ANST - A History of Britain

[Bob Kelley]

Greetings History Fans,
from Emrys in Bjornsborg

     In case you haven't seen this.  Starting on Monday night of next
week the History Channel will be featuring a 6 part documentary on the
History of Britain.  The following information is gleaned from their web
site, but I highly advise checking our local times for the shows you
wish to see.  It appears that each episode will be repeated later in the
night.  Don't forget to adjust your video recorders to take into account
this weekend's time change.  A quick email post to their web site
mentions that the box set of the series will soon be available as well
as an accompanying text.

A History of Britain - descriptions from the History Channel
(Check your local show times just in case!)
Monday, October 30 8:00 PM
Beginnings - In a journey across 4,000 years, we offer surprising
revelations and much myth breaking as we discover the world of the
prehistoric Britons. Our journey starts in Skara Brae, 5,000 years
ago--a world of the embryonic village. Succeeding generations remained
largely indigenous; trading with the continent but not dominated by the
Celts. The Romans found many and varied people living in the isles and
started a trend--invasion that resulted in only a change of leadership,
not wholesale migration.

Monday, October 30 9:00 PM
Conquest! - Without William the Conqueror's 1066 victory, Britain might
well have been a province of Scandinavia. But after the Norman Conquest,
Britain ceased to look north and turned its face to the south, becoming
part of an Anglo-Norman empire that in time overshadowed even the kings
of France.

Tuesday, October 31 8:00 PM
Dynasty - The great Norman dynasty tears itself apart as cousins fight
over who should be king or empress. Out of their bloody struggle emerges
a new Angevin dynasty and three of the most famous and misunderstood
kings: Henry II, Richard I, and John. And yet each was a French Duke
first and King of England second. At the heart of this medieval history
lies the relationship between the state and church, represented by
Thomas Becket and Henry II.

Tuesday, October 31 9:00 PM
Nations - In the 13th century, the people of Britain found their voice:
proud, defiant, and nationalistic. Its language derived not from
idealism, but as a response to subjugation; the deliberate campaigns of
Edward I to extend his Plantagenet authority over Wales, Scotland, and
Ireland. Out of this attempted hegemony, they gave the first written
expression to their nationalism, stating that they were different from
the English and were determined to maintain that separate identity.

Wednesday, November 01 8:00 PM
King Death - Fundamental changes in the 1500s produced a realm of
modernity. Richard III's first language was English, and grammar schools
educated yeomen's sons, who became the kingdom's merchants, lawyers, and
bankers. Urbanization, embryonic industries, royal finance reform, and
the arrival of printing created an environment that allowed the
Reformation to take place, and helped give birth to a nation of one
language and defined borders.

Wednesday, November 01 9:00 PM
Burning Convictions - Imagine a world where loyalty to one's faith
equals treason and loyalty to one's king is heresy--the world of the
average Briton by the middle of the 16th century. To solve his demand
for a divorce and desire for a male heir, Catholic King Henry VIII made
himself head of the church in England by defying the Pope. Later, his
son sought to create the Church of England--one where the Protestant
doctrine left no room for Catholicism. And his sister, Elizabeth I,
insured its dominance.


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