Synopsis: Terry Jones has been leafing through the history books to find out what the medieval world was really like. What he discovered is a treasure trove of extraordinary stories and characters that challenge the tired traditional stereotypes we all grew up with. With the help of animated medial paintings these wonderful tales bring the Middle Ages vividly to life in all its corruption violence and greed courage enterprise and learning. Anyone who enjoys Chaucer and Rabelais will be familiar with the early humor of the time but few people know about the dark side of chivalry or that women and serfs were not downtrodden creatures at all. Each episode explores the role and function of a different medieval archetype.