenage son. 392 00:28:28,680 --> 00:28:33,160 Plantagenet sons were impatient to exercise real power. 393 00:28:33,160 --> 00:28:36,960 They had been brought up to command, trained in deadly warfare, 394 00:28:36,960 --> 00:28:40,920 their political marriages often arranged in infancy. 395 00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:43,720 At the age of 20, Henry himself ruled of half of France 396 00:28:43,720 --> 00:28:46,280 and had been promised the throne of England. 397 00:28:46,280 --> 00:28:48,560 His sons were equally ambitious. 398 00:28:53,280 --> 00:28:56,520 Henry and Eleanor's eldest son, Henry the Younger, 399 00:28:56,520 --> 00:29:00,240 sparked a first great Plantagenet family implosion. 400 00:29:02,040 --> 00:29:07,160 His father had agreed to let him be crowned joint King of England, 401 00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:11,200 but refused to trust him with any authority or independent income. 402 00:29:13,840 --> 00:29:15,840 Encouraged by Louis of France, 403 00:29:15,840 --> 00:29:19,160 young Henry raised a rebellion against his father. 404 00:29:20,800 --> 00:29:25,040 His younger brothers Richard and Geoffrey also joined the revolt. 405 00:29:27,640 --> 00:29:31,720 They were supported by disaffected French counts... 406 00:29:31,720 --> 00:29:34,120 and some of England's most powerful barons. 407 00:29:36,720 --> 00:29:38,920 Then Eleanor joined the fray. 408 00:29:43,120 --> 00:29:46,120 Medieval kings often face rebellious sons. 409 00:29:46,120 --> 00:29:49,440 A rebellious queen was less common and more shocking. 410 00:29:49,440 --> 00:29:51,040 So, when Eleanor was caught 411 00:29:51,040 --> 00:29:53,600 attempting to cross France to join her sons, 412 00:29:53,600 --> 00:29:56,800 Henry regarded this as the greatest betrayal of all. 413 00:29:56,800 --> 00:29:58,840 Perhaps even more shocking was the fact 414 00:29:58,840 --> 00:30:00,600 that she was disguised as a man. 415 00:30:15,280 --> 00:30:18,120 This is the ancient chapel of St Radegund... 416 00:30:19,840 --> 00:30:21,560 ..carved into the cliffs 417 00:30:21,560 --> 00:30:25,120 below the Plantagenet fortress of Chinon in Anjou. 418 00:30:26,960 --> 00:30:30,040 It's been a place of worship since Roman times. 419 00:30:33,840 --> 00:30:37,440 In 1964, this 12th-century fresco 420 00:30:37,440 --> 00:30:40,520 was discovered under centuries of grime. 421 00:30:44,360 --> 00:30:47,280 It's widely agreed that they are the Plantagenets. 422 00:30:47,280 --> 00:30:49,520 And it could be significant that their cloaks have 423 00:30:49,520 --> 00:30:51,720 the same blue-and-white lining as we find 424 00:30:51,720 --> 00:30:54,400 on Geoffrey Plantagenet's funerary plaque. 425 00:30:54,400 --> 00:30:56,880 But it's not quite certain who they are. 426 00:30:56,880 --> 00:31:00,040 It could be Henry II and his four sons. 427 00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:02,960 The first crowned figure being Henry II 428 00:31:02,960 --> 00:31:06,080 and the other crowned figure being Henry, the young king, 429 00:31:06,080 --> 00:31:07,960 who was the only son of an English king 430 00:31:07,960 --> 00:31:09,960 to be crowned in his father's lifetime. 431 00:31:11,040 --> 00:31:14,040 But one scholar claims to see Eleanor of Aquitaine 432 00:31:14,040 --> 00:31:16,160 being led off into captivity in England... 433 00:31:17,360 --> 00:31:20,280 ..where she was in fact held a prisoner by her husband 434 00:31:20,280 --> 00:31:21,880 for the next 16 years. 435 00:31:30,040 --> 00:31:31,400 GATE RATTLES 436 00:31:39,280 --> 00:31:42,360 With his formidable wife imprisoned in England, 437 00:31:42,360 --> 00:31:46,000 Henry did battle with the French king, the rebel barons 438 00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:49,360 and his own sons for 18 months. 439 00:31:51,960 --> 00:31:54,360 The rebels claimed that Thomas Becket, 440 00:31:54,360 --> 00:31:56,440 the new martyr, was on their side. 441 00:31:56,440 --> 00:31:59,240 And Henry sought to ward off the martyr's anger 442 00:31:59,240 --> 00:32:02,600 by a remarkable act of public atonement for the murder. 443 00:32:02,600 --> 00:32:04,200 At the height of the rebellion, 444 00:32:04,200 --> 00:32:07,760 the proud Plantagenet king came to Canterbury. 