Video Details

Empires

Availability information for this program

Episodes:

• Empire: Kingdom of David - The Saga of the Israelites, Ep.1 - By the Rivers of Babylon

  Kingdom of David: The Saga of the Israelites tells the epic story of the Jews and the creation of the world's first and most profoundly influential monotheistic religion. The stories of the patriarch Abraham, the liberator Moses, the poet-king David and his son Solomon all come to life in the dramatic tale of loss and triumph that shaped humanity's basic moral struggle for more than three millennia.

  Length:	00:54:50

• Empire: Kingdom of David: The Saga of the Israelites Ep.3 - The End of Days

  Kingdom of David: The Saga of the Israelites tells the epic story of the Jews and the creation of the world's first and most profoundly influential monotheistic religion. The stories of the patriarch Abraham, the liberator Moses, the poet-king David and his son Solomon all come to life in the dramatic tale of loss and triumph that shaped humanity's basic moral struggle for more than three millennia.

  Length:	00:52:57

• Empires: Egypt's Golden Empire, Ep.1 - The Warrior Pharaohs

  Egypt's Golden Empire presents the most extraordinary period in Egyptian history: from 1570 B.C. to 1070 B.C., when the Egyptian Empire reached its zenith. Amazingly preserved letters and records bring to life the passion and incomprehensible riches of a time when Egypt was the center of the known world, and its Pharaohs were known as gods. Great cities, temples and tombs were built; and art, education, and technology were propelled to new heights.

  Length:	00:56:09

• Empires: Egypt's Golden Empire. Ep.2 - Pharaohs of the Sun

  Egypt's Golden Empire presents the most extraordinary period in Egyptian history: from 1570 B.C. to 1070 B.C., when the Egyptian Empire reached its zenith. Amazingly preserved letters and records bring to life the passion and incomprehensible riches of a time when Egypt was the center of the known world, and its Pharaohs were known as gods. Great cities, temples and tombs were built; and art, education, and technology were propelled to new heights.

  Length:	00:51:53

• Empires: Egypt's Golden Empire, Ep.3 - The Last Great Pharaoh

  Egypt's Golden Empire presents the most extraordinary period in Egyptian history: from 1570 B.C. to 1070 B.C., when the Egyptian Empire reached its zenith. Amazingly preserved letters and records bring to life the passion and incomprehensible riches of a time when Egypt was the center of the known world, and its Pharaohs were known as gods. Great cities, temples and tombs were built; and art, education, and technology were propelled to new heights.

  Length:	00:55:05

• Empires: Islam - Empire of Faith, Ep.1 - The Messenger

  Between the fall of Rome and the European voyages of discovery, no event was more significant than the rise of Islam. This three-part series tells the spectacular story of the great sweep of Islamic power and faith during its first 1,000 years -- from the birth of the prophet Muhammad to the peak of the Ottoman Empire under the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent. This first episode recounts the history of the religion of Islam, from its beginning in 622 A.D. as a small desert sect led by the prophet Muhammad, to its zenith hundreds of years later as an intellectual and artistic empire that spanned three continents and exercised tolerance for other religions.

  Length:	00:54:14

• Empires: Islam: Empire of Faith, Ep.2 - The Awakening

  Between the fall of Rome and the European voyages of discovery, no event was more significant than the rise of Islam. This three-part series tells the spectacular story of the great sweep of Islamic power and faith during its first 1,000 years -- from the birth of the prophet Muhammad to the peak of the Ottoman Empire under the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent. Episode two explores the metropolis of Baghdad, a center of learning at a time when Europe was sunk in the Dark Ages. According to this program, the Islamic empire sent scholars throughout the world to gather all the knowledge of mankind, which was brought to Baghdad and studied by scholars.

  Length:	00:53:43

• Empires: Islam: Empire of Faith, Ep.3 - The Ottomans

  Between the fall of Rome and the European voyages of discovery, no event was more significant than the rise of Islam. This three-part series tells the spectacular story of the great sweep of Islamic power and faith during its first 1,000 years -- from the birth of the prophet Muhammad to the peak of the Ottoman Empire under the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent. This third and last episode covers the history of the expansionist Ottoman Empire and its ambitious sultans through the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent. A key successful strategy of the Ottoman method of expansion was to leave in place the clerks -- the bureaucracy -- of the conquered territories.

