From Arthurian legends to Viking raids: 10 best medieval TV shows with knights

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms adapts George RR Martin’s Dunk and Egg novellas, set several decades before the events of Game of Thrones. The series follows Ser Duncan the Tall, known as Dunk (Peter Claffey), a travelling hedge knight of modest birth, and his young squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), whose true identity carries significant political weight within the Targaryen dynasty.

As Dunk moves across Westeros, the narrative focuses on the precarious life of a knight without powerful backing. Jousts, trial by combat and regional disputes place him in direct contact with rival lords and established houses, forcing him to negotiate honour, survival and loyalty in a rigid feudal hierarchy. By concentrating on local conflicts rather than continent-wide war, the series offers a grounded examination of knighthood and social mobility within Martin’s larger medieval-inspired world.

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Medici traces the consolidation of power by the Medici family in 15th-century Florence, beginning with Giovanni de’ Medici (Dustin Hoffman) and focusing on his son Cosimo de’ Medici (Richard Madden). As Cosimo expands the family’s banking empire, he must navigate rival factions within the city, particularly the Albizzi family led by Rinaldo degli Albizzi (Lex Shrapnel).

Lorenzo de’ Medici (Daniel Sharman), in later seasons, inherits a city shaped by financial leverage and political calculation. Although the series foregrounds commerce and patronage, it also depicts the role of mercenary commanders and armed conflict in maintaining influence across the Italian states. Military campaigns, papal alliances and shifting civic loyalties underscore how wealth, force and diplomacy operated together in late medieval Italy.

Based on Bernard Cornwell’s Saxon Stories novels, The Last Kingdom centres on Uhtred of Bebbanburg (Alexander Dreymon), a Saxon nobleman raised by Danes after his family is killed during Viking raids. Torn between two identities, Uhtred moves between Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and Danish war bands, pledging and breaking oaths in a landscape defined by shifting alliances. King Alfred of Wessex (David Dawson) emerges as a pivotal figure, portrayed as a devout and strategic ruler determined to resist Danish expansion and lay the groundwork for a unified England. Supporting figures such as Aethelflaed of Mercia (Millie Brady) and King Edward (Timothy Innes) further anchor the political consolidation that follows Alfred’s reign.

Set in the ninth and early tenth centuries, the series predates the fully codified chivalric system associated with later medieval knights. Instead, it depicts shield walls, fortified burhs and the practical realities of early medieval warfare. Court councils, land grants and sworn loyalty shape the narrative as much as battlefield encounters. By aligning Uhtred’s personal ambitions with documented campaigns against the Great Heathen Army, the series situates private vendettas within the broader formation of an English kingdom, securing its place among the best medieval TV shows grounded in early British history.

Camelot reinterprets the Arthurian legend through a political lens, beginning with the death of King Uther and the contested succession that follows. Arthur (Jamie Campbell Bower, Stranger Things) is introduced as an inexperienced young man raised away from court, who is suddenly drawn into a power struggle for the throne. His half-sister Morgan (Eva Green) positions herself as a rival claimant, using alliances and strategic marriages to consolidate support.

Merlin (Joseph Fiennes) operates as a calculating adviser rather than a purely mystical guide, shaping events behind the scenes to secure what he views as a stable future for the kingdom. Knights such as Leontes (Philip Winchester) and Kay (Peter Mooney) embody competing interpretations of loyalty and honour within an unstable court.

Tournaments, battlefield confrontations and shifting allegiances frame the series’ depiction of Camelot as a fragile political experiment rather than an idealised realm. Drawing on medieval romance sources, the show foregrounds the tension between personal ambition and public duty, situating chivalry within the realities of dynastic power.

Adapted from Ken Follett’s historical novel, The Pillars of the Earth unfolds in 12th-century England during the civil war known as the Anarchy, when rival claimants Stephen and Empress Matilda contested the throne. The narrative is anchored in the fictional town of Kingsbridge, where the ambitious prior Philip (Matthew Macfadyen) seeks to build a grand cathedral as both a spiritual and economic centre.

