Britain’s Bloodiest Dynasty Out of the chaos, darkness and violence of the Middle Ages, one family rose to seize control of England. Generation after generation they ruled the country for more than three hundred years, ruthlessly crushing all competition to become the greatest English dynasty of all time. They were The Plantagenets. Presented by award-winning journalist and acclaimed historian Dan Jones, the Plantagenets combines creative and insightful research with searing dramatic reconstructions to bring to life this shocking and visceral time in England’s history. From Henry II, betrayed by his own wife and children when they try to seize the throne to the powerful friendship between Henry III and Simon de Montfort which falls into hatred and bloody civil war; from Edward II’s adulterous French wife and his ‘legendary’ death from a red hot poker to the boy king and tyrant Richard II one of the most vicious and inventive despots in English history; Britain’s Bloodiest Dynasty: The Plantagenets uncovers a dark, vengeful and bloody history which compels viewers into the heart of the action as they bear witness to the most ruthless dynasty in English history.

[edit]Betrayal
From the very beginning, the story of the Plantagenets is astonishing. Dan Jones opens the series with the first king of the dynasty, Henry II. A dashing and energetic warrior, Henry transformed England from a violent and lawless state into the heart of an empire that would become one of the greatest that Europe has ever seen. However, his success was undone by a series of bitter betrayals – first by his best friend, Thomas a Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, and then by his wife and sons, who raised armies against him.

Hatred
Dan Jones continues his history of the Plantagenets by focusing on Henry III, who wanted to restore the empire his father John had lost, but his poor leadership meant the barons refused to give him the funds he required. The king decided he needed a new ally and found him in minor nobleman Simon de Montfort, who soon became a court favourite and married Henry's sister Eleanor. However, they fell out over money, power and religion, and de Montfort turned against Henry and England was plunged into civil war.

Revenge
Dan Jones continues his history of the Plantagenet dynasty with a look at Edward II, who ruled England between 1307 and 1327. In a story of murder, intrigue, lust, betrayal and revenge, the historian explores whether there is any truth behind the rumours that Edward II was gay, investigates what turned his queen into a bloodthirsty matriarch now known as the `She-Wolf', and reveals how the king's obsessions with his noblemen - especially Piers Gaveston - blurred his judgement throughout his reign.

Tyranny
Dan concludes his part-dramatised history of the Plantagenet dynasty by examining the extraordinary story of Richard II, who ascended the throne when he was 10 years old. He won respect for his actions during the Peasants' Revolt of 1381 when he rode out to meet the rebels, but his belief in the divine right of kings led him to become one of the most brutal tyrants in English history. Richard's rivalry and clash of personalities and politics with his cousin Henry Bolingbroke plunged the country into civil war, leading to Richard being deposed in 1399