0:00:04 > 0:00:05- SAM WILLIS:- 'Castles.
0:00:05 > 0:00:09'They dominate our landscape, tower over our history
0:00:09 > 0:00:12'and fuel our imagination.'
0:00:14 > 0:00:17I was brought up on stories of castles,
0:00:17 > 0:00:19of knights in shining armour,
0:00:19 > 0:00:22epic sieges and tactical ingenuity.
0:00:22 > 0:00:23I learnt of the castle
0:00:23 > 0:00:26as the ultimate expression of military might.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37'And yet, fascinating as this is,
0:00:37 > 0:00:40'it hides a deeper story.
0:00:40 > 0:00:45'For the story of the castle is the story of these Isles.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48'Of conquest, colonisation and civil war.'
0:00:48 > 0:00:50Firing the cannon!
0:00:53 > 0:00:54'In this series,
0:00:54 > 0:00:57'I'll be looking at the impact of the castle on Britain -
0:00:57 > 0:01:01'finding out how an instrument of military power
0:01:01 > 0:01:04'rapidly took on far wider significance.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08'I'll discover how castles invaded every part of life -
0:01:08 > 0:01:11'becoming homes to a new ruling elite,
0:01:11 > 0:01:13'giving birth to the feudal system...
0:01:15 > 0:01:19'..and even entering our mythology and art.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23'I'll be visiting many of the greatest castles
0:01:23 > 0:01:26'these islands have to offer -
0:01:26 > 0:01:30'the brutal bastions Edward I used to subjugate the Welsh,
0:01:30 > 0:01:34'Henry VIII's defensive fortresses
0:01:34 > 0:01:38'and Elizabethan palaces of seduction.'
0:01:38 > 0:01:39Have a care!
0:01:45 > 0:01:48'But our story begins with the arrival of the castle
0:01:48 > 0:01:51'with the Normans in 1066.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57'A weapon of invasion, these alien structures
0:01:57 > 0:02:02'were to play a central role in the imposition of the new regime.
0:02:02 > 0:02:03OWL HOOTS
0:02:06 > 0:02:08'But then, in the hands of unruly barons,
0:02:08 > 0:02:10'they would lead to anarchy in the realm.'
0:02:12 > 0:02:16The castle dominated our landscape for a thousand years,
0:02:16 > 0:02:19and changed the course of our history.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22Join me, Sam Willis, for the story of the castle,
0:02:22 > 0:02:25and its unparalleled role in shaping Britain.
0:02:47 > 0:02:52'It was in 1066 that the castle first came to these shores,
0:02:52 > 0:02:55'brought here by a man set on rule.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00'Carried as the weapon of the would-be monarch -
0:03:00 > 0:03:02'William the Conqueror.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06'It was a vital tool in his attempt to claim the throne.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09'The castle began its intimate connection with this land
0:03:09 > 0:03:12'as part of the Norman invasion of England.'
0:03:14 > 0:03:18Castles were an integral part of William's war chest from the outset.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22Yes, his ships were packed with soldiers and horses,
0:03:22 > 0:03:26but he also brought with him the wherewithal to build a castle.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29A contemporary account of William's landing at Hastings
0:03:29 > 0:03:32was made by the Norman historian Master Wace,
0:03:32 > 0:03:34and it includes a telling passage.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41"Then they cast out of the ships the materials,
0:03:41 > 0:03:45"and drew them to land, all shaped, framed and pierced
0:03:45 > 0:03:47"to receive the pins which they had brought,
0:03:47 > 0:03:49"cut and ready in large barrels -
0:03:49 > 0:03:54"so that before evening had well set in, they had finished a fort."
0:03:57 > 0:04:01What he's describing is essentially a pre-fabricated castle.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05The castle was such an important part of any Norman campaign,
0:04:05 > 0:04:07William even invaded with one.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12It wasn't the Scandinavians that introduced flat pack to Britain.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15It was their descendants in France,
0:04:15 > 0:04:18the men from the north - the Normans.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23'If you look along the most famous record of the invasion,
0:04:23 > 0:04:29'the Bayeux Tapestry, you can even see a castle under construction.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32'William needed something light and quick to assemble.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35'A wooden castle fit the bill perfectly.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39'Looking at the tapestry, the tower appears to have been put up
0:04:39 > 0:04:42'before the digging of a protective mound has been completed.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45'You can see William's men still digging away
0:04:45 > 0:04:47'to add to the earthwork pile.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52'With cavalry to overwhelm King Harold's well-organised force,
0:04:52 > 0:04:55'and a castle to secure his landing,
0:04:55 > 0:04:57'William won the day.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59'The Norman conquest of England was underway.'
0:05:06 > 0:05:08In his successful invasion of England,
0:05:08 > 0:05:13the castle became an essential tool of William's power and authority -
0:05:13 > 0:05:17a way to secure both his claim and his territory.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle recorded how the Normans,
0:05:22 > 0:05:25"built castles far and wide across the country,
0:05:25 > 0:05:28"and oppressed the wretched people."
0:05:35 > 0:05:38The castle was beginning to put its stamp on our land.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45To give himself the best chance of success,
0:05:45 > 0:05:47William needed something that was quick to construct,
0:05:47 > 0:05:49but that was still effective.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51This is what he used.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55The classic castle design - the type I was taught about at school.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57The motte-and-bailey.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04'A motte-and-bailey is the most basic castle design.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07'A moat surrounded a walled enclosure - the bailey.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12'If this first line of defence was breached,
0:06:12 > 0:06:15'the defenders could retreat back to a tower
0:06:15 > 0:06:18'on a specially-constructed mound - the motte.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22'With the height advantage this provided,
0:06:22 > 0:06:26'the defending archers could dominate the bailey and beyond.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30'It was a highly-practical design.
0:06:35 > 0:06:36'In its very basic form,
0:06:36 > 0:06:39'the motte-and-bailey had one other significant advantage for William.'
0:06:42 > 0:06:45By using wood for the walls, a castle could be built very quickly,
0:06:45 > 0:06:50providing a secure place from which to assert your authority.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53'This is Berkhamsted near London.
0:06:53 > 0:06:58'The place where William accepted the surrender of the English in 1066.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01'But this didn't mark the end of the conflict.'
0:07:10 > 0:07:12It's so easy to think of the Norman conquest
0:07:12 > 0:07:14as nothing more than William's crossing
0:07:14 > 0:07:17and the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
0:07:17 > 0:07:18But, of course, it was a much longer,
0:07:18 > 0:07:20more drawn out process than that.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25'William's army travelled on foot and on horseback.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28'It took time to cross England.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34'The Saxons may not have had castles with which to oppose this invasion,
0:07:34 > 0:07:37'but there were a handful of fortified towns -
0:07:37 > 0:07:39'like the walled city of Exeter.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45'It was to become the site of one of the first stone castles
0:07:45 > 0:07:48'built by the Normans.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51'But before that, they would have to lay siege to it.'
0:07:53 > 0:07:59By 1067, Exeter was already a large city with an impressive history.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02And you can actually read that history in its walls,
0:08:02 > 0:08:03like a historical document.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07You can see clearly here how we have Roman masonry.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11Then above that, several courses of Saxon stones.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15And then above it, this dark course of Norman masonry.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19'This was added when the Normans took control of these walls,
0:08:19 > 0:08:21'and finally made Exeter their own.'
0:08:21 > 0:08:24But first they had to capture the city.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30'The citizens had refused to swear allegiance to William.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33'This is a man who is reputed to have chopped the hands and feet
0:08:33 > 0:08:38'off the defending force of a French town, for insulting his mother.'
0:08:38 > 0:08:41'William was not a man to cross,
0:08:41 > 0:08:43'and he was marching on their city.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49'William was marauding with an army including 500 cavalry.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52'On the way he laid waste to parts of Dorset -
0:08:52 > 0:08:55'a forbidding sign for the people of Exeter.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59'Some of the city fathers faltered at the thought
0:08:59 > 0:09:03'and brought him hostages in exchange for striking a deal.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06'But the people of Exeter had other ideas,
0:09:06 > 0:09:08'and they reneged on the arrangement.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10'William set about surrounding the city,
0:09:10 > 0:09:12'cutting it off from supplies.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14'The siege of Exeter had begun.'
0:09:17 > 0:09:20William and his army approached the city from the north-east,
0:09:20 > 0:09:22fording a stream called the Longbrook,
0:09:22 > 0:09:25and riding up what is now known as Longbrook Street.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29At the East Gate, William had one of the hostages blinded
0:09:29 > 0:09:32to show the citizens of Exeter what to expect.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35But they didn't surrender, and there's even an account
0:09:35 > 0:09:37that one of them took to the castle walls,
0:09:37 > 0:09:40dropped his trousers, and farted.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43The East Gate has now been demolished,
0:09:43 > 0:09:45but you can get a sense from these walls behind me
0:09:45 > 0:09:48that it was once a formidable obstacle.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50William had his engineers dig tunnels
0:09:50 > 0:09:53to try and undermine the walls, and after 18 days,
0:09:53 > 0:09:55they partially collapsed.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57It was the beginning of the end for the defenders.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01But the siege was only broken when Exeter's bishop and his clergy
0:10:01 > 0:10:03took a Bible and some holy relics to William,
0:10:03 > 0:10:06and made him swear an oath not to sack the city
0:10:06 > 0:10:08or harm its people.
0:10:11 > 0:10:12He kept his word.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21To secure his victory, William turned to the castle.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24He charged Baldwin, Sheriff of Devon,
0:10:24 > 0:10:26to build Rougemont Castle -
0:10:26 > 0:10:29so named for the colour of the mound it was built upon,
0:10:29 > 0:10:32and the blocks that were used in its construction.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37'This gatehouse at Exeter Castle
0:10:37 > 0:10:40'is one of the oldest Norman structures in England.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44'It captures its moment in history perfectly.'
0:10:44 > 0:10:47What we have here is a pure Norman arch,
0:10:47 > 0:10:51but above it two characteristically Anglo-Saxon windows.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55It's evidence of an Anglo-Saxon building gang
0:10:55 > 0:10:58working under their new Norman masters.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04'This marks the arrival of a brand new type of building in England.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08'Stone castles were unlike anything anyone here had ever seen before -
0:11:08 > 0:11:11'the Norman equivalent of the building of the pyramids.'
0:11:13 > 0:11:15These stone castles were utterly alien,
0:11:15 > 0:11:19and it's hard to over-emphasise the impact of their arrival.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21Both literally and figuratively,
0:11:21 > 0:11:24they cast a shadow over their surroundings.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28A permanent reminder that there was a new boss in town.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34'This was an invasion cast in stone,
0:11:34 > 0:11:38'built by the very people the castles were designed to control.'
0:11:38 > 0:11:43At a time when most dwellings were simple single-storey structures,
0:11:43 > 0:11:45the castle was a vast undertaking,
0:11:45 > 0:11:48which required the assembly of an army of masons,
0:11:48 > 0:11:50carpenters and labourers,
0:11:50 > 0:11:53and the movement of thousands of tons of materials
0:11:53 > 0:11:55for the construction.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58They were enormously expensive, time-consuming projects,
0:11:58 > 0:12:00which took years to complete.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03'The choice of where to build in stone
0:12:03 > 0:12:06'was a carefully-considered decision
0:12:06 > 0:12:08'based on strategic importance,
0:12:08 > 0:12:11and the ability to dominate the skyline.'
0:12:16 > 0:12:18'One of the earliest castles to be built
0:12:18 > 0:12:20'was the Tower of London -
0:12:20 > 0:12:24'its famous white tower designed to strike awe into the population.'
0:12:26 > 0:12:30'And soon, it wouldn't just be the new ruler from across the Channel
0:12:30 > 0:12:34'who erected these imposing edifices across the land.'
0:12:34 > 0:12:37William set about rewarding his nobles.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39He divided England amongst his followers,
0:12:39 > 0:12:42and created a new class of Norman baron.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45Each was given permission to build a castle
0:12:45 > 0:12:47from which to exert their power.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52'They were known as the Companions of William the Conqueror.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55'Men like Robert de Beaumont, who became Earl of Leicester,
0:12:55 > 0:12:58'and one of William's most-trusted advisors.'
0:12:59 > 0:13:01From Northumberland to Cornwall,
0:13:01 > 0:13:04these new barons now were lords of all they could survey
0:13:04 > 0:13:07from the tops of their castle walls.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12'And where the barons chose to build their castles
0:13:12 > 0:13:15'was just as important as how they were built.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18'This was not just an invasion of territory.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22'It was a annexation of Britain's history and its mythology.'
0:13:27 > 0:13:29Norman castles had symbolic functions,
0:13:29 > 0:13:32symbolic importance on a whole variety of levels.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34In some senses they were built to impress,
0:13:34 > 0:13:37to overawe the native population.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39Some important Norman castles
0:13:39 > 0:13:42were built on centres of early significance.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45Castles such as Colchester in Essex re-used Roman sites.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48Roman masonry was incorporated.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52In other cases, castles perpetuated Anglo-Saxon centres of authority
0:13:52 > 0:13:53and government.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57So, while the seats of power remained the same,
0:13:57 > 0:13:59the face of lordship was transformed.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04'This was one of the keys to the success of the Normans in Britain.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08'Old Sarum, just outside Salisbury,
0:14:08 > 0:14:11'had been a settlement since the Iron Age.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16'The Anglo-Saxons had built a fortified town here.
0:14:19 > 0:14:20'It was a strategic location
0:14:20 > 0:14:23'controlling a hub of roads and rivers.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28'High on a hill, it was also a very visible location.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32'It was a perfect setting for a Norman castle.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37By building his castle on a pre-existing site,
0:14:37 > 0:14:39William gained the strategic value
0:14:39 > 0:14:42that had made it important to the Anglo-Saxons.
0:14:42 > 0:14:45But he also gained an immense symbolic value.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50The takeover of England was given physical embodiment
0:14:50 > 0:14:52in the castles of William.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57'Old Sarum is where William paid off the troops
0:14:57 > 0:14:59'who had fought so successfully for him.'
0:15:01 > 0:15:04But it's also said that it's where he chose to compile
0:15:04 > 0:15:08one of the most important documents in British history -
0:15:08 > 0:15:11the foundation of our National Archives here at Kew.
0:15:11 > 0:15:12Our earliest public record,
0:15:12 > 0:15:16and a legal document that's still valid evidence of land title today.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20'The great Domesday Book.'
0:15:26 > 0:15:30This is an exact facsimile of the original historical document,
0:15:30 > 0:15:33which is such an important part of British history
0:15:33 > 0:15:35that it sits in a climate-controlled room.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41This was the most thorough survey of a country ever undertaken,
0:15:41 > 0:15:45a work that defined just what it was that William had conquered
0:15:45 > 0:15:49and more importantly, how he could extract taxes from it.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51Domesday means day of judgement,
0:15:51 > 0:15:54so-called because it was so thorough and complete
0:15:54 > 0:15:56that it was likened to the Day of Judgement,
0:15:56 > 0:16:00when Christians believed that all would be judged before God.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08And the book also records the transfer of lands.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11Where once a Saxon lord ruled, by the time of Domesday
0:16:11 > 0:16:13those lords had been replaced
0:16:13 > 0:16:16by the barons William had brought with him from France,
0:16:16 > 0:16:20each now safely ensconced within their own castles.
