Barbarians Rising |WORK|

Now free from their biggest enemy, the Roman war machine looks outwards again to conquer new lands and fuel its empire. This outward expansions means the barbarians have to change tactics to curb the Roman threat.

Barbarians Rising

• The series focuses on the struggles between the Roman Empire as it rose and fell and the various indigenous tribal and nomadic peoples on its periphery, the so-called "barbarians", cutting between expert interviews and reenactments of the historical events by a strong cast of TV actors. Primarily told from the barbarians' point of view with Rome serving as The Empire, it follows a succession of leaders across four episodes: "Resistance": General Hannibal Barca (Nicholas Pinnock) leads the army of the Roman Republic's regional rival the Carthaginian Empire in alliance with many Iberian tribes during the Second Punic War, but fails to strangle Rome in the crib despite brilliant victories in mainland Italy. After Carthage falls, a shepherd named Viriathus (Jefferson Hall) rises from the besieged tribes of Lusitania and becomes a Rebel Leader.

• "Rebellion": The gladiator Spartacus (Ben Batt) begins a slave revolt against Rome, but fails. Later, as Caesar Augustus rapidly expands the new Roman Empire, the Roman-trained Cherusci chief Arminius (Tom Hopper) leads all of Germany in a massive uprising.

• "Revenge": Arminius's revolt leads to Rome's first lasting defeat by a non-Roman people and halts its advance to the northeast. Boudica (Kirsty Mitchell) tries to throw Nero back into the sea to avenge herself and her daughters. And Fritigern (Steven Waddington), leader of the Goths, seeks shelter from the Huns in the Eastern Empire, but is betrayed by Rome and goes on the attack.

• "Ruin": Fritigern's successor Alaric (Gavin Drea) serves Rome as a mercenary but is soured on their treatment of the barbarians. When he is crowned King of the Visigoths, he vows he will not rest until Rome abides by its treaty obligation and provides his people with a homeland. Part two of the episode is noticeably Perspective Flipped, with the collapsing Western Roman Empire now the defending heroes against the marauding hordes of Attila the Hun (Emil Hostina) and the political maneuverings of Geiseric, King of the Vandals (Richard Brake).

"BARBARIANS RISING"ROME DIDN'T FALL IN A DAY.Alaric (Gavin Drea) the king of the Goths; Photo by Courtesy October FilmsBoudica (Kirsty Mitchell) the avenging Celtic warrior Queen; Photo by Courtesy October FilmsAttila (Emil Hostina) scourge of the east; Photo by Courtesy October Films "Barbarians Rising" tells the story of the rise and fall of the Roman Empire from the perspective of the barbarian rebel leaders. It is a visceral journey into the heart of a wave of rebellions against absolute power. The Roman Empire called them "barbarians" - tribes the Romans viewed beyond the fringe of civilization that lived a brutish and violent existence. However, these were also men and women who launched epic struggles that shaped the world to come. The eight-part docu-drama reveals the true story of the 700-year battle to bring down one of strongest empires the world has ever known, "Barbarians Rising" is a global co-production for HISTORY in the U.S. and Internationally. This limited event series premieres on Monday, June 6 at 9/8c and will air over four consecutive weeks through Monday, June 27."Barbarians Rising" features the true stories of nine of history's greatest warriors, the cast includes Nicholas Pinnock (Captain America: The First Avenger; Fortitude) as Hannibal, who vowed a blood oath at the age of nine to destroy Rome; Ben Batt (The Edge of Love; "Shameless (UK)") as Spartacus, the slave-turned-rebel who led a barbarian revolt; Kirsty Mitchell ("The Royal Today;" "River City") as Boudica, the avenging Celtic warrior Queen; Tom Hopper ("Black Sails;" "Merlin") as Arminius, the son of Germany surrendered to Rome; Emil Hostina (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts I and II) as Attila, scourge of the east; Gavin Drea (What Richard Did; "Love/Hate") as Alaric, the king of the Goths; Steven Waddington (The Imitation Game) as Fritigern, the warrior who took down an Emperor; Richard Brake (Batman Begins; "Game of Thrones") as Geiseric, the last barbarian standing; and Jefferson Hall ("Vikings;" "Game of Thrones") as Viriathus, the shepherd-turned-rebel leader.To reveal the fact-based history behind the legends, HISTORY and October Films amassed an eclectic group of experts and contributors that includes General Wesley Clark, U.S. Army (Ret.) and Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander; Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, one of the first female combat veterans' in the U.S. Congress; Rev. Jesse Jackson, Civil Rights Leader; Dr. Clarence B. Jones, speechwriter and advisor to Martin Luther King Jr.; CSM Eric L. Haney, U.S. Army (Ret.); Dr. Darius Arya, American Institute for Roman Culture (U.S.); Professor Barry Strauss, Cornell University (U.S.); Dr. Virginia Campbell, University of Oxford(U.S.); Dr. Dan-El Padilla Peralta, Princeton University (U.S.); Dr. Steve Kershaw, University of Oxford (U.K.); Colonel Kevin W. Farrell, military historian(U.S.); Professor Noel Lenski, Yale University (U.S.); Professor Peter Heather, King's College London (U.K.); Vanessa Collingridge, author (U.K.); Valerio Massimo Manfredi, archaeologist and writer (Italy); and Professor Walter Pohl, University of Vienna (Austria). 041b061a72