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Professor Bartlett discovers how the later Plantagenet Kings strove
to reclaim their lost lands and enlarge their influence over the
British Isles through numerous battles, violence and bloodshed,
after the loss of the Angevin Empire in the thirteenth century.
He then turns away from the gore of medieval warfare, and focuses
on the elements of the Middle Ages that can be argued as more
important than the wars themselves. Bartlett looks at the
establishment of the first Parliament, the adoption of the title of
the Prince of Wales, the development of national identity, and the
creation of the symbol of England; the St George cross.
He highlights to audiences the significance of when the aristocracy
began to cease using French as the language of the nobility in the
middle of the fourteenth century, and discusses the age of chivalry
and the creation of the Order of the Garter.
An English Empire will be broadcasted on BBC Two at 9pm on
Monday 24th March and will be available to watch
online soon after the episode airs.
The second episode of the series was produced and directed by David
Vincent.
Photo credit: BBC/Jamie Simpson]]>
