Arthur, a Celtic king born of deception and adultery, became one of Britain's most famous rulers. Camelot, Avalon, the Holy Grail, the Knights of the Round Table: there is no myth in British history as powerful as the legend of King Arthur.
When the Romans left these islands in the 5th century, warlike and barbaric Anglo-Saxons flocked to Britain by way of the North Sea. Did Arthur lead the British resistance against these invaders? If so, where should we look for it? Glastonbury? Tintagel? Or, as Michael Wood suggests, elsewhere?
The legend tells the story of King Arthur, mortally wounded by the traitor Mordred during the final battle of Camlann. Before being taken to the magical Vale of Avalon, Arthur declared that one day he would return, when the kingdom of Logres needed his leadership again. The legends of King Arthur have developed over the centuries into a carefully cultivated mix of historical fact and myth – so much so that it is difficult for many observers to tell where truth ends and imagination begins. This is a controversial reassessment of the historical truth behind the Arthurian myth.
Follow one of television's best-loved historians, Michael Wood, as he energetically skims through forests and scrub, cameraman at his side, to get as close as possible to some remarkable historic landscapes. The enthusiasm of this Anglo-Saxon historian is irresistibly contagious in this original BBC historical series from 1981.
This groundbreaking first television series from Michael Wood explores the fascinating and mysterious centuries between the Romans and the Norman Conquest of 1066. In Search of the Dark Ages vividly evokes some of the most famous names in British history, such as Queen Boadicea, leader of a terrible war of resistance against the Romans, and King Arthur, the "once and future king", for whom Wood offers a new and surprising solution to the riddle. Here too, with their faults, are the Saxon, Viking and Norman kings who laid the political foundations of England – Offa of Mercia, Alfred the Great, Athelstan and William the Conqueror, whose victory at Hastings in 1066 marked the end of England. Saxon England.
Reflecting recent historical, textual and archaeological research, this classic series by Michael Wood overturns preconceptions that the Dark Ages were a dark and brutal time, showing them as a richly exciting and formative period in the history of the Britain. Known for his critically acclaimed series In Search of the Trojan War (1985), The Story of India (2007) and Michael Wood's Story of England (2010), this was the history professor's on-screen debut .
Although his initial ambition was to become a medieval historian, Wood says he was “drawn to television” and the opportunity to popularize history, his lifelong passion. With subjects ranging from the chivalrous King Arthur to the terrible name of Eric Bloodaxe, no part of the series was filmed in a studio, as maverick presenter Michael Wood preferred to get as close as possible to the landscapes that shaped the face of history. Overturning perceptions that the Dark Ages were a dark and brutal time, this series reveals that it was a surprisingly turbulent and formative period in Britain's history. A BBC Manchester production (1979-1981).
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