Episode 1

S1 E1: Acclaimed author Philippa Gregory reveals the emotionally powerful true stories of three remarkable women who lived through the treason and bloodshed of the dynastic conflict we call the War of the Roses. The White Queen is Elizabeth Woodville, her rivals Margaret Beaufort and Anne Neville. Gregory’s claim is that it is impossible to understand this volatile and pivotal moment in English history without understanding the women at the heart of the family feuds that tore the nobility apart. They are as vital as any of the Kings and nobles that conventional history concentrates upon. The White Queen is Elizabeth Woodville a beautiful commoner who enchanted a King and became the first truly English woman to sit on the throne. Gregory recounts in extraordinary detail how she saw her family murdered, her children endangered and was labelled a witch but survived and thrived in the midst of war and conspiracy. She carried the banner of the House of York through this turbulent era. Gregory also brings to vivid life the rivals of White Queen. Margaret Beaufort was a stalwart of the House of Lancaster, the child bride who devoted her life to the cause of her son Henry Tudor. She conspired and schemed against anyone who would deny him his destiny. Gregory captures a woman driven by religious piety and power politics who survives terrible hardship. The final character is Anne Neville, privileged daughter of the most powerful noble in the land, the Earl Of Warwick. As a young woman Anne is sucked into the great power struggles of the period and sees her life transformed from one of gilded luxury into one of terrible danger. Gregory describes how you Anne becomes a crucial figure in the dynastic alliances that changed the nations history. For Gregory the fact that this era was known as the Cousins War at the time reveals just why the women were so important. This was a battle between kin not countries and the loyalties, rebellions, plots and betrayals of these women were decisive in shaping the history of England.