Top 10 Historically Inaccurate TV Shows

WatchMojo

These shows are history! Wait, no... Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the television shows that took the most liberties with their history.

Transcript

00:00 "This car only seats four.

00:01 You'll need more men than that if you're to come back alive."

00:04 "It's just me and the girl."

00:06 Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the television shows that

00:10 took the most liberties with their history.

00:13 "Shield wall!"

00:16 10.

00:18 Reign

00:20 Reign depicts the life of Mary, Queen of Scots, in her time in the French court.

00:23 Showrunner Laurie McCarthy admitted to taking many liberties with history.

00:27 Here are a few. Historically, Mary moved from Scotland to France when she was only five

00:31 rather than nine.

00:32 "I hoped I would get to go back to Scotland one last time."

00:35 "Your friends from Scotland will be there. Girls, you've known your whole life."

00:39 Also, the English were not trying to kill her, though they perhaps weren't her biggest

00:42 fans.

00:43 The plotline, in which Catherine de' Medici enlists a man to drug and assault Mary in

00:46 order to take her virginity, thus dethroning her, is nonsensical.

00:50 "My condolences on..."

00:54 Trying to find someone to risk a brutal, torturous death is one thing, but had Mary lost her

00:57 virginity, it would have been scandalous yet held no legal implication in her marriage.

01:02 "You're squeezing your cousin Elizabeth's throat, and to what end?"

01:05 "To give the people hope."

01:07 9. The Borgias

01:09 The Borgias is based on the rise of the titular family to the papacy in the late 15th, early

01:13 16th centuries.

01:15 Co-creator Neil Jordan knew of the inaccuracies.

01:17 It is the bare-bones narrative embellished with literal and figurative swordplay, wink-wink,

01:22 and sexy or mean characters.

01:24 "You are both so dear to my heart."

01:27 The series is riddled with incorrectness and should definitely not be used as a factual

01:31 source.

01:32 We'll just name a few.

01:33 Niccolo Machiavelli was acquainted with Cesare Borgia, yet did not work for him.

01:38 Juan Borgia did not lead an army against the French and had been deceased for years before

01:42 the siege of Forlì shown in the series.

01:44 "We're Borgias.

01:45 We never forgive."

01:46 There is also no actual evidence that brother and sister Cesare and Lucrezia had any intimate

01:57 relationship.

01:58 "Can I come to your wedding?"

01:59 "I'll never have a wedding, you know that."

02:04 8. Wolf Hall

02:05 Wolf Hall is based on a series of books referred to as fictionalized biography.

02:09 The problem with this style is the confusion of history and fact for some readers or viewers,

02:13 which was quickly pointed out by historians upon the series' release.

02:16 "Will they be the same, my lord?"

02:19 "God damn it.

02:21 Cromwell, why are you such a person?"

02:27 It follows Thomas Cromwell, a lawyer who served as chief minister in King Henry VIII's court.

02:32 Prominent Tudor historian John Guy had a lot to say about the depictions of historical

02:36 figures in the books and series.

02:38 For example, there's no evidence that Anne Boleyn was a devilish woman, nor that Thomas

02:41 Moore was any sort of torturous hater of women.

02:43 "As I have already told you, I have no recollection of meeting you then."

02:47 Cromwell, the series' protagonist, was no sympathetic, sensitive soul in reality.

02:51 He was what one historian called "detestably self-serving."

02:54 7. Victoria

02:56 Victoria starts with the early years of Queen Victoria's reign from 18 years old and concludes

03:00 with the monarch in her early 30s.

03:02 As previously seen in this list, a 100% accuracy was sacrificed for the sake of entertainment.

03:08 One example would be the romantic tension between Victoria and Prime Minister Lord Melbourne.

03:12 "I believe when you give your heart, it will be without hesitation.

03:16 But you cannot give it to me."

03:20 Historians say it is highly unlikely this queen would have been enamored with the politician,

03:24 as her personal diaries do not reflect this in the least.

03:27 He was also far less young and handsome, being 40 years older than Victoria and unhealthily

03:31 obese.

03:32 "Sir William, why the long face?"

03:33 "Oh, I'm tired of governing."

03:35 Among other things, the series oddly changes the initial dynamic between Victoria and Albert.

03:40 It was love at first sight and in no way contentious, as the series depicts.

03:44 "So I find nothing to laugh at.

03:47 Only to admire."

03:49 6. Marco Polo

03:50 It's difficult to argue any facts about Marco Polo himself, as the accounts of his

03:54 travels have long been subject to scrutiny.

