Monarchy with David Starkey Vol.1 - I just started this series, and I am really enjoying it. Volume 1 covers the early kings, post Roman Empire in Britain through the establishment of the House of Tudor. This is a 1,000 years of history to cover in only 160 minutes. It is a very fast paced, yet a very informative look at Medieval English history. Dr. David Starkey is one of England's most renowned historians, he has written several books on British history. He knows his stuff, that's for sure. I really don't know when the man comes up for breath during his narration.
He covers: All the important players from Ethelred, Alfred the Great, Norman Invasion, The Plantagents to the Tudors. This is a historical documentary with actors~don't expect anything like Showtime's Tudors. Overall the series has been very informative, sometimes confusing, but for the most part entertaining. I am going to keep watching it and look forward to Volume 2.
One complaint I have is that Dr. Starkey concentrates mainly on the male regents and gives very little information on their queens. Eleanore of Aquitaine is barley mentioned. He does give some information re: Isabella queen to Edward II and Elizabeth Woodville, queen to Edward IV.
He had such a vast amount of information to cover in such a short amount of time that it is forgivable to leave out the ladies, but I do hope he will do a documentary just on the Queens of England.
I give this **** 4 stars out of 5
I can see why you might be upset about Eleanore of Aquitaine, since you are related to her! I haven't seen this yet but it sounds very informative.
ReplyDeleteThese Queens were just as important as their husbands, so it's a shame he did not cover them as well. I'll have to check my library for these DVDs.
ReplyDeleteI think I would really enjoy this. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
ReplyDeleteFor those that have enjoyed this series I highly recommend Dr. Starkey's series on the six wives of Henry VIII. It is a two-disc DVD set that is presented by Dr. Starkey & filmed at actual locations. As usual, Dr. Starkey is a wealth of information about these interesting women.
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