Professor Robert Bartlett tells the extraordinary story of England's most dysfunctional, yet longest ruling, royal dynasty.
These clips are taken from the original BBC Two programme, The Plantagenets.
Suitable for teaching history at KS4 / GCSE in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and National 4, National 5 and Higher in Scotland.
The rise of the Plantagenets. video
This clip explains how the marriage of Princess Matilda to a French duke founded the 331-year-long Plantaganet dynasty. Following a civil war with King Stephen, their son Henry II ruled vast lands in England and France.
Magna Carta. video
Magna Carta is one of the most famous documents in British history. This clip explains how King John’s conflicts with his barons led to them demanding he sign a document limiting his absolute power.
The birth of parliament. video
This clip explains how De Montfort’s Parliament of 1265 laid the foundations for the two houses of our modern Parliament.
Edward I, the Welsh and the Scots. video
This clip explores Edward I of England’s determination to take control of the whole of Britain, how he achieved this in Wales, but failed to do so in Scotland.
The Peasants' Revolt. video
This clip explains how an unpopular new tax led to the greatest uprising in the history of Medieval England, the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, and how young Richard II defused it.
The fall of the Plantagenets. video
This clip explores the battle for supremacy between two branches of the Plantagenet family during the Wars of the Roses, and the events that led up to the death in battle of Richard III, the last Plantagenet king.
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