Best tv shows like By the Sword Divided
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
By the Sword Divided is a British television series produced by the BBC between 1983 and 1985. The series was a historical drama set during the mid 17th century, dealing with the impact of the English Civil War on the fictional Lacey family, made up of both Royalist and Parliamentarian supporters. It follows the family as it is torn apart by the conflicting and changing loyalties of the war, as families were during that time, and the defeat of the Royalist forces at the end of the First English Civil War. Series two covers the second and third civil wars and the eventual Restoration of the Monarchy. The last episodes sees the surviving members of the family witness the arrival of Charles II on a visit to the ancestral Lacey home. The cast included: Julian Glover, Sharon Mughan, Gareth Thomas, Judy Buxton, Peter Jeffrey, Rosalie Crutchley, Robert Stephens, Timothy Bentinck, Rob Edwards, Lucy Aston, Joanna McCallum, Malcolm Stoddard, Jeremy Clyde, David Collings, Jerome Willis, Charles Kay, Simon Dutton, Edward Peel, Mark Burns, Simon Treves and Janet Lees Price.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 225
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: UK
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: historical drama, baroque, period drama
Best tv shows and movies like By the Sword Divided (1983):
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A Tale of Two Cities (1989)
Plot Summary:
A pair of lookalikes, one a former French aristocrat and the other an alcoholic English lawyer, fall in love with the same woman amongst the turmoil of the French Revolution.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 387
Genere: Drama, History, Romance, War
Country: UK, France
Duration: 188 min
Plot tags: historical drama, epic, fairy tale, period drama
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Number 10 (1983)
Plot Summary:
Drama series about the private lives of seven British prime ministers who lived in Number 10 Downing Street between the 1780s and the 1920s: William Pitt the Younger, the Duke of Wellington (Arthur Wellesley), Benjamin Disraeli, William Ewart Gladstone, David Lloyd-George, Herbert Henry Asquith and James Ramsay MacDonald.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 49
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: UK, Canada
Duration: 52 min
Plot tags: historical drama, period piece, costume drama, period drama
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The Accursed Kings (1972)
Plot Summary:
Set during the reigns of the last five kings of the Capetian dynasty and the first two kings of the House of Valois, the series begins as the French King Philip the Fair, already surrounded by scandal and intrigue, brings a curse upon his family when he persecutes the Knights Templar. The succession of monarchs that follows leads France and England to the Hundred Years' War.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 400
Genere: Drama, History
Country: France
Duration: 616 min
Plot tags: historical drama
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The Duchess of Duke Street (1976)
Plot Summary:
The Duchess Of Duke Street is a BBC television drama series set in London between 1900 and 1925. It was created by John Hawkesworth, the former producer of the highly successful ITV period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. It starred Gemma Jones as Louisa Leyton/Trotter, the eponymous "Duchess" who works her way up from servant to renowned cook to proprietrix of the upper-class Bentinck Hotel in Duke Street, St. James's, in London. The story is loosely based on the real-life career of Rosa Lewis, the "Duchess of Jermyn Street", who ran the Cavendish Hotel in London. When the show first aired, there were many people who still remembered her, as she lived until 1952. According to census returns, she was born in Leyton, Essex, to a watchmaker. In the series, Louisa's family name is Leyton, and her father is a clock-maker. The programme lasted for two series totalling 31 episodes, shown between 1976 and 1977. It was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series in 1980. The theme music was composed by Alexander Faris.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: costume drama, historical drama, sincere, realistic, stylized, semi serious, period drama
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Gunpowder (2017)
Plot Summary:
England, 1603. Elizabeth I is dead and King James of Scotland has taken the throne. With the country at war with catholic Spain, English catholics are persecuted and priests caught saying mass are punished with death. Several attempts have already been made on the new king’s life. All so far have failed. But deep in the heart of the Warwickshire countryside a new plot is brewing. A plot that will become legend, and leave a mark on the country that will still be felt over 400 years later.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: UK
Duration: 59 min
Plot tags: factual, costume drama, historical drama, captivating, suspense, suspenseful, saga, period piece, period drama
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The Great Fire (2014)
Plot Summary:
An insight into what happened on the night of 2 September 1666, the Great fire of London.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 758
Genere: Drama, History
Country: UK
Duration:
Plot tags: serious, realistic, captivating, period piece, costume drama, historical drama, period drama
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Jamestown (2017)
Plot Summary:
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.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, suspense, realistic, costume drama, disturbing, historical drama, period piece, captivating, melancholic, period drama
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Saints & Strangers (2015)
Plot Summary:
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.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 192 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, suspenseful, disturbing, educational, historical drama, period drama
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The Devil's Whore (2008)
Plot Summary:
Set between the years 1642 and 1660, "The Devil's Whore" charts the progress of the English Civil War through the eyes of the a 17 year old girl, the fictional Angelica Fanshawe.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Adventure, Drama, Romance, War
Country: UK, South Africa
Duration: 189 min
Plot tags: historical drama, serious, epic, captivating, realistic, stylized, costume drama, political, sitcom, period piece
