A-level: Tudors

'There are some events which, because they lack high drama or obvious significance, tend to receive scant attention in history books but which, on closer examination, prove to have been of great consequence. The failure of Archbishop Cranmer’s enemies to encompass his destruction in the autumn of 1543 is one such.'

'In 2013, researchers announced that the body of Richard III had been found underneath a car park in Leicester. The body took five months to discover and consisted some of the most intensive archaeological and scientific analysis ever conducted. Now, in this special follow up documentary, watch unseen footage and additional interviews from the specialists involved that helps tell this extraordinary forensic story in even greater detail.'

BBC Henry VIII Mind of a Tyrant by David Starkey 4of4 Prince 1485 -1509

BBC Henry VIII Mind of a Tyrant by David Starkey 1of4 Prince 1485 -1509

'Elizabeth of York was the eldest daughter of the Yorkist king Edward IV, sister of the princes in the Tower, and niece of Richard III. Her marriage to Henry VII was hugely popular, for the union of the white rose of York and the red rose of Lancaster was seen as bringing peace after years of dynastic war. She may not have sought the limelight as much as some of her contemporaries, but Henry VIII's mother was a Tudor of rare talent, says Alison Weir.'

'This is an extract taken from a draft proclamation by the government of Elizabeth I. This was sent with a letter on 24th June 1588 by Lord Burghley, Elizabeth I’s chief minister, to Sir Francis Walsingham. They were clearly discussing how to make their case most persuasive and to blame the war on others.'

'Henry VII Chapel, Westminster Abbey, London, begun 1503. Speakers: Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris.'

''Bloody Mary' Tudor was long branded a religious bigot and a military failure. Yet as Anna Whitelock explains, the first woman to wear the crown of England was a political pioneer who redefined the monarchy.'

'Historian David Olusoga, explores the lives of some of the hundreds of black migrants who were in England during the Tudor period of the 1500s. Olusoga visits The National Archives in Kew, where he meets Dr. Miranda Kaufmann who has researched the lives of more than 200 of these people. Most were living ordinary lives, working in domestic service or the cloth trade, but there were exceptions. They discuss John Blanke, a trumpeter in the court of Henry VIII, who was so well established that he actually submitted a request for a pay rise, and a diver, Jacques Francis, who gave evidence in a court case. Dr. Kaufmann concludes that some black people in England were accorded greater privileges than many white English people at the time.'

'The Tudor home of the Seymour family, setting of Hilary Mantel’s books, has been discovered in the grounds of a later manor in Wiltshire.'

'Who was the 'groom of the stool' in the Tudor monarch's court? Where did the power lie among Henry VIII's courtiers? The Tudor path to power wasn't making speeches in the Commons; it was changing the king's underpants and wiping his bottom …'

'When Henry VIII instituted the break with Rome, he ushered in an era that would see Protestants and Catholics burn, starve, hang and hack each other to death in their thousands.' Peter Marshall, professor of history at the University of Warwick and the author of English Reformation, Heretics and Believers (Yale, 2017), tells the story of England's bloody wars of religion.

'In the 1980s during the installation of a lift, a lost wall was uncovered at Hampton Court Palace - the back facade of the Tudor chapel, blocked in by Christopher Wren during the construction of the Baroque apartments. Although the Tudor stained glass was long gone from its magnificent window, fragments of colourful glass were found at its base, giving us an insight into the beauty of the original Tudor architecture.'

BBC Henry VIII Mind of a Tyrant by David Starkey 3of4 Prince 1485 -1509

BBC Henry VIII Mind of a Tyrant by David Starkey 2of4 Prince 1485 -1509

'Sharp sight, close scrutiny and an unbelievably steady hand unite in these exquisite Elizabethan miniatures – among the greatest works in European art.'

'The turbulent relationship between Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots dominated English and Scottish politics for 20 years, and in February 1587, in the face of unrelenting pressure from parliament and her councillors, Elizabeth signed her cousin’s death warrant. Mary was executed a week later, her head severed in three blows. Now, a new film explores the two queens' stormy rivalry. Here, John Guy, the author of the 2004 biography upon which new film Mary Queen of Scots is based, takes us behind the scenes and argues that Mary was as much the victim of the pen as of the executioner’s axe …'

'The first queen of England in her own right, Mary I was known as 'Bloody Mary' for her brutal persecution of Protestants. But she is also remembered for her phantom pregnancy of 1555. Perhaps a result of the queen’s overwhelming desire to have a child, the peculiar episode had great political consequences for her reign.'

'Music was of paramount importance in the Tudor period, particularly at the royal court: performers were tasked with privately entertaining monarchs and tutoring their children, and were rewarded with extravagant tips and even personal praise from the king or queen. Here, Melita Thomas, the editor of Tudor Times, explores the role of music at royal Tudor courts …'

Suzannah Lipscombe on the Boleyn marriage.

'The image of Lady Jane Grey, the abused child-woman and nine days queen, is encapsulated in a fraud. Why are we so keen to believe in an innocent, virginal Jane, asks Leanda de Lisle.'

'In this portrait Queen Elizabeth I appears to be little more than a diminutive and shy young woman. Discovered by Philip Mould, the BBC historian and art dealer, the painting - thought to be the earliest full-length portrait of the Queen - is now going up on display for the first time.'