0:16:20 > 0:16:28And the 913 pages describe more than 13,000 places in identical detail.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32No wonder the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle said of William's thoroughness:
0:16:49 > 0:16:53Today, Old Sarum is just a shadow of its former self,
0:16:53 > 0:16:56largely because Henry VIII gave permission for its walls
0:16:56 > 0:16:58to be plundered for building materials.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01'But these old walls bore witness
0:17:01 > 0:17:04'to yet another outcome of the Norman invasion.
0:17:08 > 0:17:13'In the summer of 1086, William had a plan to drive his authority home -
0:17:13 > 0:17:15'an idea that would turn his invasion
0:17:15 > 0:17:18'into something of lasting significance.
0:17:18 > 0:17:23'On 1st August, William gathered all "landowning men of any account"
0:17:23 > 0:17:25'to his castle at Old Sarum.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29'His intention - nothing less than the imposition
0:17:29 > 0:17:31'of a new hierarchy on England.'
0:17:32 > 0:17:35'The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles recorded that:
0:17:53 > 0:17:57This was the first time that every landowner in the realm
0:17:57 > 0:18:00was required to swear an oath to the King.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03From now on, if a leading figure rebelled against William,
0:18:03 > 0:18:06the loyalty of his tenants would be to the King
0:18:06 > 0:18:08rather than to their immediate master.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12It became known as the Oath of Sarum.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15Feudal England was born here in a castle.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18And the castle became the symbol of it.
0:18:26 > 0:18:31'What sets the Norman fortress apart is not just its appearance,
0:18:31 > 0:18:33'but its purpose.'
0:18:33 > 0:18:36A castle combined many functions under one roof.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40First and foremost it was home to the new Norman rulers.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43The barons derived immense status from their castles.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47'They made them feared.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50'Each baron would have his own force of mercenaries.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53'Their castle gave them a place from which to exert their power,
0:18:53 > 0:18:57'but which could also offer a safe haven of protection.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00'The barons used them to administer their lands.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03'They were the place justice was meted out.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06'In short, wherever you were in the country,
0:19:06 > 0:19:10'life in Norman England revolved around the baron and his bastion.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13'And they led the life of a rich elite.'
0:19:15 > 0:19:19- LAUREN JOHNSON:- Our picture of castles usually is ruined buildings,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22and actually what you have to imagine every time you enter
0:19:22 > 0:19:26any sort of castle space is that these were luxury accommodations.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30In an age when even to have unnatural light and warmth -
0:19:30 > 0:19:32to have a fire - cost money,
0:19:32 > 0:19:34then to have a huge building
0:19:34 > 0:19:37with walls that were potentially metres thick,
0:19:37 > 0:19:42keeping out the wind and the rain, for a start, that was a luxury.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46And it's a space in which many, many people are living.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50Because for a lord or a lady to show their authority,
0:19:50 > 0:19:53they need to be surrounded by servants.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00'Every part of life was designed to reinforce
0:20:00 > 0:20:03'the status of the new masters.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06'The simple act of taking a meal became a constant reminder
0:20:06 > 0:20:08'of who was in charge -
0:20:08 > 0:20:10'starting with preparing to eat.
0:20:10 > 0:20:11'Seren Evans-Charrington
0:20:11 > 0:20:15'has studied the significance of castle mealtimes.'
0:20:17 > 0:20:21When you're dining in a medieval castle,
0:20:21 > 0:20:23you start off with your hand-washing.
0:20:23 > 0:20:28You would have a designated servant, and he would wash his own hands.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32He would then wash the carver's hands, and it goes on like that.
0:20:32 > 0:20:33What we're finding in this period
0:20:33 > 0:20:36is actually the Normans are bringing over, "Come on,"
0:20:36 > 0:20:38you know, "Let's start behaving."
0:20:38 > 0:20:40OK. So they're sort of imposing a new way of behaving?
0:20:40 > 0:20:43They are, because they actually believe they're slightly superior.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46- A touch of arrogance?- Oh, just a little. Yes, just a little.
0:20:46 > 0:20:47What's next?
0:20:47 > 0:20:51We've actually got in here - this is some wine imported from France.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53It was a lamentable quality.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56You might have to spice it a little, and this is what this is.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58- This is spiced wine.- Right.
0:20:58 > 0:20:59Here we go.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01So, again, the idea is that
0:21:01 > 0:21:04this is a refined thing to do because it's wine.
0:21:04 > 0:21:05Ahh.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08- It's imported.- That's like cold vin chaud. That's what that's like.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11So, you've got gingers in there. You've got galingale.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13You've got all of these wonderful exotic spices.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17So, pottage. Now, this is a dish...
0:21:17 > 0:21:22- Cor, look at this.- Yes. Now, this is actually the high-end version.
0:21:22 > 0:21:27So, fine dish, ground almonds, lots of sugar in there.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29Lots of lovely, rich ingredients.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31So, even though it doesn't look very nice,
0:21:31 > 0:21:32it's made out of stuff that's been imported.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35- Again, it's new, it's actually exotic.- Expensive, yeah.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38This is the exotic version. So, take a small piece up to your mouth.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40HE EXHALES
0:21:42 > 0:21:45- Like spiced porridge. - It's like sweet...
0:21:45 > 0:21:49- Yeah. Sweet, spiced, tangy, gloopy porridge.- Mm.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54You need some of that now, don't you?
0:21:54 > 0:21:57- Does it taste better now that you've taken the pottage?- It does.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59- Yeah, it goes together. - That's actually really interesting.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02The first time I had the wine, it was really spicy and quite harsh,
0:22:02 > 0:22:05but once I'd had the sweet, gloopy mixture called pottage,
0:22:05 > 0:22:07the wine tasted great.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09There you go. So, after you've had your pottage,
0:22:09 > 0:22:12which I know you don't want to leave, you're then over here.
0:22:12 > 0:22:17- This is amazing!- Well, this is made from marchpane, and marchpane
0:22:17 > 0:22:22is an early form of marzipan. This is all about, "Look at this."
0:22:22 > 0:22:26Food was theatre. This is the period where food starts to be theatre.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29The Crusades are bringing over your sugar, your spices.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32You've got your wine being imported from the Continent,
0:22:32 > 0:22:35so all of these wonderful, exotic things are coming over.
0:22:35 > 0:22:36And, for example,
0:22:36 > 0:22:41a monarch was reported as spending 1,500 on sugars and spices a year.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45Doesn't sound much, but a castle at the time cost 15,000 to build.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47- Wow!- So, that puts it in perspective.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50So, a significant portion of their budget was spent on sugar.
0:22:50 > 0:22:51This is it.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55It was like they were obsessed with how they appeared at all times,
0:22:55 > 0:22:57and there was a way that would make you appear Norman,
0:22:57 > 0:23:01part of this ruling elite, by just the way that you ate.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03This is it. So actually by you being the lord,
0:23:03 > 0:23:06and, you know, you have all these people come to your feast,
0:23:06 > 0:23:11you're actually getting them to, almost, give allegiance to you.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15This is about gaining order over every situation.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17So, you have your hierarchy of your staff.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20You have your hierarchy of how you eat, how you serve.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24And everything is pointing toward that lord, that King,
0:23:24 > 0:23:28that whoever it be, that is sat at that top table, is in charge.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32And even the way the tables are laid out points to that.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38'These new rules of etiquette at the dining table
0:23:38 > 0:23:42'were yet one more way in which the castle acted as a constant reminder
0:23:42 > 0:23:45'of the presence of the new Norman aristocrats.'
0:23:48 > 0:23:50William the Conqueror had used castles
0:23:50 > 0:23:53to impose his will on England.
