1. Castles at War
Re-live the fighting past of the world's finest surviving medieval strongholds: Born in the storm of the Norman invasion, the history of Europe's castles is etched in steel and blood. Originating as simple earth mounds surrounded by a ditch, castles evolved into the most fearsome fighting machines of the Middle Ages. Extensive reenactments dramatise the workings of the weapons and secret strategies used by military commanders when attacking these fearsome strongholds.

2. Ghostly Castles (Castle Ghosts and Legends)
Explore the worlds of magic, mystery and ghostly secrets. Here where Pagan, Christian and Islamic worlds collide, we find legends to inspire Shakespeare and chill the blood. In this episode we journey to Glamis castle, Scotland's most haunted. And Transylvania to unravel the truth behind the myths surrounding the infamous and sadistic warrior, Dracula - a prince whose savagery ended up in the murder of one fifth of his own people.

3. Harems of the Ottoman Sultans (Harem Intrigues)
Nothing speaks of exoticism or eroticism quite like the strange world of the harem in the Ottoman Empire... a world of sultans and slaves... Join us as we remove the seven veils of mystery which cover this most unique institution ... From Topkapi Palace, Sultans presided over the mighty Ottoman Empire for 300 years. At its height the palace harem accomodated 4,000 people and were witness to the wiles of a harem beauty who seduced an emperor and whose brutal behind-the-scenes campaign eventually brought down the empire. This is the legacy of the Harem of Topkapi, a legacy cloaked in desire, a reality shrouded in mystery.

4. Great Conquerors
Behind the great empires of medieval Europe lie the stories of their conquerors. These rulers - who carved nations out of scattered states - through ambition and force of will forever changed their worlds. William The Conqueror creates a kingdom that has lasted a thousand years. Dandolo, The Doge of Venice destroys the richest city on earth. Isabella of Castile whose religious fanaticism unites a country and bring forth a new world. Secrets of the Great Conquerors reveals their private agonies and public glory.

5. Europe's Queens
They use their beauty -as well as their brains - to outdo men at the secret, deadly game of palace intrigue.. In the bedroom and the throne room, they break the rules, and stop at nothing to achieve their goals. Sometimes, they pay with their heads. But win or lose, these queens rule: Isabella of Spain, accused of climbing to the throne of Castile by poisoning any man who gets in her way.

Catherine de Medici, locked in a fierce rivalry with the king's beautiful mistress. Mary, Queen of Scots, whose fatal attraction to the wrong men leads her to disaster. These, and more of the dazzling secrets of the Queens of Europe.

6. Monarch's Obsessed (Europe's Kings)
They claim power as their birthright. Behead oponents without remorse. And sometimes lose their heads themselves. Henry the Eight had many of his wives killed, forever changing England's royalty and religion. Francis the First leads France into the the renaissance. But tales of knightly bravery and courley love keep him bound to an era gone by. Christian the Fourth of Denmark's Viking blood leads to the country's downfall. Franz Joseph of Austria sees his whole family and empire being shattered by the hands of history. Ludwig the Second, fairy tale king of Bavaria: was he a legend or a lunatic? A close look into personal lives and secrets of the Kings of Europe.

7. Religious Persecution
Castles as centres of religious power. Europe's greatest castles remain symbols of both the good and evil that reign over the souls of mankind. These mighty structures unleashed firestorms of fear and death across their lands - one became a feared centre for witchtrials, another unleashed the scourge of the Inquisition across Europe.

8. Dream Palaces
For the rich and powerful, palaces were the ultimate form of self expression. In this episode we explore some of the most outlandish and fantastic structures ever built - and meet the megalomaniacal visionaries who built these dream-worlds around them. Features the fairytale castle of Mad King Ludwig which later proved the inpiration for the Disney castle.

9. Pleasure Palaces
Explore the world of conspiracy, warfare and sexual wiles in which kings forged the nations of Europe. Europe boasts the world's most opulent palaces - built by kings and queens both for their own pleasure and as monuments to their boundless ambitions. Their story is a stirring drama of power, money, treachery and intrigue.

10. Castles of Fear
More castles at war - this episode explores the role these brutal stongholds played in terrorising a region. Some boasted fearsome dungeons and intruments of torture, others devilish defenses that made them impregnable to attack. These are castles that wielded power in its rawest cruelty and most opulent beauty.