BBC - Castles Britain's Fortified History (2014) Part 3 Defence of the Realm

Castles: Britain's Fortified History

Historian Sam Willis traces the story of Britain's castles and their unique role in our history, art and literature.

Part 3: Defence of the Realm

Sam Willis explores how, by the Wars of the Roses, castles were under attack from a new threat - the cannon - but survived into the Tudor era only to find their whole purpose challenged. What had once been strategic seats of power now had to keep up with the fickle fashions of the court, and become palaces to impress monarchs such as Elizabeth I. Just as castles seemed to have lost their defensive function, the English Civil War erupted. The legacy of that tumultuous period resulted in castles no longer being associated with protection. Rather, their ruins took on a unique appeal, embodying nostalgia for an age of chivalry that became a powerful part of the national psyche.

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