history Archives - Page 46 of 61

A History of Scotland episode 1 - The Last of the Free

A History of Scotland episode 2 – Hammers of the Scots

History / 3 minutes of reading / February 22, 2020 / By HDclump

A History of Scotland episode 2 – Hammers of the Scots: Neil Oliver charts the 13th century story of the two ruthless men who helped transform the Gaelic kingdom of Alba into the Scotland we recognise today. While Alexander II forged Scotland in blood and violence, William Wallace’s resistance to the nation-breaking King Edward I of England hammered national consciousness into the Scots. A History of Scotland episode 2 – Hammers of the Scots Alexander II of Scotland Alexander II was King of Scotland from 1214 until his death. He concluded the Treaty of York (1237) […]

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A History of Scotland episode 1 – The Last of the Free

History / 2 minutes of reading / February 21, 2020 / By HDclump

A History of Scotland episode 1 – The Last of the Free: Archaeologist, broadcaster and writer Neil Oliver charts the birth and growth of the Scottish nation in a comprehensive series. Over 10 episodes, Oliver presents the best of Scotland’s varied landscapes, iconic landmarks, monuments and historic architecture — all shot in high definition — picking up on the richness of the country’s heritage as well as its major characters and influences. The series begins with how the Gaelic Scottish Kingdom was born in the ninth century and moves on to episodes detailing the infamous Highland/Lowland divide, the

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The Silk Road episode 3

History / 2 minutes of reading / February 17, 2020 / By HDclump

The Silk Road episode 3: In the final episode of his series tracing the story of the most famous trade route in history, Dr Sam Willis continues his journey west in Iran. The first BBC documentary team to be granted entry for nearly a decade, Sam begins in the legendary city of Persepolis – heart of the first Persian Empire. Following an ancient caravan route through Persia’s deserts, he visits a Zoroastrian temple where a holy fire has burned for 1,500 years, and Esfahan, one of the Silk Road’s architectural jewels and rival to Sam’s next destination –

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The Silk Road episode 2

History / 2 minutes of reading / February 17, 2020 / By HDclump

The Silk Road episode 2: In the second episode of his series tracing the story of the most famous trade route in history, Dr Sam Willis travels west to Central Asia, a part of the Silk Road often overlooked and yet the place of major innovations, big historical characters and a people – the Sogdians – whose role was pivotal to its success. In the high mountain passes of Tajikistan, Sam meets the last survivors of that race, who once traded from the Mediterranean to the China Sea. In the Uzbek cities of Samarkand and Bukara, he discovers

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The Silk Road episode 1

History / 2 minutes of reading / February 15, 2020 / By HDclump

The Silk Road episode 1 : Dr Sam Willis reveals how the Silk Road was the world’s first global superhighway where people with new ideas, new cultures and new religions made exchanges that shaped humanity. In the first episode of his series tracing the story of the most famous trade route in history, Dr Sam Willis starts in Venice and explores how its Renaissance architecture and art has been shaped by the east and by thousands of exchanges along the route. From Venice Sam travels to China’s ancient capital, Xian. Here, Sam’s story takes him back in time

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Vikings episode 3

History / 2 minutes of reading / February 12, 2020 / By HDclump

Vikings episode 3: Neil Oliver explores how the Viking Age finally ended, tracing the Norse voyages of discovery, the first Danish kings, and the Christian conversions that opened the door to European high society. He also uncovers the truth about England’s King Canute – he was not an arrogant leader who thought he could hold back the waves, but the Viking ruler of an entire empire of the north and an early adopter of European standardisation. Vikings episode 3 Cnut the Great Cnut Sweynsson, known as Cnut the Great or Canute, was King of Denmark, England

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Vikings episode 1

History / 2 minutes of reading / February 10, 2020 / By HDclump

Vikings episode 1: In the first programme, Neil begins by discovering the mysterious world of the Vikings’ prehistoric ancestors. Neil Oliver heads for Scandinavia to reveal the truth behind the legend of the Vikings. The remains of weapons-filled war boats, long-haired Bronze Age farmers and a Swedish site of a royal palace and gruesome pagan rituals conjure up an ancient past from which the Viking Age was to suddenly erupt. Vikings episode 1 Viking Age The Viking Age (793–1066 AD) is a period in the history of the Scandinavians, during which they expanded and built settlements

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The Man who Discovered Egypt

History / 3 minutes of reading / February 7, 2020 / By HDclump

The Man who Discovered Egypt: Documentary about English Egyptologist Flinders Petrie, the pioneer of systematic methodology in archaeology. Ancient Egypt was vandalised by tomb raiders and treasure hunters until this Victorian adventurer took them on. Most people have never heard of him, but this maverick undertook a scientific survey of the pyramids, discovered the oldest portraits in the world, unearthed Egypt’s prehistoric roots – and in the process invented modern field archaeology, giving meaning to a whole civilisation. The Man who Discovered Egypt Flinders Petrie Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie, commonly known as Flinders Petrie, was

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The Flu That Killed 50 Million

History / 4 minutes of reading / February 6, 2020 / By HDclump

The Flu That Killed 50 Million: It is 1918 and the end of WWI. Millions have died, and the world is exhausted by war. But soon a new horror is sweeping the world, a terrifying virus that will kill more than fifty million people – the Spanish flu. Using dramatic reconstruction and eyewitness testimony from doctors, soldiers, civilians and politicians, this one-off special brings to life the onslaught of the disease, the horrors of those who lived through it and the efforts of the pioneering scientists desperately looking for the cure. Narrated by Christopher Eccleston, the film also

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Napoleon episode 3

History / 2 minutes of reading / January 21, 2020 / By HDclump

Napoleon episode 3: Historian Andrew Roberts charts the fall of Napoleon, a defining moment in global history, which saw him taken to the remote island of St Helena in the Atlantic Ocean in 1815 as a prisoner of the British. It had taken just a year for the monarchies of Europe, the anti-Napoleonic powers of the world, to destroy him. He trusted the Tsar of Russia – but the Tsar reneged on their deal. Napoleon sought revenge by invading Russia in 1812 – but the campaign was a disaster. He sought to defend France against her enemies –

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Napoleon episode 2

History / 3 minutes of reading / January 14, 2020 / By HDclump

Napoleon episode 2: This episode of the series charts the transformation of a political leader of the French to emperor and global statesman, from a son of the French Revolution to husband of the daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor, the most powerful, conservative, monarchist nation on earth. In 1805, when Napoleon was crowned King of Italy, he was at the height of his power – the previous year, he had been crowned Emperor of the French. It features the Battle of Austerlitz, one of the greatest military encounters of the 19th century, the rise of a Napoleonic

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Napoleon episode 1

History / 2 minutes of reading / January 13, 2020 / By HDclump

Napoleon episode 1 : The first of three documentaries telling the story of Napoleon. With access to a unique archive of Napoleon’s personal letters, many of which have never been published before, historian Andrew Roberts journeys through the history and geography of Europe to bring this story vividly to life as he retraces the footsteps of the legendary leader himself. The films shed new light on Napoleon as an extraordinarily gifted military commander, a mesmeric leader whose private life was, contrary to popular belief, littered with disappointments and betrayals. From lowly Corsican Army officer to first consul of

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