For the last decade or so, the TV landscape was crowded with all sorts of stories about the Middle Ages. Tales of medieval kings and knights fascinated millions of viewers, and shows like Game of Thrones and Vikings became the global phenomena.
It comes as no surprise that we, as viewers, are often intrigued by such stories, whether they are fantasy, historical fiction, or accurate depictions of real events. After all, this tumultuous, dark and quite violent period of human history makes for an enthralling setting. Here’s a list of the best TV series about the medieval times.
Medici: The Magnificent
- Rating IMDB – 7.9
- Genre: Biography, history, drama, melodrama, thriller
- Production Italy, Great Britain / 2018
- Directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, John Cassar, Jean Michelini
- Cast: Daniel Sharman, Bradley James, Sean Bean, Raoul Bova, Anabel Scholey, Guido Caprino, Matteo Martari, Richard Madden, Stuart Martin, Alessandro Sperduti
The second season of the series follows one of Europe’s most powerful families that was controlling the most powerful people of the time with its money and connections, Cosimo’s son Piero runs the family business, but he is soon forced to step down from management.
His son Lorenzo becomes the head of the clan. The clever lad quickly takes the reins and increases his territory of influence. But influential people, led by the Pazzi family, unite against them.
Lorenzo, Pierre’s son, was named after his grandfather Cosimo’s brother, who died at the hands of a mercenary.
Vikings
- Rating IMDB – 8.6
- Genre: History, drama, action, melodrama, adventure, military
- Production Ireland, Canada / 2013
- Directed by Ciarán Donnelly, Ken Girotti, Stephen St. Ledger
- Cast: Katheryn Winnick, Gustaf Skarsgård, Alexander Ludwig, Georgia Hearst, Alex Heg Andersen, Jordan Patrick Smith, Marco Ilsø, Peter Franzen, Travis Fimmel, Clive Standen
Epic battles, bloody brawls, charismatic characters and the exciting plot – these are the reasons why millions of people fall in love with this series. The story begins with a personal tragedy of the protagonist and gradually unfolds into a war between the kingdoms. The supernatural beings like gods, seers, ghosts and spirits give the show a unique atmosphere, which made it so memorable.
Many of the real-life facts in this series are distorted including customs, everyday life and clothing. Even characters who actually lived in different eras meet each other in some episodes.
The Last Kingdom
- Rating IMDB – 8.5
- Genre: Action, drama, history
- Production UK / 2015
- Directed by John East, Edward Bazalgette, Peter Hoare
- Cast: Eliza Butterworth, Alexander Draymon, Arnas Fedaravichus, Millie Brady, Emily Cox, Mark Rowley, Ian Hart, James Northcote, Ewan Mitchell, David Dawson
This series is focused on the pivotal point of the history of England, when it was just rising from its knees, repulsing the Viking attacks. To withstand the endless invasions, all the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms will have to unite and fight back.
The series is based on a series of novels by the English writer Bernard Cornwell, comprising of 11 books.
The Tudors
- Rating IMDB – 8.1
- Genre: Drama, melodrama, military
- Production Ireland, Canada, USA, UK / 2007
- Directed by Ciarán Donnelly, Jeremy Podeswa, Dirbla Walsh
- Cast: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Henry Cavill, James Frain, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Natalie Dormer, Sam Neill, Jeremy Northam, Anton Brofs, Sarah Bolger, Guy Carlton
Being a king is not only about taking care of the people and conquering other nations’ territories. It is very important to be able to hold on to the throne and to think out of the box finding extraordinary solutions even in the most desperate situations.
The story is set in 16th century France, during the reign of Henry VIII. The young king longs to be among the greatest men of Europe, but to do this he must stop the turmoil that is happening in the country. However, his main problem is the lack of an heir, because his wife gave him a daughter and his illegitimate son died in infancy. Henry must find a way to resolve the issue of the succession as soon as possible, while his entourage tries to overthrow him.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers, who portrayed Henry VIII, refused to put on weight to look more like the aging king.
