Medieval films are one of the few types of movies that can really take people back in time. When you want to learn about the past, these films are fun and interesting. You can learn about castles and countries, the romance of heroes, and the clash of swords on the battlefield. The best Middle Ages pictures ever made are on this page. Every single one is a work of art in its own right.
Here in this post, we will share info about the 8 Best Medieval Movies of All Time.
1. Braveheart (1995)
Mel Gibson directed and starred in the major hit historical film “Braveheart” in 1995. The movie is about William Wallace, a Scottish hero who led an uprising against the harsh English government in the late 1300s during the First War of Scottish Independence.
William is a child at the start of the story when he sees English troops kill his father and brother. As Wallace gets older, he leaves his hamlet and travels around Europe, where he learns more about the war. When he finally gets back to Scotland, he leads a revolt against the English because they are making life hard for the Scots by having strict rules and high taxes.
Wallace is a good fighter and a nice person, so the different Scottish clans work together to fight for freedom. The Scots were proud of their country because he won battles against the English, such as the Battle of Stirling Bridge. Catherine McCormack plays Murron MacClannough, and Wallace falls in love with her along the way. They marry in secret.
But Wallace was a threat to the English throne because he was smart and well-liked. King Edward I of England is played by Patrick McGoohan. His daughter-in-law Princess Isabella is played by Sophie Marceau. They are sent to talk to Wallace about a deal. Wallace is found, put on trial, and killed very badly after being lied to during the talks.
Wallace is no longer alive, but his call for the Scots to join the fight for independence goes on. A lot of the movie is about giving up things to fight for freedom and having the unshakable determination to do so. Reviewers gave the movie “Braveheart” many good points for its epic scope, strong plot, and great acting. Plus, Mel Gibson won the Best Director award along with the Best Picture award in 1996.
2. Gladiator (2000)
Ridley Scott directed the big historical drama movie “Gladiator” that came out in 2000. The story is about Maximus Decimus Meridius, who is played by Russell Crowe. It takes place in Rome in the past. Maximus is a loyal general in the Roman army, but Commodus, Emperor Marcus Aurelius’s lustful and dishonest son, betrays him.
At the start of the movie, Maximus beats the Germanic groups in fight. Maximus finds out after the fight that Marcus Aurelius wants to make him emperor instead of his own son Commodus. What does Commodus, played by Joaquin Phoenix, do when he finds out? He kills his father to take the throne. Maximus is killed because he wouldn’t swear allegiance to Commodus after another general duped him.
Maximus gets away, but when he gets back home, Commodus’s men have killed his family. Max was caught and bought as a slave. He learns how to be a fighter and is known for being brave and skilled in the ring. The gladiator fights happened while Maximus was getting back at Commodus.
Once Commodus is in charge, he has to fight his fears and insecurity. People who don’t like his harsh rules are turning against him more and more, but he falls in love with his sister Lucilla, played by Connie Nielsen.
The bad people in Rome see Maximus as a sign of hope as he gets better in the ring. At the end of the movie, Commodus and Maximus have their last fight in the Colosseum. This fight brings justice and payback to a head.
Reviewers from all over the world loved “Gladiator” because it had a great story, great acting, and amazing graphics that showed Rome as it really was. Russell Crowe won the Oscar for Best Actor for his part as Maximus. The movie won six Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for Ridley Scott.
3. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)
The films in “The Lord of the Rings” series are based on the famous fiction books by J.R.R. Tolkien. “The Fellowship of the Ring” (2001), “The Two Towers” (2002), and “The Return of the King” (2003) make it up. Between 2001 and 2003, they came out. The three books can be summed up like this:
Sauron, the evil lord, wants the One Ring, which is very strong and could rule all of Middle-earth. This is what 2001’s The Fellowship of the Ring is all about. He finds the ring and is played by Ezra Miller as the elf Frodo Baggins. To keep Sauron from getting the ring, Frodo takes a dangerous trip to Mount Doom, which is the only place where it can be broken. Gimli (John Rhys-Davies), Gandalf (Ian McKellen), Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), and some other interesting people join him. The Fellowship of the Ring is made up of these people.
When Boromir (Sean Bean) betrays the Fellowship, they are split up. Frodo goes to Mount Doom with his loyal friend Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin). The other Fellowship members are having a lot of different kinds of problems at the same time. The Ents are really old animals that look like trees, and Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd) become friends with them. At the same time, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli defend Rohan against Saruman’s (Christopher Lee) troops with the people of Rohan. The big fight at Helm’s Deep takes up most of the movie.
