The Roman Empire in the First Century: Order from Chaos
Season 1, Episode 8 TV-G
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Two thousand years ago, at the dawn of the first century, the ancient world was ruled by Rome. And the Roman Empire was in turmoil. Civil war had engulfed the empire’s capital city. Dictators seized power. The Roman future looked bleak. But under the leadership of Caesar Augustus, the Roman Empire would survive the chaos and rise stronger and more dazzling than ever before Within a few short years, it would stretch from Britain, across Europe, to Southern Egypt; from North Africa, around the Mediterranean to the Middle East. It would embrace hundreds of languages and religions and would till those diverse cultures into a rich soil from which Western Civilization would grow. Rome would become the world’s first – and most enduring – superpower, spanning continents and epochs. Episode I describes the astonishing rise of Rome; and the astonishing characters -- both famous and uncelebrated -- that fueled its ascendance. Most notably, Caesar Augustus. Born in times of crisis and raised amid civil war, Augustus came to personify the people he led. He was contradictory: at once capable of brutal violence and tender compassion. He was charismatic: Augustus forged the image of Roman grandeur that endures to this day. And he was enormously popular. But those that ran afoul of Augustus often faced tragic consequences: his rivals Marc Antony and Cleopatra; the love poet, Ovid; even his own daughter, Julia. The story of Augustan Rome is the story of greatness at a price.
The Roman Empire in the First Century: Years of Trial
Season 1, Episode 9 TV-G
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In the year 14, Caesar Augustus died and the empire stood at a crossroad. Would Rome continue the course set by its first emperor… or would it fall into civil war? The tense period immediately following the death of Augustus brought a brutal army mutiny and intense political intrigue. A reluctant new emperor quickly inhabited the imperial palace and stability eventually prevailed. The new emperor was called Tiberius. He was Augustus’ step-son and he was a dour, middle-aged man with limited vision. At first, Tiberius struggled to live up to his predecessor. But he quickly abandoned the effort. Tiberius’ ultimate decline from ascetic ruler to reclusive despot ushered in one of the most notorious rulers of the ancient world: Caligula. As fear and conspiracy descended on Rome, crisis spread to the provinces. In Judaea, modern-day Israel, a charismatic religious leader named Jesus challenged the religious and political establishment. The local furor barely touched Rome, but the legacy of Jesus would one day engulf the empire itself.
The Roman Empire in the First Century: Winds of Change
Season 1, Episode 10 TV-G
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In this episode, Claudius, the most unlikely member of the imperial family, becomes one of the greatest emperors of the Roman Empire…only to fall victim to a brutally ambitious wife. A principled philosopher named Seneca finds himself compromised as tutor to the erratic young Emperor Nero. In Britain, a warrior queen named Boudicca battles Roman legions…and from Judaea, a revolutionary named Paul begins spreading the words of Jesus across Roman lands. Back in the capital, Nero’s disastrous rule shakes the empire to its foundation. Rome nearly burns to the ground. The empire is on the edge of disaster.
The Roman Empire in the First Century: Years of Eruption
Season 1, Episode 11 TV-G
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With Nero’s death, the dynasty of Augustus comes to an end. Once again, the Empire faces an uncertain future. Rival generals fight for supremacy in the streets of Rome. A new dynasty brings another tyrant to the throne, and Mount Vesuvius erupts, burying Pompeii and thousands of people beneath a torrent of ash and mud. A teenager called Pliny the Younger survives the disaster and records the night of terror. But the Empire weathers the traumas. As the first century draws to a close, the Emperor Trajan sets the course for generations to come…and projects the collective voice of ancient Rome across the ages.
The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance: Birth of a Dynasty
Season 1, Episode 12 TV-PG
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Europe, 1400: A continent torn apart by war and plague is dominated by the authority of the Catholic Church. In the towns and cities live merchants and entrepreneurs who sense that their world is changing. With increasing trade and wealth an appetite for enlightenment develops.No longer neglected in the shadows of the Church, classical philosophy, poetry, art and sculpture begin to reach a new audience. This is especially true in cosmopolitan cities like Florence, home of Cosimo de'Medici.
The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance: The Magnificent Medici
Season 1, Episode 13 TV-PG
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Florence, August 1466: Lorenzo de'Medici, the 17-year-old heir to the dynasty, foils a murderous plot against his father and saves his family from a coup d'etat. The Medici still dominate Florence, but now take extra precautions, picking a useful bride for Lorenzo. Clarice Orsini, a baron's daughter and cardinal's niece, brings connections, class, and military muscle to the Medici dynasty.
The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance: The Medici Pope
Season 1, Episode 14 TV-PG
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Florence, 1501: 26-year-old Michelangelo carves a giant masterpiece which will come to symbolize his struggle against a family he once adored. Raised from a young age alongside the Medici heirs he watched as they were cast into exile with a price on their heads. Now they are searching for a path back to power.
The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance: Power vs. Truth
Season 1, Episode 15 TV-PG
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Florence, 1537: Alessandro de'Medici the Duke of Florence, lies murdered in his bed. His cousin is plucked from obscurity to lead Florence. He is just 17. His rivals think he's a puppet, but despite his youth, Cosimo de'Medici, the new Duke of Florence, is ambitious.
Martin Luther: Episode 1
Season 1, Episode 16 TV-G
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Martin Luther is born into a world dominated by the Catholic Church. For the keenly spiritual Luther, the Church's promise of salvation is irresistible. Caught in a thunderstorm and terrified by the possibility of imminent death, he vows to become a monk. But after entering the monastery, Luther becomes increasingly doubtful that the Church can actually offer him salvation. His views crystallize further when he travels to Rome and finds the capital of Catholicism swamped in corruption. Wracked by despair, Luther finds release in the pages of the Bible, discovering that it is not the Church, but his own individual faith that will guarantee his salvation. With this revelation, he turns on the Church. He attacks its practice of selling Indulgences in his famous 95 Theses, putting himself on an irreversible path to conflict with the most powerful institution of the day.
Martin Luther: Episode 2
Season 1, Episode 17 TV-G
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The Catholic Church uses all of its might to try to silence Luther, including accusations of heresy and excommunication. Protected by his local ruler, Frederick the Wise, Luther continues to write radical critiques of the Church. In the process, he develops a new system of faith that places the freedom of the individual believer above the rituals of the Church. Aided by the newly invented printing press, his ideas spread rapidly. He is called before the German imperial parliament in the city of Worms and told he must recant. Risking torture and execution, Luther refuses, proclaiming his inalienable right to believe what he wishes. His stand becomes a legend that inspires revolution across Europe, overturning the thousand-year old hegemony of the Church. But as the reformation expands into a movement for social freedom, Luther finds himself overwhelmed by the pace of change, and is left vainly protesting that his followers should be concerning themselves with God.
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