The Hollow Crown
- Rating IMDB – 8.3
- Genre: Drama, military, history
- Production UK / 2012
- Directed by Dominic Cook, Richard Eyre, Rupert Gould
- Cast: Ben Whishaw, Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sophie Okonedo, Tom Sturridge, Julie Walters, Stanley Townsend, Judi Dench, Michael Gambon
Intrigue, murder and treachery are the main weapons of those who want to ascend the throne. This series focuses on the lives and reigns of three British kings.
Richard II is a vain king who does not care at all about the welfare of his people. He is eventually overthrown by his own cousin, Bolingbroke, who ascends the throne and begins to rule as Henry IV.
But he also failed to lead his nation to prosperity as he was preoccupied with remorse for Richard’s death, fears for his son, and civil war. He dies of illness and leaves the throne to his son, Prince Hal. Now the young king will have to deal with all the problems while trying to strengthen his kingdom.
The series was based on William Shakespeare’s works about the British kings Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V.
The Pillars of the Earth
- Rating IMDB – 8.0
- Genre: Drama, history, thriller, melodrama, military
- Production Germany, Canada, Great Britain, Hungary / 2010
- Budget: $40,000,000
- Directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan
- Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Hayley Atwell, Ian McShane, Donald Sutherland, Rufus Sewell, Matthew Macfadyen, Sam Claflin, David Oakes, Sarah Parish, Natalia Werner
This is a 2010 miniseries based on the novel of the same name by Ken Follett. The story is set in 12th century England. King Henry I is on the throne. He reigns gloriously over his kingdom until he receives the news of the death of his only heir. Now the monarch will have no one to pass his throne to, since he has only a young daughter left.
Henry’s enemies do not waste their time and decide to take advantage of the situation by poisoning the king. His nephew Stephen of Blois takes the throne. Henry’s relatives and the circle of aristocrats who swore an oath to the former king begin to prepare a rebellion.
The architectural design of the cathedral shown throughout the series was heavily inspired by Salisbury Cathedral.
Marco Polo
- Rating IMDB – 8.0
- Genre: Action, drama, adventure, history
- US production / 2014
- Directed by Daniel Minahan, David Petrarch, Alik Sakharov
- Cast: Lorenzo Riquelmi, Benedict Wong, Joan Chen, Remy Hai, Zhu Zhu, Mahesh Jadu, Uli Latukefu, Olivia Cheng, Tom Wu, Claudia Kim
Marco Polo was the greatest traveler of the 13th century. His books about the people of Asia helped many great men make new discoveries. This series following the adventures of young Marco who got introduced to the exotic world of Asia.
As a boy, Marco traveled with his father to China. There, he is given into the service of the ruler Kublai Khan in exchange for permission to trade on the Great Silk Road. Young Marco Polo, serving at the monarch court, not only learns the local traditions, customs and language, but also becomes close to Kublai Khan himself. Because of this, he becomes involved in China’s political strife.
The image, character and dialogues of this version of Kublai Khan were specifically tailored for Benedict Wong who portrayed the emperor.
Galavant
- Rating IMDB – 8.1
- Genre: Musical, fantasy, comedy, adventure
- US production / 2015
- Director John Fortenberry, Chris Koch, Declan Lowney
- Cast: Joshua Sass, Timothy Omundson, Vinnie Jones, Mallory Jansen, Karen David, Luke Janblad, Ben Presley, Darren Evans, Stanley Townsend
This is a series about the medieval times with strong vibes of a Disney animated movie. Sir Galavant, a famous knight and illustrious hero in his lands, is about to marry Madalena, the love of his life.
But the evil King Richard kidnaps her and plans to make Madalena his queen. The knight Galavant teams up with a princess from another country to confront the tyrant monarch together and get his beloved back. Will they be able to succeed in their dangerous quest?
