Weapons That Made Britain (Complete Series 2004)

CHANNEL 4 - WEAPONS THAT MADE BRITAIN 2004 Resolution..: 640 X 480 (4:3) video data Rate: 916 kbps Frame Rate:a 29 frames/second Audio: Stereo Audio bit rate: 128Kbps Audio Sample Rate: 44khz Subs: No subs Robert Bruce defeats the English at Bannockburn, King Alfred crushes the Vikings at Edington, British bowmen shoot down the might of France - at certain pivotal points history hangs by a thread. But none of these victories would have been possible without the technology of war. From the bow to the sword, and the shield to the lance, expert Mike Loades looks at the Weapons That Made Britain in a new five-part series for Channel 4. An 'action arranger' and weapons historian, Mike examines cutting-edge medieval technology, trains modern teams to use the weapons and tests exact replicas in the lab. Each programme focuses on one weapon and a battle on which it had a crucial impact, from Edington in 878 to Barnet in 1471. Mike Loades has spent a lifetime studying and using medieval weaponry and investigating the world in which it evolved. He says: "Weapons of war are iconic; at once beautiful and horrific. They provide a unique means to understand history by and they can hold the key to crucial battles that shaped our history. But they can also tell us much more: about the means of production and the craft skills of the day; the social order that supported the arms industry and the hierarchy of the battlefield where weapons signified status. Military technology has always been at the leading edge of scientific discovery and military practice has always been a mirror of the society for which it fights. "Actually wielding these weapons gives you a physical connection with the past and with the men who killed and were killed with them. We also decided to test these weapons in modern dress. It sounds a small point, but the soldiers who used them were 'modern' troops of their day with state-of-the-art equipment, not quaint, outmoded folk in funny clothes." The first edition of the series focuses on the sword - the classic accessory for every swashbuckling hero. But behind the romantic image is a battlefield weapon of chilling brutality. Mike puts fighting techniques to the test as ten students embark on a crash course in medieval battle skills, leaning basic stances that would have been programmed into a drill for muscle memory. He examines the long sword which was used at The Battle Of Hastings, watches a swordsmith make an Anglo-Saxon sword and also visits the site of the 1471 Battle of Barnet, to find out why close quarter combat took such a pivotal role in the War of the Roses clash between the Houses of Lancaster and York. In the fifteenth century most battles were decided by cannon fire and arrow storms, but at Barnet the men had to fall back on the age old skills of fighting with the sword as the smoke from earlier artillery fire had mixed with the mist to create a thick curtain of fog. In full armour the armies fought for over three hours till a catastrophic error dealt the Yorkist troops the upper hand. Warwick's Lancastrian army left and centre mistook the other, first for enemy troops, then for traitors. The damage they did to each other was decisive, for until then the fight had been in Warwick's favour. Warwick the Kingmaker died on the field of battle and Edward's reign remained unchallenged until his death 12 years later.

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kogashiwakai (2011-10-14)

Love love loved this program. Mike Loades is easily the greatest historical weapons presenter I've ever seen.