The English have a rich and colorful history, and one of the things that makes their past so interesting is the monarchy.  While here is the states we've had our share of crooks, philanderers, and incompetents as president, they're gone in eight year at the most.  In England a bad ruler can last for decades.  With such a long and detailed history, getting to know the rulers of England and understanding their complex relationship with the people that they rule can seem rather intimidating.  To the rescue is historian Dr. David Starkey.  He hosts a six-part series on Britain's rulers:  Monarchy.  While the series won't give viewers a detailed knowledge of the subject, it is a good introduction that might spur viewers on the read more on the subject.

The series starts in the Dark Ages and the fall of the Roman Empire.  Rome ruled England and the fall of that Empire left a power vacuum, a gap in power that allowed the Saxons to invade.  It was the mix of Anglos and Saxons that produced the first kings, ruling over section of present day England.   Dr. Starkey explains how these first rulers carved out a kingdom, often to be lost by their sons or heirs, but eventually solidified rule over England.

Famous monarchs, such as Richard the Lion-Hearted who spent most of his rein crusading in the Middle East, and his brother John who succeeded him and was such a horrible that the English people swore they would never serve under a King named John again are examined, as well as the not so well known such as William Rufus and King Canute.  The series covers the important conflicts that decided the fate of the country such as the Battle of Hastings, and other equally important, though less bloody, problems such as the question of succession.

The Magna Carta, and other documents that define the powers and rights of the monarch are discusses, and the role of religion is woven throughout the series too.  The program ends with Charles II returning to the throne after Cromwell's death.

While this gives a good overview of England's monarchy, it is rather short on details.  I couldn't help but feel that some problems were simplified to fit into the time allotted.  With each hour-long episode covering several rulers and sometimes hundreds of years, it is hard to get to know any one ruler or members of their courts.  The show's rapid pace, while ensuring that the show isn't boring, doesn't give viewers a feeling of knowledge that a good documentary has.  Watching these six episodes over a two day period, I found myself having a hard time remembering just which king did what after it was all over.  How did Henry VI fit into all of this....I'd have to look it up.

I'm not sure that I buy David Starkey's main premise either.  He spends much of the series presenting facts that support his contention that the English monarchy has been so successful because the English people consent to be ruled by a king.  That it isn't a dictatorship, but a two way street of give and take.  He presents the various documents, some that predate the Magna Carta, that define the monarch's powers as proof of this.  I honestly don't buy it.  In many cases there were Kings that hurt the people and the nation and they were never brought to task.  On more than one occasion Parliament was disbanded when a King didn't like what they were doing, which seems to invalidate Starkey's thesis. There wasn't a system of checks and balances in place to ensure that a King didn't usurp too much power either.  Consent implies an agreement among equals, and the people, even the nobles, were never on equal terms with the monarch.

These six episodes, each of which runs about 50 minutes, come on two DVDs that each have their own standard case.  The two cases are housed in an illustrated slipcase.  There was an insert included with the first disc that listed the episodes and chapter stops for that disc but, oddly enough, the second DVD did not have a similar insert.

Audio:

The show is presented with a stereo soundtrack that is adequate.  The show is mainly exposition, with no dialog from the actors playing the various royals, and it sounded fine.  The battle scenes were a little flat and didn't have the power that they could have had, but this didn't adversely effect the show.

Video:

The 1.78:1 widescreen image was anamorphically enhanced and looked about average.  Some details were lost in dark areas, and there was some aliasing in the background, but overall the video quality was very suitable.

Extras:

There were no extras included with this set.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, this was a good series that presents a nice overview of nearly 1000 years of the English monarchy.  Covering so much history in only six 50 minute shows is a bit of a task though, and the pace is a bit too fast.  While this won't give you a good knowledge of any period that it covers, it will give viewers some general knowledge and is a good place to start if you want to spend some time studying English history.  The lack of detail prevents it from being a memorable show, but it is certainly worth a rental.