History ArtisticLicenseHistory / KingdomOfHeaven

* In the extended cut, Sybilla is seen teaching geography to the young Baldwin V, to whom she explains that England is currently ruled by [[UsefulNotes/RichardTheLionheart Richard I]]. In real life, England was still ruled by UsefulNotes/HenryTheSecond at that point, as Richard only reached the throne three years later.

* In the extended cut, Sybilla is seen teaching geography to the young Baldwin V, to whom she explains that England is currently ruled by Richard I. In real life, England was still ruled by Henry II at that point, as Richard only reached the throne three years later.

* When [[UsefulNotes/RichardTheLionheart Richard I]] greets Balian at the end of the film, he announces himself as the king of England. A modern audience is meant to take it at face-value that Richard is [[HeroOfAnotherStory the legendary foreign king just passing through]] France, but depending on the location of Balian's village, he was likely Balian's rightful king too. Richard wasn't just king of England, he inherited the majority of France from his father, UsefulNotes/HenryTheSecond who had consolidated both countries under the greater Angevin Empire. Had Richard wished, he could have ordered Balian to accompany him back to the holy land under threat of treason, whether he knew the blacksmith was Balian or not.

* When [[RichardTheLionheart Richard I]] greets Balian at the end of the film, he announces himself as the king of England. A modern audience is meant to take it at face-value that Richard is [[HeroOfAnotherStory the legendary foreign king just passing through]] France, but depending on the location of Balian's village, he was likely Balian's rightful king too. Richard wasn't just king of England, he inherited the majority of France from his father, UsefulNotes/HenryTheSecond who had consolidated both countries under the greater Angevin Empire. Had Richard wished, he could have ordered Balian to accompany him back to the holy land under threat of treason, whether he knew the blacksmith was Balian or not.

* Firstly of all, a noble appointing a bastard son as his heir basically at will, as Godfrey does to Balian at the beginning of the film, would have absolutely not been considered a valid succession at the time and place. While there are exceptions in history, being a bastard generally removed you from any possibility of being a heir in the Middle Ages; as Godfrey had no legitimate sons, ownership of his lands would have simply reverted back to the king and the latter would have granted it to another lord. The king in this case was Baldwin, a close friend to Godfrey who could have intervened to help him bequeath his lands to Balian as he wanted (if again, a bastard would be unusual), but this is never mentioned in the film, and it is instead made it to look like Godfrey's was the accustomed way to do it. Strangely, Guy does [[LampshadeHanging lampshade]] this in the actual film, pointing out that Balian wouldn't have been able to inherit back in France, but this claim, while correct, overlooks that in real life he wouldn't have been able in Jerusalem either.

* At the end of the film, Balian gives a speech to the citizens of Jerusalem where he admits the city doesn't actually belong to Christians over Jews or Muslims, and the crowd accepts this thesis without any visible protest (except by the Patriarch, who is portrayed as an ass anyways). Needlessly to say, this happens to be a monumental bout of PoliticallyCorrectHistory: in real life, any Christian proclaiming that Holy Land was not an unquestionable patrimony of Christendom was basically preaching heresy, and there was simply no way a mass of predominantly Christian commoners would have accepted it (and especially those, who were part of a Crusader state like the Kingdom of Jerusalem and among which there were several members of religious knightly orders). The same can be said about his line that "God will understand, and if he doesn't, then he is not God and we need not worry", an absolutely blasphemous line of thinking that would have been at home in UsefulNotes/TheEnlightenment, certainly not in the Middle Ages.

* Balian's IncorruptiblePurePureness portrayal is also lacking, as the historical Balian famously broke an oath made to Saladin that he wouldn't take arms against him any further nor would leave Jerusalem if his wife and children were allowed safe passage for Tripoli. That said, he later sent a message to Saladin apologizing for it, to which Saladin accepted and gave Balian's family safe passage to Tripoli anyway.

* In the extended cut, Sybilla is seen teaching geography to the young Baldwin V, whom he explains that England is currently ruled by Richard I. In real life, England was still ruled by Henry II at that point, as Richard only reached the throne three years later.

