Julius Caesar: The Making of a Dictator TV - Hannibal: A March on Rome TV - Emperor: Rise & Fall of a Dynasty TV - Revolutions that Changed History TV -
At the heart of the most powerful empire of the ancient world stands Rome. For 500 years it has ruled by elected government. But in little over a decade this Republic was overthrown by the ambitions of one man. Julius Caesar: The Making of a Dictator I: Ides of March, BBC 2023
The election of the new high priest of Rome is imminent. The surprise contender is 37-year-old Julius Caesar. ibid.
Rome is increasingly divided. Over 100 years of violent question it’s grown from a small city to a vast empire. ibid.
The conspirators are betrayed before they can act. Five senators, one a former consul, are arrested and await their fate. ibid.
‘Rising to his feet a man who will become his nemesis: Cato.’ ibid.
For Caesar, Pompey is the model of success. ibid.
It’s the spring of 58 B.C. The people of Gaul face a new and grave threat. Julius Caesar has completed his year as Consul of Rome and set his sights on conquest. In this foreign land there are few rules to constrain him. His army is carving its way through the country. Julius Caesar: The Making of a Dictator II: Veni, Vidi, Vici
‘It’s brutal, it’s punishing, it’s genocidal on scale.’ ibid. Tom Holland
Caesar ensures news of his conquest reaches the people of Rome. ibid.
Pompey, Crassus and Caesar carve up the Roman world. ibid.
With the Triumvirate firmly in control of Rome Caesar sets his sites on even greater glory. ibid.
‘The city is ungovernable, it is uncontrollable.’ ibid. historian
He was one of the heroes of antiquity – Hannibal. A unique military operation immortalised him. The crossing of the Alps with a gigantic army and his legendary war elephants. Yet where Hannibal crossed the Alps has been a matter of dispute for more than 2,000 years. Hannibal: A March on Rome, History 2024
Rome: The greatest empire the world has ever seen. With our grip on the Mediterranean, we conquer all. Deep into Africa and as far north as Britannia. And all under the ultimate control of one man – the Emperor. Or so it seems. Let emperors strut the world stage, and let us, the humble women in the wings, build our dynasties: Julia, Messalina, Agrippina, and of course me, Livia. Emperor: Rise & Fall of a Dynasty I, Channel 5 2024
My name is Livia Drusilla. I nurture the first great imperial dynasty. ibid.
Dear old Julius Caesar, the great disrupter, is cut down in his prime. ibid.
With me on his side, Augustus is not going to make the same mistakes as Uncle Julius. ibid.
My son Tiberius is what the empire needs. ibid.
Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius and Nero: one way or another they are all men under my control. Emperor: Rise & Fall of a Dynasty II
I am only 15 when our beloved republic sees its first great dictator, Julius Caesar, murdered. Years of bloodshed and civil war follow. 50 years on and my beloved husband Augustus rules undisputed. ibid.
My son’s mission is to destroy all of his enemies, both real and imagined. ibid.
She then died at the age of 96. ibid.
Caligula, to give him credit, is our first emperor to show that absolute power corrupts absolutely. But when he loses his late female anchor a deranged torrent of vengeance consumes Rome. ibid.
My great-grandson Caligula, the youngest and dumbest emperor Rome has yet known. ibid.
‘The guards recogonise there can be no future Caligula.’ ibid. comment
‘Rome’s fourth emperor, Claudius.’ ibid.
[Lavinia]: I may be dead now but at least I become a goddess. Emperor: Rise & Fall of a Dynasty, Channel 5 2024
Under five infamous rulers Rome enjoys a golden period of prosperity and peace abroad. ibid.
Enter stage right, Rome’s next emperor, poor bumbling Uncle Claudius. ibid.
He [Claudius] scales new heights with the conquest of Britannia. ibid.
Claudius, the first emperor to have his emperess killed [Messalina]. ibid.
Agrippina embraces her chance to rewrite history. ibid.
‘Nero comes up with an extraordinary plan which is to kill his mother.’ ibid. comment
With no woman to control him, Nero spirals out of control. Rome burns to the ground. ibid.
Behind the iron gates of a gladiator school in Capua, modern-day Italy, a storm in brewing. A group of slaves ready themselves for the most important fight of their lives. Revolutions that Changed History IV: The Third Servile War
Today they are united. They have nothing to lose … Their pursuit for liberation has the power to topple an empire. ibid.
‘The slave rebellion in Rome was a massive upsurge of discontent and revolutionary fervour.’ ibid. comment
‘Spartacus has attained such legendary status that it’s surprising how little we know about him.’ ibid.
‘200 of them planned to escape, but their plan was betrayed and only 78, who realised this, managed to act in time and get away.’ ibid. Plutarch
Enraged slaves were attempting to push back against the powers that be. ibid.