The series is a unique blend of genres. It was designed as a hybrid of a Broadway musical and an American sitcom.
Reign
- Rating IMDB – 7.6
- Genre: Fantasy, drama
- US production / 2013
- Directed by Fred Gerber, Holly Dale, Norma Bailey
- Cast: Adelaide Kane, Toby Regbo, Torrance Coombs, Megan Follows, Alan Van Sprang, Selina Sinden, Caitlin Stacey, Anna Popplewell, Genessa Grant, Craig Parker
The series is set in 16th century Scotland. The young princess Mary is brought up in a monastery in secrecy to keep her safe from haters. There she grows up, studying under the protection of good nuns. But the time comes for her to return to the castle and marry Crown Prince Francis, the future King of France.
At that time, marriages between rulers were only a formality that helped strengthen ties between states. Catherine de Medici, Francis’ mother, is against this marriage because of Nostradamus’ prediction that her son would meet his death right after getting a wife. She does everything to prevent the wedding from taking place.
The pilot episode of this TV show marks the only time the drama filmed entirely in Europe was broadcasted on American television.
The Borgias
- Rating IMDB – 7.9
- Genre: Drama, melodrama, crime, history
- Production USA, Hungary, Ireland, Canada / 2011
- Director Neil Jordan, Kari Skogland, John Maybury
- Cast: Jeremy Irons, François Arnaud, Holliday Grainger, Peter Sullivan, Sean Harris, Joanne Whalley, Lotta Verbeck, Colm Feore, Vernon Dobcheff, David Oakes
This is the most historical accurate TV series about the medieval times. One of Europe’s most powerful clans, the Borgias originated in the 16th century as a royal family. Back then, the wealthy Spanish family had many enemies. But after the death of the Pope, by bribery and agreements Rodrigo Borgia becomes the ruler of the “eternal city”.
From this moment on, he is known as Pope Alexander VI. His main adversary, Giuliano della Rovere, sets out on a journey throughout Europe, in search of allies against the Borgias. He persuades the French king to help him. Now Alexander VI must confront the French army and retain his throne.
During its premiere day, the pilot of the series set the new viewing record on the Canadian TV channel Bravo.
Merlin
- Rating IMDB – 8.0
- Genre: Fantasy, drama, adventure
- Production UK / 2008
- Directed by Jeremy Webb, Alice Troughton, Dave Moore
- Cast: John Hurt, Colin Morgan, Bradley James, Richard Wilson, Angel Colby, Cathy McGrath, Anthony Head, Rupert Young, Owen Macken, Santiago Cabrera
Everybody knows the most legendary wizard in the history of European mythology. This series tells the story of Merlin’s emergence as a major character in the life of King Arthur. The young wizard leaves his home and travels to Camelot at the behest of his mother, and comes to train at the palace.
Upon entering the city, he learns that all magic is forbidden by order of King Uther Pendragon. Finding an old dragon in the palace dungeon, Merlin learns the whole truth about Arthur and finds him. The story follows these characters for a couple of decades and shows them facing the witch Morgana and other adversaries.
Colin Morgan, who played Merlin, avoided getting tanned and often stood in the shade or indoors during non-filming time to keep Merlin’s signature paleness.
Robin Hood
- Rating IMDB – 7.4
- Genre: Action, drama, melodrama, comedy, adventure
- Production UK / 2006
- Budget: £8,000,000
- Director Matthew Evans, Graham Harper, Declan O’Dwire
- Cast: Jonas Armstrong, Gordon Kennedy, Sam Troughton, Joe Armstrong, Richard Armitage, Keith Allen, Lucy Griffiths, Harry Lloyd, Anjali Jai, Michael Alvin
A young knight, the Earl of Huntingdon, returns home after the Third Crusade. Things have changed in his hometown. A stranger has become sheriff, some of the neighboring lands belong to a certain Earl of Loxley, and even his girlfriend is not happy to see him.