0:23:53 > 0:23:58His intention now was to create a network to assert royal authority.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05'But in creating the new baronial class,
0:24:05 > 0:24:08'William had given them their own power base.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10'Their castles.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13'And not all barons were happy to follow the will of the King.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19'Distant lands such as Northumbria gave the likes of Robert de Mowbray
0:24:19 > 0:24:23'the opportunity to revolt against William's heir.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26'William II had to lay siege to the castle at Bamburgh
0:24:26 > 0:24:29'to bring the region back in line.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33'But more and more barons began to flex their muscle.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35'Within 100 years of the Norman conquest,
0:24:35 > 0:24:37'England faced a new crisis.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44'The King was Henry I. He had no male heir.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47'In a revolutionary move, Henry gathered the barons
0:24:47 > 0:24:49'and called on them to swear allegiance
0:24:49 > 0:24:52'to his daughter Matilda in 1127.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56'She was opposed by the grandson of William the Conqueror - Stephen.'
0:24:58 > 0:25:02When Henry I died, there were two claims to the throne -
0:25:02 > 0:25:04Stephen and Matilda.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08This was the first time that a woman had claimed the throne of England.
0:25:10 > 0:25:14'It was a watershed moment in our history.'
0:25:14 > 0:25:16- LAUREN JOHNSON:- If history is made up of what we remember,
0:25:16 > 0:25:19Matilda isn't a crucial part of history any more.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22She's been dropped from our collective consciousness,
0:25:22 > 0:25:24and she's hugely important.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28To think that less than 100 years after the Norman conquest a man -
0:25:28 > 0:25:32a king - is trying to put his daughter on the throne of England.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36It's one thing for women to transmit power through themselves
0:25:36 > 0:25:38to their husbands, or to their sons.
0:25:38 > 0:25:39It's quite another thing to actively say,
0:25:39 > 0:25:42"I want my daughter to run the country."
0:25:42 > 0:25:46In a period when... I mean, really. It's sort of still a tribal country.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50It's made up of sets of lands that are ruled by warrior lords.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52And the ability to fight and lead an army
0:25:52 > 0:25:54is one of the most important things,
0:25:54 > 0:25:56and it's perceived that women can't do that.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58In Matilda, there is an example of a woman
0:25:58 > 0:26:01who could have been an extremely successful ruler,
0:26:01 > 0:26:03it's just that she is up against a man
0:26:03 > 0:26:06who has managed to get himself crowned before her.
0:26:08 > 0:26:09'That man was Stephen.'
0:26:11 > 0:26:13What followed was a protracted civil war
0:26:13 > 0:26:16with noble families across the country
0:26:16 > 0:26:19divided between two legitimate claims.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23The result was one of the bleakest periods in our history.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28'England descended into what's become known as The Anarchy.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31'The barons might declare support for either side,
0:26:31 > 0:26:35'but all they were really interested in was their own power -
0:26:35 > 0:26:38'a power provided by their castles.'
0:26:38 > 0:26:42According to medieval chroniclers of the 12th century,
0:26:42 > 0:26:45castles were not really a symptom of The Anarchy,
0:26:45 > 0:26:48they were the cause of violence, and disruption,
0:26:48 > 0:26:50and political turmoil.
0:26:50 > 0:26:51The Anarchy, the so-called Anarchy,
0:26:51 > 0:26:55was a period when castle building proliferated.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58Castle building had been quite rigidly
0:26:58 > 0:27:01and tightly controlled by the Crown until that point.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04But those systems broke down, and even quite minor lords
0:27:04 > 0:27:07were able to fortify their estate centres,
0:27:07 > 0:27:11and build little castles of their own across the landscape.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14'The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle describes this as the period when,
0:27:14 > 0:27:18'"Christ and his Saints slept."'
0:27:42 > 0:27:45The conflict lasted for almost two decades.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49Castles were the key to victory, and both sides set about capturing them.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54'Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight
0:27:54 > 0:27:57'was held by a supporter of Matilda.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01'The motte dominated the land around,
0:28:01 > 0:28:03'making this a formidable fortress.'
0:28:05 > 0:28:07'But when Stephen laid siege to it,
0:28:07 > 0:28:10'the castle's Achilles heel soon brought it down.'
0:28:12 > 0:28:14This is the original Norman well.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17'At top of the old motte, it had been here
0:28:17 > 0:28:20'since it was built in William the Conqueror's reign.'
0:28:20 > 0:28:23The idea was that rain water and surface water would
0:28:23 > 0:28:26be enough to keep it topped up, but it never worked.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30And without water, the defending army were forced to surrender.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36'Stephen was determined that the same would not happen on his watch.
0:28:36 > 0:28:38'He ordered the digging of a new well -
0:28:38 > 0:28:41'one that would be deep enough to keep the castle supplied
0:28:41 > 0:28:43'no matter what.
0:28:43 > 0:28:47'It's said it took two prisoners a year to dig.'
0:28:48 > 0:28:50It's 161 ft deep,
0:28:50 > 0:28:53and to give you just some sense of how deep that is,
0:28:53 > 0:28:54have a look at this.
0:29:01 > 0:29:03WATER SPLASHES
0:29:03 > 0:29:05Four seconds it took for that water
0:29:05 > 0:29:07to get down to the water table at the bottom.
0:29:08 > 0:29:12Attached to this rope is a bucket, and to raise or lower it,
0:29:12 > 0:29:17it's attached up to this axle, which is attached to this enormous wheel.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20Now, Stephen had prisoners dig the well,
0:29:20 > 0:29:23but he also had them turn the wheel to raise the bucket up,
0:29:23 > 0:29:25and I'm going to give it a go.
0:29:35 > 0:29:37Ohh, I'm getting dizzy.
0:29:37 > 0:29:39HE LAUGHS
0:29:39 > 0:29:41It's surprisingly disorientating.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44Makes me feel a bit seasick, weirdly.
0:29:44 > 0:29:49Once you've got it going, it's all right, but it hurts your calves.
0:29:49 > 0:29:50Whoa.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53I've got to keep an eye on the bucket to see where it's going.
0:29:53 > 0:29:55There it is. It's coming up now.
0:30:05 > 0:30:07I managed to stop it.
0:30:07 > 0:30:08So, there we go.
0:30:10 > 0:30:13I'm slightly out of breath, and that was with an empty bucket,
0:30:13 > 0:30:17and it was only a matter of metres down the well.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20You'd think that with a full bucket it'd take as much as an hour
0:30:20 > 0:30:23for someone to turn this wheel and get it up,
0:30:23 > 0:30:24and that would be really hard work.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28It's an amazingly efficient bit of kit, this.
0:30:33 > 0:30:36'Stephen may have prevailed at Carisbrooke...
0:30:39 > 0:30:42'But in Lincoln, the castle fell to Matilda,
0:30:42 > 0:30:45'when her supporters sent their wives on a visit
0:30:45 > 0:30:47'to the governor's wife.
0:30:47 > 0:30:50'When the men joined them, they were able to overpower the guards,
0:30:50 > 0:30:53'and throw open the gates as the castle fell.'
0:30:57 > 0:31:02'At the later Battle of Lincoln in 1141, Stephen was taken prisoner.'
0:31:03 > 0:31:07But, even then, Matilda was unable to complete her victory.
0:31:07 > 0:31:11Stephen's wife marched on London to prevent Matilda's coronation.
0:31:11 > 0:31:14She was never crowned Queen.
0:31:18 > 0:31:19'When Stephen was released,
0:31:19 > 0:31:23'the war seemed to be turning against Matilda.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26'But her castle, guarding a crossing of the Thames at Wallingford,
0:31:26 > 0:31:28'proved vital to her fortunes.
