Historical Dramas - AD 1000 - 1500
by SiddoVicio | created - 28 Jan 2017 | updated - 12 Nov 2020 | PublicA list of historical drama films and television series set from the 11th to the 15th century.
The list follows a chronological order based on the historical setting. For the most part, these are films and television series that I've seen and evaluated.
In those cases where the setting remains uncertain, I tried to approximate it as much as possible based on the clues provided by the plot and also on my personal historical knowledge.
Some of the dates provided may be subject to future corrections, especially for those films that I've yet to see or for those I haven't watched in a long time.
This list is also based on personal assessments. For this reason, I've not included those films and television series that do not reflect my valuation standards.
Andres Contos aka Siddo Vicio
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1. Pathfinder (1987)
86 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A young Sámi man witnesses a band of vicious raiders slay his family and flees to a nearby village, where he learns he must become a Pathfinder.
Director: Nils Gaup | Stars: Mikkel Gaup, Ingvald Guttorm, Nils Utsi, Henrik H. Buljo
Votes: 5,606
1000 (aka "Pathfinder")
Setting: High Middle Ages; Finnmark Viking Age
2. The White Viking (1991)
131 min | Adventure, Drama
Norway in the 10th century. Askur, son of the powerful Thorgeir marries Embla, daughter of one of the few remaining landowners in Norway, in a pagan ceremony. King Olav, a ruthless ... See full summary »
Director: Hrafn Gunnlaugsson | Stars: Gotti Sigurdarson, Maria Bonnevie, Egill Ólafsson, Tomas Norström
Votes: 460
997-1001 (aka "The White Viking")
Setting: High Middle Ages; Viking Age; Christianisation of Iceland
3. Tonkô (1988)
PG-13 | 99 min | Adventure, Drama, History
In 1026, students in western China are shanghaied into the forces of crown prince Li Yuanhao of Xi Xia, who wants to control the length of the Silk Road. One student is Zhao Xingde, who ... See full summary »
Director: Jun'ya Satô | Stars: Kôichi Satô, Toshiyuki Nishida, Anna Nakagawa, Tsunehiko Watase
Votes: 280 | Gross: $0.12M
1026 (aka "The Silk Road")
Setting: Northern Song Dynasty; Western Xia
4. El Cid (1961)
Approved | 182 min | Biography, Drama, History
The fabled Spanish hero Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar (a.k.a. El Cid) overcomes a family vendetta and court intrigue to defend Christian Spain against the Moors.
Director: Anthony Mann | Stars: Charlton Heston, Sophia Loren, Raf Vallone, Geneviève Page
Votes: 15,714 | Gross: $26.62M
1080-1099
Setting: High Middle Ages; Reconquista; Northern Christian Realms; Al-Andalus
5. Valhalla Rising (2009)
Not Rated | 93 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Forced for some time to be a fighting slave, a pagan warrior escapes his captors with a boy and joins a group of Crusaders on their quest to the Holy Land.
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn | Stars: Mads Mikkelsen, Maarten Stevenson, Alexander Morton, Stewart Porter
Votes: 63,673 | Gross: $0.02M
1096
Setting: High Middle Ages; Viking Age
6. The Pillars of the Earth (2010)
TV-MA | 59 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
Set against a backdrop of war, religious strife and power struggles which tears lives and families apart.
Stars: Ian McShane, Matthew Macfadyen, Eddie Redmayne, Hayley Atwell
Votes: 33,129
1120-1170
Setting: High Middle Ages; Norman England; The Anarchy
7. Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan (2007)
R | 126 min | Action, Biography, Drama
The story recounts the early life of Genghis Khan who was a slave before going on to conquer half the world in 1206.
Director: Sergei Bodrov | Stars: Tadanobu Asano, Amadu Mamadakov, Khulan Chuluun, Honglei Sun
Votes: 49,209 | Gross: $5.70M
1172-1206
Setting: High Middle Ages; Central Asia; Rise of Temujin
8. The Lion in Winter (1968)
PG | 134 min | Biography, Drama, History
1183 A.D.: King Henry II's three sons all want to inherit the throne, but he won't commit to a choice. When he allows his imprisoned wife Eleanor of Aquitaine out for a Christmas visit, they all variously plot to force him into a decision.
