100 best history series

List of the best TV series in the history genre, selected by visitors to our site: Spartacus, The Tudors, Rome, Vikings, Band of Brothers, Spartacus, The Borgias, The Pacific, Magnificent Century, Elizabeth I, The Last Kingdom, Poldark, The Pillars of the Earth, Da Vinci's Demons, The Making of The Mob, Gangland Undercover, Empress Ki, Medici: Masters of Florence, Apostle, Marco Polo
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Markimdb: 8.5
Genreaction, melodrama, drama, adventure, biography, history
CountryUSA
Duration00:52

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.

Markimdb: 8.1
Genremelodrama, drama, military, history
CountryRepublic of Ireland, Canada, USA, United Kingdom
Duration00:53

The Tudors is a history-based drama series following the young, vibrant King Henry VIII, a competitive and lustful monarch who navigates the intrigues of the English court and the human heart with equal vigor and justifiable suspicion.

Markimdb: 8.7
Genreaction, melodrama, drama, military, history
CountryUnited Kingdom, USA
Duration00:55

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

Markimdb: 8.5
Genreaction, melodrama, drama, adventure, military, history
CountryRepublic of Ireland, Canada
Duration00:45

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.

Markimdb: 9.4
Genreaction, drama, documentary, military, history
CountryUSA, United Kingdom
Duration10:00

Drawn from interviews with survivors of Easy Company, as well as their journals and letters, Band of Brothers chronicles the experiences of these men from paratrooper training in Georgia through the end of the war. As an elite rifle company parachuting into Normandy early on D-Day morning, participants in the Battle of the Bulge, and witness to the horrors of war, the men of Easy knew extraordinary bravery and extraordinary fear - and became the stuff of legend. Based on Stephen E. Ambrose's acclaimed book of the same name.

Markimdb: 8.5
Genreaction, melodrama, drama, adventure, biography, history
CountryUSA
Duration05:35

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.

Markimdb: 7.9
Genremelodrama, drama, crime, history
CountryUSA, Hungary, Republic of Ireland, Canada
Duration00:55

Set in 15th century Italy at the height of the Renaissance, The Borgias chronicles the corrupt rise of patriarch Rodrigo Borgia to the papacy, where he proceeds to commit every sin in the book to amass and retain power, influence and enormous wealth for himself and his family.

Markimdb: 8.3
Genreaction, drama, adventure, military, history
CountryUSA, Australia
Duration09:00

Track the intertwined real-life stories of three U.S. Marines – Robert Leckie, John Basilone, and Eugene Sledge – across the vast canvas of the Pacific Theater during World War II. A companion piece to the 2001 miniseries Band of Brothers.

Markimdb: 6.7
Genremelodrama, drama, military, biography, history
CountryTurkey
Duration01:40

Muhteşem Yüzyıl is a prime time historical Turkish television series. It was originally broadcast on Show TV and then transferred to Star TV. It is based on the life of Suleiman the Magnificent, the longest reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and his wife Hürrem Sultan, a slave girl who became a Sultan.

Markimdb: 7.9
Genremelodrama, drama, biography, history
CountryUnited Kingdom, USA
Duration03:43

Elizabeth I is a two-part 2005 British historical drama television miniseries directed by Tom Hooper, written by Nigel Williams, and starring Helen Mirren as Elizabeth I of England. The miniseries covers approximately the last 24 years of her nearly 45-year reign. Part 1 focuses on the final years of her relationship with the Earl of Leicester, played by Jeremy Irons. Part 2 focuses on her subsequent relationship with the Earl of Essex, played by Hugh Dancy. The series originally was broadcast in the United Kingdom in two two-hour segments on Channel 4. It later aired on HBO in the United States, CBC and TMN in Canada, ATV in Hong Kong, ABC in Australia, and TVNZ Television One in New Zealand. The series went on to win Emmy, Peabody, and Golden Globe Awards. The same year, Helen Mirren starred as Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen, with which she dominated the award season.

Markimdb: 8.4
Genreaction, drama, history
CountryUnited Kingdom
Duration00:30

A show of heroic deeds and epic battles with a thematic depth that embraces politics, religion, warfare, courage, love, loyalty and our universal search for identity. Combining real historical figures and events with fictional characters, it is the story of how a people combined their strength under one of the most iconic kings of history in order to reclaim their land for themselves and build a place they call home.

Markimdb: 8.3
Genremelodrama, drama, history
CountryUnited Kingdom
Duration01:44

Britain is in the grip of a chilling recession... falling wages, rising prices, civil unrest - only the bankers are smiling. It's 1783 and Ross Poldark returns from the American War of Independence to his beloved Cornwall to find his world in ruins: his father dead, the family mine long since closed, his house wrecked and his sweetheart pledged to marry his cousin. But Ross finds that hope and love can be found when you are least expecting it in the wild but beautiful Cornish landscape.