* While the film's portrayal of Reynald as a suicidally reckless warlord is accurate, as they are the consequences of his actions, he was neither encouraged by nor acted as a crazy henchman to Guy in real life. The historical Guy was a weak, indecisive king who wanted to avoid the war but was simply unable to control Reynald and other fanatics, not the other way (although the film does imply subtlely that Reynald is in turn fueling Guy's already rotten mindset and pushing him into greater action).
* While they were united in the defense of Jerusalem, no known romantic relationship happened between Balian and Sybilla (there is folklore that she was infatuated with his older brother Baldwin, but this has been disproven), and he married her stepmother Maria Comnena instead. However, the bit about the moderate faction wishing secretly to marry Balian and Sybilla to bolster alliances is true, as it is Baldwin IV's intention to annull the marriage between Guy and Sybilla, although those happened at different points.
* The negotiation in Kerak between Baldwin IV and Saladin (as well as Reynald's jailing) never happened in real life. When Saladin saw the army of Jerusalem approaching, he simply gave up the siege and ordered his army to return to Damascus. The siege of Kerak is also conflated here with the Battle of Belvoir Castle, happened the previous year, where Baldwin IV defeated Saladin at the cost of his health.
* The movie's plot both de-compresses and alters the historical timeline of the Jerusalem's throne. In the film, Guy only becomes king after the death of Baldwin IV (in the commercial cut) or the child Baldwin V (in the director's cut), and his royal policies with Reynald lead directly to the Battle of Hattin. In real life, Guy was first installed in the throne as a regent by Baldwin IV himself while the latter was still alive. It was during this regency that Reynald's actions took place, leading Baldwin to get angry and depose Guy in favor of his child nephew Baldwin V with Raymond III acting as regent. Only after both Baldwins died, Guy ascended to the throne again, a year before the Battle of Hattin.

* The Guy from the film keeps remarkably stoic while watching Reynald being executed by Saladin, while in real life he basically panicked and Saladin had to clarify that he wasn't going to execute him too. Also, Reynald was fully beheaded (which does happen in the director's cut).
* In real life, Balian and Raymond III actually participated the Battle of Hattin, barely managing to cut their way out and retreating to Jerusalem, while in the film Balian and Tiberias stay in the city and only arrive to see the battle's consequences. The Battle of Hattin, by the way, wasn't a reckless march into the desert like the one portrayed in the movie, but rather a reckless attempt at relieving a Christian fortress under siege by Saladin (the fortress of Tiberias, near the Sea of Galilee, which lends its name to its lord here).

* While it is also true that, due to the extreme scarcity of the knights in Jerusalem after the Battle of Hattin (there were only two available for the upcoming siege by Saladin's forces), Balian had to resort to some atypical mass knighting, it only concerned the sons of the nobles aged over fifteen and sixty of the most illustrious Jerusalem burgesses, never peasants.

* Firstly of all, a noble appointing a bastard son as his heir basically at will, as Godfrey does to Balian at the beginning of the film, would have absolutely not been considered a valid succession at the time and place. While there are exceptions in history, being a bastard generally removed you from any possibility of being a heir in the Middle Ages; as Godfrey had no legitimate sons, ownership of his lands would have simply reverted back to the king and the latter would have granted it to another lord. The king in this case was Baldwin, a close friend to Godfrey who could have intervened to help him bequeath his lands to Balian as he wanted, but this is never mentioned in the film, and it is instead made it to look like Godfrey's was the accustomed way to do it. Strangely, Guy does [[LampshadeHanging lampshade]] this in the actual film, pointing out that Balian wouldn't have been able to inherit back in France, but this claim, while correct, overlooks that in real life he wouldn't have been able in Jerusalem either.