The Return of the King, which came out in 2003, was the last part of the quest to destroy the One Ring. Things go wrong for Frodo and Sam as they get closer to Mount Doom. The good guys are getting ready for their last fight with Sauron’s army at the same time. As the true heir to Gondor’s throne, Aragorn has to accept what will happen. Some of the other characters also have problems, both by themselves and with other people. At the movie’s end, the big Battle of Pelennor Fields and the important Battle at Mount Doom decide what will happen to Middle-earth.
Many people really liked the show because it accurately re-created Tolkien’s writing, had great acting, and used the most up-to-date special effects. “The Return of the King” shared the record for most wins by a single movie with 11 points. It won 11 awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Peter Jackson.
4. Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
The big historical drama film “Kingdom of Heaven” came out in 2005. Ridley Scott directed it. The story takes place in the 1100s, during the Crusades, and is about Balian of Ibelin, played by Orlando Bloom, who has to deal with the tough political and religious situations of the time. This is how I’ll sum up the show:
At the start of the movie, Balian’s wife kills herself, which makes him quit his job as a blacksmith in France and go to Jerusalem to make things right. There, in Jerusalem, he learns that he is the father of Baron Godfrey of Ibelin, played by Liam Neeson, a prince who is involved in the chaos in the Holy Land’s government.
Not long after, Balian joined the fight between Muslims and Christians over who should rule Jerusalem. People know him for how brave and honourable he is in war. When things start to get worse, Edward Norton plays King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem, who is a leper. He tries to keep the peace by negotiating. He wants to help Guy de Lusignan, played by Marton Csokas, and his sister Sibylla, played by Eva Green.
In a world full of political drama, it’s hard for Balian to love Princess Sibylla and protect the city and its people at the same time. There is a very important fight at the end of the movie called the Fight of Hattin. It determines the future of Jerusalem.
The movie “Kingdom of Heaven” is about being a gentleman, being tolerant of other religions, and why war is pointless. People had different thoughts about the movie when it first came out. There were people who liked how big and well it was made and people who said it was wrong about many historical facts. The director, Ridley Scott, later put out a version called the “director’s cut,” which was praised for having a longer and better story. Brent Gleeson, David Thewlis, Ghassan Massoud, and Jeremy Irons are some of the stars who play different parts in the movie.
5. A Knight’s Tale (2001)
If you remember, Brian Helgeland’s comedy-action movie “A Knight’s Tale” was set in the Middle Ages as well. There is a mix of action, comedy, and romance in the movie, and the music is modern rock. This is how I’ll sum up the show:
William Thatcher, a farmer played by Hugh Ledger, wants to become a knight in the story. It takes place in Europe in the Middle Ages. It helps William get what he wants that his boss has died. Besides acting like a prince, he takes over for his late boss and jousts with his friends Wat (Alan Tudyk) and Roland (Mark Addy).
As William competes in different games, he meets both friends and foes. This movie’s main bad guy is Count Adhemar, played by Rufus Sewell. He is a proud and skilled knight who can see how good William is. Count Adhemar and William are both interested in Lady Jocelyn, played by Shanna Sossamon. William meets Lady Jocelyn and falls in love with her.
William hopes that Paul Bettany’s fake version of the famous author Geoffrey Chaucer will help him keep up his lie and keep up with the other contestants. Chaucer leads William to the games and greets him in a fancy but out-of-date way while William is away.
William has trouble on and off the pitch when the games get harder. Count Adhemar is challenged by William to a fight at the grand jousting match for love and honour as the movie goes on. In the end, people find out William’s real name, but not before they admire him for being brave and skilled.
“A Knight’s Tale” is known for its unique mix of modern and mediaeval elements, but its soundtrack, which includes great rock songs, is what the movie is really known for. People liked the movie because it was funny, had a great lead performance by Heath Ledger, and was just plain fun to watch.
6. Ironclad (2011)
Jonathan English directed the action-adventure movie “Ironclad” in 2011. Movie is set in England in the Middle Ages and is based on real events that happened around the time the Magna Carta was signed. This is how I’ll sum up the show:
The story takes place in 1215, one year after the Magna Carta was signed by King John (Paul Giamatti). This is a piece of paper that limits the king’s power and gives the lords some rights. It’s not what King John wants, though, so he needs the Pope’s help to get rid of it. To get back at the queen, a group of angry lords, led by Baron William de Albany played by Brian Cox, decide to fight.