Director: Anthony Harvey | Stars: Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins, John Castle
Votes: 34,230 | Gross: $22.28M
1183
Setting: High Middle Ages; Plantagenet England; Angevin Empire
9. The Lion in Winter (2003 TV Movie)
167 min | Drama, History, Romance
King Henry II meets with Eleanor of Aquitaine at Christmastide 1183 to choose one of his sons as his successor.
Director: Andrey Konchalovskiy | Stars: Glenn Close, Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Andrew Howard
Votes: 2,392
1183
Setting: High Middle Ages; Plantagenet England; Angevin Empire
10. Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
R | 144 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Balian of Ibelin travels to Jerusalem during the Crusades of the 12th century, and there he finds himself as the defender of the city and its people.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Liam Neeson, Martin Hancock
Votes: 315,521 | Gross: $47.40M
1184-1189
Setting: High Middle Ages; Kingdom of Jerusalem; Third Crusade
11. Robin Hood (2010)
PG-13 | 140 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
In twelfth-century England, Robin Longstride and his band of marauders confront corruption in a local village and lead an uprising against the crown that will forever alter the balance of world power.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Matthew Macfadyen, Max von Sydow
Votes: 283,273 | Gross: $105.27M
1199
Setting: High Middle Ages; Plantagenet England; Angevin Empire
12. Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972)
PG | 121 min | Biography, Drama, History
Dramatization of events in the life of St. Francis of Assisi from before his conversion experience through his audience with the pope, including his friendship with St. Clare.
Director: Franco Zeffirelli | Stars: Graham Faulkner, Judi Bowker, Leigh Lawson, Kenneth Cranham
Votes: 4,949
1203-1210 (aka "Brother Sun, Sister Moon")
13. The Last King (2016)
R | 99 min | Action, Drama, History
In the year 1206 Norway is raged by civil war. The King's illegitimate infant son, Håkon Håkonsson, which half the kingdom wants killed off, is guarded in secrecy by two men. A story which changed the course of the country's history.
Director: Nils Gaup | Stars: Jakob Oftebro, Kristofer Hivju, Torkel Dommersnes Soldal, Ane Ulimoen Øverli
Votes: 7,753 | Gross: $0.01M
1204-1206 (aka "The Last King")
14. Pilgrimage (II) (2017)
Not Rated | 96 min | Action, Drama, History
In 13th-century Ireland, a group of monks must escort a sacred relic across a landscape fraught with peril.
Director: Brendan Muldowney | Stars: Tom Holland, Richard Armitage, Jon Bernthal, Nikos Karathanos
Votes: 6,436
1209
15. Ironclad (2011)
R | 121 min | Action, Drama, History
In thirteenth-century England, a Knights Templar and a few of the Barons men fight to defend Rochester Castle against the tyrannical King John.
Director: Jonathan English | Stars: Paul Giamatti, Jason Flemyng, Brian Cox, James Purefoy
Votes: 43,664
1215
Setting: High Middle Ages; Plantagenet England; First Barons' War; Siege of Rochester Castle
16. Kings of the Sun (1963)
Approved | 108 min | Adventure, Drama, History
On the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, the Native American tribe of chief Black Eagle clashes with the Mayan tribe of king Balam.
Director: J. Lee Thompson | Stars: Yul Brynner, George Chakiris, Shirley Anne Field, Richard Basehart
Votes: 2,186
1221
Setting: Pre-Columbian Americas; Postclassical Period of Mesoamerica; Post-Terminal Classic Maya
17. Ironclad: Battle for Blood (2014)
108 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A survivor of the Great Siege of Rochester Castle fights to save his clan from Celtic raiders. A sequel to the 2011 film, "Ironclad."
