Terry Jones' Medieval Lives

Terry Jones' Medieval Lives

2004
Terry Jones' Medieval Lives
Terry Jones' Medieval Lives

Terry Jones' Medieval Lives

8.3 | en | Documentary

Terry Jones hosts "Terry Jones' Medieval Lives", a series that delves into the lives of different medieval occupations, including kings, knights, and minstrels.

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Seasons & Episodes

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EP9  Gladiators: The Brutal Truth
Jan. 01,0001
Gladiators: The Brutal Truth

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EP8  The King
Mar. 29,2004
The King

We think we know who the kings of the Medieval world were. But do we really know them? Terry Jones tries to find out the truth about the powerful men of the age.

EP7  The Outlaw
Mar. 22,2004
The Outlaw

Outlaws, men like Robin Hood, dressed in tights and little short tunics, living in the forest and fearlessly standing up for justice for the common man. But did a Medieval outlaw like this ever exist, or is it just part of a widely believed myth? Terry Jones travels Britain and Europe in search of the answer to this very question.

EP6  The Philosopher
Mar. 15,2004
The Philosopher

Terry Jones examination of Philosophers, their mythic pursuit of a "stone", alchemy and medicine in the Medieval world. Dispelling myths on the fanciful ideas of belief in a flat earth. The ideas of the Franciscan Friar Roger Bacon. Holistic medicine and transmutation. The actual basis of scientific thought and how the Church fomented these pursuits for glory and profit. To the four humors of Medieval health Terry Jones adds his own while he travels to unearth their place in Medieval life.

EP5  The Knight
Mar. 08,2004
The Knight

Terry begins by explaining that the common perception of the knight may in fact be historically inaccurate. William the Bastard (later known as William the Conqueror) conquered England in 1066. His followers, called 'cnihts' gained land and property in exchange for military service. Any group of men chosen for their ability to beat things and not much else tends to have discipline problems, though, so a code of conduct was necessary to set in place. This became known as 'chivalry'.

EP4  The Minstrel
Mar. 01,2004
The Minstrel

We usually see the minstrel as a jolly and free man, who was popular with the kings and with the ladies. But was it really like that? Terry Jones investigates what we think we know about Medieval life, and finds some unexpected insights.

EP3  The Damsel
Feb. 23,2004
The Damsel

The Medieval damsel is nowadays seen as a beautiful, but helpless woman, forever in need of a knight in shining armor to rescue her. But were damsels really such passive females, or are the stories we think we know about them, simply not true? Terry Jones travels around Europe in search for an answer to that question.

EP2  The Monk
Feb. 16,2004
The Monk

The Medieval monk was dedicated to God, and lived a life of prayer, hard work and poverty. But are the things we think we know, really true? Terry Jones travels around Europe in an attempt to reveal the truth about monks in the Middle Ages.

EP1  The Peasant
Feb. 09,2004
The Peasant

Terry Jones investigates the feudal system and the Peasants' Revolt, and discovers the truth about the Medieval Peasant in the process.

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8.3 | en | Documentary | More Info
Released: 2004-02-09 | Released Producted By: , Country: United Kingdom Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website:
Synopsis

Terry Jones hosts "Terry Jones' Medieval Lives", a series that delves into the lives of different medieval occupations, including kings, knights, and minstrels.

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Cast

Terry Jones

Director

Alan Ereira

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Reviews

ladybug2535 While the host, Terry Jones is most popularly known for his role(s) as part of the Monty Python gang, he also wears the high-brow hats of author and historian. He has been involved in producing both video and written works covering the lives, struggles and daily work (for example the series "Worst Jobs in History") of people through the ages, ancient and historical inventions (the series aptly titled *Ancient Inventions"), the history of mathematics/numbers (documentary: "The Story of 1"), and more. His numerous published works include several non-fiction histories, children's books and an in-depth speculative look into the mysterious disappearance of the famous Chaucer ("Who killed Chaucer? A real life Medieval Murder Mystery" NF). While not an "academic", Terry Jones definitely exhibits a love and knowledge of history, and obviously believes that education doesn't have to be dull. I have found all of his works to accurately reflect prevailing opinions about his subjects for the time of production. You can be sure that Jone's videos are highly entertaining, educational and informative while steeped in G-rated humor (with perhaps some sly innuendo, which will quietly fly right over most youngsters' heads). Terry Jones is well-known for dressing in drag as part of his Monty Python skits, and there is no shortage of cross-dressing in his historical videos, to great effect. He's a wonderful sport about steeping himself quite literally into the lives of his historical subjects (hilarious and sometimes "awfully funny"--emphasis on "awfully" in "Worst Jobs in History"), which makes his presentations original, funny and humanizing. It's too easy to forget that our ancestors were all people just like us. Terry Jones has a wonderful way of bringing history warmly, respectfully, richly alive for all ages.My only criticism is that I felt the segments were too short for each time period (which is more of a problem of the nature of the medium and not a question of quality). Both BBCand PBS often direct viewers to alternative sources for more information (both of which have aired these shows--and if I remember right, one or the other sponsored these productions).
muskebiis Guess what? Most of what we think we know about the middle ages is actually: The Middle Ages as interpreted by the Victorians, and was neatly adjusted to fit the mores of their time. Terry Jones peels away this Victorian smokescreen and gets rid of all the popular clichés about witches, chivalry,(lack of)science and chaste helpless damsels in a refreshing way. This documentary series is whimsical enough to be enjoyed by a twelve year old, but at the same time so factual, informative, and well researched that it will please... everyone really. For example, Jones walks through actual medieval art during his explanations, which is not just funny, but also an actual 'academically correct' choice. Every episode has its own theme: The Peasant (Feudal Farming and the Farmers rebellion), The Monk (Religion), The Damsel (Woman and sexuality), The Minstrel (Music, acting, and court culture), The Night, The Philosopher (science), The Outlaw (Law and Order), and the King. In these times where history having to do with woman seems to be out of fashion or deemed unimportant again, I particularly enjoyed The Damsel.Do yourself a favour and check it out!
brammus Terry Jones, tells the public how the myths really were. That Robin H. wasn't as nice as he seemed to be, and that history is really told by the winner.He has taken the python-esquire way of display, and it works out great. The graphics the humor and the sometimes very detailed look at things that happened.Every program consists of one subject which will be analyzed and put against the way of life today.... No, not much change if you watch carefully.If you are interested in history, but you don't want to be lectured, than this is a series for you!Would be great BTW, if Terry Jones took a look at the rest of Europe/the world this way :)
Anzillu This show is great, you can learn a lot of fun facts from it (even if you have knowledge of the time period already you still find out some interesting stuff from time to time) and the Mony Pythonish way all is brought is hilarious, especially the multiple characters Terry Jones portrayals, from monk to knight to...damsel LOL, but even so you don't want to learn it's still good to watch for the sheer fun factor of it all. truly on of the more interesting docu's you'll find out there if you like this also check out Ancient lives (also Terry Jones here) who i have seen so far (dont know if there are more) Roman life, and Egyptian life.