This Four Part History Documentary Series focuses on the Middle Ages. Isn't it true that this epoch conjures up ominous images of superstition and witch-hunting? Burning pyres and plague doctors hurrying strangely muffled along dark alley-ways in their fight against the Black Death, such are the generally accepted associations we have with this "dark" era. The Middle Ages were in the true sense of the word dark.

In Episode Two, as centres of missionary activity and science, monasteries made an important contribution to progress. Here, not only theology was taught and studied, but medicine, mathematics, astronomy, law and philosophy as well. With the translation of the ancient scripts into Latin, this knowledge was introduced to the western world. However, the monasteries were not only places of devout worship and chastity - intrigues, power struggles and love affairs were not unknown to them either.