The Story of Medieval England: From King Arthur to the Tudor Conquest

Overview

Examine the remarkable thousand-year period in British history that laid the foundation for modern England—from Anglo-Saxon kingdoms to the Wars of the Roses.

Course No. 8410

These 36 lectures explore medieval England’s turbulent evolution through war, cultural transformation, and political struggles between kings and nobles. Discover how figures like Alfred the Great, William the Conqueror, and Henry V shaped a nation.

Course Content

Foundations: Anglo-Saxon England (5th–11th Century)

1. From Britannia to Britain (34 min)
   • Geography’s role in shaping England’s destiny

2. Roman Britain & King Arthur’s Origins (33 min)
   • Fact vs. legend: Did Arthur resist Germanic invaders?

3. Early Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms (32 min)
   • Germanic settlers and the rise of regional powers

4. Conversion to Christianity (32 min)
   • How Rome and Ireland Christianized England

5. Alfred the Great vs. the Vikings (32 min)
   • Defense of Wessex and the birth of English identity

6. The Norman Conquest (31 min)
   • 1066: William the Conqueror’s victory at Hastings

Medieval Power & Conflict (11th–14th Century)

7. Henry II & Thomas Becket (32 min)
   • Church vs. Crown: A deadly feud

8. Magna Carta & King John (32 min)
   • How nobles forced rights from a tyrant

9. Edward I: Lawgiver & Conqueror (33 min)
   • Wars in Scotland/Wales and Parliament’s expansion

10. The Black Death (31 min)
    • How plague reshaped society and economy

11. Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 (32 min)
    • Rebellion against poll taxes and feudalism

Culture & Daily Life

12. Chaucer & the Rise of English (32 min)
    • Canterbury Tales and vernacular literature

13. Courtly Love & Chivalry (31 min)
    • Arthurian romances and knightly ideals

14. Life in a Medieval Village (32 min)
    • Farming, trade, and social hierarchies

The Road to Tudor England (15th Century)

15. Hundred Years’ War (32 min)
    • Henry V’s triumph at Agincourt (1415)

16. Wars of the Roses (32 min)
    • York vs. Lancaster: A dynastic bloodbath

17. Richard III & the Princes in the Tower (34 min)
    • Betrayal, murder, and Shakespearean drama

18. 1485: Tudor England Begins (33 min)
    • Henry VII’s victory at Bosworth Field

Key Themes

• Assimilation of invaders (Vikings, Normans)

• Tension between royal power and noble rights

• Legal milestones like Magna Carta

• Cultural flowering (literature, architecture)