The authorities bully and rob the people. The main character decides to rebel against it, but he is forced to flee and hide in the woods, where he gathers a band of rebels to help him fight injustice.
In 2006, some footage was stolen from the studio, so filming period had to be extended.
The Plague
- Rating IMDB – 7.3
- Genre: Action, thriller, drama, crime, detective
- Production Spain / 2018
- Directed by Alberto Rodriguez, David Ulloa, Paco R. Baños
- Cast: Pablo Molinero, Patricia Lopez, Sergio Castellanos, Cecilia Gomez, Manuel Moron, Jesús Carrosa, Estefania De Los Santos, Tomas del Estal, Paco Leon, Manolo Solo
In the 16th century, an outbreak of bubonic plague swept through Europe. In the small Italian city of Seville, which has a large population, the disease is killing crowds of citizens. But despite everyone’s misfortune, someone manages to murder several of high-ranking officials in the city. A soldier condemned to death is offered to solve these crimes in exchange for a pardon.
Many viewers called The Plague the darkest, but nevertheless the most enthralling and authentic TV series about the medieval times.
The White Queen
- Rating IMDB – 7.8
- Genre: Drama, melodrama, military, history
- Production UK, France / 2013
- Budget: £25,000,000
- Directed by Colin Teague, James Kent, Jamie Payne
- Cast: Aneurin Barnard, Rebecca Ferguson, Amanda Hale, Faye Marsay, Max Irons, Ben Lamb, Tom McKay, Juliette Aubrey, David Oakes, Eleanor Tomlinson
The series is set in the early years of the Thirty Years’ War. The House of York and House of Lancaster, which took the names of the White and Red Roses accordingly, confront each other in the fight for the throne.
The main character, Elizabeth Woodville, loses her husband on the battlefield. She decides to seduce the new King of York with her beauty and gain power by becoming his queen. But she is far from being the only cunning woman in the royal court willing to do anything to achieve her goals.
The TV show is based on Philippa Gregory’s novels including The White Queen, The Red Queen, and The Kingmaker’s Daughter.
The Spanish Princess
- Rating IMDB – 6.9
- Genre: Drama, melodrama, history
- Production UK / 2019
- Directed by Lisa Clark, Chania Button, Daina Reid
- Cast: Laura Carmichael, Aaron Cobham, Charlotte Hope, Stephanie Levy-John, Rory O’Connor, Philip Kambas, Richard William Pepper, Jordan Renzo, Ollie Ricks, Georgie Henley
Catherine of Aragon, a princess of Spain, has been living in a sunny and peaceful land since her childhood years. She is accustomed to luxurious and carefree life, but she has to come to rainy England to become the wife of Prince Arthur. Her entire court and faithful maid Lina are already celebrating the Spanish princess becoming queen of England.
Unfortunately, the prince dies. Catherine is already beginning to think that the throne is lost to her forever. She decides to make a desperate attempt and declare her candidacy for the wife of the future King Henry VIII. She does not succeed so easily, because she is opposed by Margaret Beaufort.
At the moment of filming, the actors were much older than their real-life counterparts. For example, during the events shown in this series, Catherine was fourteen years old and her husband was only fifteen.
Cathedral of the Sea
- Rating IMDB – 7.5
- Genre: Drama, history
- Production Spain / 2018
- Directed by Jordi Frades, Salvador Garcia Ruiz
- Cast: Jordi Aguilar, Aitor Luna, Pablo Derki, Gines García Milán, Silvia Abascal, Tristan Ulloa, Andrea Duro, Crispulo Cabezas, José Maria Pou, Michelle Henner
The story revolves around an ordinary Spanish man, born into a peasant family. From his childhood he had a hard time: his mother was forced to leave the family, and his father took him and ran away from their master. Here begins the wanderings of the protagonist with his father, and later, without him.
The series is based on the novel of the same name by Ildefonso Falcones.
