Name: The Story of Medieval England: From King Arthur to the Tudor Conquest
Released: 2010-12-19T00:00:00.000Z
Cast: Jennifer Paxton

TV Show · Educational · Documentary

Great Britain's legacy to the English-speaking world, woven intimately into the fabric of almost every aspect of daily life. Paxton delivers a fresh understanding of medieval England, its rulers and subjects, and their significance for today's world.

2010 · 33m

Starring Jennifer Paxton

EPISODE 1

From Britannia to Britain

Discusses how the geography of Britain shape political events over the centuries; introduces the significance of English history between the fifth century fall of the Roman Empire and the 1485 advent of the Tudor dynasty.
EPISODE 2

Roman Britain and the Origins of King Arthur

The collapse of Roman rule, arrival of barbarian raiders and resistance to Germanic immigration serve as a backdrop to a mystery; whether the unidentified champion who temporarily halts the barbarians could be the King Arthur of later legend.
EPISODE 3

The Early Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms

How the victories of the shadowy figure possibly identified with Arthur offer temporary stability; the initiative soon shifts to the Germanic immigrants; the societies that produce them and how their culture is transformed by contact with Britain's.
EPISODE 4

The Conversion of the Anglo-Saxons

The parallel stories of the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity and the emergence of England's seven preeminent regional kingdoms; those kingdoms draw, depending on their location, upon two different sources of Christian influence.
EPISODE 5

Work and Faith in Anglo-Saxon England

The substance of daily life for Anglo-Saxons of all social levels; illness and mortality; moving from paganism to Christianity; farming; trade; raiding; there is tremendous variation in the economic and religious experience of the population.
EPISODE 6

The Viking Invasions

The one or two boat raids of the late eighth century grow into vast armies by the ninth; intent on settling permanently, the invaders' influence in eastern England is profound; landholding, legal institutions and even language altered forever.