Warriors (BBC)

Was Richard the Lionheart a heroic warrior, noble and wise? Or was he just a greedy thug who wanted to loot the Holy Land? This film shows neither view to be true. It reveals a Richard we have never seen before - a man motivated by Christian duty, struggling with the problems of leading a fractious international coalition, fighting a Muslim opponent who cannot be beaten.

Was Spartacus the dimple-chinned freedom fighter of Kubrick's famous movie? This programme reveals Spartacus as he really was - a brilliant leader of a guerrilla band, but a flawed and indecisive human being. Anthony Flanagan stars as the slave who took on the Roman Empire.

Exploring the myth of the crude Attila. Part genius, part psychopath, Attila is unlike the other Huns. A calculating, ruthless gambler, his one goal is conquest - and he's set his sights on Roman cities to test out his brilliant new siege tactics.

Samurai general Tokugawa Ieyasu became a towering figure of Japanese history by overthrowing the governing dynasty of Japan and becoming the Shogun (the supreme military leader) of Japan. Ieyasu's rise to power climaxes in the biggest Samurai battle in history, with 160,000 soldiers fighting for the future of Japan. On the way, there is a story of love for a reckless son, a politician in drag, a night-time Ninja attack, suicide and betrayal.

Filmed on location in Malta, this story focuses on three critical months up to 18 December 1793 when 24-year-old artillery officer Napoleon Bonaparte - displaying a dazzling combination of political cunning, personal bravery and military genius - drove the English fleet from Toulon, thus establishing his reputation and saving the Revolution Key to events are the rivalry with Fréron as well as his sister Paoletta's affair with Fréron and his rise through the ranks as they fight the English at "Little Gibraltar."

Cortés and his men arrive in Central America in search of riches. They cross the mountains and soon become allies with the Tlaxcalans. Once they reach Tenochtitlan, they are invited in but then proceed to insult the Aztec's customs and take their ruler, Moctezuma, hostage. Yet, when it is discovered that Cortés is a criminal, he must leave the city to fight the army that the king has sent after him. When he returns, he finds that a war has started and the battle over Tenochtitlan begins.