Markimdb: 8
Genrethriller, melodrama, drama, military, history
CountryCanada, Germany, United Kingdom, Hungary
Duration01:00

    A sweeping epic of good and evil, treachery and intrigue, violence and beauty, a sensuous, spirited story set against a backdrop of war, religious strife and power struggles in 12th Century England.

    Markimdb: 8
    Genrefantasy, melodrama, drama, adventure, detective, biography, history
    CountryUSA
    Duration00:59

    The series follows the "untold" story of Leonardo Da Vinci: the genius during his early years in Renaissance Florence. As a 25-year old artist, inventor, swordsman, lover, dreamer and idealist, he struggles to live within the confines of his own reality and time as he begins to not only see the future, but invent it.

    Markimdb: 7.9
    Genredrama, documentary, crime, history
    CountryUSA
    Duration00:30

    A docudrama series chronicling some of America's most notorious mobsters, each season dealing with a different city/region.

    Markimdb: 8.2
    Genredrama, crime, biography, history
    CountryCanada, USA
    Duration00:33

    This drama series is a fictionalized retelling of the story of meth dealer-turned-ATF informant Charles Falco, who spent three years inside one of America's most dangerous motorcycle gangs, the Vagos. Although Falco originally took on the assignment to avoid spending 20 years in prison on drug charges, it eventually evolved into a quest for justice for him. “Gangland Undercover” documents the lives of outlaw bikers, who live in a world in which respect is earned through fear. The series is based on Falco's memoir, “Vagos, Mongols, and Outlaws,” and documented historical research of gang rivalries.

    Markimdb: 8.5
    Genremelodrama, drama, biography, history
    CountrySouth Korea

    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.

    Markimdb: 7.9
    Genrethriller, melodrama, drama, detective, biography, history
    CountryItaly, United Kingdom, France
    Duration01:46

    The story of the Medici family of Florence, their ascent from simple merchants to power brokers sparking an economic and cultural revolution. Along the way, they also accrue a long list of powerful enemies.

    Markimdb: 7.5
    Genreaction, military, history
    CountryRussia
    Duration10:00

    We don't have an overview translated in English. Help us expand our database by adding one.

    Markimdb: 8
    Genreaction, drama, adventure, history
    CountryUSA
    Duration01:00

    An epic adventure that follows the early years of the famous explorer as he travels the exotic Silk Road to the great Kublai Khan’s court. But Marco soon finds that navigating the Khan’s world of greed, betrayal, sexual intrigue and rivalry will be his greatest challenge yet, even as he becomes a trusted companion to the Khan in his violent quest to become the Emperor of the World.

    Markimdb: 8.1
    Genremelodrama, drama, military, history
    CountryUnited Kingdom
    Duration01:05

    A story that revolves around five aristocratic families, set during the reign of Alexander I, and centered on the love triangle between Natasha Rostova, Pierre Bezukhov, and Andrei Bolkonsky.

    Markimdb: 8.5
    Genredrama, history
    CountryUSA
    Duration00:45

      Set in downtown New York in 1900, 'The Knick' is centered on the Knickerbocker Hospital and the groundbreaking surgeons, nurses and staff who work there, pushing the bounds of medicine in a time of astonishingly high mortality rates and zero antibiotics. John Thackery is a brilliant surgeon pioneering new methods in the field, despite his secret addiction to cocaine. He leads a team of doctors including his protégé Dr. Everett Gallinger; the young Dr. Bertie Chickering Jr. and Dr. Algernon Edwards, a promising surgeon who's been recently thrust upon him. The lively cast of characters at the hospital also includes Cornelia Robertson, the daughter of its benefactor, Captain August Robertson; surly ambulance driver Tom Cleary; Lucy Elkins; a fresh-faced nurse from the country; the crooked hospital administrator Herman Barrow; and Sister Harriet, a nun who isn't afraid to speak her mind.

      Markimdb: 8.6
      Genredrama, western, crime, history
      CountryUSA
      Duration00:53

        The story of the early days of Deadwood, South Dakota; woven around actual historic events with most of the main characters based on real people. Deadwood starts as a gold mining camp and gradually turns from a lawless wild-west community into an organized wild-west civilized town. The story focuses on the real-life characters Seth Bullock and Al Swearengen.

        Markimdb: 6.1
        Genreaction, military, history
        CountryRussia
        Duration06:48

        We don't have an overview translated in English. Help us expand our database by adding one.

        Markimdb: 7.8
        Genremelodrama, drama, military, history
        CountryUnited Kingdom, USA, France
        Duration00:43

        Set against the backdrop of the Wars of the Roses, the series is the story of the women caught up in the protracted conflict for the throne of England.

