Outlander
Summary
Outlanderoffers fiction based on historical events , but theOutlanderhistorical accuracy is n’t always right . The show gives fans love affair as the main attractor , but it also has legal action , dramatic event , incredible performing and writing , and much more . The expert part is thatOutlander’shistorical truth remains strong despite being study fantasy / historic fabrication . However , because it is a fancied show , sure things are not historically accurate . These moments are hard to overlook , earn viewers wonder if it was a purposeful mistake for creative purpose or if the show dropped the ball .
Starz unloose the second one-half ofOutlander ’s last eighth seasonat the end of 2024 , and it brings a level of upheaval for fans of the time - travel diachronic fantasy , as well as a sensation of compunction that the end is nigh . Throughout the serial publication , Outlander’shistorical truth helped school fans about the past while entertaining them with high-pitched battles and intense romance . However , at the same time , those fan who bed a moment about the past often point out the moments where the show veers by from historical truth and becomes mostly fictionalin its re - telling of the warfare and conflict of the time .
Starz has allow fans with plenty of televisual gems over the years . From Boss to Spartacus , these are Starz honorable shows .
Things In Outlander That Are Historically Accurate
The Castles Are Real Castles
The castles shown inOutlanderare not CGI instauration , miniature , or built stages , and they are also not creations in Hollywood or other shot locations . These are actual - life castles with a great history of their own . Castle Leoch is a prominent castling shown throughout the series as the home to Jamie ’s Uncle , Colum Mackenzie , and his kin group .
The knightly castle is really known as Doune Castle in Perthshireand was built in the late fourteenth centuryby Robert Stewart , the Duke of Albany . Another notable castle from the show is Blackness Castle , but fan ofOutlanderknow it better as the infamous Fort William .
This castle was the mise en scene for Black Jack Randall ’s main headquarters in the series . In real life , Blackness Castle is an outmoded - artillery fortress and a 15th - hundred wonder of a castle built for the Crichtons , one of Scotland ’s most powerful families .
Original SR Image by Shawn Lealos
The Battle Of Culloden Really Happened
The Battle of Culloden was a pivotal point in the serial and in account . Bonnie Prince Charlie top the Jacobites into the ill-famed battle , which end many Scots ' lives that day . The conflict take on place on April 16 , 1746 , and end with the British government power commanded by the Duke of Cumberland soundly defeat it . The Battle of Culloden hold up less than an hour and end the 1745 uprising on the spot .
The wayOutlanderportrayed the Battle of Culloden was historically precise , aside from the fictional characters participating in the war . It was a blinking combat that the Jacobites quickly lost . The clans forever changed after this battle and never returned to how they were before the war . Much like the show , no one ever heard from the Bonnie Prince again once he flee .
There Actually Was A Fraser Soldier Who Survived The Battle Of Culloden
That Quran describes an history where " 19 wounded Jacobites hide in a farmhouse after the battle . " They were all carry out after two days under the command of the Red Coats . One man survived the walloping , " a Fraser of the Master of Lovat ’s regiment , who survived the slaughter . “Gabaldon allege that she chose the name " Jamie " based on aDr . Whocharacter who have her to use Scotland as a setting . She then said that since a " Fraser of the Master of Lovet ’s regiment " survived the carnage , her fiber should be Jamie Fraser .
Women Really Were Treated As Property
Things werenot so great for adult female in eighteenth - century Scotland . People did n’t even take care at women as second - socio-economic class citizen , and everyone catch them as valet ’s dimension . At that time in Scotland , women be in a patriarchal guild , andmen had total authority over woman . A married woman remains under the governance of her hubby as long as he is live and lives under the virtues of chastity and respect to her husband . Only in noble company did char become successful after their husbands ' deaths .
There were plenty of example of this inOutlander , include one early in Jamie and Claire ’s relationship . Jamie decided that , as her hubby , it was his " responsibility " to penalise Claire for her behavior , which led to her seizure by Red Coats . Claire eventually show him they should be partners rather than Jamie being in charge of Claire . Most men of that time would not have agree to these fortune .
Their Portrayal Of Healers
In rural Scotland in the 18th century , there were few medical discussion options , and there was small knowledge about medicine in general . There was also no local hospital for the Scots to go to should a problem arise . So , get a line Claire go from being a modernistic - day nurse to a therapist in Scotlandwas a lawsuit ofOutlander’shistorical truth , despite it seeming unnatural in that environs .
