The Devil's Crown

1978
Ended
Drama · War & Politics
~55m / ep
1 season
7.8/10

The Devil's Crown was a BBC limited series which dramatised the reigns of three medieval Kings of England: Henry II and his sons Richard the Lionheart and John. It was broadcast in thirteen 55-minute episodes between 30 April and 23 July 1978. Henry Plantagenet (latterly Henry II), sees his opportunity to seize the crown of England and create a kingdom of law and order. He cuts a deal with King Stephen in which Stephen will name him his heir, excluding his sons Eustace and William in exchange for a fragile truce. Stephen's sudden death elevates Henry to the throne. He may have been King of England, but the bulk of the Angevin Empire was in France, and it was this that Henry regarded as the Jewel in his Crown, maintained through a series of political marriages and complex allegiances. Henry pays homage to Louis VII, King of the Franks, for these lands, but it is clear that Henry is the shrewder and more ambitious of the two kings, having married Louis' ex-wife Eleanor of Aquitaine.

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Latest: Season 1 · 1978

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E1. If All the World Were Mine
Apr 30, 1978 · 55m
Legend has it that the Plantagenets were descended from the Devil himself – a curse which does not deter the youthful Henry.
E2. The Earth Is Not Enough
May 7, 1978 · 55m
Henry, with the Devil's luck, has married Eleanor of Aquitaine. The crown of England is also his – and now begins his fateful friendship with Thomas Becket.
E3. A Rose, a Thorn
May 14, 1978 · 55m
As the friendship grows between Henry and Becket, so does the Queen's mistrust of them both. And then appears another threat – this time to her marriage.
E4. The Hungry Falcons
May 21, 1978 · 55m
The quarrel between Henry and Becket has culminated in Becket's murder; and when Eleanor leaves Henry to establish her own court at Poitiers, the deserted king turns to his sons for love and support.
E5. Before the Dark
May 28, 1978 · 55m
With Eleanor imprisoned at Salisbury and his sons plotting rebellion at Louis' court in Paris, Henry finds comfort in the arms of Alys, unaware that Alys is in fact Richard's young bride-to-be.
E6. Richard Yea and Nay
Jun 4, 1978 · 55m
King Henry is dead – defeated, deserted. Long live King Richard, the glorious, golden Crusader.