Out of the chaos, darkness and violence of the Middle Ages one family rose to seize control of England. Generation after generation they ruled the country for more than 300 years, ruthlessly crushing all competition to become the greatest English dynasty of all time.
They were the Plantagenets and their story is more shocking, more brutal than anything you’ll find in fiction and in this four part docu-drama presented by acclaimed historian Dan Jones, we see their story brought back to life and experience this moment in history like never before.
In episode one we learn of Henry II, a control freak betrayed by his own wife and children after the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket.
Episode two reveals the collapse of friendship between Henry III and Simon de Montfort, spiraling into bloody civil war. Edward II’s obsession with revenge tears England apart in episode 3.
Finally, episode four tells the story of the boy king tyrant, Richard II, one of the most vicious and inventive despots in history.
These people are portrayed as ‘Kings’ but in reality England at the time had the population of a small city by today’s standards and they were basically ignorant thugs and killers.