All language subtitles for Butterfly.Effect.S01E04_English

- [Narrator] Our history
is no more than a series

of incredible events.

Each one of us can
influence its course.

The tiniest of our decisions

can influence the
future of mankind.

To know the past, you need
to anticipate the future.

1152, the middle ages, and
a young and beautiful woman

hitherto Queen of the Francs,

has just married
the Count of Anjou.

1199, during the
siege of the castle,

a defender shoulders
his crossbow

and with one bolt
slays a legendary king.

15 years later, in
the midst of battle,

loyal knights rushed
to save their king

thrown from his horse and
surrounded by enemies.

These three intimately
connected events

will lead to the emergence
of one of the most powerful

kingdoms the Western
world has ever seen,

the Kingdom of France.

France, England, and
Germany are three countries

with clearly
defined territories.

With a strong identity,
specific language and customs.

In general, an Englishman
speaks English,

and lives in England.

It has not always been so.

Our story takes place
in the 12th century,

in the middle of
the Middle Ages.

This is the period of
crusades, castles, and
knights.

(dynamic music)

Europe has lived through
centuries of darkness.

At the end of the Roman Empire

every town, village,
or hamlet was isolated.

One part of the population
organized defense

for the protection of all,

so that others could
farm in safety.

Ramparts were thrown up,

pacts and alliances of
mutual support were agreed,

chiefs were recognized.

A new organization
was established.

Each leader became the
vassal of a suzerain

and therefore,
under his authority.

Each suzerain was himself
the vassal of a more powerful

suzerain, all the way up
to the king at the top

of the pyramid.

The feudal system
system was born.

- [Narrator] Welcome to
the memory of humanity.

Here, we can control
time, analyze and compare

billions of events
and alter them

to rewrite history endlessly.

For example, let us imagine
for a moment that our current

democratic system was
replaced by a feudal system.

A country where we no
longer spoke of a president,

but of suzerain.

Power would be
highly decentralized,
granted to cities,

departments, and regions.

Each city would have
its own law enforcement

and local
administration services.

It could raise taxes, certain
sections of the population

would work more than others
and a minority of people

would own the
majority of wealth.

A gain of alliances,
pacts, and betrayals

would be common place
at the heart of power,

as would corruption
and embezzlement.

There would be no national army.

The population would not
be able to choose its

representatives, who would
preciously guard power

from one generation to
another, from father to son.

No elections, no
consulting the people.

The right to vote is
what distinguishes

democracy from feudalism.

- [Narrator] Feudalism
possess an extremely strong

and interlinked social fabric.

It is difficult to destroy.

However, this also
makes it highly complex

and different to shift.

Through the mechanism
of alliances,

a father might well be
forced to fight his own son

on the field of battle.

The period we are focused on
is dominated by three realms,

the Kingdom of England,
the Holy Roman Empire,

and the Kingdom of France.

France is more of a mosaic
of counties and duchies

than a true country.

Through alliances and marriages,

kings must constantly seek
to impose their authority

over the feudal chess board.

In this complex game there
appears a queenly peace

of irresistible power.

Eleanor of Aquitaine, wife
of the King of the Francs,

she is also heir to
the duchy of Aquitaine,

one of the most
powerful in the kingdom.

However, the spouses
do not see eye to eye

and their marriage is annulled.

A young and beautiful
woman of thirty,

incredibly rich and
cultivated to boot,

does not remain single for long.

Six weeks later she finds a
husband equal to her status,

the heir to the
thrown of England.

Through this union, Eleanor
offers England a quarter

of the territory of France.

King of England, Duke of
Normandy, and Count of Anjou,

her husband also becomes
Duke of Aquitaine,

and equal to the King of
France, he is also his
vassal.

Richer and more powerful,
he nevertheless,

owes him obedience.

The kings are in check.

- [Narrator] Nothing is ever
simple in medieval politics.

In the 12th century,

the notions of what is
English or French are vague.

Ever since it was invaded
by William the Conqueror,

Duke of Normandy, England has
been ruled by Norman kings

speaking old French.

The two kingdoms
have become cousins.

The nobles of each country
hold fiefs in the other.

However, William on
becoming King of England,

did not renounce his
title of Duke of Normandy

so he remains a vassal of
the King of the Francs.

And so, the famous Richard
never called himself Lion
heart,

but Coeur de Lion.

He did not speak
English, but French.