* Neither Reynald de Châtillon nor Guy de Lusignan were Knights Templar, and their portrayal as such doesn't make any kind of sense, as crowning a Templar as king was a legal impossibility at the time. Not only did the Templars renounce all their personal titles outside the Order, which also makes their portrayal as elitist nobility an incoherence (their upper ranks, as with all the military orders, were dominated by the nobility, but they had plenty of lower ranked members too), but they could hold no land or possessions in their own name, which would have made Guy ineligible to be crowned. They also took vows to stay celibate, meaning Guy could have never married Sibylla either.
* Templars in the film are shown sporting very long hair and beards, when in real life they were required to keep both short. Reynald and Guy can also be seen drinking wine and paying generally no observance to the monastic rules they would have been forced to adhere in the case they were Templars (which, as mentioned above, would have been impossible in any case).
* At the end of the film, Balian gives a speech to the citizens of Jerusalem where he admits the city doesn't actually belong to Christians over Jews or Muslims, and the crowd accepts this thesis without any visible protest (except by the Patriarch, who is portrayed as an ass anyways). Needlessly to say, this happens to be a monumental bout of PoliticallyCorrectHistory: in real life, any Christian proclaiming that Holy Land was not an unquestionable patrimony of Christendom was basically preaching heresy, and there was simply no way a mass of predominantly Christian commoners would have accepted it (and especially those, who were part of a Crusader state like the Kingdom of Jerusalem and among which there were several members of religious knightly orders). The same can be said about his line that "God will understand, and if he doesn't, then he is not God and we need not worry", a way of thinking that would have been at home in the Age of Enlightenment, but certainly not in the Middle Ages.

* The claim that Saladin has around 200,000 soldiers stationed solely in Damascus is an absolutely insane exaggeration (and given that it is Baldwin who gives the number, it cannot be chalked up to misinformation or hysteria). By modern estimations, Saladin's local army at the time would range between 20,000–40,000, considering this was roughly the size of the Muslim army during the Battle of Hattin. For reference as to how egregious the exaggeration is, 200,000 is a lower bound estimate for the entire population of the Kingdom of Jerusalem at the time.

* Baldwin IV's leprosy was even more severe than it was in the movie. In the movie, while certainly weak, he's shown being able to walk without too much issue, and to engage in otherwise normal conversation with Balian. In reality, by the time the film takes place, his condition had gotten so bad, he had gone blind, and lost the use of all four of his limbs. To that end, while he was present at the Siege of Kerak, he couldn't ride, and had to be carried on a litter.

* In real life, while Raymond III did act as regent of Jerusalem until Baldwin IV's came of age, he didn't remain his ally afterwards, nor become the marshall of Jerusalem during Baldwin's reign, as Tiberias does in the movie. He instead left for Cyprus, even although Baldwin had tried to convince him to stay, and the relationship between both quickly deteriorated as a consequence, with Baldwin later coming to believe Raymond was conspiring to seize the crown. Baldwin eventually backpedaled when he saw himself in his deathbed, realizing Raymond was still the best man to fend Guy off until Baldwin V came of age himself, and granted him a second regency, which lasted until the child died and Sybilla got Guy crowned.

* Sybilla is portrayed here as being in the moderate faction of Jerusalem, opposed to her own husband, while in real life she was a square supporter of Guy.

* While her marriage was arranged, Sybilla and Guy actually loved each other in real life, and Balian was her political enemy.

* The movie's plot both de-compresses and alters the historical timeline of the Jerusalem's throne. In the film, Guy only becomes king after the death of Baldwin IV (in the commercial cut) or the child Baldwin V (in the director's cut), and his royal policies with Reynald lead directly to the Battle of Hattin. In real life, Guy was first installed in the throne as a regent by Baldwin IV himself while the latter was still alive. It was during this regency that Reynald's actions took place, leading Baldwin to get angry and depose Guy in favor of Tiberias and his own child nephew Baldwin V. Only after both Baldwins died, Guy ascended to the throne again, a year before the Battle of Hattin.

* In real life, Balian and Tiberias (Raymond III) actually participated the Battle of Hattin, barely managing to cut their way out and retreating to Jerusalem, while in the film they stay in the city and only arrive to see the battle's consequences. The Battle of Hattin, by the way, wasn't a reckless march into the desert like the one portrayed in the movie, but rather a reckless attempt at relieving a Christian fortress under siege by Saladin (the fortress of Tiberias, near the Sea of Galilee, which lends its name to its lord here).

