King John’s rule was unpopular, and the end of his reign was marked with chaos, leading to an invasion by the French heir apparent. Into this era of uncertainty, a hero arose in the deep forests of the Weald, wielding a bow and leading a band - though perhaps not of ‘merry’ men.
This episode will be released on YuTube on June 3
The Reconquista, or Christian reconquest of Iberia, took nearly 800 years. The fighting did not come without great attempts by Muslim powers across the strait trying to reestablish their presence in mainland Europe. The last gasp of that effort came in the 1330s, when the powerful Marinid sultanate of what is modern Morocco invaded in an attempt to reverse Christian gains and secure the perilous position of the Sultanate of Granada.