  Length:	00:55:27

• Empires: Japan - Memoirs of a Secret Empire, Ep.1 - The Way of the Samurai

  Between the 16th and 19th centuries Japan experienced a renaissance, going from feudal chaos and violence to a land of ritual refinement and peace. Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire brings to life the unknown story of a mysterious empire, its relationship with the West, and the forging of a nation that would emerge as one of the most important countries in the world. Episode One begins in the early 16th century, when Portuguese merchants arrive in 1543. Missionaries quickly set out to convert the nation to Christianity. In the same year, a samurai boy named Tokugawa Ieyasu is born to a low ranking daimyo family. As an adult, Tokugawa allies himself with the most powerful rulers in Japan, his samurai armies defeat daimyo rebels at the Battle of Sekigahara, and Ieyasu earns the title of shogun. It is the beginning of a dynasty that will endure for more than 250 years.

  Length:	00:55:58

• Empires: Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire. Ep.2 - The Will of the Shogun

  Between the 16th and 19th centuries Japan experienced a renaissance, going from feudal chaos and violence to a land of ritual refinement and peace. Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire brings to life the unknown story of a mysterious empire, its relationship with the West, and the forging of a nation that would emerge as one of the most important countries in the world. In Episode Two, the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu has united the daimyo warlords and established a new society based on the samurai ethics of obedience and loyalty. But his grandson, Iemitsu, will rule more harshly. In order to prevent dissention resulting from foreign influence, Iemitsu closes Japan to the western world. It will be more than 200 years before the nation will open its doors again.

  Length:	00:55:51

• Empires: Japan - Memoirs of a Secret Empire: Episode 03-The Return of the Barbarians.

  Between the 16th and 19th centuries Japan experienced a renaissance, going from feudal chaos and violence to a land of ritual refinement and peace. Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire brings to life the unknown story of a mysterious empire, its relationship with the West, and the forging of a nation that would emerge as one of the most important countries in the world. Episode Three is a portrait of a nation completely isolated from the western world, and a time when Japan experiences a lively period of cultural flowering and intellectual pursuit. By the 18th century, Edo has become the largest and one of the liveliest cities in the world. In 1853, Commodore Mathew C. Perry and his ships sail into Edo Bay, demanding that Japan negotiate and trade with the United States. Ultimately, the Japanese government agrees to trade. Ten years later, the samurai class is disbanded and the Tokugawa Shogunate ends. The modern era of Japan has begun.

  Length:	00:55:39

• Empires: Kingdom of David - The Saga of the Israelites, Ep.2 - The Book and the Sword

  Kingdom of David: The Saga of the Israelites tells the epic story of the Jews and the creation of the world's first and most profoundly influential monotheistic religion. The stories of the patriarch Abraham, the liberator Moses, the poet-king David and his son Solomon all come to life in the dramatic tale of loss and triumph that shaped humanity's basic moral struggle for more than three millennia.

  Length:	00:53:40

• Empires: Kingdom of David - The Saga of the Israelites, Ep.4 - The Gifts of the Jews

  Kingdom of David: The Saga of the Israelites tells the epic story of the Jews and the creation of the world's first and most profoundly influential monotheistic religion. The stories of the patriarch Abraham, the liberator Moses, the poet-king David and his son Solomon all come to life in the dramatic tale of loss and triumph that shaped humanity's basic moral struggle for more than three millennia.

  Length:	00:53:33

• Empires. Martin Luther Episode 01-Driven to Defiance.

  Martin Luther stands as a hero, the man who built the bridge between the two halves of the last millennium, the Medieval and the Modern. After entering the monastery, Luther becomes increasingly doubtful that the Church can actually offer him salvation. Wracked by despair, Luther finally finds release in the pages of the Bible, when he discovers that it is not the Church, but his own individual faith that will guarantee his salvation. With this revelation, he turns on the Church, attacking its practice of selling Indulgences in the famous 95 Theses. Martin Luther had inadvertently chosen unavoidable conflict with what was the most powerful institution of the day, the Catholic Church. Filmed across Europe -- from rustic rural Germany to the opulence of the Vatican City -- you'll witness the collapse of the medieval world and the birth of the modern age.

  Length:	00:53:34

• Empires. Martin Luther Episode 02-The Reluctant Revolutionary.