0:31:30 > 0:31:33'By 1142, it had already successfully survived
0:31:33 > 0:31:35'a sustained siege.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38'Then its location proved vital
0:31:38 > 0:31:41'when Stephen found himself with the chance to land a knock-out blow.'
0:31:44 > 0:31:49Stephen had managed to trap Matilda in the nearby castle at Oxford.
0:31:49 > 0:31:50He laid siege to it.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52But these are the Middle Ages.
0:31:52 > 0:31:54This is long before the night vision goggles,
0:31:54 > 0:31:58minefields and barbed wire of modern times.
0:31:58 > 0:32:03No medieval siege could be 100% effective, and Matilda escaped.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07'With Stephen's army camped all around,
0:32:07 > 0:32:10'Matilda climbed from a window with a rope.
0:32:11 > 0:32:15'Dressed completely in white, and accompanied by three loyal knights,
0:32:15 > 0:32:17'she made her way through the besieging army
0:32:17 > 0:32:20'using a snowstorm for cover.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23'She crossed the frozen Thames at Abingdon
0:32:23 > 0:32:25'and then escaped to the castle at Wallingford.'
0:32:27 > 0:32:31Stephen had let his rival slip through his grasp.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34Wallingford continued to play a vital role in the conflict.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36So much so that it was at Wallingford
0:32:36 > 0:32:40that the two sides reached the truce that ended The Anarchy.
0:32:55 > 0:32:59'Matilda agreed to accept Stephen's rule until his death.
0:32:59 > 0:33:03'In return, Stephen accepted the claim of Matilda's son Henry
0:33:03 > 0:33:04'as his successor.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08'His reign would found a new royal dynasty,
0:33:08 > 0:33:10'one of the most powerful in England's history -
0:33:10 > 0:33:12'the Plantagenets.'
0:33:14 > 0:33:18Even though she was one of the most significant women in our history,
0:33:18 > 0:33:21Matilda's legacy is defined by her relationship
0:33:21 > 0:33:23with the men in her life.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25Her epitaph reads -
0:33:25 > 0:33:28"Great by birth, greater by marriage,
0:33:28 > 0:33:30"greatest in her offspring:
0:33:30 > 0:33:36"Here lies Matilda, daughter, wife, and mother of Henry".
0:33:43 > 0:33:45'Her son was to be one of the greatest monarchs
0:33:45 > 0:33:48'of the age - Henry II.
0:33:48 > 0:33:51'He quickly set about taking control of his lands
0:33:51 > 0:33:53'both at home and in France.
0:33:53 > 0:33:57'Henry also introduced sweeping reforms to the legal system.'
0:33:59 > 0:34:02The far-sighted Henry wanted to bring to an end
0:34:02 > 0:34:06the practice of the clergy having its own separate legal system.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08It was a fundamental attack,
0:34:08 > 0:34:12and it was opposed by the Archbishop of Canterbury - Thomas Beckett.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17'Beckett proved such an obstinate opponent
0:34:17 > 0:34:20'that Henry's frustration eventually boiled over.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23'When Beckett was murdered by sword-wielding knights
0:34:23 > 0:34:27'in Canterbury Cathedral, Henry was guilty by association.
0:34:30 > 0:34:35'In these violent times, power was enforced with sharpened steel,
0:34:35 > 0:34:37'and castles would ring to the sound of metal
0:34:37 > 0:34:39'being beaten into weapons in the forge.
0:34:42 > 0:34:47'The specialist skills required to make these arms endure to this day.
0:34:47 > 0:34:51'Owen Bush has been a swordsmith for 20 years.'
0:34:54 > 0:34:55Right, Owen, what are we doing?
0:34:55 > 0:35:01We've got some bloomery steel here. It's some stuff I've made from ore.
0:35:01 > 0:35:03- Right.- And you're gonna refine it.
0:35:03 > 0:35:06So, there are impurities in that, that I'm going to get out by smashing it?
0:35:06 > 0:35:08Yeah. I'm getting it to the point just before it melts,
0:35:08 > 0:35:11- and you can hammer it, and squirt some of that slag out.- Good.
0:35:11 > 0:35:14My face is heating up quite dramatically just standing here.
0:35:14 > 0:35:17- It's hot.- It really is hot. - It has to be, yeah.
0:35:18 > 0:35:23So, up on there. It's quite heavy, and then just hammering in.
0:35:24 > 0:35:28'In the Middle Ages, weapons would have been produced
0:35:28 > 0:35:30'by artisans inside the castles.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32'The Tower of London, for instance,
0:35:32 > 0:35:36'was a major source of tips for crossbow bolts.'
0:35:36 > 0:35:39Right. Let me come round here, then. See what this feels like.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43Right. Here we go. I'm surprisingly nervous.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52Right. Hammer time.
0:35:53 > 0:35:56'The sparks being beaten out are the impurities,
0:35:56 > 0:35:59'leaving pure steel behind.'
0:35:59 > 0:36:02- Then flip over and do the other side?- Stick it back in the fire.
0:36:02 > 0:36:04- It needs to be hot.- Right, OK.- Yeah.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07Not hot enough.
0:36:07 > 0:36:08It's the second attempt.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11The first one, it wasn't hot enough, so this one...
0:36:11 > 0:36:12This is going to send more sparks out.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15This one's going to make the sparks fly.
0:36:17 > 0:36:18Whoo!
0:36:25 > 0:36:26That's better.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30- Good?- That's looking good, yeah.
0:36:30 > 0:36:31The more you work it,
0:36:31 > 0:36:33the more you're going to squirt that slag out of it,
0:36:33 > 0:36:37and it'll become a more homogenous, usable steel.
0:36:37 > 0:36:38- Great. Back in?- Yep.
0:36:49 > 0:36:51How would these skills have been passed on?
0:36:51 > 0:36:55They certainly would have been a secretive craft...
0:36:55 > 0:36:59..in that sense, passed on from master to apprentice,
0:36:59 > 0:37:00or from father to son.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03Cos it's a very valuable thing to be able to do properly, isn't it?
0:37:03 > 0:37:04Absolutely. It certainly is.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08I mean, a smith making weapons, making swords,
0:37:08 > 0:37:11would be a valuable and valued commodity.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19Stage two. What's this involve?
0:37:19 > 0:37:22You're going to forge the point on it and start working on the bevels.
0:37:22 > 0:37:25A bevel are the angular bits towards the edge.
0:37:25 > 0:37:27So, we've got a flat bar, and you've got to put edges on it.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29We've got to be a bit more gentle with the heat,
0:37:29 > 0:37:32cos if we burn it at this stage, the whole thing is ruined.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35Do we have to be more gentle with the hammering as well?
0:37:35 > 0:37:38More precise with the hammering. Not gentle, unfortunately. Just precise.
0:37:38 > 0:37:43The words "precise" and "hammering" don't usually go together with me.
0:37:45 > 0:37:47So, flat, and then pointed.
0:37:53 > 0:37:56- How was that?- That was fine, yeah. You need to do it again.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59- And you did actually burn it. - Did I?- Yeah.
0:37:59 > 0:38:00HE GROANS
0:38:00 > 0:38:02'When steel burns, it oxidises,
0:38:02 > 0:38:06'which ruins the blade, causing it to crack and break.'
0:38:09 > 0:38:12It's one of these brilliant skills that looks quite simple -
0:38:12 > 0:38:14and it is, really.
0:38:14 > 0:38:16It's just hammering a piece of hot iron,
0:38:16 > 0:38:18but when you see it done properly,
0:38:18 > 0:38:21you realise how many years of practice you need
0:38:21 > 0:38:22to be able to do it right.
0:38:28 > 0:38:32We're now onto the very mundane task of filing this sword to shape.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36Nice and steady does it. It's actually very therapeutic.
0:38:42 > 0:38:46It's a really enjoyable process, this, because you can...
0:38:46 > 0:38:49It's obviously a lengthy process, but...
0:38:50 > 0:38:53..there's a little bit happening every time
0:38:53 > 0:38:56you put the file across the sword.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58And just because there's a little bit of process...
0:39:00 > 0:39:02..there's a bit of hope.
0:39:02 > 0:39:04There we go. That's getting it.
0:39:04 > 0:39:06'This is tempering.
0:39:06 > 0:39:09'The speed at which the heat is conducted away from the metal
0:39:09 > 0:39:11'affects how brittle it becomes.'
0:39:11 > 0:39:14I'd say this is the point at which the sword actually becomes born,
0:39:14 > 0:39:17when you bring it out of the fire and putting it into oil.
0:39:17 > 0:39:19Did they always use oil?
0:39:19 > 0:39:23Sometimes oil, sometimes water. Sometimes brine.
0:39:23 > 0:39:25If you're going to get esoteric, there's certainly, um...
0:39:26 > 0:39:28..there's certainly writings
0:39:28 > 0:39:34- of using the urine of a ginger virgin boy.- Right.- To quench into.
0:39:34 > 0:39:36Which is, you know, it's written down,
0:39:36 > 0:39:39and it may just be that if someone did do that in reality,
0:39:39 > 0:39:42and it worked, that they stuck by rote to that process.
0:39:42 > 0:39:44I don't know.
0:39:45 > 0:39:49'In fact, urine has since been shown to be a very effective conductor,
0:39:49 > 0:39:53'which might explain its place in the stories.
0:39:53 > 0:39:55'But not the ginger hair. Or the virgin bit.'
0:39:56 > 0:39:57Polished.
0:39:59 > 0:40:01So, this is a finished sword.
0:40:02 > 0:40:04Wow.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07- A real transformation, isn't it?- It is, yeah.
0:40:08 > 0:40:10- Thank you very much for that. - It's a pleasure.
0:40:10 > 0:40:12It's always very nice to bring a sword into the world.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21'The sword that struck Thomas Beckett down
0:40:21 > 0:40:23'only enhanced his influence.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26'He was beatified as a saint by the church
0:40:26 > 0:40:30'and Henry II watched powerless as pilgrims crossed Europe,
0:40:30 > 0:40:32'and began to arrive at Beckett's shrine.
0:40:36 > 0:40:38'The pilgrims passed straight through Dover.
0:40:39 > 0:40:44'Henry submitted himself to public penance to try and offset the guilt.
0:40:45 > 0:40:47'But then he decided it was time
0:40:47 > 0:40:50'to restore his royal status and prestige.
0:40:50 > 0:40:55'He needed an unmistakeable sign of royal authority.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57'He turned to the castle at Dover.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04'Henry ordered Dover to be rebuilt at vast expense,
0:41:04 > 0:41:08'lavishing almost a third of his annual income
0:41:08 > 0:41:09'on this single project.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12'The design is one of the greatest examples
0:41:12 > 0:41:16'of the Norman style of tower anywhere in the country.'
0:41:18 > 0:41:21The tower is often known as the keep,
0:41:21 > 0:41:25a word that conjures up ideas of defence and protection.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28'But in fact the arrival of the tower in castles
0:41:28 > 0:41:31'was yet another symbol - of dominion.
0:41:31 > 0:41:35'Even the name they were given supports the notion of power.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38'Their name was not keep but donjon,
0:41:38 > 0:41:41'which derives from the Latin word for dominion or lordship.'
0:41:43 > 0:41:46A donjon is a projection of authority -
0:41:46 > 0:41:51a symbol announcing its power to the surrounding settlements.
0:41:54 > 0:41:58'Dover has been described as the key to England.
0:41:59 > 0:42:02'By choosing to build here at Dover,
0:42:02 > 0:42:04'Henry was making a very clear statement.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09'This was the place pilgrims passed through
0:42:09 > 0:42:12'on their way to Thomas Beckett's shrine.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15'But it was also the most visible of English castles -
0:42:15 > 0:42:20'a dominating presence in Henry's Anglo-French realm.
0:42:21 > 0:42:25'Even Henry's choice of building materials carried a message.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28'there are bands of lighter-coloured stone
0:42:28 > 0:42:31'specially imported from his lands in France.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34'A reminder of the breadth and wealth of Henry's domain.
0:42:38 > 0:42:40'But Henry didn't choose the strongest design
0:42:40 > 0:42:43'available at the time, nor even the latest fashion.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48'Instead he consciously drew on the past
0:42:48 > 0:42:51'to remind people of his noble ancestry,
0:42:51 > 0:42:54'and his links back to rulers like William the Conqueror.'
0:42:57 > 0:43:02The tower at Dover echoed the designs of the strongest kings.
0:43:02 > 0:43:06This was a deliberate attempt by Henry to associate himself
0:43:06 > 0:43:10with the castles and crowns of his predecessors.
0:43:10 > 0:43:13There's more than a little Tower of London about it,
0:43:13 > 0:43:14don't you think?
0:43:17 > 0:43:20'Everything about Henry's castle at Dover
0:43:20 > 0:43:23'was designed to create the right impression.
0:43:23 > 0:43:28'This was a strictly-regulated world in which hierarchy was key.
0:43:28 > 0:43:31'It affected every element of life in the castle.
0:43:32 > 0:43:35'It was even designed into the fabric of the building.'
0:43:36 > 0:43:39The King's guests didn't just knock on the front door,
0:43:39 > 0:43:40but were invited to the throne room,
0:43:40 > 0:43:43and they were taken through this door...
0:43:43 > 0:43:44HE GRUNTS
0:43:46 > 0:43:48..and up these stairs behind me.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52They ascended to the seat of authority above them
0:43:52 > 0:43:54in every sense.
0:44:02 > 0:44:06In medieval life, the monarch travelled from castle to castle,
0:44:06 > 0:44:10and wherever the King resided was said to be the throne of England.
0:44:10 > 0:44:12The Tower at Dover has been furnished to reflect
0:44:12 > 0:44:16what it might have looked like when Henry II was on the throne.
0:44:22 > 0:44:24I could get used to this.
0:44:28 > 0:44:33'Henry travelled with an entire household staff - hundreds of people
0:44:33 > 0:44:35'divided into separate departments,
0:44:35 > 0:44:39'each with their own area of responsibility.
0:44:39 > 0:44:43'His arrival here must have been one of the spectacles of the age.
0:44:43 > 0:44:46'At a time when mass communication was unheard of,
0:44:46 > 0:44:49'the king had to be constantly on the move,
0:44:49 > 0:44:52'maintaining his rule over every part of the country.
0:44:56 > 0:44:59'Dover Castle became a crucial part of Henry's legacy -
0:44:59 > 0:45:01'not just a symbol of strength,
0:45:01 > 0:45:06'but a tool with which his successors could defend their crown.
0:45:06 > 0:45:07'They were going to need it.'
0:45:09 > 0:45:12We like to think of Britain as an island fortress.
0:45:12 > 0:45:15We saw off the Armada, Napoleon and Hitler.
0:45:15 > 0:45:17But here's an interesting fact for you.
0:45:17 > 0:45:20We've actually been invaded successfully by sea
0:45:20 > 0:45:24nine times since 1066.
0:45:24 > 0:45:26And in the history of castles,
0:45:26 > 0:45:29the most important of those happened in 1216,
0:45:29 > 0:45:32when Prince Louis of France seized the throne.
0:45:35 > 0:45:38'By this time, it was Henry's son John who was King.
0:45:38 > 0:45:42'But he was so unpopular, he faced constant opposition.
