Rosie Millard on Edward III
Great Lives
BBC
4.2 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 25 May 2021
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Edward III should be much better known, Rosie tells Matthew Parris. He not only won great battles like Crecy in 1346. He also championed the flourishing of Perpendicular architecture; he understood the "branding" of England, and introduced the flag of St George; and he was ahead of his time in other ways - he was the first king of England to own a mechanical clock and the first to have hot and cold running water in his bathroom! The expert is the medieval historian, Lord Sumption. He agrees Edward III deserves to be better known, but is less starry-eyed about his achievements. Edward, Lord Sumption says, was an incompetent diplomat, lived too long, and ended his reign a "heroic failure".
Presented by Matthew Parris Produced by Chris Ledgard
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Before you listen to this BBC podcast, I'd like to introduce myself. |
| 0:03.7 | My name's Stevie Middleton and I'm a BBC Commissioner for a load of sport podcasts. |
| 0:08.4 | I'm lucky to do that at the BBC because I get to work with a leading journalist, experienced |
| 0:12.2 | pundits and the biggest sport stars. |
| 0:14.3 | Together we bring you untold stories and fascinating insights straight from the players' |
| 0:18.5 | mouths. |
| 0:19.5 | But the best thing about doing this at the BBC is our unique access to the sport world. |
| 0:25.0 | What that means is that we can bring you podcasts that create a real connection to |
| 0:28.8 | dedicated sports fans across the UK. |
| 0:31.2 | So if you like this podcast, head over to BBC Sounds where you'll find plenty more. |
| 0:40.9 | If you visit Gloucester Cathedral, a highlight is the Great East Window. |
| 0:45.7 | You can't miss it. |
| 0:46.7 | It's the size of a tennis court and when it was built in the mid-14th century, it was |
| 0:51.4 | the largest window in Europe. |
| 0:54.0 | Towering above the altar, its stained glass depicts Jesus and Mary, saints and martyrs |
| 1:00.3 | and the arms of Earls and Nobles who fought at the Battle of Cressy, where King Edward III |
| 1:06.0 | and his son, the Black Prince, defeated the French army. |
| 1:10.5 | It's through this window we get our first glimpse of today's great life. |
| 1:15.2 | King Edward III. |
| 1:16.8 | He's been chosen by Rosie Millard, journalist, former BBC correspondent, now chair of the |
| 1:22.8 | BBC Children in Need and Vice Chair of Opera North. |
| 1:26.7 | Rosie, Edward's reign, about which I knew nothing until you chose him and I've done some |
... |
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