The Beau Monde

Waldemar Januszczak brings the Baroque home with an exploration of the English Baroque at London's Hawksmoor churches and Christopher Wren's iconic St Paul's Cathedral.

The Allure of Art Nouveau Series looks at how the Art Nouveau movement flourished in the burgeoning cities of Europe at the end of the 19th century. Episode 1: The delicious objects of Parisian Art Nouveau are explored by cultural correspondent Stephen Smith. Uncovering how the luscious decorative style first erupted into the cityscape, Stephen delves into the city's Bohemian past to learn how some of the 19th century's most glamorous and controversial figures inspired this extraordinary movement Revealing the story behind Alphonse Mucha's sensual posters of actress Sarah Bernhardt, looking at the exquisite jewellery designer Renee Lalique and visiting iconic art nouveau locations such the famous Maxim's restaurant, the programme builds a picture of fin-de-siecle Paris.. But Smith also reveals that the style is more than just veneer deep. Looking further into the work of glass maker Emile Galle and architect Hector Guimard, he sees how some of art nouveau's stars risked their reputation to give meaning and purpose to work they thought could affect social change.

The Allure of Art Nouveau Series looks at how the Art Nouveau movement flourished in the burgeoning cities of Europe at the end of the 19th century. Episode 2: London didn’t embrace the erotic curves of Art Nouveau quite as rapturously as Paris. But Oscar Wilde did, especially the drawings of daring young Aubrey Beardsley. Then Wilde was carted off to jail for “gross indecency”, leaving both their reputations in tatters and straitlaced Victorians with a deep mistrust for this continental smut masquerading as art. Stephen Smith examines the influence art nouveau had on British art and design in the early part of the 20th century. He explores the work of illustrator Aubrey Beardsley and architect and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh, as well as delving into the careers of less celebrated figures, including Mackintosh's wife Margaret MacDonald and artist and craftswoman Mary Watts. Smith also considers how entrepreneur Arthur Liberty helped popularise the art nouveau style through his London department store

The Allure of Art Nouveau Series looks at how the Art Nouveau movement flourished in the burgeoning cities of Europe at the end of the 19th century. Episode 3: In a story that combines scandal and revolution, cultural correspondent Stephen Smith explores how Vienna's artists rebelled against the establishment in the late 19th century and brought their own highly-sexed version of Art Nouveau to the banks of the Danube. Looking at the eye-watering work of Gustav Klimt, Smith discovers that Viennese 'Jugenstil' was more than just a decorative delight, but saw artists struggle to bring social meaning to the new style. Revealing the design genius of Josef Hoffman, the graphic work of Koloman Moser and the emergence of the enfant terrible Egon Schiele, Smith unpacks the stories behind a style that burned brightly but briefly at the fin de siecle

Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine.[1] Edward was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour and the first English monarch to be raised as a Protestant.[2] During his reign, the realm was governed by a regency council because he never reached maturity. The council was first led by his uncle Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset (1547–1549), and then by John Dudley, 1st Earl of Warwick (1550–1553), who from 1551 was Duke of Northumberland. Edward's reign was marked by economic problems and social unrest that in 1549 erupted into riot and rebellion. An expensive war with Scotland, at first successful, ended with military withdrawal from Scotland and Boulogne-sur-Mer in exchange for peace. The transformation of the Church of England into a recognisably Protestant body also occurred under Edward, who took great interest in religious matters. His father, Henry VIII, had severed the link between the Church and Rome, but had never permitted the renunciation of Catholic doctrine or ceremony. It was during Edward's reign that Protestantism was established for the first time in England with reforms that included the abolition of clerical celibacy and the Mass, and the imposition of compulsory services in English. In February 1553, at age 15, Edward fell ill. When his sickness was discovered to be terminal, he and his council drew up a "Devise for the Succession" to prevent the country's return to Catholicism. Edward named his first cousin once removed, Lady Jane Grey, as his heir, excluding his half-sisters, Mary and Elizabeth. This decision was disputed following Edward's death, and Jane was deposed by Mary nine days after becoming queen. Mary, a Catholic, reversed Edward's Protestant reforms during her reign, but Elizabeth restored them in 1559.

Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, and as "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant opponents, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death in 1558. She is best known for her vigorous attempt to reverse the English Reformation, which had begun during the reign of her father, Henry VIII. Her attempt to restore to the Church the property confiscated in the previous two reigns was largely thwarted by Parliament, but during her five-year reign, Mary had over 280 religious dissenters burned at the stake in the Marian persecutions. Mary was the only child of Henry VIII by his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, to survive to adulthood. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded their father in 1547 at the age of nine. When Edward became mortally ill in 1553, he attempted to remove Mary from the line of succession because he supposed, correctly, that she would reverse the Protestant reforms that had taken place during his reign. Upon his death, leading politicians proclaimed Lady Jane Grey as queen. Mary speedily assembled a force in East Anglia and deposed Jane, who was ultimately beheaded. Mary was—excluding the disputed reigns of Jane and the Empress Matilda—the first queen regnant of England. In July 1554, Mary married Philip of Spain, becoming queen consort of Habsburg Spain on his accession in January 1556. After Mary's death in 1558, her re-establishment of Roman Catholicism was reversed by her younger half-sister and successor, Elizabeth I.

Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 – 24 March 1603)[a] was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Sometimes referred to as the Virgin Queen, Elizabeth was the last of the five monarchs of the House of Tudor.[1] Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, his second wife, who was executed when Elizabeth was 21⁄2 years old. Anne's marriage to Henry was annulled, and Elizabeth was declared illegitimate. Her half-brother Edward VI ruled until his death in 1553, bequeathing the crown to Lady Jane Grey and ignoring the claims of his two half-sisters, the Roman Catholic Mary and the younger Elizabeth, in spite of statute law to the contrary. Edward's will was set aside and Mary became queen, deposing Lady Jane Grey. During Mary's reign, Elizabeth was imprisoned for nearly a year on suspicion of supporting Protestant rebels.

Upon her half-sister's death in 1558, Elizabeth succeeded to the throne and set out to rule by good counsel.[b] She depended heavily on a group of trusted advisers led by William Cecil, whom much later she created 1st Baron Burghley. One of her first actions as queen was the establishment of an English Protestant church, of which she became the supreme governor. This Elizabethan Religious Settlement was to evolve into the Church of England. It was expected that Elizabeth would marry and produce an heir; however, despite numerous courtships, she never did. She was eventually succeeded by her first cousin twice removed, James VI of Scotland; this laid the foundation for the Kingdom of Great Britain. She had earlier been reluctantly responsible for the imprisonment and execution of James's mother, Mary, Queen of Scots.

In government, Elizabeth was more moderate than her father and half-siblings had been.[3] One of her mottoes was "video et taceo" ("I see and keep silent").[4] In religion, she was relatively tolerant and avoided systematic persecution. After the pope declared her illegitimate in 1570 and released her subjects from obedience to her, several conspiracies threatened her life, all of which were defeated with the help of her ministers' secret service, run by Francis Walsingham. Elizabeth was cautious in foreign affairs, manoeuvring between the major powers of France and Spain. She only half-heartedly supported a number of ineffective, poorly resourced military campaigns in the Netherlands, France, and Ireland. By the mid-1580s, England could no longer avoid war with Spain.

As she grew older, Elizabeth became celebrated for her virginity. A cult of personality grew around her which was celebrated in the portraits, pageants, and literature of the day. Elizabeth's reign became known as the Elizabethan era. The period is famous for the flourishing of English drama, led by playwrights such as William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe, and for the prowess of English maritime adventurers such as Francis Drake and Walter Raleigh. Some historians depict Elizabeth as a short-tempered, sometimes indecisive ruler[5] who enjoyed more than her fair share of luck. Towards the end of her reign, a series of economic and military problems weakened her popularity. However, Elizabeth is acknowledged as a charismatic performer ("Gloriana") and a dogged survivor ("Good Queen Bess") in an era when government was ramshackle and limited, and when monarchs in neighbouring countries faced internal problems that jeopardised their thrones. After the short reigns of her half-siblings, her 44 years on the throne provided welcome stability for the kingdom and helped to forge a sense of national identity.[3]

Beginning 800 years ago, women who attempted to wear England's crown were thwarted, betrayed, imprisoned and condemned until the day came when England had no choice but to name a female monarch. She-Wolves: England's Early Queens explores the lives of seven English queens who challenged male power, the fierce and fiery reactions they provoked, and whether, in fact, much has changed.

Beginning 800 years ago, women who attempted to wear England's crown were thwarted, betrayed, imprisoned and condemned until the day came when England had no choice but to name a female monarch. She-Wolves: England's Early Queens explores the lives of seven English queens who challenged male power, the fierce and fiery reactions they provoked, and whether, in fact, much has changed.