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Charles II: The Power and The Passion (2003)
Plot Summary:
The chronicle of Charles II's time on the throne, his 10 year exile from Oliver Cromwell's England, and his triumphant return.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 235 min
Plot tags: historical drama, epic, serious, realistic, costume drama, political, period piece, period drama, baroque, weird
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War & Peace (1972)
Plot Summary:
The classic BBC dramatisation of Tolstoy's epic story of love and loss set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars. Anthony Hopkins heads the cast as Pierre Bezuhov (a role for which he won the 1972 Best Actor BAFTA); Morag Hood is the impulsive and beautiful Natasha Rostova; Alan Dobie is the dour but heroic Andrei Bolkonsky; and David Swift is Napoleon, whose decision to invade Russia in 1812 has far-reaching consequences for Pierre and the Rostov and Bolkonsky families. The twenty-part serial was the vision of producer David Conroy whose principle aim was to transfer the rich characterisation and incident from Tolstoy's greatest novel to a television drama. Scripted by Jack Pulman and directed by John Davies, Conroy's War And Peace boasts superb acting, award-winning design (1972 Best Design BAFTA) and breathtaking battle sequences which were filmed in former Yugoslavia.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 716
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: UK
Duration: 890 min
Plot tags: fairy tale, costume drama, historical drama, exciting, intellectual, epic, serious, realistic, contemplative, period drama
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New Worlds (2014)
Plot Summary:
The 1680s bring a new king, Restoration and more tyranny. In Massachusetts, a robber's son falls for an anti-monarchist. In England, young lady falls for an outlaw.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: UK
Duration:
Plot tags: captivating, emotional, realistic, tense, psychological, costume drama, historical drama, serious, stylized, period drama
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Edward the King (1975)
Plot Summary:
Edward the Seventh is a 1975 television drama series, made by ATV in 13 episodes. Based on the biography of Edward VII by Philip Magnus, it starred Timothy West as the elder Edward VII and Simon Gipps-Kent and Charles Sturridge as Edward in his youth, Annette Crosbie as Queen Victoria, Deborah Grant and Helen Ryan as Queen Alexandra, Robert Hardy as the Prince Consort, Alison Leggatt as the Duchess of Kent, and Felicity Kendal as Princess Vicky. It was directed by John Gorrie, who wrote episodes 7-10 with David Butler writing the remainder of the series. The series also featured John Gielgud as Benjamin Disraeli, Michael Hordern as William Ewart Gladstone, Harry Andrews as young Edward's tutor Colonel Bruce, Jane Lapotaire as Empress Marie of Russia, Christopher Neame as Kaiser Wilhelm II and, in one of his earliest roles, Charles Dance as Edward's eldest son Eddy, who died at the age of 28. Gielgud previously played Disraeli in the 1941 film The Prime Minister. The actresses playing Edward's mistresses include Moira Redmond as Alice Keppel and Carolyn Seymour as Daisy Greville. Francesca Annis was featured in two episodes as Lillie Langtry which led to Butler writing a full series about Mrs Langtry's life for Annis to star in, Lillie.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 539
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: UK
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: costume drama, historical drama, epic, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic, saga, gloomy, period drama
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Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years (1981)
Plot Summary:
Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years is an 8-part 1981 drama serial based on the life of Winston Churchill, and particularly his years in enforced exile from political position during the 1920s and 30s. It was written and directed by Ferdinand Fairfax and Churchill was played by Robert Hardy. Hardy's brilliant performance as Churchill won critical acclaim and a BAFTA award in 1982. He reprised the role in The Sittaford Mystery, Bomber Harris and War and Remembrance and at the 50th anniversary celebrations of the end of World War II in 1995 when he quoted a number of Churchill's wartime speeches in character.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 330
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: historical drama, period drama
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The First Churchills (1969)
Plot Summary:
Based on Winston Churchill's biography of his ancestors.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 261
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance, War
Country: UK
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: historical drama, epic, serious, captivating, realistic, stylized, period drama
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Louis, the Child King (1993)
Plot Summary:
History buffs will glory in the riches of Louis, Enfant Roi, others will perhaps find this complex story of intrigues and betrayals in the court of the young king tough sledding. When Louis the Fourteenth (1638-1715) was born, the power of government was shared between the monarchy, the church, the nobility, and the Parlement. His predecessor had greatly centralized the powers of government following the advice of Cardinal Richelieu. Louis XIV (often called "The Sun King" for the brilliance of his rule) followed the advice of Richelieu's successor, Cardinal Mazarin (Paolo Graziosi), and brought the powers of government under the sole sway of the monarch. He expanded the territory and influence of France in a series of wars throughout his reign. How he came to be so autocratic and ruthless both personally and politically is the subject of this biographical drama.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 293
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: France
Duration: 160 min
Plot tags: historical drama, baroque, period drama
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Richard II (1978)
Plot Summary:
Richard II, who ascended the throne as a child, is a regal and stately monarch. He believes he is the rightful ruler of England, ordained by God, yet he is a weak and ineffective king - wasteful in his spending habits, unwise in his choise of chansellors, and detached from his country and its people. When he seizes the land of his cousin Henry Bolingbroke, both the commoners and the barons decide that their king has gone too far.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 317