She adapt to the herb and natural remedies to cover different complaint the people in Scotland stand . forward-looking method of medicament did not exist during this time , so it was unbelievably exact to see the conflict Claire had in finding right treatment while still come after in her endeavor . Her achiever came from her old knowledge , her ability to adjust , and her intelligence service degree . But not everyone in that situation would be so golden .
Lord Lovat Was A Real Person
One of the more interestingOutlandercharacters was Jamie ’s oddball relative , Lord Lovat . When first introduced in season 2 , he had quite the personality . Simon Fraser , also known as the Old Fox , was an actual historical figureand the 11th Lord Lovat . OnOutlander , he is the father of Brian Fraser and grandfather of Jamie Fraser , which is how his theatrical role is interweaved in the storylines with our lead hero . He was not actually relate to Jamie Fraser in veridical life .
When looking at Scottish history , the eleventh Lord Lovat was who writer Diana Gabaldon based Simon Fraser on . harmonize to Gabaldon ( viaParade ) , she stayed very tight to his veridical personality in her portrayal of him inOutlander .
" I made no alterations to his sprightliness or persona , salve for grafting an outlawed and totally fictional subdivision onto his family Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree by making him Jamie Fraser ’s granddaddy . Given Old Simon ’s role as recorded , attributing an illegitimate son to him would in no way be role assassination . "
Outlander follows Claire Randall, a married nurse from 1945, who is transported back to 1743 Scotland. Amidst political intrigue and danger, she navigates life in the past and becomes torn between loyalty to her husband and the love for a dashing young warrior.
There Were A Lot Of Superstitions
There are several representative on the show where the Scots ' superstitions are spotlight in unlike character . Even in the pilot , Samhain was celebrated , sleep with as the Day of the Dead . Samhain is a Celtic vacation where " spirits are free to roam amongst the living . “There was also public lecture of faggot , crone , and other Highland myths . Many of these superstitions are based on pagan mythology .
The folklore that happen on the show was also extremely think by the Scots during that time period . It greatly affected their life-time and would alter their decisions if something they did n’t understand add up up . or else of figuring it out , they assumed it was some sorcery or dismal illusion that they wanted no part of . The portrayal of the highly superstitious minute on the show was an example ofOutlander’shistorical truth .
There have been several clip traveler featured in the Starz goggle box adaptation of Outlander . Here ’s every fourth dimension - traveling lineament in Outlander explain .
The Jacobites Did Defeat the British At Prestonpans
It is important to admit battle scenes in historical fiction show likeOutlandernot only for historic truth , but also for drama and action as part of the plot line . It ties everything together . One of thebest battles evince was the Battle of Prestonpans . This battle was the one the Jacobites in reality come through in , unlike the tragic Battle of Culloden .
They had the upper deal because of their staggering battle scheme of sneaking up on the enemy through the bog to their camping site in the early hours of the morning . This was a very real scheme that a Jacobite general formulate . The way the entire battle happen on the show was an fabulously naturalistic personation ofOutlander’shistorical accuracy . The original engagement go on on September 21 , 1745 , and the real battle lasted less than 30 minutes .
The Highlanders In Jamie’s Army Were Not Upper Class
During the sentence of the Jacobite Rebellion , Highlander Scots were mostly depressed class and did not have a lot of money to their name . This meant their clothes were ragged and their weaponry was svelte . If they even had any to exact as their own . When Jamie take form his army for the rebellion , his soldier from the Highlands were picture in the same way as they would have looked in the 18th century .
From their clothing to their pitchfork in hand and other small details , it is clean that these man did not come from money . They had some powerful citizenry back them , but the warrior fighting the battles were not of a high year . This was clear a working man ’s army . This attention to detail proves that both author Diana Gabaldon and the writers on the show love their chronicle very well .
The Women’s Costumes Were Spot-On For The Time
Outlandercostume designer Terry Dresbach has the phenomenal ability to recreate fashions from the time flow of the show . This even includes the fashions of specific countries in the eighteenth hundred . It turns outher recreations are topographic point - on for what women during that sentence wore- particularly the Scots ensembles the women wore .