Beginning 800 years ago, women who attempted to wear England's crown were thwarted, betrayed, imprisoned and condemned until the day came when England had no choice but to name a female monarch. She-Wolves: England's Early Queens explores the lives of seven English queens who challenged male power, the fierce and fiery reactions they provoked, and whether, in fact, much has changed.

Michael Wood tells the story of King Alfred the Great and his children and grandson, arguing that they were the most important rulers in the history of England; shaping the nation itself, founding cities, establishing law and government and reviving the language and literature that still define the English today. Before laying the foundations of a single kingdom for 'all the English', Alfred fought a desperate guerrilla war against the Vikings in the marshes of Somerset - burning the cakes on the way - before his decisive victory at Edington.

Alfred's children continue the family plan to create a kingdom of all the English. Michael Wood recovers the story of Alfred's daughter Aethelflaed, the ruler of Mercia. One of the great forgotten figures in British history, Aethelflaed led armies, built fortresses, campaigned against the Vikings and was a brilliant diplomat. Her fame spread across the British Isles, beloved by her warriors and her people she was known simply as "the Lady of the Mercians". Without her, concludes Michael Wood, 'England might never have happened'.

Alfred's grandson Aethelstan fulfils the family plan and creates a kingdom of all England. Travelling from Devon to Cumbria, Scotland and Rome, Michael Wood tells the tale of Aethelstan's wars, his learning and his lawmaking, showing how he created a national coinage and traces the origin of the English Parliament to the king's new assembly politics. But there's also a dark side, with later legends that the king had his brother drowned at sea. In his last desperate struggle, Aethelstan defeated a huge invasion of Vikings and Scots in what became known as the Anglo-Saxon 'Great War'.

Monarchy discusses the early history of England and the birth of the Monarchy. It looks migration of the Anglo-Saxons into Britain and discusses some early rulers including. It looks at the roles of Aethelbert and his Frankish wife Bertha in the Christianization of Britain. It examines the dominant reign of King Offa of Mercia. Finally, it looks at Alfred the Great and how he united England against Viking invasion.

Monarchy examines the history of kingship in England from the rise of the Anglo-Saxons to the Battle of Hastings. Edgar the Peaceful is crowned in bath, but dies shortly after. The crown passes to his son Edward the Martyr who is killed at a young age. Aethelred the Unready is crowned, but his rule is mired with a conflict with the Danes. The Danes seize the thrown and Cnut secures control of England by marrying Aethelred's wife Emma. After Cnut's Death, Edward the Confessor restores the House of Wessex to the throne. He fathers no heirs and his conflict with Godwin ...

Monarchy examines the history of kingship in England from William to Conqueror on through the House of Norman. William seizes the throne after the battle of Hastings and is crowned in Westminster Abbey in London. He suppresses the Anglo-Saxons and consolidates his holdings by building fortifications throughout England. William Rufus the second son of William the Conqueror becomes king after his father's death. Disliked by the Church for his irreligious ways, he is killed by an arrow while hunting in the New Forest. After his death, his brother Henry crowns himself ..

Monarchy examines the reign of Henry II and his efforts to create a dynasty. Henry appoints Thomas Becket as the archbishop of Canterbury in an effort to control the Church. The two of them eventual clash, however, over the independence of the church. Ultimately, Henry has Becket assassinated. Henry later dies and his kingdom passes to his son Richard the Lionheart who rules England from afar. Richard appoints his brother John as his successor. King John loses most of the family lands in France and gets into a conflict with Pope Innocent III who puts England under an

Monarchy looks at the reigns of Edward I through Edward III. Edward I (also known as Edward Longshanks) conquers Wales and provokes Scotland into rebellion. He forces John Balliol to abdicate, but the Scots continue to resist under William Wallace and Robert the Bruce. After Edward's death, his son becomes King Edward II. Edward II is an unpopular king due to his extravagant favouritism in the Court. He leads his armies to defeat against Scotland in the Battle of Bannockburn and is later deposed by his wife Isabella. Edward III is crowned is popular with the people and...

Monarchy looks at the reigns made famous by Shakespeare: Richard II, Henry IV, Henry V and Henry VI. Richard becomes king at only ten after the deaths of King Edward III and Richard's father Edward the Black Prince. Richard rules over a lavish court and later comes into conflict with the nobles of England. Exiled by the King, Henry Bolingbroke returns to England after Richard seizes his family's estates. Bolingbroke deposes Richard, has him killed by starvation, and becomes King Henry IV by usurpation. Henry IV deals with multiple rebellions against his rule. ...

