BBC - In Search of the Dark Ages (1981) Part 5 In Search of Athelstan

Follow one of TV's best loved historians, Michael Wood, as he energetically brushes through woodlands and overgrowth, camera man in tow, to get as close as possible to some remarkable historical landscapes. The enthusiasm of this Anglo-Saxon-speaking historian is irresistibly contagious in this never-before-released landmark 1981 BBC series. This Michael Wood's groundbreaking first television series explores the fascinating and mysterious centuries between the Romans and the Norman Conquest of 1066. In Search of the Dark Ages vividly conjures up 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 whose riddle Wood proposes a new and surprising solution. Here too, warts and all, 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 Anglo-Saxon England. Reflecting recent historical, textual and archaeological research, this Michael Wood's classic series overturns preconceptions of the Dark Ages as a shadowy and brutal era, showing them to be a richly exciting and formative period in the history of 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 screen debut for the history Professor. Though his original ambition was to become a medieval historian, Wood says he was 'drawn away by television' and the chance to popularise history, his lifelong passion. With subjects ranging from the chivalric King Arthur to the terrifyingly named Eric Bloodaxe, no part of the series was filmed in a studio, as maverick presenter Michael Wood preferred to get as close and personal with the landscapes that shaped the face of history. Overturning perceptions of the dark ages as a shadowy and brutal era, this series reveals it to be a surprisingly eventful and formative period in the history of Britain.

Part 5 In Search of Athelstan

In a corner of the ruined Abbey of Malmesbury, Wiltshire, stands a monument to a great but forgotten king. He was the founder of the first British Empire. He reigned from 925 to 939, just 14 years. The search for King Athelstan takes us from the coasts of Devon to the dramatic fortress of Dunnottar in Scotland. In Durham Michael Wood discovers the splendid royal treasure given to St Cuthbert. In Hampshire he traces the bounds of the estate Athelstan gave to his armour bearer.

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