Director: Jonathan English | Stars: Roxanne McKee, Michelle Fairley, Danny Webb, Tom Rhys Harries
Votes: 2,993
1221
Setting: High Middle Ages; Plantagenet England; Scottish Marches
18. Marco Polo (1982–1983)
504 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
The life and experiences of the thirteenth century explorer, who sought to connect the civilizations of China and Europe through trade.
Stars: Ken Marshall, Denholm Elliott, Tony Vogel, David Warner
Votes: 1,309
1265-1299
Episode 1: 1265-71
Episode 2: 1271-72
Episode 3: 1272-73
Episode 4: 1273-75
Episode 5: 1275-80
Episode 6: 1280
Episode 7: 1280-82
Episode 8: 1285-99
19. The Knights of the Quest (2001)
147 min | Adventure, Drama, History
In 1271, five young knights journey to Thebes in Greece to recover the Sacred Shroud and deliver it back to France and into the hands of the royal family.
Director: Pupi Avati | Stars: Edward Furlong, Raoul Bova, Thomas Kretschmann, Marco Leonardi
Votes: 578
1270-1272 (aka "The Knights of the Quest")
20. Braveheart (1995)
R | 178 min | Biography, Drama, War
Scottish warrior William Wallace leads his countrymen in a rebellion to free his homeland from the tyranny of King Edward I of England.
Director: Mel Gibson | Stars: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan, Angus Macfadyen
Votes: 1,091,904 | Gross: $75.60M
1282-1314
21. Knightfall (2017–2019)
TV-14 | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A look at the final days of the Knights Templar during the 14th century.
Stars: Tom Cullen, Pádraic Delaney, Simon Merrells, Julian Ovenden
Votes: 22,127
1291-1307
22. Outlaw King (2018)
R | 121 min | Action, Biography, Drama
A true David vs. Goliath story of how the 14th century Scottish 'Outlaw King' Robert the Bruce used cunning and bravery to defeat the much larger and better equipped occupying English army.
Director: David Mackenzie | Stars: Chris Pine, Stephen Dillane, Rebecca Robin, Billy Howle
Votes: 81,019
1304-1307
23. Robert the Bruce (2019)
TV-14 | 124 min | Biography, Drama, History
The story of the nobleman-turned-outlaw hero who was crowned king of Scots in the 14th century.
Director: Richard Gray | Stars: Angus Macfadyen, Diarmaid Murtagh, Jared Harris, Stephen Murphy
Votes: 4,886
1306-1314
24. The Bastard Executioner (2015)
TV-MA | 42 min | Action, Drama
In the early 14th century, several oppressed Welsh commoners unite to take revenge on the ruthless nobility.
Stars: Lee Jones, Katey Sagal, Flora Spencer-Longhurst, Sam Spruell
Votes: 9,617
1312
25. The Name of the Rose (1986)
R | 130 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
An intellectually nonconformist friar investigates a series of mysterious deaths in an isolated abbey.
Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud | Stars: Sean Connery, Christian Slater, Helmut Qualtinger, Elya Baskin
Votes: 117,337 | Gross: $7.15M
1327 (aka "The Name of the Rose")
26. World Without End (2012)
TV-MA | 47 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
The English town of Kingsbridge works to survive as the King leads the nation into the Hundred Years' War with France while Europe deals with the outbreak of the Black Death.
Stars: Ben Chaplin, Charlotte Riley, Nora Waldstätten, Oliver Jackson-Cohen
Votes: 9,144
1327-1348
Setting: Late Middle Ages; Plantagenet England; Hundred's Years War; Black Death
27. Beatrice (1987)
R | 130 min | Drama
In Medieval France, a warrior returns home after four years of war and captivity. It is his delicate daughter who must deal now with his rage and frustration.
Director: Bertrand Tavernier | Stars: Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu, Julie Delpy, Nils Tavernier, Monique Chaumette
Votes: 783 | Gross: $0.21M
1346
28. Black Death (2010)
R | 102 min | Action, Drama, History
Set during the time of the first outbreak of bubonic plague in England, a young monk is given the task of learning the truth about reports of people being brought back to life in a small village.
