She-Wolves: England's Early Queens
Historian of the medieval period, Helen Castor, presents an in depth and insightful series covering England's early Queens, from the High Middle Ages with Eleanor and get daughter-in-law Eleanor of Aquitane, through the Late Middle Ages with Isabella of France and Margaret of Anjou and finishing with Lady Jane Grey, Mary I and Elizabeth I.
- 2012-2012
- 1 season
- Documentary
Historian of the medieval period, Helen Castor, presents an in depth and insightful series covering England's early Queens, from the High Middle Ages with Eleanor and get daughter-in-law Eleanor of Aquitane, through the Late Middle Ages with Isabella of France and Margaret of Anjou and finishing with Lady Jane Grey, Mary I and Elizabeth I.
Season 1 Episode Guide
3 Episodes 2012
Episode 1
Matilda and Eleanor
62 mins
The first woman to attempt to claim the English throne, Matilda--daughter of Henry I, granddaughter of William the Conqueror--was hours from her coronation in 1141 when an angry mob chased her away. Her daughter-in-law, Eleanor of Aquitaine, led a rebellion against her own husband. Neither won the crown, but both ensured that the dynasty would continue.
Episode 2
Isabella and Margaret
62 mins
Isabella and Margaret were both young French girls and political pawns when they were married to English kings: Isabella to Edward II in the 14th century, Margaret to Henry VI 100 years later. Isabella was accused of murder and Margaret of plunging England into the Wars of the Roses. Shakespeare later dubbed Margaret "She-wolf of France."
Episode 3
Jane, Mary and Elizabeth
62 mins
In 1553, the death of a 15-year-old boy caused an unprecedented political crisis. Edward VI was Henry VIII's only male heir. For the first time in English history, all the contender for his crown were female: Lady Jane Grey, the staunchly Catholic Mary Tudor, and Elizabeth I, who showed how capably and gloriously a woman could rule.