0:45:42 > 0:45:45'With the security their castles gave them,
0:45:45 > 0:45:48'the barons had already taken the unprecedented step
0:45:48 > 0:45:51'of forcing a monarch to sign an agreement
0:45:51 > 0:45:53'restricting his authority - Magna Carta.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58'When John began to break the terms of Magna Carta,
0:45:58 > 0:46:00'it was the final straw.
0:46:00 > 0:46:02'The barons invited one of their own,
0:46:02 > 0:46:04'Prince Louis of France,
0:46:04 > 0:46:06'to invade and seize the throne from John.'
0:46:06 > 0:46:10It was Dover Castle that stood in Louis' way.
0:46:10 > 0:46:14But this time the royal castles faced their biggest challenge yet -
0:46:14 > 0:46:18a powerful combination of warrior barons and a foreign prince.
0:46:21 > 0:46:24Dover presented a formidable obstacle,
0:46:24 > 0:46:27and it gave Louis a dilemma - if left in his enemies' hands,
0:46:27 > 0:46:31it could cut off his lines of supply across the Channel.
0:46:31 > 0:46:34But a prolonged siege could hold up his progress.
0:46:44 > 0:46:46'Louis' army surrounded the castle.
0:46:47 > 0:46:49'His catapults flung rocks against the walls,
0:46:49 > 0:46:51'but with little effect.
0:46:51 > 0:46:54'His men, meanwhile, dug tunnels underneath the walls
0:46:54 > 0:46:57'to try to bring them down.
0:46:57 > 0:47:00'The only defence against this was counter-tunnels.'
0:47:01 > 0:47:05Attackers and defenders dug furiously.
0:47:05 > 0:47:07First, part of the wooden outer wall fell.
0:47:07 > 0:47:11And then, far more significantly, one of the stone towers.
0:47:11 > 0:47:15The castle walls were breached. Was victory in sight?
0:47:17 > 0:47:20'Hand-to-hand combat ensued, but the well-drilled garrison
0:47:20 > 0:47:23'were able to push back the attackers,
0:47:23 > 0:47:24'and make good the breach.'
0:47:26 > 0:47:31With stalemate re-established, Louis abandoned the siege at Dover.
0:47:31 > 0:47:33'And ultimately his claim.'
0:47:34 > 0:47:36'Louis returned to France defeated,
0:47:36 > 0:47:39'but the siege of Dover marks one of the last times
0:47:39 > 0:47:42'that a castle was able to play such an active part
0:47:42 > 0:47:45'in defending the English Crown.
0:47:45 > 0:47:47'In the uncertain times that followed,
0:47:47 > 0:47:51'castles began to acquire a new purpose.
0:47:58 > 0:48:01'John was succeeded by Henry III.
0:48:01 > 0:48:02'His reign saw the creation
0:48:02 > 0:48:05'of one of the most famous castles ever built,
0:48:05 > 0:48:10'constructed by his brother Richard, Earl of Cornwall, around 1230.
0:48:10 > 0:48:14'But its function was not a military one.'
0:48:14 > 0:48:18In the heart of Cornwall, there is a castle of unique status.
0:48:18 > 0:48:21Tintagel conjures more imagery in our mind
0:48:21 > 0:48:23than any other castle in England.
0:48:27 > 0:48:29'It was build by Richard, Earl of Cornwall,
0:48:29 > 0:48:33'on what is said to have been the birthplace of King Arthur.
0:48:34 > 0:48:37'Tintagel is a well-protected site -
0:48:37 > 0:48:41'the name even means "the fort of the constriction".'
0:48:43 > 0:48:46'Tintagel was once a very significant settlement.
0:48:46 > 0:48:50There's a little harbour behind me here, which ships used to connect
0:48:50 > 0:48:54Tintagel with distant waters as far afield as the Mediterranean.
0:48:54 > 0:48:58In fact, if you dig down almost anywhere on this headland here,
0:48:58 > 0:49:01you'll find treasures from all over the Mediterranean world.
0:49:01 > 0:49:04I've got some of them here.
0:49:04 > 0:49:08There's more fifth and sixth century pottery that's been found here
0:49:08 > 0:49:11than anywhere else in the British Isles put together.
0:49:11 > 0:49:13I particularly like this piece.
0:49:13 > 0:49:16It's from Africa, and you can still feel
0:49:16 > 0:49:18where the potter has pressed his fingers into the clay.
0:49:21 > 0:49:23So, this was once a thriving settlement.
0:49:23 > 0:49:26'But by Richard, Earl of Cornwall's day,
0:49:26 > 0:49:28'all that was already far in the past.
0:49:30 > 0:49:32'This land had no military value whatsoever.
0:49:34 > 0:49:36'There hadn't been any fortifications here
0:49:36 > 0:49:37'since the Iron Age.
0:49:39 > 0:49:42'But the association with Arthur was to change all that.
0:49:44 > 0:49:48'These ruins on a rocky headland exert a power
0:49:48 > 0:49:51'far beyond their physical elements.
0:49:51 > 0:49:54'For a character far more fiction that fact,
0:49:54 > 0:49:58'Arthur holds an extraordinary fascination for us.'
0:49:58 > 0:50:00It was the cleric Geoffrey of Monmouth
0:50:00 > 0:50:05who had identified Tintagel as the birthplace of Arthur in the 1100s.
0:50:05 > 0:50:09A French scholar later added the story of the Round Table,
0:50:09 > 0:50:12round so that no knight could enjoy higher status than any other.
0:50:12 > 0:50:17And later writers still added the story of the Holy Grail.
0:50:22 > 0:50:27'Over the centuries, authors and artists would return
0:50:27 > 0:50:30'again and again to the legend, adding their own ideas.
0:50:30 > 0:50:35'Mallory's Morte D'Arthur, Tennyson's Idylls of the King,
0:50:35 > 0:50:39'and image upon image of Camelot have fuelled imaginations everywhere
0:50:39 > 0:50:42'to such an extent that this fictional character
0:50:42 > 0:50:44'in an imaginary castle
0:50:44 > 0:50:48'somehow became a living legend from our past.'
0:50:48 > 0:50:51It's no wonder that dealing with Arthur has been described as
0:50:51 > 0:50:55dealing with the history of the story of the legend.
0:50:56 > 0:51:00'The man behind Tintagel Castle had been made Earl of Cornwall
0:51:00 > 0:51:02'by his brother, Henry III.
0:51:02 > 0:51:06'He came from the same Anglo-Norman elite.
0:51:06 > 0:51:09'But he needed to be accepted by the Cornish
0:51:09 > 0:51:11'to make it easier to assert his authority
0:51:11 > 0:51:14'and, more importantly, collect his taxes.
0:51:14 > 0:51:17'It seems that Richard, Earl of Cornwall,
0:51:17 > 0:51:20'was so eager to link his fortunes with those of Arthur
0:51:20 > 0:51:24'that he decided to build his very own Camelot.'
0:51:24 > 0:51:27Richard decided that this was the exact spot
0:51:27 > 0:51:29that Arthur was conceived.
0:51:29 > 0:51:30Don't ask me how he knew.
0:51:30 > 0:51:35And so the castle had to be built here. Just by the cliff's edge.
0:51:35 > 0:51:38The ruins tell the story of its construction elegantly.
0:51:42 > 0:51:44Richard built the outer walls first,
0:51:44 > 0:51:48and then filled in this central area to make it level.
0:51:48 > 0:51:52The only problem was that the walls started to fall towards the sea.
0:51:56 > 0:51:59'If the castle was to be prevented from falling into the sea,
0:51:59 > 0:52:01'something needed to be done.'
0:52:02 > 0:52:05Hence these buttresses - they're not tied into the walls,
0:52:05 > 0:52:08which suggests that they're a later addition.