* In real life, while Raymond III did act as regent of Jerusalem until Baldwin IV's came of age, he didn't remain his ally, nor become the marshall of Jerusalem during Baldwin's reign, as Tiberias does in the movie. He instead left for Cyprus, even although Baldwin had tried to convince him to stay, and the relationship between both quickly deteriorated as a consequence, with Baldwin later coming to believe Raymond was conspiring to seize the crown. Baldwin eventually backpedaled when he saw himself in his deathbed, realizing Raymond was still the best man to fend Guy off until Baldwin V came of age himself, and granted him a second regency, which lasted until the child died and Sybilla got Guy crowned.

* The claim that Saladin has around 200,000 soldiers stationed solely in Damascus is an absolutely insane exaggeration (and given that it is Baldwin who gives the number, it cannot be chalked up to misinformation or hysteria). By modern estimations, Saladin's local army at the time would range between 20,000–40,000, considering this was roughly the size of the Muslim army during the Battle of Hattin.

* The historical Patriarch Heraclius of Jerusalem was actually a close ally to Balian and his family and a selfless defender of the city, not an ObstructiveBureaucrat as portrayed in the film. He even absolved him for breaking his oath to Saladin, saying the needs of the city were more important than an oath made to a Muslim, and paid a lot of the city's defenders (and later ransoms) with his own money.

* Neither Reynald de Châtillon nor Guy de Lusignan were Knights Templar, and their portrayal as such doesn't make any kind of sense, as crowning a Templar as King would have been a legal impossibility at the time. Not only did the Templars renounce all their personal titles outside the Order, which also makes their portrayal as elitist nobility an incoherence (their upper ranks, as with all the military orders, were dominated by the nobility, but they had plenty of lower ranked members too), but they could hold no land or possessions in their own name, which would have made Guy ineligible to be crowned. They also took vows to stay celibate, meaning Guy could never have been Sibylla's husband either.

* Sybilla and Guy deeply loved each other in real life, and Balian was her political enemy.

* While the film's portrayal of Reynald as a suicidally reckless warlord is accurate, as they are the consequences of his actions, he was neither encouraged by nor acted as a crazy henchman to Guy in real life. The historical Guy was a weak, indecisive king who wanted to avoid the war but was simply unable to control Reynald and other fanatics, not the other way (although the film does imply subtlely that Reynald is in turn fueling Guy's already rotten mindset and pushing him into greater action). Also, although his marriage with Sybille benefitted her family and Baldwin IV, it was ''not'' an arranged one.
* While they were united in the defense of Jerusalem, no known romantic relationship happened between Balian and Sybille (there is folklore that she was infatuated with his older brother Baldwin, but this has been disproven), and he married her stepmother Maria Comnena instead. However, the bit about the moderate faction wishing secretly to marry Balian and Sybilla to bolster alliances is true, as it is Baldwin IV's intention to annull the marriage between Guy and Sybilla, although those happened at different points.

* The movie's plot both de-compresses and alters the historical timeline of the Jerusalem's throne. In the film, Guy only becomes king after the death of Baldwin IV (in the commercial cut) or the child Baldwin V (in the director's cut), and his royal policies with Reynald lead directly to the Battle of Hattin. In real life, Guy was first installed in the throne as a regent by Baldwin IV himself while the latter was still alive. It was during this regency that Reynald's actions took place, leading Baldwin to get angry and depose Guy in favor of his child nephew Baldwin V. Only after both Baldwins died, Guy ascended to the throne again, a year before the Battle of Hattin.

* The real Reynald is said to have been given one last chance to survive by Saladin, on the condition that he converted to Islam, which Reynald refused. Here, he insults Saladin by knowingly taking the water he offered to Guy and is executed almost immediately. This change is probably an attempt to avoid ValuesDissonance: Reynald's refusal to convert may have turned him into a NobleDemon or EvenEvilHasStandards in the eyes of a Western audience, rather than the CompleteMonster the film aims for. A medieval Muslim audience (or even a modern Muslim audience in some places), however, would have interpreted Saladin ''not'' giving Reynald the chance to convert as a KickTheDog moment for him.

