Monarchy Complete Collection

Delightful and informative San Francisco Chronicle See this U.K. broadcast edition with episodes not seen on PBS documenting a 1,500-year history of power, passion and glory. Over more than a millennium, the British monarchy has survived brutality, betrayal, and bloodshed to emerge as the oldest functioning political institution in Europe. Join eminent historian David Starkey ( The Six Wives of Henry VIII) as he probes the personalities of the men and women who wore the crown. Meet the Anglo-Saxon king Offa, who ruled more like a mafioso than a monarch; Henry VIII, who cultivated celebrity like a modern rock star; and Victoria, who remade the monarchy into the model of middle-class morality. Through it all, visit the very sites where history happened: Hastings, Bosworth Field, the Tower of London, and more. In this captivating 16-part series, Starkey advances a unifying narrativethe dynamic tension between authoritarian order and rule by consent of the governedthat makes Britain unique among the worlds nations. An honorary fellow at Cambridge University and a member of Londons Society of Royal Antiquaries, David Starkey (CBE) has taught history at the London School of Economics, written more than a dozen books, and presented many acclaimed television documentaries.