Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
31	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30	1	2	3	4

BBC - Castles: Britain's Fortified History (2014)

Posted By: notbanned

Date: 24 Dec 2014 02:34:54

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

Part 1: Instruments of Invasion
Sam Willis looks at the history of the castle from its first appearance with the Normans in 1066 to the longest siege on English soil at Kenilworth Castle two hundred years later. The castle arrived as an instrument of invasion, but soon became a weapon with which unruly barons challenged the crown. Tingtagel Castle, the place King Arthur is said to have been conceived, is also on the itinerary. It remains one of the most evocative of castles to this day, drawing visitors from around the world with its tales of myth and legend.

Part 2: Kingdom of Conquest
Sam tells the story of the English ruler who left the most indelible mark on the castle - the great Plantagenet king, Edward I, who turned it into an instrument of colonisation. Edward spent vast sums to subdue Wales with a ring of iron comprised of some of the most fearsome fortresses ever built. Castles like Caernarfon and Beaumaris were used to impose England's will on the Welsh. But when Edward turned his attention to Scotland, laying siege to castles with great catapults, things didn't go so well for him.

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.

MediaInfo

General
Complete name : BBC.Castles.Britains.Fortified.History.1of3.Instruments.of.Invasion.mp4
Format : MPEG-4
Format profile : Base Media
Codec ID : isom
File size : 1.31 GiB
Duration : 58mn 55s
Overall bit rate mode : Variable
Overall bit rate : 3 184 Kbps

Video
ID : 1
Format : AVC
Format/Info : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile : High@L4.1
Format settings, CABAC : No
Format settings, ReFrames : 1 frame
Format settings, GOP : M=1, N=12
Codec ID : avc1
Codec ID/Info : Advanced Video Coding
Duration : 58mn 55s
Bit rate : 3 022 Kbps
Maximum bit rate : 13.6 Mbps
Width : 1 280 pixels
Height : 720 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 16:9
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 25.000 fps
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 8 bits
Scan type : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.131
Stream size : 1.24 GiB (95%)
Encoded date : UTC 2014-12-19 10:41:04
Tagged date : UTC 2014-12-21 21:17:28

Audio
ID : 2
Format : AAC
Format/Info : Advanced Audio Codec
Format profile : LC
Codec ID : 40
Duration : 58mn 55s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 160 Kbps
Maximum bit rate : 222 Kbps
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Channel positions : Front: L R
Sampling rate : 48.0 KHz
Compression mode : Lossy
Stream size : 67.4 MiB (5%)
Language : English
Encoded date : UTC 2014-12-21 21:17:22
Tagged date : UTC 2014-12-21 21:17:28

Text
ID : 3
Format : Timed text
Codec ID : tx3g
Duration : 58mn 26s
Bit rate mode : Variable
Bit rate : 104 bps
Stream size : 44.5 KiB (0%)
Encoded date : UTC 2014-12-21 21:17:28
Tagged date : UTC 2014-12-21 21:17:28

Screenshots: