This is not a comprehensive list! After all, I am a CC-addict and always finding new things to download. But these are some of my favourite pieces to help you get started if you are putting together a historical game of your own.
When putting together a historical downloads folder, I think it is best to start out with the bare essentials - some basic furniture from each category and mods you think will be essential for your gameplay. Then, you can always add more as you figure out what else is needed!
Please excuse the poor formatting on this page! It was a originally a Google doc and has been converted very poorly, haha. Hopefully you can find what you're looking for!
General Resources
The Plumb Bob Keep - this is THE source for all historical Sims 2 mods and cc! If you can't find what you're after on this list, it is sure to be found somewhere at the Keep.
Sterina-sims historical resources - this page is going to have a lot of duplicates from this list, as I love her taste in cc
Hat’s resource list - Hat has a great masterlist, and a ton of custom content on their dreamwidth blog, too!
Medieval Smithy - site full of gorgeous work, I particularly love the dining sets
Nixed Sims - lots of great functional stuff, my favourites are linked further down but the whole site is fantastic
TSM to TS2 Conversion Database
Mods
Sun & Moon - a huge collection of mods that adds all sorts of crafting and gathering mechanics, great for a historical game! However, they are quite complicated and have a lot of requirements, so please read the manuals carefully.
Water required for showers & baths - works with Sun&Moon’s “Fatch Water” set, so that sims have to collect water to have baths. Adds some cool functionality to my community well!
Community Time - this is a must for me if I am going to have sims leave the house to run businesses!
Simwardrobe Medieval Checkbook - this is what I use to have households pay taxes to the Royal Steward
Sell from Inventory and Exchange Gift - for my barter-economy, with default gift baskets to match!
Actual Alcohol - makes sims act drunk!
School & Meeting Controllers - I use these to teleport in household “staff”, like maids
Vocational Trainer - for teaching skills and classes
Lifespan mod, customised this for my preferences using SimPE
Social Class mods
Medieval social class traits + bonus traits + yeomen
Nobles and Royalty can influence for free
Romance, Pregnancy, etc.
Episims more balanced aspiration attraction
Hacked Wedding Arch for arranged marriages
Stripped-Down ACR - this keeps the auto-woohoo and surprise baby features, but removes a lot of other stuff as I am using other mods to handle romance!
Romantic Standards - a fairly complex but comprehensive set of romance mods
RCC - mod for customising fertility
Young Enough for Pregnancy fix - enables teen pregnancy
Alternate Pregnancy Controller - enables miscarriage & teen pregnancy
Disease Related
Episims Improved Biotech Station (and a medieval default by fireflower to go with it!)
Disease Mod - Advanced Version & Grandma’s Comfort Soup mod - makes diseases deadlier and harder to cure
Lamare’s random elder sickness & death - note that this mod is still in testing, I actually ended up removing it from my game as it was a little TOO effective in killing off my elders, haha!
Useful Tools
The Sim Blender - everyone’s hero and most useful all-around mod, this object lets you do all sorts! I like using it especially for making townies, assigning random skill points and changing a sims age
FFS Debugger or “The Batbox” - has a bunch of useful debugging features
Seasons and Weather Controller - lets you change the season on a lot
Mortgage Shrub - lets sims buy nicer houses than they’d ordinarily be able to afford
Stay Things Shrub - stops objects from being sold when you move a sim out
Teleporter Shrub - there are loads of other teleporters, but I like using this one because it’s so easy to disguise
Clothing Tool - there are a few different mods that let you change sims clothes, most simmers seem to use gussy up, but I use clothingtool
Supernatural Transformer - lets you turn sims into witches/werewolves, etc.
Find-a-Mate Crystal Ball - shows which sims in the neighborhood your sims has the best chemistry with! Can be useful for matchmaking in big hoods, although I don’t actually use this much as it feels cheaty
Default Replacements
Speech Bubbles & Conversation Topics
Hat’s huge set of period appropriate defaults
Morganna & Bethgael’s default careers
Community lot Phone as Wooden Sign
Neighbourhood Deco
Horse Drawn Neighbourhood Vehicles
Pond & Sea Water Overhaul - I don’t always keep this installed as it can be glitchy and my PC doesn’t love it, but it looks super pretty
Honeywell's Neighbourhood Trees (previously I used criquette’s Linden Trees)
Seasonal Skylines (I am using “Green Hills”)
Medieval Buildings & deco sheep by CuriousB, reuploaded here
Clothing
There is waaaaaaay more clothing out there (especially if you get into bodyshape stuff, too), but I think these are nice sets to get you started, which cover all the essentials!
Medieval & fantasy dresses for all (and for kids)
More Tunics (and Child’s Tunics)
Hat’s Cloaks, I like the BV jewelry versions of these so I can set them as outerwear!
Build Mode
Medieval Build Party in cleudo woods - these are probably the windows and doors I use most!!
Fairy Tale Romance (and recolours 1, 2)
WFS Winery Set (also includes some furniture)
WFS Big Barn Set (also includes lots of furniture)
Plants & Garden
TVickiesims Plants - I like my plants to change with the seasons, so I use a ton of tvickiesims’ stuff! Custom versions rather than defaults, as I like the Maxis stuff too
Maxis Plant Fixes - adds winter states to the maxis flowers
Seasonal Bioshock Bushes - my favorite bushes of all time, made seasonal!
Lazy Gardener’s Delight - some “remixed” indoor plants, very Maxis-match!
Buy Mode
Functional Finds
This is the most important stuff for me, things that actually work-in game! Some of these are object defaults, I have included them here rather than above if they're a default for a specific usable object, rather than a general visual replacement.
Blacksmith Craft Station - a more simple alternative to the Sun&Moon set
Sand table (based on pool table)
Poker Table (and playing card replacements)
Functional Tents (& some other stuff here too)
Scroll in a Box Telephone (I like to set it to silent mode so you won’t actually receive calls)
Heget’s Computerbooks as Monique Computers (I don’t really use the hacked computer functionality much, but like that they’re not autonomous!)
Scarecrow Army (scroll down, includes punch bag, light, and mirror)
Dee-dee’s woodworking bench medievalized
Functional Weaving Loom (works like an easel)
Ye Olde Spinning Wheel (sewing machine default)
Hidden Telescopes (these resemble bushes, star charts, sundials, etc! Alien abduction is enabled)
Herbal Crafting Station (lets you make potions that cure illnesses)
Spy Crafting Station (lets you make poisons)
Functional Jacoban and Peteran Pulpits (I use the law career ones so sims can earn money from preaching)
Bathroom
All-in-One outhouse - there are a few others out there, but I like that this one has the option of not raising hygiene!
Beds & Bedrooms
Nursery Stuff
Tables & Chairs
Druid’s Set (also has some build mode stuff and various deco!)
Kitchen
TSM Fireplaces as Functional Stoves
WFS Big Barn Set I use the fridge and countertops from this set all the time
Deco
Lights
My Edit of Parsimonious Imperial Lamps & Imperial Rust recolours - these are my favourite lights I use everywhere!
Business Stuff
Chinese & Asian Finds
For the most part Jiaojing is using the same CC as the rest of my “medieval save”, but here’s a few things that give it a more Chinese feel:
Clothing by GodLimpingBy (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)