8th century
9 episodes
Alcuin
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the cleric, educator and poet from York who put learning for its own sake at the heart of the Carolingian Renaissance
30 January 2020
Featuring: Joanna Story, Andy Orchard, Mary Garrison
History9th-century philosophers8th-century Christian theologians, 8th-century English writers, 8th-century writers in Latin, Anglo-Saxon poets, Anglo-Saxon writersAnglican saintsMedieval English theologiansMedieval Latin-language poetsScholastic philosophersChristian hagiographersGrammarians of Latin8th century9th centuryLanguageTheologyTang Era Poetry
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the most celebrated poets of 8th-century China, Li Bai and Du Fu, and their influence from the Tang Era to the present day.
12 May 2022
Featuring: Tim Barrett, Tian Yuan Tan, Frances Wood
The An Lushan Rebellion
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the An Lushan Rebellion, a major uprising against the imperial rule of the Chinese Tang Dynasty.
16 February 2012
Featuring: Frances Wood, Naomi Standen, Hilde de Weerdt
The Battle of Talas
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Battle of Talas, a conflict between Arab and Chinese forces which took place in central Asia in AD751.
9 October 2014
Featuring: Hilde de Weerdt, Michael Höckelmann, Hugh Kennedy
The Battle of Tours
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Battle of Tours of 732, in which a Frankish army led by Charles Martel defeated an invading Arab force.
16 January 2014
Featuring: Hugh N. Kennedy, Rosamond McKitterick, Matthew Innes
The Lindisfarne Gospels
Melvyn Bragg discusses the 8th century manuscripts that united the Celtic and Roman church and cultures in England, and are often seen as the first artworks of Christian Britain.
20 February 2003
Featuring: Richard Gameson, Clare Lees, Michelle Brown
The Song of Roland
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the epic reimagining of the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778AD when Charlemagne's rearguard was ambushed and his knight Roland fought and died.
4 November 2021
Featuring: Laura Ashe, Miranda Griffin, Luke Sunderland
The Venerable Bede
Melvyn Bragg discusses the Venerable Bede, who revolutionised history and scholarship, and became adopted by Rome as the last of the founding fathers of Christian religion.
25 November 2004
Featuring: Richard Gameson, Sarah Foot, Michelle Brown
ReligionDoctors of the ChurchEnglish Christian theologians8th-century Christian theologians, 8th-century English writers, 8th-century writers in Latin, Anglo-Saxon poets, Anglo-Saxon writersAnglican saintsTrope theoristsNorthumbrian saintsEnglish Roman Catholic saintsMedieval English theologiansChristian hagiographersHistory of Catholicism in EnglandLutheran saints8th centuryTheologyThe Written World: Episode 3
Melvyn Bragg considers the history of the written word and its influence on human ideas. He looks at how the invention of writing influenced the spread of religion.
4 January 2012
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