This is one of the largest Spanish TV projects. The production involved over 2500 people, 220 animals and over 2500 sewn costumes. Almost all the scenes were shot outdoors. Despite all of this, it took the production crew less than a year to complete filming.
The Name of the Rose
- Rating IMDB – 6.9
- Genre: Thriller, drama, detective
- Production Italy, Germany / 2018
- Directed by Giacomo Battiato
- Cast: John Turturro, Rupert Everett, Damian Hardung, Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Greta Scarano, Richard Sammel, Stefano Fresi, Roberto Herlicka, Fausto Maria Schiarappa, Maurizio Lombardi
This TV show is an adaptation of Umberto Eco’s novel of the same name. The series tells the story of two men, the Franciscan monk William of Baskerville and the Benedictine novice Adson, who come to Italy in 1327 to attend a meeting about the poverty of their order. But despite their plans, they become part of brutal murders and mysterious deaths.
Being broadcasted in 132 countries around the world, this is the second most popular Italian television project.
Knightfall
- Rating IMDB – 6.8
- Genre: Action, drama, adventure, history
- US production / 2017
- Directed by Douglas McKinnon, David Petrarch, Metin Hussein
- Cast: Tom Cullen, Padraic Delaney, Simon Merrells, Julian Ovenden, Ed Stoppard, Nasser Memarzia, Jim High, Jim Carter, Olivia Ross, Sabrina Bartlett
This is a historical TV series about the legendary Templar knights and the decline of their organization. It follows the leader of the knightly order named Landry de Lauzon. The story is set during the 1291 Siege of Acre. Crusaders attempt to seize the Holy Land, but suffer a crushing defeat. Landry de Lauzon, along with his brave knights, returns home depressed.
But after 15 years, with the death of a high-ranking count, it became obvious that the Holy Grail is not lost. The Order sets out with renewed vigor to find it, but this time they will be opposed by the Pope and the French King.
Preparing for the role, the lead actor, Tom Cullen, had to take a special swordsmanship training course.
The White Princess
- Rating IMDB – 7.6
- Genre: Drama, melodrama, military, history
- Production UK, USA / 2017
- Directed by Jamie Payne, Alex Kalymnios
- Cast: Jodie Comer, Rebecca Benson, Jacob Collins-Levi, Richard Dillane, Michelle Fairley, Kenneth Cranham, Nicholas Audsley, Essie Davis, Caroline Goodall, Adrian Rawlins
This is another series based on the novel by Philippa Gregory and a sequel of the TV show The White Queen. The story centers on the same Houses York and Lancaster that finally manage to end the war with the marriage of Princess Elizabeth of York and King Henry VII (heir of House Lancaster).
But there is some trouble lurking in the new family. The young and not very confident groom is suspicious of everyone around him. And the overbearing mother-in-law, Margaret Beaufort, openly hates her daughter-in-law and her entire household.
Initially, The White Queen was just going to be renewed for a second season, but because of the cold reception from critics and audience, the creators decided to release a separate TV series that continues its story.
World Without End
- Rating IMDB – 6.9
- Genre: Thriller, drama, melodrama, history
- Production Canada, Germany, UK / 2012
- Directed by Michael Caton-Jones
- Cast: Ben Chaplin, Charlotte Riley, Nora von Waldstetten, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Rupert Evans, Tom Weston-Jones, Cynthia Nixon, Tom Cullen, Blake Ritson, Neil Bell
This is a 2012 TV show based on the novel of the same name by Ken Follett. During the Middle Ages, Europe was simply drowning in wars. Not a single year went by that some countries did not engage in armed conflict. One of such conflicts lasted for 100 years and took many lives. World Without End shows in great detail all the reasons that led to this terrible war.
The book, which this series is based on, is a sequel to Pillars of the Earth. It is set in a fictional city with completely made-up characters, but it depicts the real events such as the Hundred Years’ War and the Black Death pandemic.
