While the role of an Earl is historic, Robert's consistently kind and deeply caring attitude towards his servants and his progressive leanings are generally considered more modern and not typical of most aristocrats of the Edwardian era, who often viewed staff as commodities.

Cora represents the phenomenon of wealthy American heiresses marrying into the British aristocracy to trade wealth for titles. Her situation and the financial implications for the estate are plausible for the period.

As a dowager countess, Violet embodies the older generation's adherence to Victorian and Edwardian social codes and resistance to change. Her attitudes and social standing are representative of women of her class and age at the time.

Mary's concerns about inheritance due to the entail and the societal pressure to marry well reflect the realities faced by aristocratic women. Her desire for some autonomy also hints at emerging modern sensibilities.

Edith's struggles to find her place and purpose, feeling less valued than her sisters, reflects a common experience for women of her status who didn't fit the primary roles of heir-producer or great beauty. Her later interest in writing also touches on new avenues opening for women.

Sybil's interest in women's suffrage and progressive politics is historically grounded, as these movements were active. However, the extent of her family's (eventual) tolerance and her open involvement might be somewhat idealized for dramatic purposes.

The story of the Crawley family is fictional

The series accurately begins with the news of the Titanic sinking in April 1912, a major historical event. The loss of heirs aboard the Titanic sets up the central conflict of the entail.

The concept of an entail, where the estate and title must pass to a male heir, was a real legal mechanism in British aristocracy. The predicament of the Crawley family is historically plausible.

The women's suffrage movement was active in Britain during this period, and it's plausible for an aristocratic woman like Sybil to become interested, though her direct actions (like attending rallies) might have been quite scandalous.

The show correctly depicts a strict hierarchy among servants. However, the general portrayal of servant life is often seen as sanitized, with less of the extreme hardship, long hours, and social invisibility that was common.

While some benevolent employers existed, the level of familiarity, friendship, and concern shown by the Crawleys towards their staff is generally considered atypical and more of a modern sensibility. Real relationships were usually far more formal and distant.

The gradual introduction of technologies like the telephone into large estates during this period is accurate. The show reflects the beginnings of modernization.

Medical knowledge and treatments of the time were different. While specific conditions and treatments are plausible, the portrayal might sometimes be simplified or dramatized for the storyline.

The series effectively portrays the rigid class distinctions and the social anxieties and expectations associated with them, both for the aristocracy and the servant class.

Season 1 is set in 1912-1914, and the dialogue and atmosphere increasingly reflect the rising tensions in Europe and the impending outbreak of World War I, which concludes the season.

The series is set correctly in the late Edwardian era, transitioning towards World War I, capturing the end of an old way of life. Major events like the Titanic sinking anchor it in time.

Large ancestral estates like Downton Abbey were characteristic of the British aristocracy. Highclere Castle, the filming location, lends authenticity to the grandeur.

The costumes for the Crawley family are generally highly accurate, reflecting Edwardian styles, changing silhouettes, and appropriate attire for different times of day and occasions. Some minor modern allowances might be made.

Servants' liveries and working clothes are generally accurate, reflecting their roles and the era's distinctions in dress.

The interiors of Downton Abbey, filmed at Highclere Castle, are lavish and reflect the style of a grand aristocratic home of the period. Attention to detail in furnishings is evident.

The series had a historical advisor (Alastair Bruce) ensuring many details of etiquette, forms of address, and social protocols were correctly portrayed, though some interactions are softened for a modern audience.

The show depicts the leisure activities, social calendar, and some estate duties of the aristocracy. However, it sometimes romanticizes this lifestyle, downplaying the financial pressures or idleness for some.

While hierarchies are shown, the true arduousness, extremely long hours, and often poor conditions for many servants are significantly downplayed in favor of more personal drama and more humane treatment by the Crawleys.

Formal dining scenes, the types of food served, and the elaborate rituals of aristocratic meals are generally well-researched and portrayed with accuracy, reflecting the era's culinary and social habits.

The rigid class structure of Edwardian England is a central theme and is generally depicted accurately in terms of social barriers, expectations, and deference, even if interpersonal relations are sometimes softened.

Matthew's role as an officer in WWI is representative of many upper and middle-class men who served. His experiences, including involvement in major battles like the Somme and dealing with injuries, reflect historical realities for officers.

