04: The Minstrel | Terry Jones’ Medieval Lives

Duration: 28'56''

Synopsis

Terry Jones takes us on a tour of the Middle Ages. He reveals that minstrels were medieval spin doctors and could be warriors, political movers and shakers and even spies, playing a key and often dangerous role in history.

Further Information

More clips from Terry Jones' Medieval Lives

01: The Peasant | Terry Jones' Medieval Lives

01: The Peasant | Terry Jones' Medieval Lives

BBC Two | 2004 | 29'03''

Terry discovers that the much-maligned medieval peasant was in fact literate, emancipated and healthy.

02: The Monk | Terry Jones' Medieval Lives

02: The Monk | Terry Jones' Medieval Lives

BBC Two | 2004 | 28'49''

This week he investigates the truth behind the cloistered medieval monk.

03: The Damsel | Terry Jones' Medieval Lives

03: The Damsel | Terry Jones' Medieval Lives

BBC Two | 2004 | 29'13''

In this episode, a look at the world of the medieval damsel.

05: The Knight | Terry Jones' Medieval Lives

05: The Knight | Terry Jones' Medieval Lives

BBC Two | 2004 | 28'57''

Knights were more interested in the fine art of killing people and profiting from war than romantic notions of chivalry.

06: The Philosopher (Alchemist) | Terry Jones' Medieval Lives

06: The Philosopher (Alchemist) | Terry Jones' Medieval Lives

BBC Two | 2004 | 28'50''

Terry Jones takes us on a tour of the Middle Ages, looking at the medieval scientist, or philosopher as they we...

08: The King | Terry Jones' Medieval Lives

08: The King | Terry Jones' Medieval Lives

BBC Two | 2004 | 29'05''

Terry Jones takes us on a tour of the Middle Ages. He asking just how much we know about our medieval kings, taking the three king...

More resources about The Peasants’ Revolt and society in Medieval England

01: Medieval London | Filthy Cities

01: Medieval London | Filthy Cities

BBC Two | 2011 | 58'59''

Dan Snow gets down and dirty in medieval grime to discover how the London of today was forged in the filth of the 14th century.

The Middle Ages: The Peasants' Revolt | History 11-13

The Middle Ages: The Peasants' Revolt | History 11-13

BBC Two | 1984 | 19'22''

The Peasants' Revolt by Keith Goodall is set in 1381, based on the true story of the grievances of the villeins forced ...

01: The Peasant | Terry Jones' Medieval Lives

01: The Peasant | Terry Jones' Medieval Lives

BBC Two | 2004 | 29'03''

Terry discovers that the much-maligned medieval peasant was in fact literate, emancipated and healthy.

04: Peasants' Revolt to Tudors | Michael Wood's Story of England

04: Peasants' Revolt to Tudors | Michael Wood's Story of England

BBC Four | 2010 | 59'08''

A portrait of one village through the whole of English history. Amazing finds in the school archive help tra...

Episode 2 | Saints and Sinners: Britain's Millennium of Monasteries

Episode 2 | Saints and Sinners: Britain's Millennium of Monasteries

BBC Four | 2015 | 59'09''

Janina Ramirez looks at how monasteries transformed society and rose to a position of immense power, only...

Too Much, Too Young: Children of the Middle Ages

Too Much, Too Young: Children of the Middle Ages

BBC Four | 2011 | 58'53''

Dr Stephen Baxter takes a fresh look at the Middle Ages through the eyes of children, and discovers how they played a vital ...

03: The Damsel | Terry Jones' Medieval Lives

03: The Damsel | Terry Jones' Medieval Lives

BBC Two | 2004 | 29'13''

In this episode, a look at the world of the medieval damsel.

04: Power | Inside the Medieval Mind

04: Power | Inside the Medieval Mind

BBC Four | 2008 | 59'13''

Robert Bartlett lays bare the framework of the medieval class system, where inequality was part of the natural order and the life of ser...

05: Table Games | Games People Played

05: Table Games | Games People Played

BBC Two | 1981 | 9'25''

This week table games featuring a stone board from Norwich Castle.

01: Dicing with Destiny | Games Britannia

01: Dicing with Destiny | Games Britannia

BBC Four | 2009 | 58'34''

Series about the history of popular games in Britain. Ancient games were fundamental, but by the late Middle Ages gaming had become...

02: Sex | Inside the Medieval Mind

02: Sex | Inside the Medieval Mind

BBC Four | 2008 | 58'20''

Robert Bartlett unearths remarkable evidence of the complex passions of men and women during the Middle Ages.

06: The Philosopher (Alchemist) | Terry Jones' Medieval Lives

06: The Philosopher (Alchemist) | Terry Jones' Medieval Lives

BBC Two | 2004 | 28'50''

Terry Jones takes us on a tour of the Middle Ages, looking at the medieval scientist, or philosopher as they we...

Christina: A Medieval Life

Christina: A Medieval Life

BBC Four | 2008 | 59'21''

Historian Michael Wood presents a portrait of ordinary people living through extraordinary times, tracing the story of Christina Cok, a peasant of...

S01E08: Confusing Wat Tyler | Horrible Histories

S01E08: Confusing Wat Tyler | Horrible Histories

CBBC | 2009 | 1'47''

The Peasant's Revolt is led by the confusingly named Wat Tyler.

S01E08: The Rules of Chivalry | Horrible Histories

S01E08: The Rules of Chivalry | Horrible Histories

CBBC | 2009 | 1'53''

The rules of chivalry, & more importantly how to find the loopholes.