Top 20 Best Historical Romance Manhwa to Read in 2024 (Updated)

Last updated on November 17th, 2023 at 1:45 pm

There is plenty of manhwa getting published day by day due to their popularity, and we are here for it. With the heart-fluttering romance genre being dominant, we have had a variety of different takes on this genre. So today, we bring you a list of the top 20 best historical romance manhwa.

Top 20 Best Historical Romance Manhwa

20) Shadow Bride

Winning wars to bring his older brother glory, Prince Yunjo is a man in the shadows. He’s always stayed behind his brother and diligently fulfilled his duty until one day he meets a mysterious woman, Seolyun. Instantly smitten by her, Yunjo now wants to come out of the shadows to be with the woman he loves.

Set in a historical setting, Shadow Bride has a beautiful love story at its heart that makes it one of the best historical romance manhwa. 

19) A Kind Goblin’s Bird

For those manhwa lovers who are looking for some titles that don’t drag on for several seasons, we have the perfect recommendation. A Kind Goblin’s Bird is a short historical romance manhwa with equal amounts of wholesomeness, smut, and drama.

Set in ancient China, the story starts in Xi’an, the capital of the prosperous Shun kingdom. There is a rumor going around the kingdom about a holy maiden who has the ability to come sing in people’s dreams and make their wishes come true.

Intrigued by this rumor, Prince Sa Heonyoung disguises himself as a commoner and visits the maiden. The moment he hears her sing, he’s instantly enchanted by the beautiful girl and falls in love with her.

18) The Princess Imprints A Traitor

The Princess Imprints A Traitor is one of the best historical romance manhwa that brings you a classic romance between Michael, the King of Homunculus, and the Seventh Imperial Princess, Evenrose.

The plot begins with Evenrose being insisted on drinking poison and choosing death by her evil sister, Bridgette. After being chosen as the successor to the throne, Bridgette chose to side with Homunculi and led the Empire to its eternal doom.

However, Evenrose finds herself teleported eight years before everything starts to fall apart. As a result, she now has a chance to prevent Bridgette from being the Empress.

To make herself worthy of being crowned as the Empress, Evenrose chooses to pursue Michael so that she can impress the Emperor. The manhwa is filled with politics and exciting romance against the backdrop of the historical settings.

17) Lout Of Count’s Family

Lout Of Count’s Family is also one of the few historical romance manhwa that is narrated from a man’s perspective, which is refreshing. It is set in a historical period where magic and dragons exist.

The main protagonist, Kim Rok Soo, finds himself sucked inside a novel that he has read at some point. He becomes one of the minor villains in the story of the novel. To make it worse, he is dragged into malicious conflicts and politics in the novel, which changes the actual story of the novel.

Rok Soo must now plan very carefully to make it through the dangerous situations he encounters, using his knowledge of the novel’s original story.

Soon he encounters Rosalyn, Crown Princess of the Berck Kingdom. Rosalyn is a cold-hearted and ambitious woman. To everyone’s surprise, she is lovestruck at the sight of Rok Soo and leaves everything behind to pursue him.

As a result, what comes next is filled with hilarious moments and some heartwarming romance coated with serious plot twists.

16) Light And Shadow

If you like the romance between people of different economic statuses, this manhwa is for you. The plot features Edna, a headstrong maid who is sold to marry Duke Eli instead of the noble Princess.

Hiding her identity and bigger secrets, Edna must survive what’s coming next and, most importantly, Duke Eli, who isn’t very kind.

The plot is filled with plot twists and intense romance that will leave you craving for more. You cannot miss out on Light And Shadow.

15) Moonlight Garden

Moonlight Garden features a wholesome and exciting romance between two women. The plot begins with the main protagonist, Dohwa stealing ingredients for her secret potions that she concocts to escape her fate. In her worst nightmare, she is caught by Lady Hweon, the new mistress.

Set in the Korean historical era when brothels were popular, the plot focuses on a fictional brothel, Moonlight Garden, which is famous for its Flower Maidens, who are highly skilled.

Dohwa and Lady Hweon survive their harsh lives as flower maidens while harboring deep secrets, hoping to change their lives. If you are looking for a tragic yet beautiful romance, this manhwa is a must.

14) Joseon Danpyeonseon

If you’re looking for a compilation of unique and beautiful romance stories, this manhwa is for you. All the stories are set in the beautiful era of Joseon. Joseon Danpyeonseon is a highly underrated and unexplored manhwa; therefore, we highly recommend you give it a try. The collection consists of seven short stories:

• The Court Lady
• Last Wish
• Fraudsters
• Lotus Ridge (GL- Girls Love)
• My Hunter Can’t Be This Cute! (BL- Boys Love)
• The Crescent Scholar (BL- Boys Love)
• Tale of Hodong (BL- Boys Love)

13) The Elixir Of The Sun

Set in a fantasy kingdom of the Joseon era and a world where people who possess the magical ability to heal exist, the plot features Bayan, the main protagonist, who is the black sheep amongst her people.

Since she doesn’t possess any healing powers, Bayan is an outcast and is dumped at the court of Dhan, the Great Sun Emperor.

The problem here is that Emperor Dhan is cursed with an insatiable bloodlust and ends up murdering his concubines. Will Bayan be able to survive her inescapable fate, or perhaps she is the one who could finally break the emperor’s curse – You shall read this manhwa to find out.

The plot contains intense romance that mellows into a wholesome and heart touching while the story remains interesting through and through.

12) The Villainess Is A Marionette

Set in a fantasy Empire, the plot features Cayena, the Imperial Princess, who is known as the most beautiful woman in the Empire. Unfortunately, Cayena is betrayed by everyone around her.

Her brother uses her as a pawn, and her crazy husband, who has his own evil plans. Therefore, all this evil plotting brings her to death.

The twist is that Cayena is transmigrated back to life and must now avenge herself and destroy everyone that wronged her. She must become the villainess and change her fate.

The romantic element is brought in by Raffaello Kidrey, a devastatingly handsome and charming prince. Hence, if you’re looking for a strong and determined female lead with an insanely beautiful art style, this manhwa is for you.

11) Beware The Villainess!

This manhwa features a modern-day college student who wakes up as the daughter of the Duke, Melissa Foddebrat, in a fantasy kingdom. This new Melissa decides to do things her way and challenge the royal society.

Melissa is far from everyone’s favorite, but she chooses to embrace it and gladly become the villainess of this fantasy world. There are even various devoted suitors lining up to win her love.

The plot is filled with countless hilarious moments and stunning art style. Romance is slowly incorporated into the story as the plot progresses. So if you’re looking for a satisfying blend of comedy and romance, this manhwa is a must.

10) When the Black Moon Rises

A brilliant historical romance manhwa with a revenge angle, When the Black Moon Rises follows Ju Sehwa, the daughter of the most powerful clan of their realm. Her perfect life comes to an abrupt end when the most trusted people around her conspired against her and framed her for treason before executing her.

When Sehwa is granted a second chance at life by a divine wish, she is determined to exact vengeance against those who betrayed her. In her endeavor, she finds an unlikely ally in Baek Giha, the leader of the Ju’s rival clan.

Together with Giha, Sehwa will have to experience many things, including conspiracy and romance.

9) I Married The Male Lead’s Dad

This manhwa has a different take on the cliché isekai concept. The plot features a protagonist who is teleported in her favorite novel as Aisha Heathcliff.

The difference here is that she is dumped in the novel’s story where the main lead, Abel, whom she fangirls over, is still a child. Hence, she ends up marrying his father and becomes his mother.

She vows to take care of Abel and give him all the love that he originally did not receive. Aisha, the main protagonist, discovers different aspects of the novel that she didn’t earlier. This naturally changes the original story of the novel.

The plot is beautifully written and filled with various plot twists as well, all within an intricate art style. You absolutely cannot miss out on this manhwa.

8) Joseon’s Ban On Marriage

Joseon’s Ban On Marriage is one of the best historical romance manhwa to read in 2023 if you haven’t already. Set in the Joseon era, the plot begins with the news that all marriages are banned in the kingdom due to the tragic loss of the King’s wife.

Despite several pleas from the people of the kingdom, the king remains heartbroken and depressed. Until the main protagonist, Sorang, arrives as one of the prisoners. She shocks everyone when she hilariously acts possessed and claims to be a marriage specialist. On top of that, she declares that the marriage ban will end this year.

Now that she has ended up lying through her teeth in front of everyone, including the king, she can only get trapped further in a web of pathological lying to save herself from exposure. Working in the royal palace as a fraud fortune teller and marriage specialist who even gets possessed by none other than the late queen, Sorang must survive.

Every panel of this manhwa is filled with comedy, and the plot is historically dense with a perfect amount of romance. We highly recommend this manhwa.

7) Painter Of The Night

Set in the Joseon era, the plot features a cold-hearted and complicated nobleman, Yoon Seungho, who kills anyone simply if he is in the mood. A young peasant, Na Kyum, catches his attention when Seungho discovers him to be the anonymous artist behind the scandalous erotic paintings.

Na Kyum claims to have vowed never to hold a brush again and lives his life as a drunkard.

To Na Kyum’s surprise, Seungho forces him to be his private painter and paint erotic paintings for him. The plot explores a toxic romance between a lowly peasant and a messed-up nobleman that eventually turns into a tragic yet heartwarming relationship.