445 00:32:07,760 --> 00:32:11,760 Here, at the Westgate, he dismounted, removed his shoes 446 00:32:11,760 --> 00:32:14,600 and walked barefoot through the crowded streets. 447 00:32:25,600 --> 00:32:29,320 Henry made his way to the shrine of his murdered friend. 448 00:32:30,920 --> 00:32:34,080 He removed his cloak to reveal a hair shirt 449 00:32:34,080 --> 00:32:38,680 and submitted to being beaten bloody by the bishops and months. 450 00:32:38,680 --> 00:32:41,080 BELL TOLLS, WHIPS CRACK 451 00:32:44,280 --> 00:32:48,440 He spent the night prostrate on the bare stone floor. 452 00:32:51,520 --> 00:32:53,920 Henry's salvation came quickly. 453 00:32:53,920 --> 00:32:58,360 The very next day, his troops won a stunning victory over his enemies 454 00:32:58,360 --> 00:33:01,160 and soon, they were all brought to submission. 455 00:33:01,160 --> 00:33:04,560 But Henry had been forced to abase himself before the clergy 456 00:33:04,560 --> 00:33:07,520 and recognise the authority of the Church. 457 00:33:07,520 --> 00:33:11,240 Tension between monarchy and church was never fully resolved. 458 00:33:11,240 --> 00:33:13,360 But the Plantagenet settlement with the Pope 459 00:33:13,360 --> 00:33:16,040 held for the next 350 years. 460 00:33:19,800 --> 00:33:22,640 There was no settlement between the Plantagenets 461 00:33:22,640 --> 00:33:27,680 and the French monarchy, despite a new king, Philip, taking the throne. 462 00:33:28,920 --> 00:33:32,200 He encouraged Henry the Younger, and his brother Geoffrey, 463 00:33:32,200 --> 00:33:33,440 to rebel again. 464 00:33:36,160 --> 00:33:39,760 This time, they attacked their brother Richard's Duchy of Aquitaine 465 00:33:39,760 --> 00:33:42,720 and occupied the city of Limoges. 466 00:33:47,720 --> 00:33:50,440 Henry II marched on the city 467 00:33:50,440 --> 00:33:54,440 and rode up to the walls, hoping to reason with his sons. 468 00:34:04,400 --> 00:34:09,600 Henry the Younger ordered archers to fire on his own father. 469 00:34:12,200 --> 00:34:14,760 An arrow narrowly missed the King. 470 00:34:21,080 --> 00:34:25,240 A few months later, young Henry was struck down with dysentery. 471 00:34:25,240 --> 00:34:28,880 To fight against your father, and against the King, was a sin 472 00:34:28,880 --> 00:34:31,760 and Henry believed that his illness was divine retribution. 473 00:34:32,800 --> 00:34:36,280 As an act of penance, he gave away all his possessions. 474 00:34:36,280 --> 00:34:39,920 He lay on a bed of ashes, dressed in a hair shirt, 475 00:34:39,920 --> 00:34:43,160 with a noose around his neck like a common criminal. 476 00:34:43,160 --> 00:34:47,120 Young King Henry died with nothing but the sapphire ring 477 00:34:47,120 --> 00:34:50,960 his father had sent him as a token of forgiveness. 478 00:34:50,960 --> 00:34:53,600 When he heard of the death of his eldest son, 479 00:34:53,600 --> 00:34:55,720 old King Henry said, 480 00:34:55,720 --> 00:35:00,320 "He cost me much, but I wish he lived to cost me more." 481 00:35:04,360 --> 00:35:07,840 Now, it was Richard's turn to betray his father. 482 00:35:09,520 --> 00:35:14,000 And once again, the French king was the family traitor's ally. 483 00:35:16,400 --> 00:35:21,280 The two spent the summer pursuing the ageing Henry around France. 484 00:35:25,080 --> 00:35:28,720 They eventually besieged him here, in his birthplace, Le Mans. 485 00:35:34,480 --> 00:35:37,800 In order to deny his assailant supplies and a base, 486 00:35:37,800 --> 00:35:40,840 Henry ordered that the suburbs outside the city walls 487 00:35:40,840 --> 00:35:44,480 should be put to the torch, but the wind changed and the flames 488 00:35:44,480 --> 00:35:48,040 leapt over these ancient Roman walls into the city itself. 489 00:35:50,160 --> 00:35:52,600 Henry was forced to abandon Le Mans. 490 00:35:53,720 --> 00:35:58,040 Ill and exhausted, he had to submit to his treacherous son. 491 00:35:58,040 --> 00:36:02,120 But as he gave Richard the kiss of peace, he whispered in his ear, 492 00:36:02,120 --> 00:36:06,880 "God grant that I do not die until I have avenged myself on you." 493 00:36:16,960 --> 00:36:21,440 Too sick to walk, Henry was carried here to Chinon Castle. 