If you thought medieval history was all dusty chronicles and stiff kings, BBC One’s new drama King And Conqueror is here to shatter that illusion.
Premiering tonight, the show is already making waves for its shocking and bloody scenes, including a jaw-dropping moment where the future King Harold II bites off an enemy’s nose.
A Gruesome Twist on a Famous Tale
Viewers familiar with the Bayeux Tapestry know Harold as the king who met his end with an arrow through the eye at Hastings in 1066—but a nose-chomping scene isn’t part of the historical record.
English Heritage historian Dr Michael Carter notes that while this act is dramatized, it’s not entirely implausible: “To be a successful ruler in the 11th century, you would have to use psychopathic levels of violence.”
Fact Versus Fiction in Medieval Debauchery
The drama doesn’t stop at gruesome battle scenes.
In one early episode, Harold, played by James Norton, confronts his brother Sweyn (Elliot Cowan), who claims to have exercised the infamous ‘droit du seigneur’ over a peasant bride.
The legend, according to Dr Carter, is pure fiction, arising from “mistranslation of sources, and the wild imaginings of historians and antiquarians.” In reality, such acts would not have occurred.
Entertainment Trumps Accuracy
King And Conqueror prioritizes spectacle over strict historical truth.
Filmed in Iceland rather than Sussex, the show uses the country’s varied landscapes to stand in for multiple European settings from a thousand years ago.
Producers also benefit from Icelandic tax incentives, claiming up to 35 percent of production costs.
Anachronisms and Historical Missteps
Other historical details stretch credibility. The show depicts houses as half-timbered and tiled—a style that only became common much later.
Cambridge historian Professor Robert Tombs emphasizes that pre-Norman conquest people lived in simple one-room timber huts with thatched roofs.
Even Edward the Confessor, played as a half-witted religious zealot by Eddie Marsan, strays from reality.
Professor Tombs notes Edward was energetic, devoted to hunting, and maintained a bellicose temperament even after stepping down from active military command in 1052.
Coronations and Costumes Gone Awry
The drama also compresses timelines for dramatic effect.
Both Harold and William appear at Edward’s coronation glaring at each other, when in truth, William was not present and Harold would have been only a teenager.
Hairstyles are another source of historical inaccuracy: Norton is clean-shaven, while Nikolaj Coster-Waldau’s moustache is more Asterix than Anglo-Saxon.
In reality, Anglo-Saxons wore facial hair, while Normans preferred a more restrained style.
Embrace the Drama and Forget the Pedantry
Despite these liberties, experts say the show delivers plenty of excitement.
Dr Carter’s advice for viewers: “Park the pedant!” The drama may take liberties with facts, but it succeeds in bringing medieval England to life with all the blood, betrayal, and larger-than-life characters you could hope for.
