Episode One opens in the turmoil of 12th century Ireland, a “Game of Thrones” type society where provincial kings vie for supremacy. When two of these power players drive their rival, Diarmait MacMurrough into exile, he goes to France to make an alliance with the Anglo-Norman king, Henry II. The episode traces the story of Henry’s ancestors, bands of Vikings who settled in northwest France around 900 AD. These “Northmen” or Normans became one of Europe’s most powerful military and political forces. And in 1166, Henry II allows Diarmait to recruit them to recover his lands in Ireland. An Anglo-Norman lord known as Strongbow joins Diarmait and soon afterwards, he and other allies invade Ireland with frightening power.

Episode Two follows the course of the invasion, as Strongbow wins victory after victory, capturing Waterford and Dublin. But in 1171, the Irish lords besiege Strongbow and his forces in Dublin, hoping to starve them into submission. Everything hangs in the balance… will the Normans capitulate? Instead, they make a daring surprise attack and scatter their enemies. Strongbow now stands a chance of becoming king of Ireland, but soon afterwards his overlord Henry II arrives with a huge army. He takes control of affairs, and grants Dublin to settlers from Britain. Now, archaeologists excavate a forgotten graveyard and discover the remains of over a hundred of these medieval settlers. Cutting-edge science, including radiocarbon dating and osteoarchaeology, reveals their fascinating lives. The episode also shows how the conquest of Ireland enabled centuries of war between England and France.