494 00:36:23,360 --> 00:36:27,120 He was shown a list of those who had rebelled against him. 495 00:36:28,400 --> 00:36:33,320 At its head was the name of his youngest and favourite son. 496 00:36:35,280 --> 00:36:38,720 "Is it true?" he said, "That John, my heart, whom I've loved 497 00:36:38,720 --> 00:36:41,320 "more than all my other sons, has abandoned me?" 498 00:36:42,800 --> 00:36:47,800 On the 6th of July, 1189, betrayed by his wife and every son, 499 00:36:47,800 --> 00:36:51,440 Henry, the first Plantagenet King of England, died. 500 00:36:51,440 --> 00:36:53,600 His last words are said to have been, 501 00:36:53,600 --> 00:36:56,400 "Shame, shame, on a conquered king." 502 00:36:57,680 --> 00:36:59,720 BELLS TOLL 503 00:37:02,520 --> 00:37:05,200 The King of England's body was buried here, 504 00:37:05,200 --> 00:37:07,560 in the Abbey of Fontevraud in Anjou. 505 00:37:09,960 --> 00:37:12,600 CHORAL SINGING 506 00:37:20,600 --> 00:37:24,560 The Plantagenets' future now lay in the hands of Richard... 507 00:37:25,760 --> 00:37:28,360 ..a dynamic and bloodthirsty warrior. 508 00:37:33,440 --> 00:37:37,520 One of Richard's courtiers said he was furious in arms, 509 00:37:37,520 --> 00:37:40,560 rejoicing to travel only on bloodstained roads. 510 00:37:42,040 --> 00:37:47,120 But when he arrived here, to stand vigil over his dead father's body, 511 00:37:47,120 --> 00:37:50,760 he is said to have wept bitterly over the king he had betrayed. 512 00:37:51,760 --> 00:37:55,760 As he did so, blood began to pour from the dead king's nostrils. 513 00:37:57,160 --> 00:37:58,920 According to medieval beliefs, 514 00:37:58,920 --> 00:38:02,640 this was sure sign of the presence of a murderer. 515 00:38:05,640 --> 00:38:07,480 The traitorous son would become 516 00:38:07,480 --> 00:38:10,760 the great English hero Richard the Lionheart. 517 00:38:12,440 --> 00:38:14,880 But he could speak barely a word of English. 518 00:38:16,160 --> 00:38:19,720 He visited his kingdom only briefly for his coronation 519 00:38:19,720 --> 00:38:21,600 and, in the ten years of his reign, 520 00:38:21,600 --> 00:38:24,000 spent only six months in the country. 521 00:38:27,120 --> 00:38:30,400 The moment he became king, Richard had his mother, Eleanor, 522 00:38:30,400 --> 00:38:34,480 released from captivity and made regent of England. 523 00:38:37,600 --> 00:38:40,560 Richard, the favourite son, bestowed on his mother 524 00:38:40,560 --> 00:38:44,080 the power of doing whatever she wished in the kingdom. 525 00:38:44,080 --> 00:38:47,560 He himself regarded England primarily as a source of money 526 00:38:47,560 --> 00:38:51,600 to fund his wars to assert Plantagenet power in France 527 00:38:51,600 --> 00:38:55,160 or to win glory and spiritual merit on Crusade. 528 00:38:55,160 --> 00:38:59,920 He once said, "I would sell London if I could find a buyer." 529 00:38:59,920 --> 00:39:01,760 BELLS RING 530 00:39:04,760 --> 00:39:07,520 Europe had been gripped by crusading fever 531 00:39:07,520 --> 00:39:12,240 since Jerusalem had fallen to Saladin's Muslim forces. 532 00:39:12,240 --> 00:39:15,000 The prestige of reclaiming the holy city 533 00:39:15,000 --> 00:39:18,360 was irresistibly appealing to the warlike new king. 534 00:39:19,720 --> 00:39:23,520 Philip of France also vowed to go on crusade. 535 00:39:25,240 --> 00:39:30,520 The two kings arranged to meet here, at Vezelay Abbey in Burgundy. 536 00:39:33,520 --> 00:39:35,720 The chronicle of the Third Crusade 537 00:39:35,720 --> 00:39:38,120 describes how these hills and valleys 538 00:39:38,120 --> 00:39:42,040 were filled with the tents and pavilions of two vast armies. 539 00:39:42,040 --> 00:39:44,120 It looked like a new city. 540 00:39:49,400 --> 00:39:53,320 Richard and Philip spent two days here planning the campaign. 541 00:39:55,680 --> 00:39:59,360 They considered their crusade an armed pilgrimage. 542 00:39:59,360 --> 00:40:03,400 Their hardships would earn them absolution for their sins. 543 00:40:08,600 --> 00:40:12,960 They swore a secret oath agreeing to divide the spoils of war equally. 