William represents working-class men who enlisted. His experiences as a soldier, his concern for his officer, and ultimately his mortal wounding in battle, are tragically typical of many young men during WWI.

Sybil's decision to train and serve as a V.A.D. (Voluntary Aid Detachment) nurse is very much in line with the actions of many young women from all classes who sought to contribute to the war effort. This reflects a significant societal shift.

Thomas's service in the Royal Army Medical Corps is plausible. His deliberate attempt to get a "Blighty wound" to be sent home was a known, if desperate and punishable, act by some soldiers seeking to escape the horrors of the trenches.

Edith's attempts to find a meaningful role during the war, such as helping on a farm (Land Girls), reflect the new opportunities and responsibilities that opened up for women as men went to fight.

Robert's desire to be more actively involved in the war despite his age reflects the patriotic fervour of the time. His honorary colonelcy is plausible, but his perceived uselessness and desire for a more significant role was a frustration for some older, experienced military men.

The story of the Crawley family is fictional

Season 2 opens with Matthew at the Somme. While trench scenes are brief, they aim to convey the grim reality. The battle was one of WWI's bloodiest, and the show reflects its devastating impact, though the focus remains on the main characters rather than a comprehensive battle portrayal.

Many stately homes in Britain, including Highclere Castle (the filming location for Downton Abbey), were indeed converted into hospitals or convalescent homes for wounded officers during WWI.

The Battle of Amiens was a significant Allied victory. While Matthew and William's specific actions and injuries are fictional, soldiers being wounded by shellfire was common. William's fatal lung injury reflects the severe wounds many suffered.

Some soldiers did resort to self-inflicted wounds ("Blighty wounds") to escape the trenches, though it was a serious offense. Thomas's calculated act is a plausible, if cynical, representation of this.

The character of Lang, Lord Grantham's valet suffering from shell shock (now known as PTSD), is portrayed with some accuracy. The symptoms and the lack of understanding of the condition at the time are touched upon, though Downton's compassionate response might be idealized.

Deathbed marriages did occur, sometimes to ensure a widow's pension or for sentimental reasons. Daisy's reluctance and the pressure on her reflect complex emotional and social dynamics of the time.

WWI saw a significant shift in women's roles. Sybil nursing, Edith working on a farm, and Cora and Isobel managing the convalescent home accurately reflect women stepping into traditionally male domains or expanding their responsibilities.

With many men away at war, large estates would have experienced shortages of male servants. This necessitated changes in how households were run and women taking on more tasks.

The end of the war and the Armistice on November 11, 1918, were met with widespread relief and celebration, as depicted in the series.

Soldiers were executed for desertion or cowardice during WWI, a controversial aspect of the war. Mrs. Patmore's nephew's fate, though off-screen, reflects this harsh reality.

Matthew's spinal injury leading to temporary paralysis and then a sudden, psychologically-induced recovery is highly improbable medically and serves more as a dramatic device to resolve his engagement and relationship with Mary.

The show touches on the class distinctions in the army (Matthew as officer, William as private). Officers generally had different living conditions and expectations, though all faced extreme danger. The camaraderie and shared peril are shown to some extent.

The few trench scenes aimed for authenticity in terms of mud and environment, but the true horror, squalor, and constant threat of death are only glimpsed. The depiction is sanitized compared to historical accounts.

The show generally paid good attention to the accuracy of military uniforms for British officers and soldiers of the WWI era, benefiting from historical advisors.

The portrayal of nursing, particularly V.A.D.s, and the running of a convalescent home, reflects historical practices. The challenges of treating war wounds and the emerging understanding of conditions like shell shock are touched upon.

The war acted as a catalyst for social change, blurring some class lines, offering new roles for women, and challenging old certainties. Season 2 effectively illustrates these shifts within the microcosm of Downton Abbey.

The series conveys the anxiety on the home front, the reliance on letters and telegrams for news, and the impact of events like rationing and the constant presence of war even far from the battlefield.

While the existence of shell shock is acknowledged through Lang, the general level of sympathy and understanding shown at Downton might be more progressive than was typical. Many soldiers were dismissed as malingerers or cowards.

The season concludes with the end of the war and touches upon the immense sense of loss and the beginning of the remembrance process, themes that would dominate the post-war years.

The rapid spread and severity of the Spanish Flu are shown. However, quarantine measures and public health responses of the time were varied and often rudimentary; the focused outbreak within Downton might simplify the broader societal chaos.