<
In this new BBC Two three-part documentary series, Professor Robert
Bartlett reveals the dramatic stories behind England’s longest
ruling dynasty, the Plantagenets.
In the first episode, The Devil’s Brood, Professor Bartlett
begins his investigation into this complex dynasty by looking at
the reign of the peripatetic King, Henry II. Henry inherited his
lands on the Continent from his father, Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count
of Anjou. It was with this that Henry was able to forge such an
expansive empire throughout England and most of France, so much so
that he, ironically, ruled over more of France than the French King
himself.
Bartlett reveals to audiences the unpredictable lives of just a
number of the characters which dominated the events surrounding the
formation of the Angevin Empire, including Eleanor of Aquitaine,
the infamous Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Beckett, and Henry’s
sons, Richard ‘the Lionheart’ and John.
Bartlett describes in detail the severity of the events leading up
to Richard and John’s attempts at overthrowing their father’s
crown, whilst under the encouragement of their tempestuous mother,
Eleanor of Aquitaine.
The Devil’s Brood will be broadcasted on BBC Two at 9pm on
Monday 17th March and will be available to watch online
soon after the first broadcast.
The first episode was produced and directed by Jamie Simpson.
Photo credit: BBC/Jamie Simpson]]>
mistake prof bartlett !! eleanor of aquitaine was not an only child she had a sister petronilla .