544 00:40:16,000 --> 00:40:19,840 The two great pilgrim armies then set out for the Holy Land. 545 00:40:23,000 --> 00:40:27,800 But on the way, the grand alliance forged here turned sour. 546 00:40:34,120 --> 00:40:37,320 In Sicily, Richard caused outrage by reneging 547 00:40:37,320 --> 00:40:40,600 on a childhood betrothal to the French king's sister. 548 00:40:42,360 --> 00:40:44,440 The old feud between the Plantagenets 549 00:40:44,440 --> 00:40:48,400 and the French monarchy was reignited. 550 00:40:48,400 --> 00:40:53,280 The armies then made their way separately to the Holy Land. 551 00:40:53,280 --> 00:40:57,200 Philip arrived first and joined a Christian siege 552 00:40:57,200 --> 00:41:00,440 of the strategically crucial port of Acre. 553 00:41:02,320 --> 00:41:06,400 The Plantagenet army arrived seven weeks later. 554 00:41:06,400 --> 00:41:09,000 Richard immediately assumed command 555 00:41:09,000 --> 00:41:11,600 and reenergised the faltering assault. 556 00:41:15,680 --> 00:41:18,840 Richard already had a reputation for ferocity 557 00:41:18,840 --> 00:41:21,680 and his name struck fear into the Muslims. 558 00:41:21,680 --> 00:41:23,760 "The King of England was a very powerful man," 559 00:41:23,760 --> 00:41:28,120 wrote one of Saladin's officials, "A man of great spirit and courage." 560 00:41:28,120 --> 00:41:32,320 He'd fought many great battles and had a burning passion for war. 561 00:41:32,320 --> 00:41:34,400 Muslim mothers told their children, 562 00:41:34,400 --> 00:41:37,080 "Be good, or the King of England will get you." 563 00:41:38,080 --> 00:41:39,960 Within two months of his arrival, 564 00:41:39,960 --> 00:41:43,240 the city that had held out for two years surrendered. 565 00:41:47,920 --> 00:41:51,360 Once again, a French king was humiliated by a Plantagenet. 566 00:41:53,400 --> 00:41:57,000 Announcing his crusade complete, Philip returned to France. 567 00:41:59,240 --> 00:42:00,800 Richard fought on. 568 00:42:02,160 --> 00:42:05,080 But his arrogance turned many allies into enemies. 569 00:42:07,920 --> 00:42:10,160 After 18 months, Richard headed home, 570 00:42:10,160 --> 00:42:15,520 but en route, was captured and imprisoned by the Duke of Austria, 571 00:42:15,520 --> 00:42:18,440 one of the enemies he had made in the Holy Land. 572 00:42:23,920 --> 00:42:27,520 The Plantagenet empire was left in the hands of his mother 573 00:42:27,520 --> 00:42:29,800 and his younger brother John. 574 00:42:32,400 --> 00:42:34,280 It had always been difficult 575 00:42:34,280 --> 00:42:38,120 to fit the youngest Plantagenet son into the family plans. 576 00:42:38,120 --> 00:42:40,960 There had been no territories left to award John 577 00:42:40,960 --> 00:42:44,240 and he'd been nicknamed Lackland. 578 00:42:44,240 --> 00:42:47,840 Henry had finally managed to make him Lord of Ireland. 579 00:42:51,280 --> 00:42:53,960 But John wanted the English crown. 580 00:42:55,520 --> 00:42:58,040 He began plotting with Philip of France. 581 00:43:00,720 --> 00:43:03,640 In exchange for his backing, John agreed to hand him 582 00:43:03,640 --> 00:43:06,360 the strategically vital Vexin region, 583 00:43:06,360 --> 00:43:09,840 guarded by this great border fortress of Gisors. 584 00:43:09,840 --> 00:43:11,680 Gisors protected the gateway 585 00:43:11,680 --> 00:43:14,880 between the lands of the King of France in that direction, 586 00:43:14,880 --> 00:43:17,440 which began just beyond the castle walls, 587 00:43:17,440 --> 00:43:20,800 and Plantagenet Normandy with its capital at Rouen 588 00:43:20,800 --> 00:43:23,840 just a day's ride away in that direction. 589 00:43:23,840 --> 00:43:26,520 John was making a terrible mistake. 590 00:43:26,520 --> 00:43:28,720 By agreeing to surrender the Vexin, 591 00:43:28,720 --> 00:43:31,240 he was leaving Normandy defenceless. 592 00:43:34,880 --> 00:43:36,800 John and Philip did their best 593 00:43:36,800 --> 00:43:39,480 to make sure Richard stayed in his prison. 594 00:43:41,800 --> 00:43:45,760 But Eleanor was doing all she could to free her favourite son. 595 00:43:47,800 --> 00:43:51,680 Eventually, Eleanor managed to raise the enormous ransom, 596 00:43:51,680 --> 00:43:56,680 34 tons of silver, a king's ransom indeed. 597 00:43:56,680 --> 00:43:58,920 Philip sent John word - 598 00:43:58,920 --> 00:44:01,600 "Beware! The devil is loosed!" 