Legend of the Seeker
- Rating IMDB – 7.7
- Genre: Fantasy, action, drama, adventure
- US production, New Zealand / 2008
- Directed by Mark Beasley, Garth Maxwell, Michael Hurst
- Cast: Craig Horner, Bridget Regan, Bruce Spence, Craig Parker, Tabrett Bethell, Kevin J. Wilson, Daniel Cormack, Elizabeth Blackmore, Ben Frensham, Jay Lagaaia
This is a series based on Terry Goodkind’s fantasy novel The Sword of Truth. The eternal warrior Richard Cypher travels to the Midlands to overthrow the cruel tyrant king and free the people from his oppressive rule.
He is aided by his friends, the nun Kahlan Amnell and the novice wizard Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander. Along the way, they encounter many dangers, find new friends, and embark on unforgettable adventures.
Although the original idea was to make a TV series based on the plot of the book, the last parts of the story were changed dramatically. The reason for this was the inability to adapt all the feelings and sensations evoked by magic for the TV format.
The Virgin Queen
- Rating IMDB – 7.5
- Genre: Drama, history
- Production UK / 2005
- Budget: £6,000,000
- Directed by Koki Gidroitsch
- Cast: Anne-Mary Duff, Sienna Guillory, Ian Hart, Tom Hardy, Dexter Fletcher, Richard Sims, Tara Fitzgerald, Ulrich Thomsen, Jason Watkins, Ben Daniels
This is a British miniseries consisting of 4 episodes. It tells the story of the British Queen Elizabeth I showing her not exactly as a ruler, but as a fragile and loving woman. After the death of her sister, Queen Mary, Elizabeth Tudor takes the throne of England. But the entire palace entourage expects her only to have a boy heir.
To this end, many princes and kings of European countries are sent to her with marriage proposals. But the newly minted queen does not pay attention to their advances, because deep down, she is in love with her childhood friend, Robert Dudley.
The series was supposed to release on BBC a year earlier. Because of the premiere of another series of the same name, it was decided to postpone the premiere of The Virgin Queen.
Charles the Great
- Rating IMDB – 7.2
- Genre: Biography, history
- Production Germany / 2013
- Directed by Gabriel Wengler
- Cast: Alexander Wüst, Peter Matic, Regina Fritsch, Thomas Morris, Martin Bermoser, Erich Altenkopf, Rainer Frieb
The series recounts the dramatic, cruel, and obscene lies of the greatest medieval emperor. The young Charles takes the Frankish throne in the middle of the 8th century. Despite having strong and dangerous enemies, he gradually unites the peoples of western Europe and rebuilds civilization on the ruins of the Roman Empire.
The good father of Europe or an egocentric ruler – who was Charles the Great really? This documentary drama brings to life the ruler who created an empire tracing all the way to the present day.
The three-part series approaches the personality of Charles the Great with fictional scenes, a scholarly search for clues in historical locations in Germany, France and Italy, and assessments by the world’s leading experts on the Middle Ages.
Camelot
- Rating IMDB – 6.5
- Genre: Fantasy, drama, history
- Production Ireland, USA, UK, Canada / 2011
- Directed by Mikael Salomon, Stefan Schwartz, Ciarán Donnelly
- Cast: Joseph Fiennes, Jamie Campbell Bower, Tamsin Egerton, Peter Mooney, Philip Winchester, Eva Green, Diarmed Murtha, Clive Standen, Claire Forlani, Yamal Downey
This is an Irish adaptation of an unpopular version of the King Arthur legend. After the inexplicable death of Uther Pendragon, the King of England, Merlin has a vision that the kingdom faces a grim future if Uther’s stepdaughter, the wicked witch Morgana, takes the throne. So, he trains the king’s son, Arthur, to become a skilled warrior and helps him defeat his sister.
The series was not renewed for a second season. It was due to the immense popularity of recently premiered Game of Thrones which received much higher ratings and viewership than Camelot.