0:52:10 > 0:52:12And how did he build his walls?
0:52:12 > 0:52:14Well, these holes give the answer.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16They're known as putlogs,
0:52:16 > 0:52:19because if you put a log in them,
0:52:19 > 0:52:23you could then put a plank across as well, and create a platform.
0:52:23 > 0:52:26And then, bit by bit, the walls would rise.
0:52:27 > 0:52:31'But these are thin walls built from the local slate.
0:52:31 > 0:52:34'Looking at them convinces me that this castle
0:52:34 > 0:52:36'had no military value whatsoever.
0:52:36 > 0:52:41'Tintagel's not a fortress, but a purely symbolic edifice.
0:52:42 > 0:52:44'Looking at these evocative ruins,
0:52:44 > 0:52:47'it seems little more than an expensive folly.'
0:52:48 > 0:52:52And yet, Tintagel seems to have served its purpose.
0:52:52 > 0:52:55The tin in Cornwall made Richard wealthy,
0:52:55 > 0:52:59and he used that money to enhance his status at every opportunity.
0:52:59 > 0:53:04He even bribed some German barons to elect him King of the Romans -
0:53:04 > 0:53:06the first and only time
0:53:06 > 0:53:08that an Englishman has held that title.
0:53:09 > 0:53:12'But for Richard's brother, Henry III,
0:53:12 > 0:53:14'faced with a barons' rebellion,
0:53:14 > 0:53:19'castles were to prove a very different proposition -
0:53:19 > 0:53:21'one that could threaten his very rule.
0:53:23 > 0:53:26'The Second Barons' War would see The Earl of Leicester,
0:53:26 > 0:53:30'Simon de Montfort, lead an putsch against the King.'
0:53:30 > 0:53:33Although de Montfort had been defeated and killed
0:53:33 > 0:53:35at the battle of Evesham,
0:53:35 > 0:53:37in 1266, his supporters were locked in conflict
0:53:37 > 0:53:40with the King here at Kenilworth.
0:53:44 > 0:53:48'Outside, the King brought all the resources of the Crown
0:53:48 > 0:53:49'to bear on the castle.
0:53:49 > 0:53:52'Inside, the rebels stood firm.'
0:53:52 > 0:53:56The siege lasted 172 days,
0:53:56 > 0:53:59as the unruly warrior barons
0:53:59 > 0:54:00took on the might of the Crown.
0:54:04 > 0:54:07The castle was exceptionally well-defended.
0:54:07 > 0:54:11It was surrounded by an artificial lake, or a mere.
0:54:11 > 0:54:12There's nothing left of it now,
0:54:12 > 0:54:15but these were once the largest-scale
0:54:15 > 0:54:18defensive water features anywhere in the kingdom.
0:54:20 > 0:54:22'With a garrison of 1,200,
0:54:22 > 0:54:23'there were plenty of archers
0:54:23 > 0:54:26'and crossbowmen to man the battlements.'
0:54:28 > 0:54:30The best way to take such a castle
0:54:30 > 0:54:33was to sit and wait for the occupants to run out of food.
0:54:33 > 0:54:35But Henry was not just out for victory.
0:54:35 > 0:54:39He needed to crush this opposition to his Crown.
0:54:47 > 0:54:50Henry's army was one of the largest ever assembled
0:54:50 > 0:54:52to lay siege to an English castle.
0:54:52 > 0:54:54But things did not go to plan.
0:54:54 > 0:54:57They managed to attach a tower to the walls,
0:54:57 > 0:55:00but the subsequent attack failed when the tower was damaged.
0:55:00 > 0:55:03Barges full of troops approached across the mere,
0:55:03 > 0:55:07but they were repulsed, and plans to undermine the walls failed.
0:55:11 > 0:55:14Even the latest heavy siege engines, eight in all,
0:55:14 > 0:55:17firing stone missiles into the castle,
0:55:17 > 0:55:19were unable to make a breakthrough.
0:55:19 > 0:55:22But it was a fight that the king could not afford to lose.
0:55:25 > 0:55:30Even after months of struggle, the two sides were locked in stalemate.
0:55:32 > 0:55:35'With the military attack showing no signs of success,
0:55:35 > 0:55:39'Henry adopted other tactics to try to bring about a victory.'
0:55:39 > 0:55:43He brought a papal legate and two bishops to Kenilworth
0:55:43 > 0:55:46to excommunicate the garrison within,
0:55:46 > 0:55:51but the defenders simply dressed one of their own to look like the legate,
0:55:51 > 0:55:54and excommunicated the Royal Army in return.
0:55:54 > 0:55:56Two months into the siege,
0:55:56 > 0:55:59Henry celebrated the Assumption of the Virgin Mary
0:55:59 > 0:56:03with a feast costing the equivalent of £25,000
0:56:03 > 0:56:06within plain sight of the castle walls -
0:56:06 > 0:56:11just imagine the psychological impact on the starving defenders.
0:56:11 > 0:56:14The garrison simply refused to surrender.
0:56:14 > 0:56:17And what's more, the gates of the castle remained open
0:56:17 > 0:56:19throughout the siege,
0:56:19 > 0:56:22a permanent taunt to the attacking royalists.
0:56:22 > 0:56:25The castle, once a hallmark of royal authority,
0:56:25 > 0:56:29was threatening to become a symbol of its impotence.
0:56:30 > 0:56:33'Henry never did get his crushing capitulation.
0:56:33 > 0:56:36'Instead, he was forced to strike a deal.
0:56:36 > 0:56:38'Although they were running out of food,
0:56:38 > 0:56:41'the garrison was ready to fight to the last man.
0:56:41 > 0:56:44'The siege only came to an end when Henry accepted
0:56:44 > 0:56:47'that he would have to show leniency to the defenders
0:56:47 > 0:56:50'if they were to give themselves up.'
0:56:50 > 0:56:53Henry had his victory, but it was a hollow victory.
0:56:53 > 0:56:56At 172 days, the siege of Kenilworth
0:56:56 > 0:57:00is the longest to take place on English soil.
0:57:02 > 0:57:06'The castle, the weapon that had spearheaded the conquest of England,
0:57:06 > 0:57:10'had become a direct threat to the authority of the Crown.
0:57:15 > 0:57:16'The castle had been pivotal
0:57:16 > 0:57:20'to the successful invasion of England in 1066.
0:57:21 > 0:57:25'From the outset, it had been part of William's plan.
0:57:25 > 0:57:28'And as castles went on to secure the Norman takeover,
0:57:28 > 0:57:30'they came to have a symbolic role.
0:57:33 > 0:57:35'Castles shaped taste and culture,
0:57:35 > 0:57:38'and even entered our mythology.
0:57:40 > 0:57:43'But in building the castles that conquered this land,
0:57:43 > 0:57:46'William unwittingly sowed the seeds of problems
0:57:46 > 0:57:49'that these fortresses would cause for his successors.
0:57:49 > 0:57:53'Kenilworth was just the latest in a long line of castles
0:57:53 > 0:57:55'that were used to defy the Crown.'
0:57:58 > 0:58:00'The role of the castle was becoming unclear.
0:58:00 > 0:58:03'Were they now more of a liability than an asset?'
0:58:06 > 0:58:08If castles would have a future
0:58:08 > 0:58:12in the ever-changing conflicts and allegiances of the time,
0:58:12 > 0:58:14they needed a new champion.
0:58:14 > 0:58:18And the right man for the job was soon to inherit the throne.
0:58:18 > 0:58:21'Next time - how Edward I took the castle
0:58:21 > 0:58:23'to a new level of ruthlessness,
0:58:23 > 0:58:26'and how the Welsh and the Scots paid the price.'