The threshold of power
Apprenticeship, 1527-1543
A Renaissance prince, 1543-1551
The changing face of empire, 1551-1558
The king and his world
The king at work
The king and God
The king at play
The first decade of the reign
Getting a grip, 1558-1561
'I would rather lose a hundred thousand lives if I had them': keeping the faith, 1562-1567
Family life
and death
The enigma of Don Carlos
The king victorious
Years of crusade, 1568-1572
Years of adversity, 1573-1576
The crisis of the reign, 1576-1577
Murder most foul?
Years of triumph, 1578-1585
'The most potent monarch in Christendom'
The king vanquished
The 'Enterprise of England', 1585-1588
Philip at bay, 1589-1592
Towards the tomb
and beyond, 1593-1603.