* In real life, Balian and Tiberias (Raymond III) actually participated the Battle of Hattin, barely managing to cut their way out and retrating to Jerusalem, while in the film they stay in the city and only arrive to see the battle's consequences. The Battle of Hattin, by the way, wasn't a reckless march into the desert like the one portrayed in the movie, but rather a reckless attempt at relieving a Christian fortress under siege by Saladin (the fortress of Tiberias, near the Sea of Galilee, which lends its name to its lord here).

* Firstly of all, a noble appointing a bastard son as his heir basically at will, as Godfrey does to Balian at the beginning of the film, would have absolutely not been considered a valid succession at the time and place. While there are exceptions in history, being a bastard generally removed you from any possibility of being a heir in the Middle Ages; as Godfrey had no legitimate sons, ownership of his lands would have simply reverted back to the king and the latter would have granted it to another lord. The king in this case was Baldwin, a close friend to Godfrey who could have intervened to help him bequeath his lands to Balian as he wanted, but this is never mentioned in the film, and it is instead made it to look like Godfrey's was the accustomed way to do it.

* At the end of the film, Balian gives a speech to the citizens of Jerusalem where he admits the city doesn't actually belong to Christians over Jews or Muslims, and the crowd accepts this thesis without any visible protest (except by the Patriarch, who is portrayed as an ass anyways). Needlessly to say, this happens to be a monumental bout of PoliticallyCorrectHistory: in real life, any Christian proclaiming that Holy Land was not an unquestionable patrimony of Christendom was basically preaching heresy, and there was simply no way a mass of predominantly Christian commoners would have accepted it (and especially those, who were part of a Crusader state like the Kingdom of Jerusalem and among which there were several members of religious knightly orders). The same can be said about his line that "God will understand, and if he doesn't, then he is not God and we need not worry", a way of thinking that would have been at home in the Age of Enlightenment, certainly not the Middle Ages.

* The movie's plot both de-compresses and alters the historical timeline of the Jerusalem's throne. In the film, Guy only becomes king after the death of Baldwin IV (in the commercial cut) or the child Baldwin V (in the director's cut), and his royal policies with Reynald lead directly to the Battle of Hattin. In real life, Guy was first installed in the throne as a regent by Baldwin IV himself while the latter was still alive. It was during this regency that Reynald's actions took place, leading Baldwin to get angry and depose Guy in favor of his child nephew Baldwin V four years later. Only after both Baldwins died, Guy ascended to the throne again, a year before the Battle of Hattin.

* The real Reynald is said to have been given one last chance to survive by Saladin, on the condition that he converted to Islam, and he refused. Here, he insults Saladin by knowingly taking the water he offered to Guy and is executed almost immediately. This change is probably an attempt to avoid ValuesDissonance: Reynald's refusal to convert may have turned him into a NobleDemon or EvenEvilHasStandards in the eyes of a Western audience, rather than the CompleteMonster the film aims for. A medieval Muslim audience, however, would have interpreted Saladin ''not'' giving Reynald the chance to convert as a KickTheDog moment for him.

* Forged iron horseshoes, like those Balian makes, weren't popular in France until the next century, and they weren't extensively used until much later.
* The film shows Frankish archers using longbows, which again wouldn't be used until the next century and initially only in the British Isles.

* Muslim flags didn't sport a half moon until the 15th century. The ones from the period in which the film is set would have been plainly green, black or white.

* The Guy from the film keeps remarkably stoic while watching Reynald being executed by Saladin, while in real life he basically panicked and Saladin had to clarify that he wasn't going to execute him too. Also, Reynald was fully beheaded.
** In the Director's Cut, Saladin does follow up his throat cut by removing Reynald's head with his sword.

