Terry Jones' Medieval Lives
In this article we will delve into the exciting world of Terry Jones' Medieval Lives, exploring its origins, its impact on society and its relevance today. Terry Jones' Medieval Lives has been the subject of interest and study for decades, and over time it has evolved in various ways, influencing both culture and technological development. Through this exhaustive analysis, we will try to understand the importance of Terry Jones' Medieval Lives in different areas, from entertainment to science, politics and economics. It is our goal to present a complete and detailed view of this phenomenon, providing relevant information and in-depth analysis to enrich the reader's knowledge about Terry Jones' Medieval Lives.
| Terry Jones' Medieval Lives | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Documentary |
| Written by | Terry Jones |
| Directed by | Nigel Miller |
| Presented by | Terry Jones |
| Composer | David Mitcham |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Producers |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC Two |
| Release | 3 January – 24 January 2004 |
| Related | |
| Terry Jones' Barbarians | |
Terry Jones' Medieval Lives is a 2004 television documentary series produced for the BBC. Written and hosted by Terry Jones, each half-hour episode examines a particular medieval personality, with the intent of separating myth from reality.
The episode The Peasant was nominated for Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming at the 2004 Emmy Awards. Dr. Faye Getz acted as consultant for the series.
Misunderstood history
Being a comedian as well as an historian, Jones takes an established belief, turns that around, and presents proof for his assertion. For example, peasants did not live in complete squalor and actually owned property. Also class divisions were not as severe as people think; there are cases of low-born people who rise to quite high positions.
In the episode on kings, he says, "History isn't necessarily what happened. It's often what people want us to think happened." He uses the following examples:
- Richard the Lionheart was actually a bad king, who only saw England (which he hated) as a means to finance his warmongering. Richard III did a lot of good for England. Modern perceptions of these kings are reversed because, Jones asserts, chroniclers of the time were commissioned to write what was politically most convenient.
- Louis, Count of Artois (later King of France), was acclaimed as King of England in 1216, yet appears in no history books (see First Baron's War) because of, Jones asserts, embarrassment over a "second French invasion".
Jones explained his motivation for making this series in the article in The Observer: "The main reason I wanted to make Medieval Lives was to get my own back on the Renaissance. It's not that the Renaissance has ever done me any harm personally, you understand. It's just that I'm sick of the way people's eyes light up when they start talking about the Renaissance. I'm sick of the way art critics tend to say: 'Aaaah! The Renaissance!' with that deeply self-satisfied air of someone who is at last getting down to the 'Real Thing'. And I'm sick to death of that ridiculous assumption that before the Renaissance human beings had no sense of individuality."
Episode list
The eight episodes were as follows:
- The Peasant
- The Monk
- The Damsel
- The Minstrel
- The Knight
- The Philosopher (Alchemist)
- The Outlaw
- The King
Companion book
- Jones, Terry & Alan Ereira (5 February 2004). Terry Jones' Medieval Lives. BBC Books (hardcover). ISBN 978-0-563-48793-7.
- Jones, Terry & Alan Ereira (5 May 2005). Terry Jones' Medieval Lives. BBC Books (paperback). ISBN 978-0-563-52275-1.