Director: Christopher Smith | Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Sean Bean, Carice van Houten, Kimberley Nixon
Votes: 51,257 | Gross: $0.02M
1348
29.
The Hollow Crown (2012–2016)
Episode:
Richard II
(2012)
Not Rated | 141 min | Drama, History, War
The incompetent Richard II is deposed by Henry Bolingbroke and undergoes a crisis of identity once he is no longer king.
Director: Rupert Goold | Stars: David Bradley, Richard Bremmer, Daniel Boyd, Peter De Jersey
Votes: 1,820
1398-1400
30.
The Hollow Crown (2012–2016)
Episode:
Henry IV, Part 1
(2012)
Not Rated | 115 min | Drama, History, War
1403: Henry IV finds himself facing uprisings from the Welsh chieftain Owen Glendower and impetuous young Harry "Hotspur" Percy, son of Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland, angry with the ... See full summary »
Director: Richard Eyre | Stars: Alun Armstrong, Joe Armstrong, John Ashton, Will Attenborough
Votes: 1,500
1402-1403
31.
The Hollow Crown (2012–2016)
Episode:
Henry IV, Part 2
(2012)
Not Rated | 121 min | Drama, History, War
Northumberland swears revenge for his son's death and gathers his allies to fight the ailing king. Meanwhile, the Lord Chief Justice having rebuked Falstaff for being a bad influence on Hal... See full summary »
Director: Richard Eyre | Stars: Alun Armstrong, Will Attenborough, Conrad Asquith, David Bamber
Votes: 1,130
1403-1413
32. Medici (2016–2019)
TV-14 | 1,314 min | Biography, Drama, History
A political family drama set in Florence in the early fifteenth century. Cosimo de Medici finds himself at the helm of his banking dynasty when his father, Giovanni, dies suddenly.
Stars: Daniel Sharman, Alessandra Mastronardi, Synnove Karlsen, Sebastian De Souza
Votes: 22,328
1409-1478
Setting: Late Middle Ages; Italian Renaissance; Republic of Florence; House of Medici
Season 1
Episode 1: 1409-29
Episodes 2-3: 1415-30
Episode 4: 1417-33
Episode 5: 1433-34
Episode 6-7: 1434-39
Episode 8: 1435-36
Season 2
Episodes 1-2: 1469
Episode 3: 1471-72
Episode 4: 1472
Episode 5: 1472-73
Episode 6: 1473-76
Episode 7: 1477-78
Episode 8: 1478
Season 3
Episode 1: 1478
Episode 2: 1479
Episode 3: 1479-80
Episodes 4-5: 1484
Episode 6: 1487-88
Episode 7: 1488
Episode 8: 1488-92
33. Maïna (2013)
102 min | Drama
A Canadian aboriginal woman journeys to the Arctic in search of a missing member of her tribe, and falls in love with a man from a rival clan.
Director: Michel Poulette | Stars: Roseanne Supernault, Ipeelie Ootoova, Uapshkuss Thernish, Eric Schweig
Votes: 502
1413
34. Henry V (1989)
PG-13 | 137 min | Biography, Drama, History
In the midst of the Hundred Years War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France in 1415.
Director: Kenneth Branagh | Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi, Simon Shepherd, James Larkin
Votes: 31,676 | Gross: $10.16M
1415-1420
35.
The Hollow Crown (2012–2016)
Episode:
Henry V
(2012)
Not Rated | 132 min | Drama, History, War
Hal is now a responsible monarch as Henry V, his rejection of Falstaff hastening the latter's death. Told by courtiers that,through Edward III, he has a claim to the French throne he makes ... See full summary »
Director: Thea Sharrock | Stars: Edward Akrout, Tom Brooke, Geraldine Chaplin, Richard Clothier
Votes: 1,267
1415-1422
36. Joan of Arc (1999)
TV-PG | 90 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
Spurred by divine voices and visions, fifteenth century teen Joan d'Arc leads French forces against the English.