King Richard spent a mere
two months in England,

and was also,
through his titles,

a vassal of the King of Francs.

He was buried in France,
his maternal land.

The motto of the English
monarchy, Dieu and Mon Droit,

goes back to this period,

as does the proliferation
of words of French origin

in the language of Shakespeare.

English, the language
of the people,

will not be definitely
adopted
until the 15th century,

on the battlefields
of the middle ages

as on that of Waterloo.

The allies communicated
between each other in French

to fight the French.

Powers are made and unmade.

- [Narrator] In this
particular context,

it takes a strong man to
ignite the gun powder.

In this period, there
happens to be two.

Phillip Augustus,
King of the Francs,

a skillful politician
and a fine strategist.

Richard the Lion heart, King
Knight and fearless
tactician.

Phillip has a political vision

that Richard is
rendering impossible,

to transform a collection of
disparate counties and duchies

into a true, unified kingdom,

bound together under one flag.

This resolutely modern
vision of the state,

would make it the most
powerful kingdom in Europe,

and that is not
what Richard wants.

Through his mother,
Eleanor of Aquitaine,

Richard has legitimate claims
on a part of the kingdom

that Phillip wants to create,

and he's utterly determined
to defend his lands.

1199, the Siege of Chalus.

Richard the Lion heart,
himself, commands operations.

Fired from the keep a crossbow
bolt strikes him full on.

Richard pulls out the bolt
himself, though within 10
days,

gangrene carries him off.

Our story has changed course.

The balance is upset.

The game is unlocked.

John Lackland,
Richard's brother,

succeeds him and
becomes King of England.

He is also the son of Eleanor
and can lay claim to the

same rights over the
lands of Aquitaine.

However, he has neither the
charisma nor the military
skills

of his elder brother.

Now faced with a
weakened opponent,

Phillip can finally create
the France of his ambitions.

One by one, he conquers the
lands of the King of England.

Alone, John can do
nothing to prevent him.

To defeat Phillip,
he needs Otto.

Otto the fourth, Holy
Roman Emperor does not need

to be asked twice.

When one succeeds, it is often
at the expense of another,

and Phillip has made as
many enemies as friends.

Two vast armies are raised.

The invasion will be a
combined encircling operation.

In the west, John will
land at Lauershell

to draw Phillip away.

In the northeast, Otto
will seize the occasion

for rapid march on Paris.

It's a trap.

When he learns of
John's landing,

Phillip Augustus
orders the oriflamme,

the royal standard to be
raised while he speeds

to confront John.

However, his instinct
tells him to be cautious.

John is not the sort of man
to confront him in person

and he is now far from Paris.

Too far.

The north is without defense.

He now holds the most crucial
counsel of war of his reign.

The survival of the kingdom
turns on his decision.

On the throw of a dice, he
sends his son to confront

John while he himself will
go to defend the north.

Two armies, one led by the
father, the other by the son,

hold the fate of a realm.

Neither of the two can fail.

The first act is
played out at the

Fortress of the Roche Homeone.

John besieges the fort
but resistance is so high

that the relieving army
has time to arrive.

Seized with panic, and without
even engaging in battle,

John flees.

The King of England will
have a hard time explaining

this lack of courage to his
barons, which leaves Otto.

Otto and his knights.

- [Narrator] You are
not born a knight.

You become one.

Equipped with armor
and a charger,

a knight is first and
foremost, a warrior,

but a warrior who has
adopted a code of conduct.

Once recognized
by another knight

during the dubbing ceremony,

he earns the right to
wear his coat of arm,

the sign of identification,
and to fight with a sword,

the most noble of weapons.

Unlike a soldier,
who receives a pay,

or a mercenary, who sells his
service to the highest bidder,

the knight pledges
allegiance to a suzerain

and swears to defend
his cause and his honor.

These elite warriors are the
spearhead of medieval armies.

In battle, men
sometimes forge values

that bind them together.

From the samurai, who
observed the code of bushido,

to the semper fidelis
of the American Marine,

by way of the grenadier of
the Napoleonic Old Guard,

the commitment goes
beyond the field of battle

and determines the
lives of these warriors.

Sometimes criticised and
often labeled obsolete,

this spirit has
slowly been abandoned

in favor of a colder,

more pragmatic approach to war.

- [Narrator] On July
27, 1214, the two armies

are no more than a few
miles from each other.

