Julian Richards recalls how, after years of raiding, England's resistance was so weakened that, in the early 11th century, the Vikings were finally able to seize the throne. In other parts of the British Isles however, they gained and maintained power by integration.

Julian Richards investigates the impact of the Vikings in Britain. This edition focuses on the archaeological trail left by the Vikings as they travelled from Norway along the sea road to Dublin. Settlements, a boat burial and evidence of trading have been discovered on the Scottish isles, and silver hoards found in Ireland suggest that Dublin was not only wealthy and important, but also a centre for trade in slaves.

Vlad Dracula presses an increasingly desperate guerrilla campaign from the shadows, hoping to demoralize the Ottomans and slow their march north. After chasing Vlad for two weeks, sultan Mehmed II and his invading army find themselves caught in a nightmare come to life deep within the Wallachian forest. Many legends have arisen out of the invasion of Wallachia in 1462. One speaks of Vlad Dracula launching a biological attack against the Ottomans to slow their march to his capital city, Târgovişte. Vlad opened his prisons and released hardened criminals to go amongst the Ottomans with tuberculosis and bubonic plague so that they could infect the enemies.
Vlad Dracula also had carried out a scorched-earth policy against Mehmed II. Along with his hit-and-run campaign from the shadows has left the sultan's troops on edge. As Mehmed's army closes on Târgovişte, tensions flare in the Ottoman camp, where food and water are in increasingly short supply. But Vlad had nowhere to rely on food for himself either and there was nowhere to go anymore. He became a prisoner of his own scorched-earth policy. Radu Dracula closes in to take Princess Anastasia hostage. Anastasia commits suicide when he reach her at Poenari castle.

Over one billion Christians look to Rome, more than half of all Christians on the planet. But how did a small Jewish sect from the backwoods of 1st-century Palestine, which preached humility and the virtue of poverty, become the established religion of western Europe - wealthy, powerful and expecting unfailing obedience from the faithful? Amongst the surprising revelations, Professor MacCulloch tells how confession was invented by monks on a remote island off the coast of Ireland, and how the Crusades gave Britain the university system. Above all, it is a story of what can be achieved when you have friends in high places.

The story of the Viking world's most famous warrior, the legend of Beowulf is the ultimate tale of courage. Pit against thirsty invaders, barbaric monsters and a fire breathing dragon, Beowulf emerges as Norse mythology's greatest hero. But could this warrior have actually been real? Unearthed burial mounds and ancient carvings suggest the myth of Beowulf might have been more than epic legend.

Vlad Dracula was somewhat successful in having the upper hand during the first five-hour fight in the night attack; however, Mehmed’s army won the battle because of their strength and numbers. Vlad could not kill Mehmed II and fled the scene. After the battle, Mehmed and his army enter Târgoviște which was abandoned by Vlad Dracula. But when he entered the city, Mehmed saw a horrific scene. Muslims were impaled by Vlad in Târgoviște, and there was a ‘forest of corpses.’ In history, this is considered a sad event for the Turks. The experts said that when Mehmed saw these impaled bodies, he immediately started praying. One of the dead bodies was of his father in law Hamza Bay.
Days before, Mara and Gülbahar foiled the Wallachian plot inside the sultan’s harem. Radu Dracula takes the throne in Wallachia on Mehmed II’s orders. Radu Dracula promises his loyalty to the sultan, and Mehmed gives 2,000 men to him. We see a restless king Mehmed II back in Istanbul, because he was not successful in killing Vlad Dracula. However, after 15 years, Vlad’s head is brought to Istanbul by one of Mehmed’s soldiers at the end of the last episode of the series.