Tom Builder (Rufus Sewell), a skilled mason, becomes central to the cathedral’s construction, while Aliena (Hayley Atwell), the daughter of a disgraced nobleman, navigates the collapse of her family’s fortunes. Political instability is embodied by figures such as King Stephen (Tony Curran) and the calculating Bishop Waleran Bigod (Ian McShane), whose manoeuvres shape the fate of both crown and church.

As feudal lords raise armies and fortify castles, the series situates warfare, land ownership and ecclesiastical authority within a single framework. Sieges and shifting allegiances directly affect trade, labour and patronage, demonstrating how architecture, religion and armed conflict were inseparable in medieval governance.

Merlin reworks the Arthurian legend by imagining Merlin (Colin Morgan) as a young warlock serving in the court of Camelot under Prince Arthur (Bradley James). In this version, magic is outlawed by King Uther Pendragon (Anthony Head), forcing Merlin to conceal his abilities while discreetly steering Arthur toward his future role as king. Their evolving relationship forms the emotional core of the series, reframing the traditional mentor dynamic as one built on secrecy and gradual trust.

Across five seasons, the show incorporates tournaments, border skirmishes and succession crises, while introducing figures such as Morgana (Katie McGrath) and Gwen (Angel Coulby), whose arcs reshape court alliances. Though structured for a broad audience, the series consistently returns to questions of legitimacy, prophecy and governance. By embedding folklore within a functioning royal court, it secures its place among the best medieval TV shows that balance mythic elements with political stakes.

A prequel to Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon is set nearly 200 years earlier and centres on the Targaryen dynasty at the height of its power. King Viserys I (Paddy Considine) names his daughter Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) as heir, a decision that fractures the court and fuels a succession crisis. Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), once Rhaenyra’s confidante, becomes a political rival as competing factions coalesce around their respective claims.

As the conflict escalates into the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons, figures such as Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) and Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) play decisive roles on and off the battlefield. Jousting tournaments, marriage alliances and council chambers are as consequential as dragonback warfare. While the spectacle of dragons defines the series visually, its narrative focus rests on inheritance law, sworn loyalty and the destabilising effects of dynastic ambition, securing its place among the best medieval TV shows currently shaping large-scale fantasy drama.

The Tudors traces the reign of Henry VIII (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) from his early years on the throne through his marriages and the political transformations that defined 16th-century England. The series foregrounds court intrigue, shifting alliances among nobles, and the king’s manoeuvres to assert authority over both church and state. Figures such as Thomas More (David Oakes), Thomas Cromwell (James Frain) and Cardinal Wolsey (Sam Neill) navigate the competing pressures of loyalty, ambition and religious reform, illustrating the complex web of influence around the monarch.

Knights and noblemen, including those in chivalric orders, continue to wield military and ceremonial power, enforcing feudal loyalties even as the state moves toward centralised governance. Jousts, tournaments and royal progresses serve as both spectacle and demonstration of authority. Despite being set at the cusp of the early modern period, the series preserves many medieval structures of power, positioning the interplay of martial honour, courtly duty and dynastic strategy at the heart of the narrative.

Game of Thrones adapts George RR Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novels, presenting a sprawling narrative of Westeros where noble houses vie for control of the Iron Throne. Key characters include Eddard Stark (Sean Bean), whose sense of honour clashes with the intrigues of King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy), and Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage), whose political acumen shapes shifting alliances. Knights such as Ser Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Ser Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) navigate codes of loyalty and personal morality amid brutal campaigns and courtly manoeuvres.

The series blends political intrigue, dynastic ambition and large-scale warfare, with tournaments, oaths of fealty and battlefield strategy underpinning its depiction of medieval-inspired society. Dragons and other fantastical elements accentuate the stakes but do not overshadow the human struggles for power and survival. By combining meticulously layered character arcs with epic scope, Game of Thrones set a new benchmark for scale and narrative complexity among the best medieval TV shows, influencing both fantasy and historical drama on television.

From historically grounded dramas to dragon-filled sagas, these best medieval TV shows demonstrate how adaptable the era remains for television. Knights, whether literal or symbolic, continue to anchor stories about power, loyalty and survival.

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