  Martin Luther stands as a hero, the man who built the bridge between the two halves of the last millennium, the Medieval and the Modern. When he nailed his 95 Theses to the door of Wittenberg Cathedral, he unleashed a hurricane of violence and revolution that raged across Europe. Luther continued to write ever more radical critiques of the Church, and to develop a whole new system of faith, one that puts the freedom of the individual believer above the rituals of the Church. His ideas spread like wildfire, aided by the newly invented printing press. But as the reformation expanded into a movement for social freedom, Luther found himself overwhelmed by the pace of change. Although his theological reformation had become a social revolution, Luther never left his province in Germany again.

  Length:	00:53:49

• Empires: Napoleon, Ep.1 - To Destiny

  For nearly two decades he strode the world stage like a colossus -- loved and despised, venerated and feared. From his birth on the rugged island of Corsica to his final exile on the godforsaken island of St. Helena, this EMPIRES series brings the extraordinary figure of Napoleon Bonaparte to life. Framed by the grand sweep of history, woven from intimate accounts of and by the man himself, NAPOLEON is a tale as grand as any novel, a story of passion, vaunting ambition and pride ending in exile and loss. Episode 01 recounts the story of Napoleon's extraordinary rise from Corsican obscurity to the victories in Italy that made him a hero to the French people and convinced him that he was destined for greatness.

  Length:	00:54:24

• Empires: Napoleon, Ep.2 - Mastering Luck

  For nearly two decades he strode the world stage like a colossus -- loved and despised, venerated and feared. From his birth on the rugged island of Corsica to his final exile on the godforsaken island of St. Helena, this EMPIRES series brings the extraordinary figure of Napoleon Bonaparte to life. Framed by the grand sweep of history, woven from intimate accounts of and by the man himself, NAPOLEON is a tale as grand as any novel, a story of passion, vaunting ambition and pride ending in exile and loss. Episode 02 charts Napoleon's ascent to absolute power, from victorious General to first Consul to Emperor of France.

  Length:	00:54:21

• Empires: Napoleon, Ep.3 - Summit of Greatness

  For nearly two decades he strode the world stage like a colossus -- loved and despised, venerated and feared. From his birth on the rugged island of Corsica to his final exile on the godforsaken island of St. Helena, this EMPIRES series brings the extraordinary figure of Napoleon Bonaparte to life. Framed by the grand sweep of history, woven from intimate accounts of and by the man himself, NAPOLEON is a tale as grand as any novel, a story of passion, vaunting ambition and pride ending in exile and loss. Episode 03 witnesses Napoleon conquer most of Europe in a series of brilliant triumphs, including his legendary victory at the Battle of Austerlitz. To sustain his rule, he must keep fighting. But when he invades Spain, he has begun to reach too far.

  Length:	00:52:46

• Empires: Napoleon, Ep.4 - The End

  For nearly two decades he strode the world stage like a colossus -- loved and despised, venerated and feared. From his birth on the rugged island of Corsica to his final exile on the godforsaken island of St. Helena, this EMPIRES series brings the extraordinary figure of Napoleon Bonaparte to life. Framed by the grand sweep of history, woven from intimate accounts of and by the man himself, NAPOLEON is a tale as grand as any novel, a story of passion, vaunting ambition and pride ending in exile and loss. Episode 04 describes Napoleon's downfall, including the invasion and subsequent retreat from Russia, his exile to Elba, the return to France after just ten months, and his last defeat at Waterloo.

  Length:	00:54:58

• Empires: The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization Ep.1 - The Revolution

  This Empires series examines classical Greece of the 4th and 5th centuries, B.C. It was a magnificent civilization that laid the foundations for modern science, politics, warfare, and philosophy, and produced some of the most breathtaking art and architecture the world has ever known. Episode One, The Revolution, begins at the dawn of democracy in 508 B.C., with the revolution of the common people against aristocratic rule. The documentary then travels further back in time to chronicle the key events leading up to the revolution.

  Length:	00:54:31

• Empires: The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization, Ep.2 - The Golden Age

  This Empires series examines classical Greece of the 4th and 5th centuries, B.C. It was a magnificent civilization that laid the foundations for modern science, politics, warfare, and philosophy, and produced some of the most breathtaking art and architecture the world has ever known. This second episode of Greece: The Crucible of Civilization, opens in 490 B.C. when tiny Athens prepares to safeguard its growing economy and infant democracy against multiple invasion attempts by Persia. Athens then turns its attention back to its economy and to other domestic affairs. Soon, the democratic system unleashes the power of the human mind, and Greece enters a Golden Age in which every branch of learning advances and a new leader, Pericles, emerges to take Athens to the zenith of its power.