03:57 In fact, the book The Travels of Marco Polo was possibly written by Rustichello de Pisa,

04:01 known for his romance stories, and manuscripts have been scarce and pieced together through

04:05 the centuries.

04:06 "I cannot protect you if you don't talk to me."

04:09 However, the series Marco Polo gained plenty of historian unrest in its portrayal of Kublai

04:13 Khan and the Mongolians in general.

04:15 "So tell your pope that he himself must bow before me and pledge his fealty to me."

04:22 One historian claimed the series to be 20% accurate and 80% fiction.

04:26 The real Kublai Khan didn't live in a palace, nor did he have a secret concubine.

04:30 He was also never targeted by an assassin masquerading as a concubine, nor did he kill

04:34 his brother in a bloody duel.

04:40 5. The Tudors

04:43 The Tudors was another series that irked historians for a number of reasons.

04:47 We've seen the dramatization and sexualizing of historical characters and events, but this

04:51 show took liberties in changing up basic facts.

04:58 For example, in the first season we see the death of Henry Fitzroy when he was very young.

05:02 In reality, Fitzroy died over a dozen years older.

05:10 The series also shows the king in multiple lewd affiliations with women who either never

05:14 existed such as Eleanor Luke or with whom there's no evidence in historical accounts

05:18 such as Anne of Cleves.

05:19 The series also made up an uncle for season one.

05:22 Henry had no uncle, and Anne Boleyn's deformed child miscarriage in season two, among many

05:26 other things.

05:28 4. Freud

05:31 Sigmund Freud is one of the most recognizable names in psychology.

05:35 It's therefore not surprising that he's been portrayed in a number of productions.

05:44 The series Freud is a fictionalized biography of the early years of the Austrian doctor.

05:48 This particular series imagined Freud using his talents to aid in criminal investigations.

05:59 The series does take inspiration from the life of Freud such as his substance use disorder

06:03 and work with mentor Joseph Ruehr.

06:05 However, his romance with Flore Salome in the series is fiction, though the character

06:09 was inspired by a woman Freud met later in life.

06:12 Freud never participated in criminal cases, nor did he ever turn to spiritualism, though

06:16 he did show interest in the latter.

06:22 3.

06:26 Peaky Blinders

06:27 Though Peaky Blinders is a fictional account of a fictional family, there was an actual

06:30 street gang by that name operating in the late 19th to early 20th century England.

06:43 The gang's members engaged in various criminal activities such as robbery, racketeering,

06:47 and other devious deeds.

06:48 They did have signature clothing, namely tilted, peaked flat caps.

06:52 One of the show's popular weapons is a razor blade sewn into their cap.

06:55 However, this part is highly unlikely in history, as razor blades were luxurious at the time,

07:00 being a recent commodity that would have been too costly for the real blinders.

07:09 The series also sees the blinders' influence extending into the 1930s when in reality,

07:14 the true gang had dissolved and was usurped by rivals by the 1920s.

07:21 2.

07:23 Leonardo

07:24 Leonardo da Vinci has made appearances in several media.

07:28 The most recent incarnation is in the series Leonardo, starring Aidan Turner in the titular

07:32 role.

07:33 Though it does highlight some truths about the artist, the series does have its inaccurate

07:36 points.

07:37 Most prominent is the fact that da Vinci was never accused of murder.

07:45 The series admittedly relies on the gaps in the artist's historical accounts, filling

07:49 them with fictional moments.

07:50 The woman da Vinci is accused of murdering in the series, Caterina di Cremona, is based

07:55 on a name scribbled on one of the former's anatomical studies.

08:01 The series also portrays da Vinci as bisexual, when he was almost certainly a gay man.

08:05 See his odd drawings of female anatomy for reference.

08:25 1.

08:28 Vikings

08:29 Northmen did not record their history in writing, so most of the stories we have are from the

08:33 accounts of others.

08:35 This definitely leads to fictionalization.

08:43 The character of Ragnar Lothbrok is one that likely never existed in reality.

08:47 His namesake is the protagonist of 13th century Icelandic epic Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok, a

08:52 fantastical character who slays mythical creatures.

08:54 His exploits in the TV series are an amalgam of those from the saga and those of other

08:58 historical figures, such as Reginhaerys, a leader from the 9th century.

09:07 Many of its other characters are amalgams, such as King Charles, who is a combination

09:10 of Charles the Bald, Charles the Fat, and Charles the Simple.

09:13 But hey, at least they're not wearing horned helmets, right?

09:19 Which historical inaccuracy irks you the most?

09:21 Let us know in the comments.

09:27 Did you enjoy this video?

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09:35 See you next time!

09:43 (upbeat music)

09:45 [music]

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