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 158 min
Plot tags:
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To Kill a King (2003)
Plot Summary:
A recounting of the relationship between General Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell, as they try to cope with the consequences of deposing King Charles I.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: UK, Germany
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: clever, captivating, talky, serious, realistic, costume drama, epic, political, historical drama, period drama
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Gunpowder, Treason & Plot (2004)
Plot Summary:
A BBC miniseries based loosely on the lives of Mary, Queen of Scots, and her son James I of England.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: UK
Duration: 205 min
Plot tags: historical drama, serious, captivating, realistic, political, period piece, costume drama, period drama, baroque, weird
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Aristocrats (1999)
Plot Summary:
Based on a true story, Aristocrats draws back the curtain on an 18th century English family near the summit of society, revealing a tapestry of romance, prejudice, infidelity, and revolution.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, History
Country: UK, Ireland, USA
Duration: 300 min
Plot tags: period piece, captivating, serious, historical drama, realistic, stylized, costume drama, romantic drama, historical romance, period drama
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The Hollow Crown (2012)
Plot Summary:
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.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, History, War
Country: UK
Duration: 150 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, historical drama, epic, stylized, harsh, costume drama, funny, political, anthology
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Versailles (2015)
Plot Summary:
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.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, Romance, War
Country: France, Canada
Duration: 52 min
Plot tags: captivating, costume drama, historical drama, realistic, serious, political, period piece, erotic, educational, sensual
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The White Princess (2017)
Plot Summary:
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.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Drama, History, Romance, War
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: costume drama, historical drama, stylized, atmospheric, captivating, disturbing, exciting, anime, period piece, period drama
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The Pillars of the Earth (2010)
Plot Summary:
The Pillars of the Earth is an eight-part 2010 TV miniseries, adapted from Ken Follett's novel of the same name.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 33000
Genere: Drama, Romance, Thriller, War
Country: Germany, Canada, UK, Hungary
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: captivating, atmospheric, costume drama, historical drama, realistic, unusual plot structure, intense, visually appealing, serious, dramatic
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The Tudors (2007)
Plot Summary:
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.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 80000
Genere: Drama, History, Romance, War
Country: Ireland, Canada, USA, UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: stylized, captivating, serious, historical drama, soap opera, realistic, sexual, costume drama, period piece, sexy
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The White Queen (2013)
Plot Summary:
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.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 31000
Genere: Drama, History, Romance, War
Country: UK, France
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: historical drama, captivating, stylized, serious, costume drama, erotic, political, suspense, period piece, fairy tale
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The Last Kingdom (2015)
Plot Summary:
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.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 161000
Genere: Action, Drama, History
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, captivating, epic, stylized, realistic, costume drama, historical drama, tense, brutal
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Cromwell (1970)
Plot Summary:
Disgusted with the policies of King Charles I, Oliver Cromwell plans to take his family to the New World. But on the eve of their departure, Cromwell is drawn into the tangled web of religion and politics that will result in the English Civil War.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 139 min
Plot tags: epic, realistic, factual, talky, serious, stylized, period piece, sincere, captivating, contemplative
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Peter the Great (1986)
Plot Summary:
This is the story of Peter I, Tsar of Russia from 1682, and the constant struggle between him, his sister Sophia and the Streltsy, an important Russian military corp. The story depicts the efforts of Peter in transforming Russia in an "all European" country, importing scientists, costumes, technology and military tactics.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 793
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: USA
Duration: 371 min
Plot tags: historical drama, atmospheric, serious, captivating, realistic, period piece, costume drama, baroque, vintage, period drama
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Wolf Hall (2015)
Plot Summary:
England in the 1520s is a heartbeat from disaster. If the King dies without a male heir, the country could be destroyed by civil war. Henry VIII wants to annul his marriage of twenty years and marry Anne Boleyn. The Pope and most of Europe oppose him. Into this impass steps Thomas Cromwell: a wholly original man, a charmer, and a bully, both idealist and opportunist, astute in reading people, and implacable in his ambition. But Henry is volatile: one day tender, one day murderous. Cromwell helps him break the opposition, but what will be the price of his triumph?.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK
Duration: 360 min
Plot tags: historical drama, serious, captivating, period piece, costume drama, stylized, suspense, factual, political, educational