The tight corset and extra cushioning of the pannier that Claire regularly wears are on the dot what a Scottish cleaning lady wear down in the 18th one C . It could n’t have been an easy job to tackle . In time of year 2 alone , Dresbach created over 10,000 costumes(viaHarper ’s Bazaar ) for the cast that were impeccably elaborated and convey spectator back to that time seamlessly . " The biggest affair we had to figure out was where the Hades we were going to get eighteenth - century fabric from , " Dresbach said . " There is no store that sells that , so we had to make it . "
Things In Outlander That Are Not Historically Accurate
The Witch Trial Wouldn’t Have Happened At That Time
There was some artistic licensing happening whenthe generator of theOutlanderbooks , Diana Gabaldon , write the witch trial scene in the firstOutlandernovel . It was also subsequently present in the show ’s first season . This witch run scene was when Laoghaire accused Geillis and Claire of witchcraft , mostly to get back at Claire for " steal " Jamie from her .
However , the last witch tribulation in Scotland in reality took lieu over 20 years prior , in 1727 ( viaThe Scotsman ) . In fact , a law in the 1740s made it illegal to accuse someone of being a enchantress . So , the whole storyline is all off - root for the time period . There were a slew of superstitious notion during that clip in Scotland that were historically precise , including the belief in witchcraft , but the actual witch trial were out of line and never would have happened then .
Craigh Na Dun Doesn’t Really Exist
The stand stones at Craigh Na Dun are connected to most events in the serial , from Claire going through the Harlan F. Stone the first time to the clip she attempt to make her way back to her own prison term . They played a role when she was reluctantly sent back to her time before Culloden and finally when she returned to Craigh Na Dun and reunite with Jamie . None of this would have occurred without them .
But in reality , these standing stones do n’t exist . Outlanderexecutive manufacturer Ronald D. Moore revealed that they chip at the standing Stone from styrofoam and painted the body structure to look as unquestionable as possible ( viajocobitetrail.co.uk ) . However , there are other standing stones throughout Scotland that are very similar in naturebut of form , they wouldn’tsend a person to the future , like Claire did .
People Were Not As Hygienic Back Then
On a sweepingly wild-eyed show likeOutlander , it would be hard to savor the passionate and steamy scenes if lover knew how bad everyone must have smelled . It is n’t portrayed really at all on the show , butin the 18th century , there were no toothbrush , toothpaste , or even Georgia home boy . It is only conceivable that , during that clip , everyone would be decidedly less attractive and decidedly more stench - ridden .
That may have been completely normal back then , but now it would seem sicken . This is one inaccuracythe show had to interchange to make the romantic scenes so beautiful . While the vesture was accurate for the metre , they would n’t have see anywhere as good as they do on the show , and the humankind and women would n’t have been nearly as clean with such skillful hair in the clock time the show copy .
In the historic dramatic event Outlander , Jamie and Claire utilize the term " Sassenach " . It has a very distinct meaning , but is the word historically precise ?
Things Didn’t Go Back To Normal After WWII For Some Time
Claire was a World War II nanny before she went through the stones at Craigh Na Dun . When she first appear , the war has just ended . The series depicts the war ’s ending as if everything went back to normal shortly after it end . Butit really take years for everyone involved in the warfare to revert to normal .
The sentence after World War II saw a period of unbalance . There were economical problems as the national debt exploded . crime syndicate had to reunite after the warfare , and there was a slip of decolonisation for the British territory . It was n’t until 1947 that things seemed to return to the position quo . This change to the history of that earned run average was definitely an illustration where it gain the story and what the show demand to have happen more than it was to makeOutlanderhistorically accurate .
Not Many Jacobites Carried Targes On The Battlefield
There are weapon system that either assistance in dysphemistic or defensive moves in a struggle . So when going up against the foeman on the battleground , a warrior should not only have an nauseating artillery but a defensive weapon system , as well . For the Jacobites not to have both was alarming for those who paid care . Targe is an old - English word for a shield , and during the eighteenth - century engagement the Scots fight in the Jacobite Rebellion , they used targes as their primary defense against the Red Coat ’s weaponry , let in bayonets .
However , one interesting fact about the cast ofOutlanderduring the battles was thatthere were very few serviceman on the field of view with targes , even though they were carry broadswords . The two go hand in hand if they want a luck of getting out of there alive . This was potential something the production overlooked , but it was still noticeable to looker .
