Written by Marnie Camping-Harris
Despite priding myself on being a budding historian, one of my favourite comfort television shows has always been Reign. Red flags can be seen from afar, with the series being created for The CW, a television network most notably known for producing Riverdale. Now, even though the show is classified as a historical romantic drama, it is described as following the fictional journey of young Mary, Queen of Scots, with The CW specifically calling for show creators Laurie McCarthy and Stephanie Sengupta to favour fictionalised storylines over historical accuracy – and boy did they stick to that!
In my opinion, that is what makes Reign so good! I find myself laughing at the inaccuracies, and without them I don’t think the series would have been as successful as it was. At the end of the day, Reign is a teen drama. You could pick up the characters and their dynamics, place it in a modern day high-school setting, and the concept would still work – it just wouldn’t be different or nearly as enjoyable; people certainly would not still be talking about it ten years after its premier.
So here you are, four of my favourite Reign inaccuracies, not in any specific order. There are many more than those listed below, so definitely check out the show if you’re interested, but be warned there are many spoilers in this article.
Costumes
Firstly, the costumes look like they have literally just come off the rack at some random prom dress shop. There is not an ounce of accuracy with anyone’s outfits. Don’t get me wrong, they are stunning, and you can tell some of the dresses have been so intricately made, but at the end of the day, if someone in the sixteenth century went around their day in any of them, they’d be burnt at the stake for witchcraft or heresy.
One of my favourites, is this roll neck jumper Francis and Henry wear in one episode. It looks so warm and comfy, and Francis makes full use of the Ariana Grande sleeves (if you know what I mean).
Bash
Henry II’s relationship with his mistress Diane de Poitiers is very famous and well documented, so it would seem surprising to a Reign viewer that the history books left out their illegitimate son, Sebastian. But guess what… he didn’t exist. Yes, my favourite character in Reign is completely fictitious, and not based on anyone from real life. In reality, Henry did have three illegitimate children, but none were mothered by Diane, nor were they raised at court, as depicted in Reign.
Bash (as he is mostly known) is a great character for all the storylines in Reign. He is cheeky and daring, wearing his heart on his sleeve, but is also very caring for those he loves – you can tell why he’s my favourite! Throughout Reign’s four seasons, he can be seen dealing with the pagans in the Blood Wood, being considered for the throne over his legitimate brother, but most importantly doing whatever he can for the safety and security of the realm.
This is ultimately my favourite inaccuracy, as the show would not be the same without him.
Mary’s Ladies-in-Waiting
When I first watched the series, this was the moment where I openly cackled: Mary’s ladies in waiting are called Greer, Aylee, Lola, and Kenna.
Parallels can be drawn here between these four characters and their real counterparts, as Mary, Queen of Scots did famously have four ladies in waiting who went to France with her as an infant. However, what makes this part of Mary’s life so notable is the fact that they were all called Mary as well; known in history as ‘The Four Marys’.
Specific parallels have been made between each lady by ‘Reign Wiki’; however, the way these have been made I question, as ultimately the lives of each of ‘The Four Marys’ is very different to their counterpart’s storylines. Therefore, I stress that they are loosely based. Kenna is based on Mary Livingston, Lola on Mary Fleming, Aylee on Mary Seton, and Greer on Mary Beaton.
By the end of the show, Greer is the last lady in waiting left with Mary. Aylee died in the first season after being pushed down a flight of stairs. Kenna, at first, becomes Henry’s mistress, but eventually is forced to marry Bash; her storyline ends when she is shipped off after becoming pregnant with another man’s child, as a traitor at that. Lola has an affair with Francis and gives birth to his illegitimate son, John; she marries twice, but somehow ends up at the English court and is eventually beheaded for treason by Elizabeth I while her husband is forced to watch. Greer, known as the one with no title but a lot of money, is constantly on the hunt for a noble husband. Despite this, she falls in love with Leith, a kitchen boy, as well as a pirate with whom she has a daughter. She does marry a lord, but they become estranged when he turns out to be a Protestant, and Greer then opens a brothel! However, like I said before, Greer is the last one standing and stays by Mary’s side right up until the end.
Mary & Francis
Finally, at the forefront of Reign is the love story of Mary and Francis. Yet, as you can imagine by now, what is depicted in the show is far from the historical truth.
To contrary belief, Mary was not raised in a convent in France, where in the first episode she is shown playing football with the nuns (another cackle moment of mine), but at French court and in the royal nursery alongside Francis. This meant that there was no awe-inspiring meeting of the two, no beautiful reunion of the intended, or realisation that their betrothed was actually rather good looking.
Moreover, due to being raised at court, there was also no question over whether the two would actually marry. This is a key storyline of the first season, with Mary entertaining other suitors like Tomas of Portugal or even (my favourite) Bash.
On top of this, Reign depicts Mary and Francis as being well and truly in love. Now, historians can’t outrightly say that they weren’t, just that the show makes their relationship seem more than it really was. Yes, Mary and Francis were raised alongside together, meaning that they would have been rather close friends, but they were married at quite a young age, thirteen and fourteen, and it lasted just under two years. The portrayal of their relationship in Reign is one of passion and deep love, something that historians doubt described their real one. Nevertheless, the real Mary was reported as being grief-stricken when Francis died of an ear infection, at the young age of sixteen.
This is another thing that Reign decides to fictionalise. In the second series, Francis becomes ill and does develop an ear infection that kills him. But you guessed it, he is revived, and by none other than Bash’s pagan lover Delphine, who works her literal magic on Francis to bring him back to life. Francis does still die, however, but this time his head is bashed into the ground by assassins as Mary is forced to watch, and this time Delphine is not there to revive him.
Ultimately, their relationship is at the heart of Reign, and the show makes sure this is clear by the final episode, with their depiction of Mary waking up in heaven, where Francis has been waiting for her.
As soppy as it all sounds, Reign is my ultimate comfort show. I have warmed to the characters over my constant re-watching, and some of the storylines still make my draw drop to the floor with how hilariously inaccurate they are.
Despite this, I must say that Reign never claimed to be anything but fictional; therefore, to the people who are actually offended at the show, I say… get a life!
Featured image credit: “Toby Regbo & Adelaide Kane” by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Retrospect Journal 