599 00:44:06,280 --> 00:44:10,080 On Richard's return, John was forced to submit. 600 00:44:10,080 --> 00:44:13,800 Richard then set about re-conquering what John had lost. 601 00:44:15,200 --> 00:44:19,040 In 1197, Richard confronted Richard's army 602 00:44:19,040 --> 00:44:20,960 before the walls of Gisors. 603 00:44:25,240 --> 00:44:28,120 Richard is said to have ridden at the French 604 00:44:28,120 --> 00:44:32,840 just as a raving lion starved of food runs on his prey. 605 00:44:32,840 --> 00:44:36,880 As they fled, Philip and his knights crowded onto the bridge at Gisors 606 00:44:36,880 --> 00:44:41,440 in such numbers that it collapsed. 20 knights drowned. 607 00:44:41,440 --> 00:44:43,720 King Philip was dragged out alive, 608 00:44:43,720 --> 00:44:46,840 but was said to have "drunk of the river". 609 00:44:46,840 --> 00:44:49,720 Richard had Philip on the run. 610 00:44:55,360 --> 00:44:59,600 Richard had survived many savage campaigns far from home. 611 00:45:03,120 --> 00:45:07,200 But in the spring of 1199, his luck ran out. 612 00:45:13,560 --> 00:45:18,560 While laying siege to the castle of a rebellious baron in Aquitaine, 613 00:45:18,560 --> 00:45:21,240 he was struck by a crossbow bolt. 614 00:45:27,640 --> 00:45:31,040 Returning to his tent, he broke off the shaft, 615 00:45:31,040 --> 00:45:36,120 but the head was too deeply embedded in his shoulder. The wound festered. 616 00:45:36,120 --> 00:45:39,000 Richard wrote a last letter to his mother Eleanor 617 00:45:39,000 --> 00:45:42,400 asking her to come to him, but it was too late. 618 00:45:42,400 --> 00:45:47,520 His body was buried alongside his father in the abbey of Fontevraud. 619 00:45:47,520 --> 00:45:51,040 The heart of the Lion, said to be "of great size", 620 00:45:51,040 --> 00:45:53,920 was interred in the Norman capital, Rouen. 621 00:46:00,720 --> 00:46:04,760 John was now the only surviving son of Henry and Eleanor. 622 00:46:07,040 --> 00:46:10,680 His older brother Geoffrey had died in 1186. 623 00:46:12,120 --> 00:46:15,680 But just as the English crown seemed in his grasp, 624 00:46:15,680 --> 00:46:18,880 he faced another contender for the throne, 625 00:46:18,880 --> 00:46:22,440 Geoffrey's teenage son Arthur. 626 00:46:23,680 --> 00:46:27,480 John quickly secured his coronation at Westminster. 627 00:46:27,480 --> 00:46:32,280 But yet again, the French king provoked a Plantagenet family feud 628 00:46:32,280 --> 00:46:35,600 by supporting Arthur's claim to the English crown. 629 00:46:37,600 --> 00:46:42,960 Wicked uncles are a common feature of medieval dynastic politics. 630 00:46:42,960 --> 00:46:45,720 Like John, they're usually younger brothers. 631 00:46:45,720 --> 00:46:47,800 They watch from the sidelines 632 00:46:47,800 --> 00:46:51,800 as an older brother attains the exalted position of king. 633 00:46:51,800 --> 00:46:53,320 But if that brother dies, 634 00:46:53,320 --> 00:46:55,920 it's understandable that they might think, 635 00:46:55,920 --> 00:46:58,920 "I could tolerate being subordinate to my older brother, 636 00:46:58,920 --> 00:47:01,800 "but not to my snotty-nosed nephew." 637 00:47:01,800 --> 00:47:04,280 And in this violent world, it's not surprising 638 00:47:04,280 --> 00:47:09,240 if the uncle sometimes decides that the nephew must be eliminated. 639 00:47:14,960 --> 00:47:18,640 In 1202, Arthur led an army into Anjou, 640 00:47:18,640 --> 00:47:21,200 hoping to capture his grandmother Eleanor. 641 00:47:23,920 --> 00:47:26,960 The great Plantagenet matriarch was now 80. 642 00:47:29,360 --> 00:47:33,640 John rushed to Anjou to free her, 643 00:47:33,640 --> 00:47:36,360 and young Arthur was captured. 644 00:47:39,400 --> 00:47:42,840 No-one is certain what happened to Arthur after that. 645 00:47:42,840 --> 00:47:46,400 But a contemporary chronicler claims that Arthur's own jailer 646 00:47:46,400 --> 00:47:49,160 told him of the boy's fate. 647 00:47:49,160 --> 00:47:50,480 According to him, 648 00:47:50,480 --> 00:47:53,960 John at first kept his 16-year-old nephew a prisoner, 649 00:47:53,960 --> 00:47:56,480 but then one night after dinner, 650 00:47:56,480 --> 00:47:59,400 when John was "drunk and full of the devil", 651 00:47:59,400 --> 00:48:03,960 he went to Arthur's cell and killed him with his own hands, 652 00:48:03,960 --> 00:48:06,760 then tied a huge stone around the corpse 653 00:48:06,760 --> 00:48:09,640 and tossed it into the River Seine. 