Plot Synopsis

THE HOLLOW CROWN: THE WAR OF THE ROSES continues the epic saga of THE HOLLOW CROWN with three more film adaptations of Shakespeare's history plays: Parts I and II of Henry VI and Richard III. Together, they span rebellion in France, the rise and fall of Joan of Arc, the terror of England's Civil War and the deceitful dynastic murders culminating in the infamous reign of Richard III.

Henry VI, Part I: The King is dead and England is in crisis. War rages with the French and divisions within the English court threaten the crown. Young Henry VI causes outrage by marrying Margaret of Anjou, forcing an unwanted truce; the scene is set for Civil War.

Henry VI, Part II: Bitter rivalries erupt into the Wars of the Roses. The feeble King Henry is overshadowed by Queen Margaret and her faction of Lancastrian Lords, his reign further undermined by disaffected nobles supporting the House of York. Battle and bloodshed ensues and the Yorkists triumph. Edward IV takes the throne, but his youngest brother Richard has his eyes firmly on the crown.

Richard III: Richard, the most notorious of Shakespeare's kings, manipulates and betrays his way through the court on a bloodthirsty and ruthless path to the throne. But after Richard's defeat at the battle of Bosworth Field, the Houses of Lancaster and York -- the red rose and the white -- are united, bringing to an end the Wars of the Roses and long tumultuous period of civil strife.

PBS aired the U.S. premiere of THE HOLLOW CROWN: WAR OF THE ROSES on Sunday, December 11, 2016 at 9pm (check local listings), showing the three-part story on consecutive Sunday nights, ending on Christmas Day 2016.