Reckoned by those about him to be the most handsome man in the country, Edward the fourth has risen to the throne with the help of Warwick, the kingmaker. But even Warwick's trusted advice cannot convince the King to ignore his passion for the beautiful widow, Elizabeth Woodville - and when she refuses to become his mistress the two are married.

On the death of Henry the fifth, a nine-month-old baby is made King of England. Ambitious men surround the baby king, including his two uncles, the Dukes of Bedford and Gloucester. Shrewd and clever, Bedford seeks to uphold all his late brother had won and preserve it for young Henry the sixth.

When Henry VI becomes king, it is soon clear that he would be better suited to a quiet life than to ruling the country. Richard, Duke of York, is convinced that he would make a better king and has more right to the crown, and he will stop at nothing to claim it.

At the decadent French court of King Francois, the young Anne Boleyn grows into an enigmatic and striking woman, a temptation to many courtiers. But whilst Anne's ambitions are high, she has learned from her sister's unfortunate reputation. Unlike Mary, Anne refuses to become even a King's mistress.

In the aftermath of the bloody Wars of the Roses, Henry Tudor has seized the English crown, finally uniting the warring Houses of York and Lancaster through his marriage to Elizabeth of York. But Henry VII is haunted by Elizabeth's missing brothers. Then tragedy strikes at the heart of Henry's family, and it is against his own son.

In a castle in the mountains outside Rome, Lucrezia Borgia is born into history's most notorious family. Her father, who is to become Pope Alexander VI, receives his first daughter warmly, and her brothers, Cesare and Giovanni, are devoted to her. But on the corrupt and violent streets of the capital the Borgia family is feared.

The ageing Catherine de' Medici has arranged the marriage of her beautiful Catholic daughter Margot to the uncouth Huguenot King Henry of Navarre. Margot, still desperately in love with Henry de Guise, refuses to utter her vows. But even Catherine is unable to anticipate the carnage that this unholy union is to bring about...

Victoria and Albert were destined for each other. However, Albert is aware that marriage to a quick-tempered woman like Victoria could result in unnecessary scenes and court feuds. The young Queen, as well has having to endure her constant pregnancies, is in perpetual revolt against any encroachment on her position - and Albert is doing just that.

Edward the Second has been barbarously murdered in Berkeley Castle on the orders of his wife, Queen Isabella, and her lover Roger de Mortimer, and fifteen-year-old Edward the Third is now king. Young Edward has already met and fallen in love with Philippa of Hainault.

These are dark days for England; the Tudor succession hangs precariously in the balance, along with the lives of its people. With the shadow of the dreaded Inquisition looming across the continent from Spain, one family, lead by two brave men - daring Felipe and his cousin, reserved and thoughtful Richard - struggles to survive against the odds.

Born into Rome's notorious Borgia family, Lucrezia's life so far has been colored by violence and betrayal. Now, married for the second time at just eighteen she hopes for happiness with her handsome husband Alfonso. But faced with brutal murder she's soon torn between her love for her husband and her devotion to her brother Cesare.

Richard the Second is losing his hold on the crown and Henry of Bolingbroke, previously exiled by the king, returns to England to claim it. Richard is deposed and dies mysteriously, murdered some say on the orders of Bolingbroke, now King Henry the Fourth. But Henry finds the crown harder to hold onto than it was to win.

With fanatical Philip II on the Spanish throne and the spectre of his Inquisition hovering over Europe, these are dangerous and bloody times in which to live. As his most Catholic Majesty turns his eyes towards the heretical English, two brothers from sleepy Andalusia suddenly find themselves caught in a perilous web of intrigue.

Edward the Second's first act on coming to the throne is to recall Piers Gaveston from exile. The new Queen Isabella, accustomed to adulation, is bitterly humilated; and she is not a woman to forgive. With the country in turmoil the king is making enemies throughout the land, and he fails to see that the most deadly of these is his queen.

Marguerite, eldest daughter of the Count of Provence, had married a king of France - and now her sister Eleanor, marries Henry of England. King Henry rules a nation that still remembers his cruel and foolish father, King John. As Henry showers gifts on his new bride his extravagance forces him to levy ever greater taxation on the land.

With Spain united, Isabella found herself torn between Ferdinand's brilliant plans and her love for her children. Tragedy followed tragedy - Juana, driven to madness by her husband's philandering; and the sorrow of parting with young Catalina, destined to become Katharine of Aragon, wife to Henry VIII and Queen of England.

Albert is dead and the queen is preparing to spend the rest of her life in mourning. Palmerston, then Gladstone and Disraeli, govern her empire. The court at Windsor, Balmoral, Osborne or Buckingham Palace is shocked by the Prince of Wales, in pursuit of horses, women and scandal, the heady harbinger of Edwardian years to come.

News of Thomas a Becket's martyrdom has spread throughout Christendom and the blame is laid at the feet of Henry Plantagenet, King of England. Two years later, with Becket canonised, Henry's position is precarious: punished at the Pope's insistence for his part in Becket's death, he now also has an enemy in his Queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine.

At just six days old, Mary Stuart became Queen of Scots. At just six years old she was betrothed to the Dauphin Francois, the future King of France. But her reign with Francois is short-lived. Widowed at just eighteen years old, Mary is forced to leave her home to return to Scotland.

Married to Ferdinand after continual fears and disappointments, Isabella triumphed over every danger, convinced of her true destiny. Ambitious and unfaithful, Ferdinand longed to lead his troops against the Moorish strongholds. Isabella knew a united Spain and a glorious future could be theirs, but they must only share it together.