Search - The Conquerors (History Channel) on DVD

A Wide Assortment of Conquerors

James Garritson | Escondido, California USA | 04/05/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Captain Dale Dye hosts the Conquerors, a History Channel series. Dye has an extensive background in the military and he seems very authoritive as a host talking about battles, weapons, and conquerors. A wide assortment of conquerors from different cultures and time periods make up this series. These are the people the series analyzes:
Disc 1
WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR
GENERAL WILLIAM HOWE: CONQUEROR OF NEW YORK
ANDREW JACKSON: CONQUEROR OF FLORIDA
CORTÉS: CONQUEROR OF MEXICO

WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR
This episode tells the story of William's childhood and how he rises to become Duke of Normandy. The Bayeux Tapestry is used to provide details about Harold Godwin and the Battle of Hasting. Instead of ending at the Battle of Hasting, the episode details how William takes complete control of England by adopting some Saxon customs, building castles, and taking a census through creating the Domesday Book. I found it interesting that William has remorse about his conquest of England on his deathbed. Although the last few minutes of the episode mention disgusting facts about William's burial, these details do conclude the life of William the Conqueror. This episode showcases the different weapons and fighting styles that both the Saxons and Normans used. Overall, anybody who needs a good overview of the Battle of Hasting, William the Conqueror, Harold Godwin, and medieval weapons will gain new insight by watching William the Conqueror.
GENERAL WILLIAM HOWE: CONQUEROR OF NEW YORK
If I was the producer of this series, I would not have produced this episode because Howe did not stay a conqueror. The episode does show American and British fighting tactics, which was interesting when compared side to side. While this is my least favorite episode on Disc 1, the information about Howe is very relevant and it shows how many times Americans almost lost the American Revolution.
ANDREW JACKSON: CONQUEROR OF FLORIDA
Andrew Jackson is a really interesting character in our history. What I enjoyed about this episode is it focused soley on Genereal Jackson and made only a very short mention of Governor or President Jackson. Jackson definitely earns the nickname "Old Hickory" because he was fierce, couragious, and a true conqueror. It is hard to imagine an America that lacks the state of Florida, but Jackson truly conquerored this state for Americans. This episode was excellent and I will use it when I teach American history next year.
CORTÉS: CONQUEROR OF MEXICO
Cortés did conquer Mexico through skill and divine providence. When one considers that Cortés conquerored Mexico with only a small army of conquistadors, some horses, and some firepower, it is a fantastic and hard to believe story. Cortés was gifted in using any advantage he could find in war. He was an opportunist and a very interesting character to learn more about. This episode was my favorite of this disc because Cortés is often ignored as a conqueror. As an American, our culture focuses more on English and American conquerors than Spanish ones. This episode is perfect to show to my students in World History. It meshes the Aztecs and the New World to Europe and the old world very well. The plague of smallpox and measles that the conquistadors bring with them is also spoken about in this episode. After watching this special, I can still only believe that divine providence allowed Cortés to take complete control of Mexico. Watch this episode because it's superb.

As I finish watching the second and third dvd, I will write review number two and three."

Unrepresentative Set of Conquerors

Serge J. Van Steenkiste | Atlanta, GA | 05/27/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The Conquerors, a three-DVD set by The History Channel, introduces viewers to twelve military commanders who left their mark on various battlefields in Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East. Unfortunately, the authors of the series did not bother to select any outstanding military commanders who did not hail from the Judeo-Christian world. Think for instance about Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II, also known as Ramses The Great, Emperor Qin Shihuang, the founder of what is today's China, or Ottoman Sultan Suleiman I, also known as Suleiman the Magnificent.

The Conquerors sometimes looks like a PowerPoint presentation. Each episode starts with a very fast overview that goes above the heads of viewers who are not previously familiar with the material, i.e., 1) Situation, 2) Mission, 3) Execution, ) Administration, and 5) Command & Control. Viewers are given tips for conquerors in a "PowerPoint" format close to the end of each episode. To his credit, Captain Dale Dye injects his expertise in military history and weaponry to give life to the twelve military commanders, their time, and the environment existing around them. Unfortunately, the computer-generated imagery used in some episodes looks stale and does not seem to be state-of-the-art.

To summarize, The Conquerors is a series of unequal quality that does not do enough justice to the most renowned warriors in history.
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