654 00:48:15,280 --> 00:48:18,080 Philip of France refused to make peace with John 655 00:48:18,080 --> 00:48:21,280 until Arthur was handed over alive. 656 00:48:23,680 --> 00:48:26,760 He probably knew this was impossible. 657 00:48:30,040 --> 00:48:34,720 One by one, John lost the Plantagenets' French domains. 658 00:48:34,720 --> 00:48:39,200 In 1204, Philip conquered Plantagenet Normandy. 659 00:48:39,200 --> 00:48:45,080 After 300 years, it was now fully part of France once again. 660 00:48:45,080 --> 00:48:49,280 Soon, all that remained of the Plantagenets' continental empire 661 00:48:49,280 --> 00:48:54,880 was Gascony, a fragment of Eleanor's great Duchy of Aquitaine. 662 00:48:57,520 --> 00:49:01,560 Eleanor spent her final years here in Fontevraud Abbey. 663 00:49:01,560 --> 00:49:04,120 She lived to see her only surviving son John 664 00:49:04,120 --> 00:49:07,960 lose the great European empire she had founded and fought for. 665 00:49:07,960 --> 00:49:09,360 She died as the French king 666 00:49:09,360 --> 00:49:12,720 was closing in for his final assault on Normandy. 667 00:49:12,720 --> 00:49:15,760 She was buried here, alongside Henry, 668 00:49:15,760 --> 00:49:18,920 the husband she had betrayed, 669 00:49:18,920 --> 00:49:22,720 and Richard, the son she loved the most. 670 00:49:30,760 --> 00:49:32,000 With France lost, 671 00:49:32,000 --> 00:49:35,200 John was determined to tighten his grip on England. 672 00:49:37,320 --> 00:49:40,000 He dispossessed barons who opposed him, 673 00:49:40,000 --> 00:49:44,520 and exploited his royal powers to accumulate vast personal wealth. 674 00:49:48,680 --> 00:49:53,800 Like his father, John also resented Rome's power in his realm, 675 00:49:53,800 --> 00:49:55,080 and in 1206, 676 00:49:55,080 --> 00:49:59,080 he refused to accept the Pope's latest choice of Archbishop. 677 00:50:00,640 --> 00:50:04,400 In retaliation, the Pope deployed his most fearsome weapon. 678 00:50:04,400 --> 00:50:07,960 The kingdom of England was placed under an interdict. 679 00:50:07,960 --> 00:50:11,520 This meant that all church services in England were suspended. 680 00:50:11,520 --> 00:50:14,440 The churches and cathedrals stood empty. 681 00:50:14,440 --> 00:50:17,400 No baptisms or marriages could take place in church, 682 00:50:17,400 --> 00:50:19,720 the dead could not be buried in churchyards. 683 00:50:19,720 --> 00:50:22,080 No church bells were heard in England. 684 00:50:22,080 --> 00:50:24,080 And this lasted six years. 685 00:50:25,040 --> 00:50:27,800 For believers in a so-called "age of faith", 686 00:50:27,800 --> 00:50:30,240 this must have been deeply disturbing. 687 00:50:30,240 --> 00:50:32,800 But it made John rich. 688 00:50:37,240 --> 00:50:42,000 John hit back, by confiscating the clergy's possessions. 689 00:50:42,000 --> 00:50:44,440 Here at Lincoln Cathedral, the Bishop received 690 00:50:44,440 --> 00:50:48,520 a letter from John, informing him that royal custodians would 691 00:50:48,520 --> 00:50:53,120 seize everything owned by clergy refusing to perform their duties. 692 00:50:58,080 --> 00:51:00,600 John had a malicious sense of humour. 693 00:51:00,600 --> 00:51:03,600 He ordered that all the priests' mistresses should be locked up 694 00:51:03,600 --> 00:51:06,120 and held to ransom. 695 00:51:06,120 --> 00:51:09,360 The King and the Pope eventually came to terms. 696 00:51:09,360 --> 00:51:13,000 John would accept the Pope's nominee as Archbishop - 697 00:51:13,000 --> 00:51:17,000 but he would keep all the money that he'd squeezed out of the Church. 698 00:51:21,440 --> 00:51:23,280 But John wanted MORE money. 699 00:51:24,800 --> 00:51:27,280 He was determined to fund an army, 700 00:51:27,280 --> 00:51:30,440 to win back his Plantagenet birthright. 701 00:51:30,440 --> 00:51:33,080 The territories he had lost in France. 702 00:51:34,480 --> 00:51:38,840 His English barons didn't share his dynastic ambition, 703 00:51:38,840 --> 00:51:40,600 and were not enthusiastic. 