Jamie’s Tartans Are The Wrong Colors
The color of Jamie ’s tartans is a significant inaccuracy inOutlander . There are two Clan Frasers , one is the highland clan - Clan Fraser of Lovat - and this is Jamie ’s clan . There is also a related to lowland Fraser family . The Fraser of Lovat ’s plaid were bold cherry-red and green in the clan ’s kilt , but they wear gray and blue tartan instead on the show . This color choice inOutlanderwas a originative costume choice but a considerable diachronic inaccuracy .
The actual Fraser clan colors might have been too showy forOutlander’ssetting and tale . However , it is left over that the production would n’t want their key fictitious character to lark exact tartan colors . Outlandercostume designer Terry Dresbach said they had to compromise because red dyestuff is expensive(viaElle Magazine ) . They used red for Prince Charles , saying , " He in reality was out on the battlefield wear that glorious red plaid . It ’s just something , is n’t it ? Dyes were unbelievably , unbelievably expensive . "
A Farmer’s Son Didn’t Give Them Their Strategy At Prestonpans - But A General Did
During an incredible scene in time of year 2 ofOutlander , Claire dissemble to be carry by the Jacobite so that Jamie can threaten her if the farmer ’s son - who grows up to be Lord John Grey - does n’t help them gain ground the battle the following day . He complies in hope of saving Claire from hurt , though she was never really in any danger in the first place .
Their strategy to go through the marshy bog and surprise their opposition ’s ingroup add up from Grey ’s selective information on the show . In realness , it was a full general in the Jacobite army who helped come up with the strategy . He had grow up in the area of Prestonpans they were headed into and knew about the bog . It was interesting to see how they changed the show ’s plot line to meliorate it , but it was historically inaccurate .
Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Idiocy Was Exaggerated
Sure , there were flock of mistakes made at the hand of Prince Charles Edward Stuart , the loss leader of the Jacobite Rebellion . The first one washe go to Scotland in pursuit of the crown with basically no U. S. Army at the ready . He , quite honestly , had no idea what he was really up against in his fight against England . He was not the good drawing card , either .
But while Andrew Gower gave a howling functioning as the Bonnie Prince onOutlander , the way of life he was written as a bumbling cretin was a bite magnified . Not all of his personality was false , buthe certainly was not as oblivious as he appear on the Starz series . Typically , when hoi polloi recollect of Prince Charlie , he ’s either idiotic or a romanticized version . But in reality , there was a middle priming with the Prince .
Outlander ’s prequel spinoff Blood of My Blood is turning the historical romance into a dealership , and there are already a ton of exciting detail .
It Wasn’t Purely England Vs. Scotland
From the way that the Jacobite Uprising played out onOutlander , it seemed as though it was only England versus all of Scotland in the show ’s war . This deepen the tension between many reference and made Claire ’s comer in Scotland as an English woman all the more frightening for the Scots . This fact is the cause why Colum and Dougal were so concerned that she was actually a spy for the English .
But historically , there were Scotchman on the side of the English rather than all Scotsmen being a part of the Jacobite Rebellion . It was mostly Highlanders who were a part of the rebellion , but even then , not all of them want a part in the war . This variety in history was another wayOutlanderraised the drama with its originative selection in the Starz serial .
Paris Would Have Had More Modern Medicine Treatments Than What Claire Used
Claire was a gifted nursemaid during WWII and became a gifted healer in the eighteenth century . But apparently , she could have had even more at her disposal when care for patient in France in season 2.When Claire went to Master Raymond ’s Apothecary while she was in Paris with Jamie , she received many herb and natural medications to serve treat Jamie and others .
It ’s worth noting that eighteenth - century France had more ripe medical treatments than those showcased on the show . Claire could have take in a lot more lawful medication to facilitate her patients . This was likely a creative choice to nurture the drama and make the medical treatments seem much more dated , but it was definitely not an example ofOutlander’shistorical accuracy concern 18th - century France . But at least her friendship with Master Raymond unfold , making the misstep all that much better .
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Outlander follows Claire Randall , a married nanny from 1945 , who is transported back to 1743 Scotland . Amidst political intrigue and danger , she navigate life story in the past and becomes torn between loyalty to her husband and the love for a dashing immature warrior .
