Let’s be honest. If you spent any time watching the CW’s Reign back in the mid-2010s, you probably had a massive crush on Sebastian Bash de Poitiers. With those piercing blue eyes and that "brooding but actually a sweetheart" energy, he was the ultimate historical heartthrob. But here is the thing that still trips people up years after the show ended: he didn't exist. Not even a little bit.
It’s kinda wild when you think about it. The show did such a good job weaving him into the messy, high-stakes world of the French court that he felt as real as Mary, Queen of Scots herself. But if you go digging through 16th-century French archives looking for a "Bash," you’re going to come up empty-handed.
The Mystery of Sebastian Bash de Poitiers Explained
So, who was he? Basically, Sebastian Bash de Poitiers was a character created specifically for the television series Reign, portrayed by Canadian actor Torrance Coombs. In the show’s universe, he is the illegitimate son of King Henry II of France and his legendary mistress, Diane de Poitiers. He’s the older half-brother to the future King Francis II, and for a good chunk of the first season, he is the third point in a very dramatic love triangle involving Mary Stuart.
The writers gave him a backstory that was just grounded enough to feel plausible. He was raised at court, he was his father's favorite (despite being a "bastard"), and he was constantly torn between his loyalty to his brother and his feelings for the woman his brother was supposed to marry. It’s classic teen drama stuff, and it worked. People loved him. Honestly, some fans are still mad that Mary didn't end up with him in the end.
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But why create him? Well, historical dramas like Reign often need a "wild card." Real history can be a bit... rigid. By dropping a fictional character like Bash into the mix, the creators could explore storylines that never happened—like a legitimate threat to Francis’s claim to the throne or a deep dive into the "pagan" mysticism of the French woods.
Was There a Real-Life Inspiration for Bash?
While the specific person Sebastian de Poitiers is a total invention, the historical context around him is actually pretty fascinating. King Henry II did have illegitimate children. Just not with Diane de Poitiers.
Historical records show Henry had three "natural" (illegitimate) children:
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- Diane de France, Duchess of Angoulême (her mother was Filippa Duci).
- Henri d'Angoulême, who became the Grand Prior of France (his mother was Janet Stewart).
- Henri de Saint-Rémy (his mother was Nicole de Savigny).
Notice a pattern? Diane de Poitiers, the real-life mistress who basically ran the French court for years, never actually had children with the King. She was nineteen years older than him and acted more like a mentor/mother figure/advisor/lover combo. The showrunners took her name and the King’s penchant for side-plots and mashed them together to give us Bash.
It’s also worth noting that the nickname "Bash" is incredibly modern. You wouldn't have heard anyone in the 1550s calling a royal bastard "Bash." It sounds more like a drummer in a garage band than a French noble. But for a show on the CW, it fit the "historical fanfiction" vibe they were going for.
Why Bash Still Matters to Fans
Even though he’s a figment of a screenwriter’s imagination, the character of Sebastian Bash de Poitiers served a massive purpose in the narrative of Reign. He represented the struggle between duty and desire. While Francis was weighed down by the crown and the future of France, Bash was the free spirit.
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He also acted as the bridge to the show’s more supernatural elements. Remember the "Blood Wood"? The pagans? The sacrifices? That was all Bash’s territory. While the rest of the court was worrying about Protestant vs. Catholic politics, Bash was out there dealing with the ancient, darker side of France. It gave the show a genre-bending feel that set it apart from stuff like The Tudors.
His exit from the show was also pretty polarizing. Torrance Coombs left the series at the end of Season 3 to join another show (Still Star-Crossed), and his character was sent off to Scotland to become a druid. Yeah, a druid. It was a weird pivot, but it kept him alive... until the series finale. In a bittersweet reveal, the show's creator, Laurie McCarthy, later confirmed that Bash didn't survive the events leading up to the end of Mary's story. It was a quiet, off-screen death that broke a lot of hearts.
What to Do If You're a Fan of the Character
If you’ve just finished a rewatch and you’re feeling that Bash-shaped hole in your life, here is how you can actually engage with the "real" version of this history:
- Read up on the real Diane de Poitiers. She was arguably more interesting than the TV version. She managed to stay the King's favorite for decades, even while his wife, Catherine de' Medici, was breathing down her neck.
- Watch Torrance Coombs in other stuff. If it’s the actor you miss, check out The Tudors (he plays Thomas Culpepper) or The Originals. He’s got the period-drama look down to a science.
- Check out the real history of Mary, Queen of Scots. Her actual life was way more tragic and complicated than the show depicted. No pagan woods, but plenty of murder and betrayal.
The legacy of Sebastian Bash de Poitiers is a testament to how good writing can make a fictional character feel like a permanent part of history. He might not be in the textbooks, but he’s definitely in the "Best TV Boyfriends" hall of fame.
To dive deeper into the real world of the French court, you should start by looking into the letters of Catherine de' Medici. They offer a much grittier—and surprisingly human—look at the power struggles that Reign turned into high-fashion drama. You can also visit the Château d'Anet in France, which was the real Diane de Poitiers' estate, to see where the actual "Queen of Hearts" lived her life.