  Length:	00:54:01

• Empires: The Greeks - Crucible of Civilization, Ep.3 - Empire of the Mind

  This Empires series examines classical Greece of the 4th and 5th centuries, B.C. It was a magnificent civilization that laid the foundations for modern science, politics, warfare, and philosophy, and produced some of the most breathtaking art and architecture the world has ever known. Having taken great leaps forward in every field of learning, and with a strong economy that dominates Mediterranean trade, Athens and its 150,000 residents are the envy of their neighbors, in particular, bellicose Sparta. As expected, the Spartans invade and burn the open areas around the city. But it is plague, brought by rats feeding on grain in the holds of supply ships, that defeats the city. The disease ravages the Athenians, inflicting agony on them and killing one out of every three. Finally in 404 B.C., Athens surrenders.

  Length:	00:55:37

• Empires: The Medici - Godfathers of the Renaissance, Pt.1 - Birth of a Dynasty

  From a small Italian community in 15th century Florence, the Medici family would rise to rule Europe in many ways. Using charm, patronage, skill, duplicity and ruthlessness, they would amass unparalleled wealth and unprecedented power. An epic drama played out in the courts, cathedrals and palaces of Europe, this series is both the tale of one family's powerful ambition and of Europe's tortured struggle to emerge from the ravages of the Dark Ages. Part One, Birth of a Dynasty, begins in the year 1400. Europe, a continent torn apart by war and plague is dominated by the authority of the Catholic Church. But in the towns and cities live merchants and entrepreneurs who sense that their world is changing. This is especially true in cosmopolitan cities like Florence, home of Cosimo de'Medici.

  Length:	00:54:50

• Empires: The Medici - Godfathers of the Renaissance, Pt.2 - The Magnificent Medici

  From a small Italian community in 15th century Florence, the Medici family would rise to rule Europe in many ways. Using charm, patronage, skill, duplicity and ruthlessness, they would amass unparalleled wealth and unprecedented power. An epic drama played out in the courts, cathedrals and palaces of Europe, this series is both the tale of one family's powerful ambition and of Europe's tortured struggle to emerge from the ravages of the Dark Ages. Part Two, The Magnificent Medici, begins with Lorenzo de'Medici, the 17-year-old heir to the dynasty. The Medici still dominate Florence, but now take extra precautions. For 25 years, Lorenzo fosters art and philosophy while surviving rivals' assassination attempts. When Lorenzo dies aged 42, the Medici are banished from Florence at the urging of the zealot monk, Savonarola.

  Length:	00:55:20

• Empires: The Medici - Godfathers of the Renaissance, Pt.3 - The Medici Popes

  From a small Italian community in 15th century Florence, the Medici family would rise to rule Europe in many ways. Using charm, patronage, skill, duplicity and ruthlessness, they would amass unparalleled wealth and unprecedented power. An epic drama played out in the courts, cathedrals and palaces of Europe, this series is both the tale of one family's powerful ambition and of Europe's tortured struggle to emerge from the ravages of the Dark Ages. Part Three, The Medici Popes, shows the heirs of the Medici dynasty searching for a path back to power. By 1512, with the help of Pope Julius II, the exiles assemble an army and regain control of their city, but not the loyalty of the people of Florence. When Giovanni de'Medici becomes Pope Leo X, he builds a reputation for lavish excess and the sale of forgiveness. This leads to Martin Luther's "95 Theses" and sparks a religious revolution. After Leo's death, his cousin, Giulio, is subsequently crowned Pope Clement VII and must deal with the fall-out from Luther's reformation. In 1534, exhausted by the turmoil of his reign, Clement dies and the disastrous era of the Medici popes is over.