Painter Of The Night is one of the most popular historical romance manhwa with layered, complicated, and realistically written characters. If you’re looking for a mature and romance-dense plot, this manhwa is for you.

6) The Blue Guardian of the Princess

Set in the Joseon Era, this historical romance manhwa revolves around Princess Jeong Myeong, the sickly daughter of the royal family whose life turns upside down when betrayers usurp the royal court and kill most of her family before caging her under their control.

But, even if the situation looks bleak, Jeong Myeong can’t give up and must do everything to save her remaining family’s lives. When she receives the aid of the mystical goblin who vows to protect her, she accepts it wholeheartedly, she’s yet to know that it is the beginning of a beautiful slow-burn romance that will change her life.

5) Your Throne

Unlike the rest of the entries on this list, Your Throne isn’t just a historical romance manhwa, it is also a gripping psychological thriller. The story of this manhwa is centered around two childhood best friends, Madea Solon and Psyche Calista, who have drifted apart with time.

The two girls with contrasting personalities participate in the competition to become the bride of Crown Prince Eros where the cold and shrewd Madea loses to the gentle and demure Psyche. As the outcome brews more political warfare within the country, Medea and Psyche find themselves in an odd predicament where they’ve switched their bodies.

4) The Taming Of The Tyrant

Set in a fantasy kingdom where fairies, magic, and curses exist, this manhwa features Charlize Ronan, a princess who is cursed to become a literal sword just to serve as a mere killing tool to the royals. After being tortured for over 400 years as a sword, Charlize begs the gods for another chance.

Granting her desperate prayers, Charlize is awakened in her former body. She is now determined to bring doom to this terrible empire that gave her nothing but betrayal and misery.

Charlize manages to crown the young prince, Dylan Blade as the ruler. She must now tame this tyrant ruler who will help her take her revenge.

The plot has a vibrant and beautiful art style and many exciting romantic elements. You mustn’t miss out on this manhwa.

3) Gwanghae’s Lover

This manhwa features an epic romance between the main leads that surpasses time and other mortal obstacles. The plot focuses on Kyungmin, a modern-day young woman with the ability to time travel.

On a beautiful day, she meets Gwanghae, an 18-year-old prince from the Joseon era who somehow ended up in the present time. Even though they just spent a day together, they part with wholesome and unforgettable memories.

After ending up back in the Joseon era, Gwanghae cannot forget about Kyungmin and desperately wishes to reunite with her.

A shocking turn of events forces Kyungmin to make a dangerous decision to time travel, but to her surprise, she ends up in the timeline where Gwanghae is 27 years old. The plot then unfolds many twists and turns filled with epic romance. This manhwa is a hidden gem, and we highly recommend it.

2) Under The Oak Tree

Under The Oak Tree is one of the most popular and best historical romance manga to read in 2023. The plot features Maximillian Croix, the daughter of a Duke.

Maximillian’s father abused her mentally and physically because she stammers every time she speaks. As a result, she grew up with low self-esteem and a deeply scarred person.

Maximillian was then married off to a lowly knight Riftan Calypse by her father, who simply wanted to get rid of his responsibilities. However, luck was still not on her side.

Riftan was a cold and emotionally detached man who only cared about his royal duties. Riftan leaves the household and only returns after 3 years as a famous and triumphed knight.

Now that both the protagonists are reunited, they shall find a way to work together and be able to love each other. The plot beautifully explores how a relationship between two flawed and scarred characters would develop.

1) The Remarried Empress

The Remarried Empress is the best historical romance manhwa to read in 2023. This manhwa narrates a beautiful and mature romance between a divorced empress and a young prince.

The plot begins when Navier Ellie Trovi, an exceptional and kind empress, is cheated on by her husband. He then divorces Navier while she also demands to retain her right to remarry.

Navier then marries a young prince, Heinrey retaining her royal status. Heinrey treats her with respect and kindness. He soon ascends to the throne as a true king and wins Navier’s heart in the process.

The plot features a strong, independent, and mature female lead while also featuring a charming and polite male lead, all within a stunning art style.

The plot narrates a very mature and beautiful romance between two independent characters who find comfort in each other, hence making it one of the best historical romance manhwa to read.

With that, our list of best historical romance manhwa comes to an end. We hope you enjoy them thoroughly. We will be back with more such lists of recommendations covering various other genres. Until then, stay tuned with us, and happy reading!

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Anamika Das

Anamika loves words and stories and putting them to pages. She also loves anime, manga, books, movies and everything fantasy. She has been a fan of anime since childhood and her admiration for it only grew with years. Her passion for writing is even more elevated by writing about the things she loves.