Britains Bloody Crown - Presented by Dan Jones - As Seen on Channel 5 [DVD]

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Six hundred years ago England was torn apart by a series of bloody battles for the throne. England s most powerful families went to war against each other in a violent and deadly blood feud. This is the real life Game of Thrones. Tens of thousands were slaughtered. In just thirty years the crown changed hands seven times. It s known as the Wars of the Roses. Across four episodes, accled historian Dan Jones unique storytelling is combined with high-end scripted drama to reveal the true story of the Wars of the Roses. It s a story of human frailties, rivalries, forced hands and blind luck that drove England into decades of violence. Each episode focuses on pivotal characters and the moments in their lives when the world shook and history changed forever. EPISODE ONE - THE MAD KING Dan Jones uncovers the real culprit who started the Wars of the Roses; it is the feeble-minded king Henry VI. A man so incompetent that he allowed a blood feud to explode in his country that took 30 years to heal. EPISODE TWO - THE KINGMAKER MUST DIE Through years of chaos and turbulence, Edward IV tried to keep Warwick onside in his new world order. In the end, Edward IV learnt the hardest lesson of kingship: to save his country a good king must do bad things. And to be a great king, the kingmaker must die. EPISODE THREE - THE PRINCES MUST DIE Dan Jones traces how Richard s own personality and his loyalty to his dead brother painted him into a corner. Leading him one step at a time down the path to destruction. In the end he was left with just two choices. He could let the Woodville s win and he would certainly die, or he could roll the dice and seize the throne. EPISODE FOUR - A MOTHER S LOVE When Richard III snatched the throne and murdered his nephews, Margaret realised that this was a king who could kill her or her son on a whim. So Margaret marshalled all her brilliant political skills. She decided to unseat the King of England and replace him with her only son a rank outsider. The dynasty she founded became the most famous in English history: The Tudors.