Blood and Gold: The Making of Spain with Simon Sebag Montefiore

Author Simon Sebag Montefiore presents his extensive knowledge of Spain in a bountiful three-part series that covers 2,000 years of the country's history. To cover the early portion, Simon travels to Cadiz with Spain's first invaders and visits a sacred island where the Carthaginian warrior Hannibal received the blessing of the Gods. Simon investigates the Spanish Inquisition and discovers an unsettling story about one of his own ancestors. Then, remembering Spain's Golden Age and the influence of King Philip II, the presenter visits the king's mighty palace outside Madrid. Philip's successors, however - with their reliance on favourites and mistresses - cannot live up to his reign.