        Markimdb: 6.4
        Genremelodrama, drama, military, history
        CountryGermany, Italy, Austria
        Duration03:16

        We don't have an overview translated in English. Help us expand our database by adding one.

        Markimdb: 6.2
        Genremelodrama, drama, history
        CountryIndia
        Duration00:21

        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.

        Markimdb: 6
        Genredrama, history
        CountryFrance, Italy

        A sequence of seven episodes detailing the French monarchy.

        Markimdb: 7.9
        Genremelodrama, drama, military, biography, history
        CountryFrance, Canada
        Duration00:49

        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.

        Markimdb: 9.4
        Genredrama, military, biography, history
        CountryMorocco
        Duration00:45

        Omar or Farouk Omar is a historical Arab television drama series that was produced and broadcast by MBC1 and directed by Hatem Ali. Co-produced by Qatar TV, the series is based on the life of Omar, one of the Prophet Mohammad's best companions and the second Caliph of Islam. The series had to face large controversy due to its depiction of Omar, Abu Bakr, Osman and Ali, the four Rashidun Caliphs, along with other characters, who some Muslims believe should not be depicted much like the Prophet Mohammad. The series consisted of 30 episodes and was originally aired in the month of Ramadan since July 20, 2012. It was made at a cost of 200 million Saudi Riyals and filmed in Morocco, mostly in Marakesh, Tangiers, El Jadida, Casablanca and Mohammedia. After the series was broadcast on MBC, dubbed into several languages and subtitled in English on youtube, it received great support from many different scholarly bodies and people watching it. As the series depended solely on reliable historical established facts, the series did not face criticism in terms of its content, as past movies and films faced.

        Markimdb: 8.1
        Genreaction, melodrama, history
        CountrySouth Korea
        Duration01:10

        Iljimae is a 2008 South Korean historical action television drama series, starring Lee Joon-gi in the title role of Iljimae, Han Hyo-joo, Lee Young-ah and Park Si-hoo. It is loosely based on a comic strip Iljimae, published between 1975 and 1977, by Ko Woo-yung that was based on a Chinese folklore from the Ming dynasty about a masked Robin Hood-esque character during the Joseon era. It was directed by Lee Yong-suk and produced by Chorokbaem Media. It aired on Seoul Broadcasting System from May 21 to July 24, 2008 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 20 episodes.

        Markimdb: 7.2
        Genrefantasy, drama, crime, detective, history
        CountryUnited Kingdom
        Duration00:30

        Inspector John Marlott investigates a series of crimes in 19th Century London, which may have been committed by a scientist intent on re-animating the dead.

        Markimdb: 6.5
        Genrefantasy, drama, history
        CountryRepublic of Ireland, USA, United Kingdom, Canada
        Duration07:30

        Camelot is a historical-fantasy-drama television series based on the Arthurian legend, was produced by Graham King, Morgan O'Sullivan and Michael Hirst.

        Markimdb: 8.2
        Genredrama, history
        CountryUnited Kingdom
        Duration03:48

        Life among the staff and patients of an Edwardian hospital. Based on case notes and ward diaries at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel.

        Markimdb: 7.4
        Genreaction, thriller, drama, adventure, crime, history
        CountryRussia
        Duration08:40

        Russian Empire. The second decade of the twentieth century. As a result of the conflict between the Entente and the bloc of the Central Powers led by Germany, which erupted in August 1914, Russia is drawn into the First World War. A wave of unrest is rolling through the country. Revolutionary moods are increasing every day. Counterintelligence is trying with all its might to suppress the activity of German spies active in the territory of the country ...

        Markimdb: 7.4
        Genredrama, history
        CountryUnited Kingdom
        Duration03:18

        The Virgin Queen explores the full sweep of Elizabeth's life: from her days of fear as a potential victim of her sister's terror; through her great love affair with Robert Dudley; into her years of triumph over the Armada; and finally her old age and her last, enigmatic relationship with her young protégé, the Earl of Essex.

        Markimdb: 7
        Genredrama, military, history
        CountryRussia
        Duration07:30

        The action of the series takes place from 1938 to 1948 years, and covers key events of the era.

        Markimdb: 8.3
        Genredrama, history
        CountryUnited Kingdom
        Duration08:48

        The Hollow Crown is a series of British television films featuring William Shakespeare's History Plays. The first Season is an adaptation of Shakespeare's second historical tetralogy, the Henriad: Richard II, Henry IV, Part I and Henry IV, Part II (treated as one film in two parts in the series) and Henry V. The Second Season is subtitled "The Wars of the Roses" as a reference to its scope. It is based on Shakespeare's first tetralogy: Henry VI: Part I, Henry VI: Part II, Henry VI: Part III (treated as two films in the series) and Richard III.

