Part I

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb unravels one of the most profound transformations in Tudor society, when faith and politics collided: the dissolution of the monasteries. Over just four years in the 1530s, Henry VIII dismantled the spiritual and cultural bedrock of medieval England. This was the most traumatic exercise of royal power since the Norman Conquest. In this first episode, Suzannah travels to some of the most beautiful locations in England, taking us back to a time when the monasteries were thriving, and exploring how these institutions had been at the heart of communities for centuries. These great buildings were not just places of piety, they were hubs of local life - places of worship, education, healthcare and charity.