704 00:51:41,960 --> 00:51:45,400 But John began to squeeze them dry, 705 00:51:45,400 --> 00:51:49,160 extracting what he needed through draconian taxes, 706 00:51:49,160 --> 00:51:53,640 and by exploiting the royal courts his father had established. 707 00:51:55,800 --> 00:52:00,360 John soon became richer than any English king before him. 708 00:52:03,480 --> 00:52:05,840 The hostility this provoked was compounded 709 00:52:05,840 --> 00:52:08,480 by John's reputation for lechery. 710 00:52:08,480 --> 00:52:11,160 He was accused of sleeping with the wives and daughters 711 00:52:11,160 --> 00:52:12,400 of his barons. 712 00:52:12,400 --> 00:52:16,000 He certainly fathered at least half a dozen illegitimate children. 713 00:52:16,000 --> 00:52:19,200 "He was too covetous of pretty women," wrote one contemporary, 714 00:52:19,200 --> 00:52:22,160 "and brought terrible shame to the great men of the land. 715 00:52:22,160 --> 00:52:24,920 "For this, he was much hated." 716 00:52:27,440 --> 00:52:29,160 John trusted no-one 717 00:52:29,160 --> 00:52:32,240 and made his barons hand over family members 718 00:52:32,240 --> 00:52:35,200 as hostages to guarantee their compliance. 719 00:52:38,000 --> 00:52:40,040 When one of his nobles, William de Braose, 720 00:52:40,040 --> 00:52:41,960 prepared to give up his sons, 721 00:52:41,960 --> 00:52:46,400 his wife remembered how the King had treated his own nephew. 722 00:52:48,680 --> 00:52:50,440 DOOR SLAMS 723 00:52:51,640 --> 00:52:55,720 William de Braose was the baron who had served as Arthur's jailer. 724 00:52:55,720 --> 00:52:58,800 His wife shouted at him, "I will not hand over my boys 725 00:52:58,800 --> 00:53:00,280 "to your lord, King John, 726 00:53:00,280 --> 00:53:02,640 "because he foully murdered his nephew, Arthur, 727 00:53:02,640 --> 00:53:05,360 "when he should have kept him in honourable captivity." 728 00:53:06,320 --> 00:53:08,480 The King's reaction was savage. 729 00:53:08,480 --> 00:53:11,000 De Braose managed to escape to France but John 730 00:53:11,000 --> 00:53:13,520 captured his wife and son and imprisoned them. 731 00:53:14,680 --> 00:53:16,680 He commanded that their food be stopped. 732 00:53:17,600 --> 00:53:21,360 After 11 days, they were found, starved to death. 733 00:53:22,400 --> 00:53:25,160 The son's cheeks had been eaten away 734 00:53:25,160 --> 00:53:27,440 by his ravenous mother. 735 00:53:27,440 --> 00:53:31,240 Plantagenet cruelty had sunk to new depths. 736 00:53:35,880 --> 00:53:38,640 John's invasion of France failed. 737 00:53:38,640 --> 00:53:41,040 In May 1215, many English barons 738 00:53:41,040 --> 00:53:45,600 renounced their allegiance to him and occupied London. 739 00:53:46,760 --> 00:53:49,960 They demanded a settlement, liberating the nobility 740 00:53:49,960 --> 00:53:51,760 from absolute royal power. 741 00:53:55,320 --> 00:53:59,760 In desperation, John agreed to accept the demands they made. 742 00:54:01,360 --> 00:54:03,640 The agreement was issued in a charter 743 00:54:03,640 --> 00:54:05,480 sealed at Runnymede. 744 00:54:07,640 --> 00:54:10,640 Magna Carta - the great charter - 745 00:54:10,640 --> 00:54:14,640 is one of the most famous documents in English history. 746 00:54:17,440 --> 00:54:19,960 Only four copies of the original issue 747 00:54:19,960 --> 00:54:21,400 are known to survive... 748 00:54:22,840 --> 00:54:25,760 ..including this one, held at Lincoln Castle. 749 00:54:30,600 --> 00:54:32,840 To secure the Plantagenets on the throne, 750 00:54:32,840 --> 00:54:36,960 Henry II had concentrated power in the hands of the monarch. 751 00:54:36,960 --> 00:54:41,760 John's abuse of that power showed the dangers of leaving it unchecked. 752 00:54:41,760 --> 00:54:44,440 Magna Carta was the barons' response. 753 00:54:45,400 --> 00:54:47,720 Some of its clauses seem quite mundane, 754 00:54:47,720 --> 00:54:51,080 like the one fixing the level of death duties. 755 00:54:51,080 --> 00:54:53,520 But this was a royal power that John had exploited 756 00:54:53,520 --> 00:54:55,920 for financial gain. 757 00:54:55,920 --> 00:54:58,360 Other clauses have a more ringing tone. 758 00:54:59,600 --> 00:55:03,560 "No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, except by the lawful 759 00:55:03,560 --> 00:55:07,120 "judgment of his peers and by the law of the land." 760 00:55:08,200 --> 00:55:12,360 "To no-one will we sell, to no-one deny or delay 761 00:55:12,360 --> 00:55:14,240 "right and justice." 