The coaliltion army
includes a large number

of German pike men
in heavy armor.

Otto the fourth can also
count on a heavy cavalry

made up of English
and Flemish nobles,

and also a few French traitors.

Redoubtable English archers
and toughened mercenaries

complete the numbers.

The army of the Francs
consist, for a large part,

of elite calvary, Arctic
knights from all four corners

of the realm, well-equipped
veterans of the crusades

and loyal to their king.

Numerically inferior, Phillip
has turned to the free

communes of the kingdom, who
have dispatched considerable

numbers of their own militias.

(steps plodding)

After several days of
maneuvering, Otto has engaged

in the pursuit of the
army of the Francs.

Confident in his strategy,

his objective is to catch
up with it and destroy it.

Suddenly, Phillip's
army turns about.

While they imagined they would
annihilate abandoned flight,

the Germans find themselves
faced with an army

of knights in battle order.

In the center is Phillip
Augustus, the absolute enemy.

This is the day,
this is the hour.

It is noon.

The heat of oppressive.

Somebody cries,
"Death to the French!"

and the battle commences.

In the center, the
German juggernaut,

the terrible heavy pikeman,
advance directly on the

King of the Francs.

The mission is to
demolish the French ranks

and kill the king as
quickly as possible.

The Francs struggle to
contain the German monster.

The town militias cannot
withstand the assault.

On the German's left flank
the Flemish nobles are

engaged in ferocious
hand to hand combat,

when suddenly above
the clash of arms,

the terrifying sounds of
war trumpets rings out.

The spearhead of the
French cavalry charges

fiercely into the heart
of the enemy troops.

There's a mighty shock.

The heavy cavalry
sweeps all before it.

Disorganized, the Flemish
can do nothing against

the Frankish knights who
break through the ranks

in several places, turn
around,
and attack from the rear.

The whole of the German
left flank soon collapses.

To the west, the very
opposite is about to happen.

The Francs are within
an inch of collapse,

but then, the Bishop of
Beauvais hurls his whole
weight

into the fray, hacks a path
through to the English chief,

and with a spectacular
blow of his mace,

shatters his helmet.

Seized with panic, the
English take flight.

With their wings secure, the
situation appears to swing

in favor for the Francs,

but in the center, the German
foot soldiers are nearly

within striking distance
of King Phillip.

These 3,000 redoubtable elite
soldiers have one singe order.

Kill the King whatever the cost.

(clanking)

Exhausted, decimated, the
militias finally give way.

The Germans drive deep
into the French ranks.

The King's guard charges
to slow the advance,

the situation is grave.

Phillip, at the
heart of the battle,

is rapidly surrounded by
enemies and is under attack

from all sides.

His guard, far forward,
is unaware of the danger.

Suddenly, a spear
hurdles through the air

and strikes Phillip full on.

The King's armor deflects
the blow and saves his life,

but he's unable to
pull out the spear.

The German soldiers heave
with all their might.

Off balance, isolated, the
king of the Francs is thrown

to the ground.

The Germans rush forward.

Their daggers at the ready.

They must kill the King.

Dazed, Phillip tries to get
to his feet to defend
himself.

His knights form a bulk
work with their bodies

and wage a desperate battle.

The Germans are everywhere
and they outnumber them.

Desperately, they wave the
oriflamme to call for help.

The King is about to die.

The Royal Guard is hacking
a path through to him,

but is still far away.

Laying down their lives, the
last of the Frankish knights

are true to their oaths,

but the Germans
are too numerous.

(thuds)

Maces smash through shields,
swords pierce armor.

Arriving just in time,
the Royal Guard, in fury,

slaughters the Germans
and places the King

back in his saddle.

Phillip Augustus is saved.

He should take shelter, flee
far from the battle, now.

But a King is a knight.

His honor commands him to
remain and face the foe.

The army reforms.

Swords unsheathed,
shields raised.

The Frankish knights,
thirsty for revenge,

charge the Emperor Otto.

Opposite them, they can
only prepare and wait.

The German ranks fly apart.

The knights charge upon Otto.

Surrounded by a pack
of furious hounds,

he is now the one in danger.

To save his life, he flees.

The enraged Francs pursue him.

Now it's the turn of the
German knights to intervene.

They narrowly manage to throw
the Francs to the ground.

Contrary to Phillip Augustus,
Otto desserts the battle field

in order to save his own life.