Monarchy looks at the reigns of Henry VI, Edward IV, Edward V, Richard III, and Henry VII. Lancaster king Henry VI is challenged by the three brothers of the House of York in the War of the Roses. After the Battle of Tewkesbury, Henry VI is murdered in the Tower of London and Edward IV of York is declared king. The last potential Lancaster heir, Henry Tudor flees to Brittany where he spends a decade and a half of exile. Edward IV rules in England fathering two sons but a rivalry grows with his ambitious younger brother George the Duke of Clarence. Edward sentences his brother for treason and has him executed. Edward rules until his death from fever 1483 and his young son Edward V becomes his heir. As Edward V heads to his coronation, he is taken captive by his uncle Richard III. Richard is named Lord Protector and imprisons Edward V and his younger brother in the Tower of London. The two princes are declared bastards by Parliament and are likely killed. Richard III is crowned king but quickly proves unpopular. Henry Tudor's mother Margaret Beaufort makes an alliance with Elizabeth Woodville the wife of the late King Edward IV in which Henry pledged to marry the eldest daughter of the former king. Henry Tudor returns to England with an army support by the French. Henry defeats Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field. Henry VII is crowned two month later and marries Elizabeth of York creating the House of Tudor. Peace and unity, however, are fleeting. Henry has to put down several Yorkist rebellions, fight France over Brittany, and defeat pretender Perkin Warbeck. Henry focuses on domestics affairs and raises revenues through heavy taxes. He eventually dies of and illness and his son is crowned Henry VIII.

Monarchy looks at the reign of Henry VIII through his marriage to Jane Seymour. As a second son, Henry was not expected to rule and was not educated in the rigors of kingship and lives a relatively carefree life. When his brother Arthur dies, he becomes the sole heir of the dynasty and is later crowned king. He marries Catherine of Aragon and later with the assistance of Thomas Wolsey sends his armies against France. Unfortunately his marriage does not produce an heir and the war in France though initially successful eventually bogs down. Henry becomes infatuated by Anne Boleyn and attempts to annul his marriage to Catherine. When the Church stalls the annulment, Henry rejects of papal supremacy and is declared Supreme Head of the Church of England. He secretly marries Anne Boylen and has his marriage to Catherine annulled. In response, the Pope excommunicates Henry. Sir Thomas More begins a campaign against Henry's accumulation of religious power, but he is eventually executed. Henry grows wealthy and powerful after he dissolves the monasteries, but his actions provoke a rebellions throughout England. When Anne Boleyn does not produce a male heir, Henry has her executed on trumped up charges of adultery. Henry marries Jane Seymour who gives birth to a male heir.

Monarchy looks at the latter part of the reign of Henry VIII and the reigns of Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I. Henry strives to reconcile his son Edward with his two bastardized sisters Mary and Elizabeth. He makes all three of his children his heirs by naming them his successors: Edward first, then Mary, and then Elizabeth. Henry dies in 1547 and Edward VI is named king. The young king and his counselors attempt to use royal supremacy to make England a fully protestant country. He orders the destruction of Christian artifacts and replaces the Latin mass with the Book of Common Prayer. His actions cause riots and uproar. His sister Mary aligns herself with the Roman Catholic Church and continues to hear the Latin mass despite her brother's wishes. Edward grows ill and changes the line of succession to prevent Mary and Elizabeth from becoming Queen. He names Lady Jane Grey as his heir presumptive. After Edward dies, Mary gathers an army and the Grey faction steps aside. Mary becomes Queen and takes it as her mission to return England to Catholicism. In an unpopular move, she marries the King Philip of Spain. Their rule is tarnished by the persecution of Protestants and a false pregnancy. Mary eventual grows ill and dies. Queen Elizabeth I is crowned and she tries to walk a moderate religious path. She endorses royal supremacy, but insists on maintaining certain religious traditions. She creates a church Protestant in doctrine and Catholic in appearance. Elizabeth is reluctant to marry creating a succession problem since the Catholic Mary Queen of Scots has the best claim to the throne. Elizabeth refuses to name Mary her heir, but Catholics nevertheless conspire around her. She is eventually arrested and put to death by conspiring Protestant.