        Markimdb: 8.6
        Genrebiography, history
        CountrySouth Korea

        Queen Seondeok is a 2009 South Korean historical drama, starring Lee Yo-won, Go Hyun-jung, Uhm Tae-woong, Park Ye-jin, Kim Nam-gil and Yoo Seung-ho. It chronicles the life of Queen Seondeok of Silla. It aired on MBC from May 25 to December 22, 2009 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 62 episodes. The viewership ratings for the show topped TV charts almost every week during its run, peaking at 44.7 percent. It swept the 2009 MBC Drama Awards; actress Go Hyun-jung's performance and subsequent grand prize win received near-universal acclaim.

        Markimdb: 8.7
        Genredrama, biography, history
        CountryUnited Kingdom
        Duration02:35

        The gripping, decades-spanning inside story of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Prime Ministers who shaped Britain's post-war destiny. The Crown tells the inside story of two of the most famous addresses in the world – Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street – and the intrigues, love lives and machinations behind the great events that shaped the second half of the 20th century. Two houses, two courts, one Crown.

        Markimdb: 8.3
        Genredrama, biography, history
        CountryUSA
        Duration01:56

        Anthology series about famous geniuses with the first season charting how Albert Einstein unlocked the mysteries of the atom and the universe, and the second exploring the passionate nature and relentless creative drive of Pablo Picasso.

        Markimdb: 7.6
        Genremelodrama, drama, military, history
        CountryUnited Kingdom, France, USA
        Duration01:42

        The story of Elizabeth of York, the White Queen's daughter, and her marriage to the Lancaster victor, Henry VII. Based on the Philippa Gregory book of the same name.

        Markimdb: 6.9
        Genredrama, history
        CountryUnited Kingdom
        Duration01:30

        The early 17th Century story of three courageous, dynamic women who leave their dark pasts behind in England, and make the journey of a lifetime across the ocean for a new life in America.

        Markimdb: 6.3
        Genremelodrama, drama, history
        CountryCanada, USA
        Duration01:16

        Picking up where the Emmy-winning miniseries The Kennedys left off, The Kennedys – After Camelot provides a fascinating look into the modern era of America’s royal family. Based on the best-selling book of the same name by J. Randy Taraborrelli.

        Markimdb: 6.6
        Genredrama, history
        CountryUnited Kingdom
        Duration01:06

        London, 1605. Robert Catesby, a 33-year old Warwickshire gentleman, devises a plot to blow up Parliament and kill the King.

        Markimdb: 8.3
        Genredrama, history
        CountrySouth Korea
        Duration00:15

        Writers that lived under Japanese rule in the 1930's are reincarnated into a bestselling writer who is in a slump, a mysterious ghostwriter and an anti-fan of the bestselling writer.

        Markimdb: 8
        Genredrama, history
        CountryUSA
        Duration01:40

        Mayor Nick Wasicsko took office in 1987 during Yonkers' worst crisis when federal courts ordered public housing to be built in the white, middle class side of town, dividing the city in a bitter battle fueled by fear, racism, murder and politics.

        Markimdb: 7.5
        Genredrama, history
        CountryUSA
        Duration00:30

        A radical group of young men band together in secrecy to change the course of history and make America a nation.

        Markimdb: 6.9
        Genredrama, history
        CountryUSA
        Duration01:03

        Saints & Strangers is a story that goes beyond the familiar historical account of Thanksgiving and the founding of Plymouth Plantation, revealing the trials and tribulations of the settlers at Plymouth: 102 men, women and children who sailed on a chartered ship for a place they had never seen. Of this group, half are those we think of as pilgrims, or saints, religious separatists who abandoned their prior lives for a single cause: religious freedom. The other half, the merchant adventurers–referred to as strangers–had less spiritual and more material, real-world objectives. This clash of values created complex inner-struggles for the group as they sought to establish a new colony, compounded by a complicated relationship with the local Native American tribes. The conflicting allegiances among these groups, culminated in trials of assimilation, faith, and compromise that continue to define our nation to this day.

        Markimdb: 6.2
        Genreaction, drama, history
        CountryUSA
        Duration00:30

        A blood-soaked, medieval epic that tells the story of Wilkin Brattle, a 14th century warrior, whose life is forever changed when a divine messenger beseeches him to lay down his sword and lead the life of another man: a journeyman executioner. Set in northern Wales during a time rife with rebellion and political upheaval, Wilkin must walk a tight rope between protecting his true identity while also serving a mysterious destiny. Guided by Annora, a mystical healer whose seeming omniscience keeps Wilkin under her sway; manipulated by Milus Corbett, a devious Chamberlain with grand political aspirations; and driven by a deepening connection with the Baroness Lady Love, Wilkin struggles to navigate political, emotional and supernal pitfalls in his quest to understand his greater purpose.




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