1199, Richard dies at
the Siege of Chalus,

whereas Phillip
Augustus survives

the Battle of Bouvines in 1214.

- [Narrator] We have just
reached a turning point.

A turning point is a key
event,
a cross roads in our history

where the world swings
one way or the other.

Phillip Augustus has just
come within inches of death.

If Otto soldiers had
succeeded in killing the King,

their emperor would not
only have won a battle,

he would also have
broken a kingdom.

If King Phillip had died
at Bouvines, France,

carved up into tiny duchies,
would probably have been

absorbed by a French
speaking England.

For France, this was
a unique opportunity

to become a true kingdom.

The right leader,
the right moment,

surrounded by good people.

A very brief window opened.

Phillip Augustus
was able to see it,

seize it, and defend it.

With the King killed
at Bouvines, the
duchies and counties

would have remained independent.

France would never have
come into existence.

On a battle field, the chief
is the one who coordinates

the efforts of all.

He is the focal
point, the keystone.

A King, head of the army,
but also of the country,

cannot die or flee the fight
without leaving his men

to their own resources
and demoralized.

But during this period,
a King is also a knight.

If he wants to be
chief, he must fight

and be the first to do so.

When he decides to go to
war, he knows he may die,

as may his sons.

That is the difference.

Let's now fast forward
to the Napoleonic Wars.

The Empire's marshals still
fight at the head of their
men.

Like Lam killed by a cannonball,

or Udanal with his 34 wounds,

however Napoleon
stays in the rear.

Forward even further
to Verdun in 1916,

700,000 dead, 80% from
artillery shelling,

the generals are no
longer at the front.

The second world
war, Stalingrad.

Stalin gives the order,
not one step back,

one million dead.

The Soviet leader, himself,
is hundreds of miles

from the city.

Truman is even further away
when he gives the order

to drop two atomic
bombs on civilians.

In our own times, an American,
comfortably seated in Texas,

uses a joystick and a
real time video link

to pilot a predator drone
to strike down a target

anywhere in the world.

- [Narrator] A chief
who flees a battlefield

is never a good sign.

Demoralized, the German
troops abandon the fight,

one after another.

Phillips Augustus's
victory is total.

The two allied
armies are defeated.

In the heart of the battle,
the King proved his valor.

At the pinnacle of his glory,
and freed of his enemies,

he has the means to impose
his vision on his vassals.

France will become
progressively more important

to the hearts of it's people
than their own duchies

and counties.

In the fields of Bouvines,
the King of the Francs

becomes a King of France.

Other kingdoms will
take the same road.

The power of the barons
will gradually decline

in favor of the central power.

(dramatic music)

However, a terrible evil
lurks in the shadows of this

dazzling victory.

A time bomb.

In becoming of England,
Eleanor of Aquitaine

granted her son John
and all his descendants

legitimate claims to the
lands conquered by Phillip.

Ironically, now
through another France,

the English will rally
around a unifying principle.

They are English and gradually

they will turn to
speaking English.

The rivalry between the two
countries will not end there,

which all leads to the
terrible Hundred Years War,

but that is another story.

- [Narrator] Who are we?

Are you English because
you speak English?

Richard the Lion heart, King
of England, spoke French.

Are you German because
you were born in Germany?

Hitler, the German chancellor,
was born in Austria.

What is a nation?

Until the Middle Ages, the
concept has no meaning.

England, for instance,
does not exist.

It is simply a territory in
which the English people live.

They talk of the
kingdom of the English

and not of the
Kingdom of England.

What is a French person?

In the beginning, a Celt.

Romanized, he becomes
a Gallo Roman,

and starts speaking Latin.

Then come the Francs,
but also the Burgundians,

the Visigoths, and
other Germanic peoples

who settle on the territory
of present day France,

bringing their blood
and their culture.

France and a new language
are born out of this mix.

The French person today is
the foreigner of yesterday.

The idea of France as a
nation was born in a stew

of different cultures
and languages,

on a soil claimed
by other kings.

The idea germinated slowly
and crept into the hearts

of those who would defend
it till death in 1914

with the cry, "For my Country".

Never before Bouvines would
a Burgundian ever have

imagined being anything
other than a Burgundian.

So what of Europe?

In the beginning, just an idea.

Nothing more than an
idea born of the vision

of a handful of men,

but it is ideas
that lead the world.

(dramatic music)