A History of Britain

Episode 1: Beginnings
Simon Schama explores a nation conceived by war, trade and an infatuation with Rome.

Renowned historian Simon Schama begins his history of Britain with a visit to the miraculously preserved Stone Age cottages of Skara Brae in Orkney, Scotland. He then investigates the world of Anglo-Saxon England, newly converted to Christianity and plagued by Vikings. He describes how a nation was conceived by war, trade, migrations of people, religion and an infatuation with Rome.

Episode 2: Conquest
The events leading up to the Battle of Hastings, a pivotal moment in Britain’s history.

In 1066, over nine short hours, William the Conqueror triumphed at the Battle of Hastings and England was changed forever. Celebrated historian Simon Schama recounts the saga of blood, betrayal and ambition that led up to this pivotal battle and describes the profound consequences that followed. Anglo-Saxon England became Norman and, for the next 300 years, its fate was decided by Norman rulers.

Episode 3: Dynasty
Murder and betrayal dog the legacy of Henry II but he also built a mighty empire.

King Henry II built one of the greatest empires in the medieval world, only to see his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and his scheming sons tear it all to pieces. But as Simon Schama reveals, he also created the jury system and the first legal statute books. But today he is best remembered as the man who ordered the brutal murder of Thomas Becket, his best friend turned bitterest enemy.

Episode 4: Nations
Edward I spent his life trying to impose English rule but instead inspired independence.

Edward I is known by many as the villainous king in the Hollywood film Braveheart, who tried to force English rule on Scotland and Wales, but found the resultant slaughter only served to inspire bold declarations of independence. But as Simon Schama discovers, when the king was eventually forced to listen to the parliament of his own people, England would also learn what it meant to be a nation.

Episode 5: King Death
The Black Death killed half of Britain’s population and led to anarchy and unrest.

The Black Death killed half of medieval Britain’s population and condemned those who lived, including King Richard II, to decades of anarchy and unrest. Renowned historian Simon Schama continues his look at British history with an investigation into the horrors and consequences of this plague. While many perished, it also created an unlikely breed of survivor in the form of the country gent.

Episode 6: Burning Convictions
Henry VIII’s actions led to religious upheaval that would claim the lives of thousands.

After years of dedication to Rome, Britain stopped being a Catholic country in just three generations. As Simon Schama discovers, Henry VIII’s passion for Anne Boleyn set in motion a tidal wave of religious upheaval that would claim the lives of thousands. Although Henry himself remained a Catholic all his life, his son Edward VI, a Protestant by conviction, made sure there would be no going back.

Episode 7: The Body Of The Queen
Simon Schama examines the bloody power struggle between Elizabeth I and her cousin Mary.

Queen Elizabeth I was one of Britain’s most intelligent monarchs, ruling a Protestant rogue state in a Catholic world. But it was her relationship with her cousin Mary Queen of Scots that would test her the most. Elizabeth never married. Mary married twice but it ruined her. Simon Schama examines the bloody power struggle between these queens and asks who was the real victor in the end?

Episode 8: The British Wars
A look at the turbulent civil wars that dramatically changed British history forever.

Historian Simon Schama looks beyond the romantic stories of Cavaliers and Roundheads to the real story of the English Civil War. The bloody skirmish saw thousands of Britons dead, countless families torn apart and a nation bitterly divided. Two events unique within British history resulted. The public execution of the monarch, Charles I, and the creation of England’s first and only republic.

Episode 9: Revolutions
The turbulent revolutionary period in Britain after the execution of King Charles I.

In Britain, the years 1649 to 1689 were turbulent. From Oliver Cromwell’s republic to Charles II’s restoration and James II’s pro-Catholic rule, it was an era of drama and unease. Simon Schama investigates the dramatic story of the revolutionary period after the execution of Charles I, when Cromwell ruled with an iron hand and Charles II attempted to restore the monarchy.

Episode 10: Britannia Incorporated
The 18th century saw an economic explosion that gave birth to the consumer society.

Simon Schama’s epic look at British history reaches the 18th century and the birth of modern Britain. Due to an economic explosion, the consumer society is born, and London evolves into the fastest growing city in Europe. However, many in Scotland are unhappy with the union of the Scottish and English parliaments and soon the country’s new-found peace and prosperity are threatened.

Episode 11: Empires
How did a small set of islands come to rule an empire that stretched around the globe?

Simon Schama traces the steps of the empire-makers to tell the extraordinary story of how Britain came to rule an empire that stretched around the globe. How did a trading enterprise based on the idea of liberty lead to the enslavement of millions of Africans? On a journey that takes him to Barbados, North America, Canada and India, Schama reveals how Britain led ‘the wrong empire’.

Episode 12: Forces of Nature
Britain never had the kind of revolution France experienced, but how close did it come?

The French Revolution in 1789 sent shockwaves through Britain. While some watched transfixed, others were horrified. Historian Simon Schama explores why the British proved immune to the siren call of liberty, equality and fraternity and how close they actually came to a revolution of their own. He also looks at ‘the romantic generation’ and how they linked nature to radical politics.

Episode 13: Victoria And Her Sisters
How women responded to the dramatic changes brought about by the industrial revolution.

She began the century that bears her name as a princess and ended it as an empress. Queen Victoria ruled one of the most powerful empires in world history during a century of staggering change, for both good and bad. But, as Simon Schama reveals, it was Victorian women who were at the forefront of the fight against its excesses and inequalities and campaigned for the rights of ordinary people.

Episode 14: The Empire of Good Intentions
How the liberal politics and free-market economics of the British Empire unraveled.

The liberal politics and free-market economics of the British Empire in the 19th century quickly unraveled. As historian Simon Schama discovers, this caused the potato famine in Ireland and mutiny in India, leading to widespread violence and anger. And by the early 20th century, nationalist movements around the globe had turned their back on the British ‘workshop of the world’.

Episode 14: The Two Winstons
What is the legacy of the war and turmoil of the 20th Century and how has Britain changed?

Simon Schama tackles 20th century British history through the lives of two men, Prime Minister Winston Churchill and writer George Orwell. Both men lived through and wrote about the key moments of British 20th century life including the Depression, Empire, two world wars and the Cold War. What unites them, argues Schama, is one shared theme. Forget history at your peril.