The main character in “Ironclad” is Thomas Marshall, who is played by James Purefoy. As a Templar Knight, he joins the rise of the barons. Some rogue lords move into Rochester Castle, a very important fortress, and get ready for King John’s army to attack. The king’s army is coming at Thomas and the other fighters, but they need to stay strong.
To protect Rochester Castle, the people who are there have to deal with both King John’s strong army and Baron Albany’s betrayal. As the siege gets worse, the fighters, led by Becket, played by Paul Giamatti, have to deal with tough situations and fight bloody battles.
The movie shows defensive moves, hand-to-hand fighting, and the hard times the castle guards had to go through to show how grim and violent mediaeval war was. History is used to set the exciting action scenes, which take place during the signing of the Magna Carta.
Some reviewers liked “Ironclad” because of its action scenes and historical setting, but others didn’t like how the characters changed or how it lied about history. The movie has James Purefoy, Brian Cox, Paul Giamatti, Kate Mara, and Derek Jacobi in it.
7. The Name of the Rose (1986)
The 1986 thriller “The Name of the Rose” is based on the same-named book by Umberto Eco. Jean-Jacques Annaud was in charge of making it. Stephen Fry plays William of Baskerville, a Franciscan monk, in this movie set in the 1400s. A novice for William, Adso of Melk, is played by Christian Slater. The movie is an interesting mix of detective fiction, religious and philosophical study, and dramas set in the past. This is a summary of the movie:
In order to talk about ideas, Adso and William of Baskerville visit a Benedictine convent in the Italian Alps. But they are quickly linked to a bunch of deaths that no one can figure out. William, who is known for being able to quickly figure things out, is asked to look into how several monks died in strange ways.
There is a lot of political and moral trouble in the order. There are fights over books that aren’t proper, and the Franciscans and the Papacy don’t get along. Many books that are against the law and forbidden can be found in the abbey library. This seems to have something to do with the killings. William has to quickly finish his study in order to figure out what’s going on before more people die.
The movie deals with tough questions of faith, knowledge, and power while the Inquisition keeps an eye on everything. There are a lot of complicated politics going on in the convent, and William keeps running into people who don’t want the truth to come out. Adso is also growing up at the same time, and the things and people around him are affecting his growth.
We find out the terrible truth about the deaths and the library’s secret in the end. At the end of the movie, we see how information cost people their lives and how power struggled in the Middle Ages Church.
The acting in “The Name of the Rose” was good, the story was interesting, and there were issues that made people think. A lot of people liked how Sean Connery played William of Baskerville. The movie does a great job of capturing the mood of the Middle Ages by using real historical events and stories.
8. The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999)
A movie about history called “The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc” was made by Luc Besson and came out in 1999. Joan of Arc was a French military leader and hero who helped England and France work together during the Hundred Years’ War. The movie is based on her story. This is how I’ll sum up the show:
Milla Jovovich plays a young Joan of Arc at the beginning of the story. She thinks that the sounds and dreams she hears are from angels and saints. It became clear to Joan that her spiritual duty was to help Dauphin Charles (John Malkovich) take back the French throne from the English. She left her town and went to the Dauphin’s court.
Some people around Joan are against her, but Charles and his military leaders are won over by her strong beliefs and useful lessons. She did a lot of important things as head of the French army. Getting rid of the siege of Orléans was one of them. This made the troops happy.
As Joan’s power grows, she has to deal with political and religious intrigue. Both her enemies and her friends begin to doubt her honest aims. She had a strong faith, and the movie shows how hard it was for women to live in the Middle Ages, when men were in charge.
The Burgundians catch Joan, though, and sell her to the English because she is so good at fighting. The Catholic Church listens to her because they believe she is a witch or a sinner. Because they see Joan as a threat, someone sets up the meeting so that she will be burned at the stake.
“The Messenger” shows Joan’s trial, jail time, and death, with a focus on how unfair and terrible things were for her. At the end of the movie, we learn about Joan’s important role in history and how the Catholic Church finally made her a saint.
The reviews for “The Messenger” were mixed when it came out, but Milla Jovovich’s role as Joan of Arc got good reviews. People love the movie because it shows Joan’s life in a lively and moving way. It also talks about power, faith, and gender roles in Europe in the Middle Ages.
A Look at a Lot of Different Mediaeval Movies
These great old films show both the good and bad things about the Middle Ages. They also show how flexible the style is. There is something timeless about Mediaeval movies that all of these movies add to. It doesn’t matter if they are based on real events, made up worlds, or new ways of telling stories. People are still interested in these films because they have brave stories, big fights, and themes that will never go out of style. Right now, watch the top five mediaeval flicks.