762 00:55:17,640 --> 00:55:20,240 All the clauses are based on the idea that 763 00:55:20,240 --> 00:55:22,320 there is a right way of doing things, 764 00:55:22,320 --> 00:55:25,640 enshrined in Magna Carta as the law of the land. 765 00:55:25,640 --> 00:55:28,240 The most important thing was that it bound both king 766 00:55:28,240 --> 00:55:30,680 and subject. 767 00:55:30,680 --> 00:55:32,560 Plantagenet dynastic ambition 768 00:55:32,560 --> 00:55:35,400 had provoked a new settlement between the monarchs 769 00:55:35,400 --> 00:55:37,400 and those they ruled. 770 00:55:42,440 --> 00:55:45,440 Magna Carta has become an emblem of liberty. 771 00:55:46,600 --> 00:55:49,440 But at the time it was a complete failure. 772 00:55:54,920 --> 00:55:58,680 The Pope called it, "Not only shameful and demeaning 773 00:55:58,680 --> 00:56:01,240 "but also illegal and unjust." 774 00:56:03,360 --> 00:56:06,000 At John's request, he annulled it. 775 00:56:07,680 --> 00:56:10,640 Once again, the Plantagenets plunged England 776 00:56:10,640 --> 00:56:12,600 into civil war. 777 00:56:12,600 --> 00:56:15,520 Many barons decided they would rather be ruled by 778 00:56:15,520 --> 00:56:17,800 the French than by John. 779 00:56:20,240 --> 00:56:22,600 The rebels offered the English throne 780 00:56:22,600 --> 00:56:26,800 to Prince Louis, son of the Plantagenets' perennial enemy - 781 00:56:26,800 --> 00:56:28,800 King Philip of France. 782 00:56:28,800 --> 00:56:31,880 In 1217, Louis landed on the English coast 783 00:56:31,880 --> 00:56:34,560 and was warmly welcomed by the rebels. 784 00:56:34,560 --> 00:56:36,800 Some celebrated his arrival 785 00:56:36,800 --> 00:56:40,160 as liberation from Plantagenet tyranny. 786 00:56:40,160 --> 00:56:42,280 The madness of slavery is over. 787 00:56:42,280 --> 00:56:44,840 Days of liberty have arrived. 788 00:56:44,840 --> 00:56:48,120 Happy days at last, after so many evils. 789 00:56:51,720 --> 00:56:56,360 In his 17-year reign, John had lost most of the Plantagenet empire. 790 00:56:58,240 --> 00:57:01,160 Now, the English crown was at stake. 791 00:57:08,960 --> 00:57:11,880 John led his mercenary army on a rampage, 792 00:57:11,880 --> 00:57:15,080 attacking rebel-held areas across southern England. 793 00:57:19,920 --> 00:57:22,760 In King's Lynn he contracted dysentery 794 00:57:22,760 --> 00:57:24,840 but refused to rest. 795 00:57:27,160 --> 00:57:29,960 In October, John took a short cut here 796 00:57:29,960 --> 00:57:32,240 across the marshes of The Wash. 797 00:57:35,640 --> 00:57:38,880 The wagons carrying his vast, accumulated treasures 798 00:57:38,880 --> 00:57:41,960 were cut off by the incoming tide. 799 00:57:45,080 --> 00:57:46,840 As the King looked on helplessly, 800 00:57:46,840 --> 00:57:50,160 men, horses and the treasure he'd acquired so ruthlessly 801 00:57:50,160 --> 00:57:52,280 were swallowed up by the quicksands. 802 00:57:53,400 --> 00:57:56,600 Exhausted and broken, John died three days later. 803 00:57:57,760 --> 00:58:00,480 In medieval Europe, the destinies of nations 804 00:58:00,480 --> 00:58:03,440 were determined by the live and the deaths 805 00:58:03,440 --> 00:58:05,000 of their ruling dynasties. 806 00:58:05,000 --> 00:58:08,400 John's death plunged the Plantagenets into crisis. 807 00:58:09,520 --> 00:58:13,120 His son and heir, Henry, was a nine-year-old boy. 808 00:58:13,120 --> 00:58:16,200 Half the kingdom that he'd inherited was in the hands 809 00:58:16,200 --> 00:58:19,080 of the French prince, who was holding court in London. 810 00:58:19,080 --> 00:58:21,640 The future of the Plantagenet dynasty 811 00:58:21,640 --> 00:58:23,560 had never looked so bleak. 812 00:58:30,200 --> 00:58:33,520 In the next programme, The English Empire, 813 00:58:33,520 --> 00:58:37,480 the resurgent Plantagenets fight to expand their dominion 814 00:58:37,480 --> 00:58:39,920 across Wales and Scotland. 815 00:58:41,120 --> 00:58:43,520 They attempt to win back France. 816 00:58:45,680 --> 00:58:49,440 And Parliament is born in a Plantagenet golden age 817 00:58:49,440 --> 00:58:52,080 of pageants and chivalry.