The depiction of history for entertainment, whether through fiction or film, is always a balancing act. Some use historical events and people merely as a starting point for what is essentially a fictional entertainment. Others prefer historical fiction to keep closely to the facts. Duncan Leatherdale discusses these differing attitudes in an article, ‘How acceptable is artistic licence in history entertainment?’ from BBC News.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-36596885

I am firmly with Dr Tracy Borman who is quoted in the article. ‘When I write historical fiction, where the known facts exist I go with that but the embellishments are made around the gaps, of which there are many.’