Stars: Leelee Sobieski, Chad Willett, Peter O'Toole, Neil Patrick Harris
Votes: 6,337
1422-1431
Setting: Late Middle Ages; Hundred's Years War
37. The Age of the Medici (1972– )
255 min | Biography, History
This is a lengthy exposition of the social and political history of renaissance Florentine history, told through dramatised conversations between the main participants, particularly Cosimo ... See full synopsis »
Stars: Marcello Di Falco, Virgilio Gazzolo, Adriano Amidei Migliano, Michel Bardinet
Votes: 346
1429-1471
Setting: Late Middle Ages; Italian Renaissance; Repubblic of Florence; House of Medici
Episode 1: 1429-33
Episode 2: 1434-39
Episode 3: 1436-71
38. Rise of Empires: Ottoman (2020–2022)
TV-MA | 45 min | Documentary, Drama, History
Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II wages an epic campaign to take the Byzantine capital of Constantinople and shapes the course of history for centuries.
Stars: Cem Yigit Uzümoglu, Tuba Büyüküstün, Alp Ilkman, Ushan Çakir
Votes: 32,928
1451-1453
Setting: Late Middle Ages; Byzantine-Ottoman Wars; Fall of Constantinople
Episode 1: 1451-53
Episodes 2-6: 1453
39. The Advocate (1993)
R | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
In medieval France, young lawyer Richard Courtois leaves Paris for the simpler life in the country. However, he is soon drawn into amorous and political intrigues. At the same time, he is ... See full summary »
Director: Leslie Megahey | Stars: Colin Firth, Amina Annabi, Jim Carter, Donald Pleasence
Votes: 2,199 | Gross: $0.67M
1452 (aka "The Advocate")
Setting: Late Middle Ages; Kingdom of France; Ancien Régime
40. The Life of Leonardo Da Vinci (1971)
300 min | Biography, History
Miniseries dramatizing the life of the Italian Renaissance genius Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519).
Stars: Philippe Leroy, Giulio Bosetti, Giorgio Piazza, Bruno Piergentili
Votes: 436
1452-1519 (aka "The Life of Leonardo da Vinci")
Setting: Late Middle Ages; Early Modern Period; Italian Renaissance; Italian Wars
Episode 1: 1452-82
Episode 2: 1482-94
Episode 3: 1494-1500
41. The Conclave (2006)
100 min | Biography, Drama, History
In 1458, five years after the fall of Constantinople to the Turk, eighteen cardinals met in Rome to elect a new pope. A 27-year-old Spanish cardinal, Rodrigo Borgia, learns to play a very dangerous game; how to survive his first conclave.
Director: Christoph Schrewe | Stars: Manu Fullola, Brian Blessed, James Faulkner, Rolf Kanies
Votes: 617
1458
Setting: Late Middle Ages; Italian Renaissance; 1458 Papal Conclave
42. The White Queen (2013)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, History, Romance
Three different, yet equally relentless women vie for the throne in 15th-century England.
Stars: Aneurin Barnard, Rebecca Ferguson, Amanda Hale, Faye Marsay
Votes: 31,422
1464-1485
Setting: Late Middle Ages; War of the Roses
Episode 1: 1464
Episode 2: 1465-69
Episode 3: 1469-70
Episode 4: 1470
Episode 5: 1470-71
Episode 6: 1471-72
Episode 7: 1473-78
Episode 8: 1483
Episode 9: 1483-84
Episode 10: 1484-85
43. Christopher Columbus (1985)
360 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
After his proposal to sail west to the East Indies is rejected by Portugal, Columbus overcomes court intrigue in Spain to gain support for his expedition.
Stars: Gabriel Byrne, Rossano Brazzi, Virna Lisi, Oliver Reed
Votes: 709
1476-1502
Setting: Late Middle Ages; Catholic Monarchs of Spain; Italian Renaissance; Granada War; Age of Discovery
44. Maximilian (2017– )
TV-MA | 275 min | Drama, History
In 1477 Charles the Bolds dies, his only child is a girl which cannot rule w/o a husband. Meanwhile in Austria, Emperor Frederick III and his antagonist Louis XI France battle over said marriage prospects, battles ensue, tragedy falls.
Stars: Christa Théret, Jannis Niewöhner, Alix Poisson, Jean-Hugues Anglade
Votes: 1,121
1477-1486
Setting: Late Middle Ages; Burgundian Wars; Burgundian Netherlands; Holy Roman Empire; Kingdom of France
Episodes 1-4: 1477
Episode 5: 1477-78
Episode 6: 1478-82
45. Flavia, the Heretic (1974)
R | 96 min | Drama, Horror
A young woman forced into nun-hood by her corrupt father teams up with an army of Muslims to destroy the convent and kill those who wronged her.
Director: Gianfranco Mingozzi | Stars: Florinda Bolkan, María Casares, Claudio Cassinelli, Anthony Higgins
Votes: 1,217
1480-81
Setting: Late Middle Ages; Ottoman–Hungarian Wars; Kingdom of Naples; Ottoman Invasion of Otranto
46. La cena delle beffe (1942)
87 min | Drama, Romance
This is an opera in four acts composed by Umberto Giordano . The story is set in Florence at the time of Lorenzo de'Medici recounts the rivalry between Gianneto Malespini and Neri ... See full summary »
Director: Alessandro Blasetti | Stars: Amedeo Nazzari, Osvaldo Valenti, Clara Calamai, Valentina Cortese
Votes: 250
1485
Setting: Late Middle Ages; Italian Renaissance; Medicean Florence
47. The White Princess (2017)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, History, Romance
Based on the Philippa Gregory book of the same name, the story of Elizabeth of York, the White Queen's daughter, and her marriage to the Lancaster victor, Henry VII.
Stars: Jodie Comer, Rebecca Benson, Jacob Collins-Levy, Richard Dillane
Votes: 15,607
1485-1499
Setting: Late Middle Ages; Early Modern Period; Tudor Pre-Reformation England
Episode 1: 1485-86
Episode 2: 1486
Episode 3: 1486-87
Episode 4: 1487
Episode 5: 1495
Episode 6: 1496-97
Episode 7: 1497-99
Episode 8: 1499
48. 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)
PG-13 | 154 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
Christopher Columbus' discovery of the Americas and the effect this has on the indigenous people.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Gérard Depardieu, Armand Assante, Sigourney Weaver, Loren Dean
Votes: 32,824 | Gross: $7.19M
1492-1502
49. The Borgias (2011–2013)
TV-MA | 50 min | Crime, Drama, History
In the fifteenth century, Pope Alexander VI tries to control all power in Italy with the help of his several sons, through murder, intrigue, war, and marriage alliances.
Stars: Jeremy Irons, François Arnaud, Holliday Grainger, Peter Sullivan
Votes: 53,965
1492-1500
Setting: Early Modern Period; Italian Renaissance; Borgia Papacy; Italian Wars
Season 1
Episodes 1-2: 1492
Episode 3: 1492-93
Episodes 4-5: 1493
Episodes 6-8: 1494
Episode 9: 1494-95
Season 2
Episodes 1-5: 1495
Episode 6: 1495-96
Episode 7: 1496-97
Episode 8: 1497-98
Episodes 9-10: 1498
Season 3
Episodes 1-3: 1498
Episodes 4-6: 1499
Episode 7: 1499-1500
50. Mad Love (2001)
R | 115 min | Biography, Drama, History
The love story that transformed Juana, Queen of Spain, into Juana "the Mad". A story of passions, lies and jealousy with a political motive behind.
Director: Vicente Aranda | Stars: Pilar López de Ayala, Daniele Liotti, Rosana Pastor, Giuliano Gemma
Votes: 4,056 | Gross: $0.28M
1496-1554
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