* Templars in the film are shown sporting very long hair and beards, when in real life they were required to keep both short. Reynald and Guy can also be seen drinking wine and paying generally no observance to the monastic rules they would have been forced to adhere in the case they were Templars (which, as mentioned above, would have been impossible).
* At the end of the film, Balian gives a speech to the citizens of Jerusalem where he admits the city doesn't actually belong to Christians over Jews or Muslims, and the crowd accepts this thesis without any visible protest (except by the Patriarch, who is portrayed as an ass anyways). Needlessly to say, this happens to be a monumental bout of PoliticallyCorrectHistory: in real life, any Christian proclaiming that Holy Land was not an unquestionable patrimony of Christendom was basically preaching heresy, and there was simply no way a mass of predominantly Christian commoners would have accepted it (and especially those, who were part of a Crusader state like the Kingdom of Jerusalem and among which there were several members of religious knightly orders).

* The claim that Saladin has around 200,000 soldiers stationed solely in Damascus is an absolutely insane exaggeration (and given that it is Baldwin who gives the number, it cannot be chalked up to misinformed characters or hysteria). By modern estimations, Saladin's local army at the time would range between 20,000–40,000, considering this was roughly the size of the Muslim army during the Battle of Hattin.

* Saladin was much harsher in reality towards the Christians of Jerusalem. He allowed most to leave in return for a large sum and personally freed a bunch of others, but most of those who could not pay were enslaved. [[FairForItsDay For the standards of the time]] this was still considered merciful, however.
** According to one account Saladin paid the ransom himself for those who were meant to enslaved and freed them as he could.

* Sybilla and Guy deeply loved each other in real life and Balian was her political enemy.

* The Guy from the film keeps remarkably stoic while watching Reynald being executed by Saladin, while in real life he basically panicked and Saladin had to clarify that he wasn't going to execute him too. Reynald, by the way, was fully beheaded.
* In real life, Balian and Tiberias (Raymond III) actually participated the Battle of Hattin, only barely managing to cut their way out and retrating to Jerusalem, while in the film they stay in the city and only arrive to see the battle's consequences. The Battle of Hattin, by the way, wasn't a reckless march into the desert like the one portrayed in the movie, but rather a reckless attempt at relieving a Christian fortress under siege by Saladin (the fortress of Tiberias, near the Sea of Galilee, which lends its name to its lord here).
* The real Reynald is said to have been given one last chance to survive by Saladin, on the condition that he converted to Islam, and he refused. Here, he insults Saladin by taking the water he offered to Guy and is executed almost immediately. This change is probably an attempt to avoid ValuesDissonance: Reynald's refusal to convert may have turned him into a NobleDemon or EvenEvilHasStandards in the eyes of a Western audience, rather than the CompleteMonster the film aims for. A medieval Muslim audience would have interpreted Saladin ''not'' giving Reynald the chance to convert as a KickTheDog moment for Saladin, while a Western audience would have seen such offer as ''the'' Kick the Dog moment for Saladin.

* The claim that Saladin has arund 200,000 soldiers stationed solely in Damascus is an absolutely insane exaggeration (and given that it is Baldwin who gives the number, it cannot be chalked up to misinformed characters or hysteria). By modern estimations, Saladin's local army at the time would range between 20,000–40,000, considering this was roughly the size of the Muslim army during the Battle of Hattin.

* The real Reynald is said to have been given one last chance to survive by Saladin, on the condition that he converted to Islam, and he refused. Here, he insults Saladin by taking the water he offered to Guy and is executed almost immediately. This change is probably an attempt to avoid ValuesDissonance: Reynald's refusal to convert may have turned him into a NobleDemon or EvenEvilHasStandards in the eyes of a Western audience, rather than the complete douchebag the film aims for. A medieval Muslim audience would have interpreted Saladin ''not'' giving Reynald the chance to convert as a KickTheDog moment for Saladin, while a Western audience would have seen such offer as ''the'' Kick the Dog moment for Saladin.

* Reynald is said to have been given one last chance to survive by Saladin, on the condition that he converted to Islam, and he refused. Here, he is executed almost immediately. This change is probably an attempt to avoid ValuesDissonance: Reynald's refusal to convert may have turned him into a NobleDemon or EvenEvilHasStandards in the eyes of a modern, Western audience, rather than the complete douchebag the film aims to portray. A medieval Muslim audience would have interpreted Saladin ''not'' giving Reynald the chance to convert as a KickTheDog moment for Saladin, while a modern audience would have seen such offer as ''the'' Kick the Dog moment for Saladin.