  Length:	00:54:45

• Empires: The Medici - Godfathers of the Renaissance, Pt.4 - Power vs Truth

  From a small Italian community in 15th century Florence, the Medici family would rise to rule Europe in many ways. Using charm, patronage, skill, duplicity and ruthlessness, they would amass unparalleled wealth and unprecedented power. An epic drama played out in the courts, cathedrals and palaces of Europe, this series is both the tale of one family's powerful ambition and of Europe's tortured struggle to emerge from the ravages of the Dark Ages. Part Four, Power vs Truth, begins with a 17-year-old, plucked from obscurity to lead Florence. His rivals think he's a puppet, but Cosimo de'Medici, the new Duke of Florence, is ambitious. Soon, all of Tuscany capitulates to the Medici. Cosimo's cultural campaign is capped with a book which seals the reputation of the Medici forever. The "Lives of the Artists" is the first ever work of art history. Under Cosimo I, the Medici have scaled the heights of international royalty. They seem unassailable. Until, well after Cosimo's reign, the Medici family betrays their tutor, Galileo Galilei, to the Inquisition. They have failed to sustain what had set them apart from their rivals and the Renaisssance in Italy is over.

  Length:	00:55:21

• Empires: The Roman Empire In the First Century - Ep.1 - Order from Chaos

  Two thousand years ago, at the dawn of the first century, the ancient world was ruled by Rome. From England to Africa and from Syria to Spain, one in every four people on earth lived and died under Roman law. Through the experiences, memories and writings of the people who lived it, this series tells the story of that time -- the emperors and slaves, poets and plebeians, who wrested order from chaos, built the most cosmopolitan society the world had ever seen, and shaped the Roman Empire. Episode One - Order from Chaos - is about the life of Emperor Augustus, a complex man: brutal but compassionate, and austere but popular. Against all odds, Augustus ruled as Emperor for over 40 years, surviving plots, rebellions and mutinies. When he died, he was declared to be a god. His rule created the image of Imperial Rome that lasts to this day.

  Length:	00:53:24

• Empires: The Roman Empire In the First Century, Ep.2 - Years of Trial

  Two thousand years ago, at the dawn of the first century, the ancient world was ruled by Rome. From England to Africa and from Syria to Spain, one in every four people on earth lived and died under Roman law. Through the experiences, memories and writings of the people who lived it, this series tells the story of that time -- the emperors and slaves, poets and plebeians, who wrested order from chaos, built the most cosmopolitan society the world had ever seen, and shaped the Roman Empire. Episode Two - Years of Trial - begins in 14 AD, with Emperor Augustus dead and the Empire at a crossroads. Would Rome continue on course or return to chaos? Much depended on his successors, a quick progression of emperors that followed on Augustus' 40-year rule.

  Length:	00:55:03

• Empires: The Roman Empire In the First Century, Ep.3 - Winds of Change

  Two thousand years ago, at the dawn of the first century, the ancient world was ruled by Rome. From England to Africa and from Syria to Spain, one in every four people on earth lived and died under Roman law. Through the experiences, memories and writings of the people who lived it, this series tells the story of that time -- the emperors and slaves, poets and plebeians, who wrested order from chaos, built the most cosmopolitan society the world had ever seen, and shaped the Roman Empire. Episode Three - Winds of Change - follows the reign of Claudius after the murder of his wife Messalina. Claudius remarried - this time to his niece, Agrippina, whose son Nero became heir, then emperor. Nero's infamous rule ended with the Senate declaring him a "public enemy," his escape to the country, and then his suicide. The Augustan dynasty was dead and, with no heir, civil war loomed.

  Length:	00:54:15

• Empires: The Roman Empire In the First Century, Ep.4 - Years of Eruption

  Two thousand years ago, at the dawn of the first century, the ancient world was ruled by Rome. From England to Africa and from Syria to Spain, one in every four people on earth lived and died under Roman law. Through the experiences, memories and writings of the people who lived it, this series tells the story of that time -- the emperors and slaves, poets and plebeians, who wrested order from chaos, built the most cosmopolitan society the world had ever seen, and shaped the Roman Empire. Episode Four - Years of Eruption - follows the empire's descent into civil war as generals fight each other for the throne. Rome became a battlefield, and in the end, Vespasian was emperor. Then in 79 AD, the Romans suffered a double blow: Vespasian died and Pompeii was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Vespasian's second son, Domitian, became emperor and proved to be a tyrant. After his death, the generals worked together to choose a new emperor, Trajan. His reign turned the Roman Empire into a multicultural global society that's still relevant today, 2,000 years later.

  Length:	00:54:32

Availability: