17 best shows like The Emperor and the Assassin (1998)

Zhen Huan, a 17-year-old innocent introduced into the imperial court as the latest concubine of Emperor Yong Zheng. Her dreams of a new life of love and prosperity are swiftly dashed as she enters a dog-eat-dog world of treachery and corruption.

Jodha Akbar is an epic drama about a sixteenth century story of the political marriage of convenience between a Mughal emperor Abu'l-Fath Jalal ud-din Muhammad Akbar and a Rajput princess Jodha Bai. The show focuses on how their political marriage brings love between them to an extent that it changed the fate of India. This period drama also portrays the wars of that time along with the relations between the Mughals and the Rajputs. The drama also focuses on the functioning of the queens, the courts, courtesans, the ministers and their influence on the love story of Jalal ud-din Muhammad Akbar and Jodha Bai. The show also highlights on how Mughal emperor Jalal ud-din Muhammad acquires the title of Akbar from the people.

A prophecy foretold that victory goes to the one who has the priestess' blessing. Yang Xue Wu, the last priestess of her clan, unwittingly embroiled in a war between Northern Qi and Northern Zhou. Although she foresees the tragic fate of Lan Ling Wang, the general of Northern Qi, she nonetheless falls in love with him and helps him win the war against Yuwen Yong, the king of Northern Zhou. But destiny can not be altered.

The story of a young Louis XIV on his journey to become the most powerful monarch in Europe, from his battles with the fronde through his development into the Sun King. Historical and fictional characters guide us in a world of betrayal and political maneuvering, revealing Versailles in all its glory and brutality.

Rong Le, a princess of the royal family of the Xiqi Kingdom who wakes up one day to find that she has lost her memory. She is ordered to marry Wu You, seventh prince of the neighboring Beilin Kingdom, though her husband-to-be refuses to let her inside his manor. Unable to return home, Rong Le settles down in Beilin and opens a teahouse under the alias of Man Yao. It is rumored that the Qin family has misplaced an extraordinary tome that will supposedly usher in a time of prosperity for all the kingdoms, and Man Yao embarks on a journey to find the book. Man Yao and Wu You meet and fall in love without realizing each other's true identity, though they are forced to separate when Rong Le's brother Rong Qi orders her to marry the powerful General Fu Chou.

The story of the woman that would become Empress Ki, and her struggles as she worked her way through war, political conspiracies, and the imperial palace to become Empress of China. This Korean Drama re-imagines the historical figure as a fierce, independent woman who goes to extreme lengths to protect those she loves.

Saka no Ue no Kumo is an NHK 21st Century special drama which was aired over three years starting from November 29, 2009. The series runs 13 episodes at 90 minutes each. The first series, with 5 episodes, was broadcast in 2009, while series two and three, each with 4 episodes, were broadcast in late 2010 and 2011. While most episodes were shot in Japan, one of the episodes in series two was shot in Latvia. The TV series is based on the novel Saka no ue no kumo by Ryōtarō Shiba and adopted by Hisashi Nozawa.The theme song of the drama series is titled "Stand Alone". It was composed by Joe Hisaishi, written by Kundo Koyama and performed by British soprano singer Sarah Brightman.

Based on events in 7th and 8th-century Tang dynasty and starring producer Fan Bingbing as the titular character Wu Zetian, The Empress of China is the story of the only woman in Chinese history to rule as an emperor.

David McCallum stars as the rebellious Alan Breck Stewart, and this ambitious serial (a co-production between HTV and Germany's Tele-Munchen) also features a host of British character actors, including Bill Simpson, Patrick Allen, Andrew Keir, Patrick Magee and Frank Windsor.When young David Balfour arrives at his uncle's bleak Scottish house to claim his inheritance, his relative tries to murder him then has him shipped off to be sold as a slave in the colonies. Luckily for the lad, he strikes up a friendship with Alan Breck Stewart, who is on the run after Bonnie Prince Charlie's defeat at Culloden. When a ship's captain tries to kill Breck for his money, the two manage to get to land and set out for Edinburgh, dodging the ruthless Redcoats along the way.

A down-to-earth account of the lives of both illustrious and ordinary Romans set in the last days of the Roman Republic.

Spartacus is an American television series inspired by the historical figure of Spartacus, a Thracian gladiator who from 73 to 71 BCE led a major slave uprising against the Roman Republic departing from Capua.

1919. World War I has just ended. Dörte Helm, a young art student in Weimar, follows Walter Gropius’ call and joins the newly-founded Bauhaus school. A love story grows between Gropius and Dörte, adding fuel to the fire of the ensuing scandal threatening the very existence of the Bauhaus; the school of art that would go on to shape the 20th century like no other…

In this modern world, air travel represents the height of luxury and Pan Am is the biggest name in the business. The planes are glamorous, the pilots are rock stars and the stewardesses are the most desirable women in the world. They're trained to handle everything from in-air emergencies to unwanted advances—all without rumpling their pristine uniforms or mussing their hair.

Vikings follows the adventures of Ragnar Lothbrok, the greatest hero of his age. The series tells the sagas of Ragnar's band of Viking brothers and his family, as he rises to become King of the Viking tribes. As well as being a fearless warrior, Ragnar embodies the Norse traditions of devotion to the gods. Legend has it that he was a direct descendant of Odin, the god of war and warriors.

War and Peace is a 2007 Russian-French-Italian-German miniseries directed by Robert Dornhelm. It was broadcast in Belgium and in France in four parts during October and November 2007. It was inspired by Leo Tolstoy's novel War and Peace, which also is divided into four parts. The actors are of different nationalities.

A romantic historical drama set around and after the 1953 Iranian coup d'état.

The beautiful Spanish princess, Catherine of Aragon, navigates the royal lineage of England with an eye on the throne.