* Reynald is said to have given one last chance to survive by Saladin if he converted to Islam, but he refused, leading to him being immediately executed. Here, he is given no quarter and Saladin kills him anyway, probably because his refusal to convert would have turned Reynald into a NobleDemon rather than the complete douchebag the film paints him as (also because it would have resulted in ValuesDissonance-related problems; a medieval Muslim audience would have interpreted Saladin ''not'' giving Reynald the chance to convert before his execution as a KickTheDog moment, while a modern audience would have seen such offer as ''the'' Kick the Dog moment).

* Neither Reynald de Châtillon nor Guy de Lusignan were Knights Templar, and their portrayal as such doesn't make sense, as crowning a Templar as King would have been a legal impossibility at the time. Not only did the Templars renounce all their personal titles outside the Order, which also makes their portrayal as elitist nobility an incoherence (their upper ranks, as with all the military orders, were dominated by the nobility, but they had plenty of lower ranked members too), but they could hold no land or possessions in their own name, which would have made Guy ineligible to be crowned. They also took vows to stay celibate, meaning Guy could never have been Sibylla's husband either.
* Templars in the film are shown wearing very long hair and beards, when in real life they were required to keep both short. Reynald and Guy can also be seen drinking wine and paying generally no observance to the monastic rules they would have been forced to adhere in the case they were Templars (which, as mentioned above, would have been impossible).

* The historical Patriarch Heraclius of Jerusalem was actually a close ally to Balian and his family and a selfless defender of the city, not an ObstructiveBureaucrat as portrayed in the film. He even absolved him for breaking his oath to Saladin, saying the needs of the city were more important than an oath made to a Muslim, and paid a lot of the city's defenders and later ransoms with his own money.

* While the film's portrayal of Reynald as a suicidally reckless warlord is accurate, as they are the consequences of his actions, he was not encouraged nor politically manipulated by Guy in real life. The historical Guy was a weak, indecisive king who wanted to avoid the war but was simply unable to control Reynald and other fanatics, not the other way. Also, although his marriage with Sybille benefitted her family and Baldwin IV, it was ''not'' an arranged one.

* Templars in the film are shown wearing very long hair and beards, when in real life they were required to keep both short. Reynald and Guy can also be seen drinking wine and paying generally no observance to the monastic rules they would have been forced to adhere in the case they were Templars (which, as mentioned above, would have impossible).

* Firstly of all, a noble appointing a bastard son as his heir basically at will, as Godfrey does to Balian at the beginning of the film, would have absolutely not been considered a valid succession at the time and place. While there are exceptions in history, being a bastard generally removed you from any possibility of being a heir; as Godfrey had no legitimate sons, ownership of his lands would have simply reverted back to the king and the latter would have granted it to another lord. The king in this case was Baldwin, a close friend to Godfrey who could have intervened to help him bequeath his lands to Balian as he wanted, but this is never mentioned in the film, and it is instead made it to look like Godfrey's was the accustomed way to do it.

* Templars in the film are shown wearing very long hair and bears, when in real life they were required to keep both short.

* The film shows Frankish archers using longbows, which again wouldn't be used until the next century and initially in the British Isles.

* Saracen flags didn't sport half moons until the 15th century. The ones from the period in which the film is set would have been plainly green, black or white.

* The historical Patriarch Heraclius of Jerusalem was actually a close ally to Balian and his family, not an ObstructiveBureaucrat as portrayed in the film. He even absolved him for breaking his oath to Saladin, saying the needs of the city were more important than an oath made to a Muslim.
* Saladin was much harsher in reality towards the Christians of Jerusalem. He allowed most to leave in return for a large sum and personally freed a bunch of others, but most of those who could not pay were enslaved. [[FairForItsDay For the standards of the time]] this was still considered merciful, however.