Why Historical Accuracy Matters
11th May 2026 by | Uncategorized
Why Historical Accuracy Matters
‘One of the dangers of historical fiction, podcasts, and television dramas is that many people naturally assume what they are hearing is accurate.’
I recently read a historical novel — later turned into a film — where Catherine Parr says:
‘ I do hope Thomas Seymour will not end up with his head on a pike on Tower Bridge.’
The problem?
Tower Bridge did not exist in Tudor England.
It was opened in 1894 — more than 340 years after Thomas Seymour lost his head.
In Tudor London, traitors’ heads were displayed on London Bridge, not Tower Bridge. In 1540, there was only one bridge, and that was London Bridge over our beloved river Thames.
Now, some people might say:
‘Does it really matter?’
Personally, I think it does.
As writers, podcasters, and historians, we have a responsibility to give readers and listeners the best information possible. Of course, historical fiction will always contain imagination, emotion, and reconstructed dialogue — it should — but basic historical facts matter.
Because many people do not have time to read twenty academic books on the Tudors. They learn history through novels, podcasts, television series, documentaries, and social media posts.
Which means inaccuracies can quietly become accepted as truth.
I think this is especially important today, when historical content is everywhere online. There is enormous pressure to produce constant material, endless podcasts, endless videos, endless ‘shocking revelations’. Sometimes quantity overtakes research.
And history deserves better than that. We deserve better than that.
If we are going to bring the past alive for modern audiences, then we should also respect it enough to get the fundamentals right.
Gemma
‘The past is never silent’
www.murderinthetower.london
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Thank you for reading my posts.
Author of
The Reflection in the Mirror
and
The Wolf of Whitehall
www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GWD8P3VC
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