Richard IV of England (Blackadder)

For the actual Prince Richard that Richard IV is based on, see Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York.
King Richard IV of England
Blackadder character
First appearance The Foretelling
Last appearance The Black Seal
Portrayed by Brian Blessed
Information
Occupation King of England, King of Scotland, King of Flanders, Duke of York, Duke of Norfolk, Earl of Norfolk
Nationality English

King Richard IV of England / XII of Scotland / I of Flanders is a fictional character in the BBC comedy series Blackadder (series 1), played by Brian Blessed. The character is loosely based on Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York (1473-1483?), son of Edward IV, brother to Edward V, one of the Princes in the Tower who disappeared in 1483.

Contents

Background

In the alternate chronology of series 1, the Plantagenet king Richard III (played by Peter Cook) is introduced as being a "kind and thoughtful man" who cherishes his nephews (the two princes) placed into his care, in contrast to the common historical portrait of Richard III as a usurper who murdered the princes. Richard, Duke of York is indicated as his Uncle's favourite, reflected by his being seated at the side of the king at the banquet on the eve of the battle of Bosworth Field (some time after he grew into "a big strong boy"- and is subsequently depicted as an adult). As such, Richard supports the House of York during the Wars of the Roses.[1]

Marriage and issue

Richard is married to Gertrude, the Queen Regnant of Flanders; it was typical for royalty from different countries to marry during the Middle Ages. It is likely that Richard enjoys the title and power of King of Flanders, as was customary in the 15th century when a queen regnant married. Their marriage is not particularly happy; Gertude describes her husband as a "steaming great ox", complains of his sexual demands and stating that she wishes she'd married a eunuch.[2] She is sometimes affectionate to her husband, however, as shown after his recovery from the plague.[3] Richard believes his wife to be "insatiable".[4]

They have two sons, Harry, Prince of Wales and Edmund, Duke of Edinburgh.[5] Of the two sons, Richard enjoys the closest relationship with his eldest, Harry, of whom he is extremely proud and who he takes time to tutor in the ways of fighting, statecraft and diplomacy.[6] Harry is shown fighting and seated at his father's side and has numerous titles and honours bestowed upon him by Richard.[6] When Richard is unable to govern his country due to absence or ill-health, he leaves Harry acting as his regent, something which breeds immense resentment in Edmund.[6]

In the series

Richard and his wife Gertrude of Flanders have two sons. The eldest is Harry, Prince of Wales, of whom the king is extremely proud. The younger son is Prince Edmund, Duke of Edinburgh, of whom the king is oblivious at best, utterly contemptuous at worst. On the few occasions he does recognise his son, he calls him by the wrong name, be it Edna, Edward, Edgar, Edwin, Egbert, Osmond, or simply 'The other one' or 'the slimy one.' (Richard does finally call him Edmund in The Black Seal; when Edmund pointed this out, he said 'Sorry, Edgar.') In "The Archbishop", he says that comparing Edmund to Harry "is as comparing excrement to cream", a comment that flatters Harry. In "Born to be King", it is implied that Edmund may be illegitimate, and therefore not the son of Richard, meaning he could lose his claim to the throne. However, this is never referenced again.

According to the series, Richard ascends to the throne in 1485 after Edmund accidentally kills Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field. (The series' first episode explains that Henry Tudor altered the historical record to make himself the victor.)

Richard revels in crusades and, in "Born to be King," defeats an entire Turkish horde armed only with a small knife used for peeling fruit. He despises the Turkish people and quotes the Bible as saying "Love thy neighbour as thyself. Unless he's Turkish, in which case, kill the bastard!" In "The Witchsmeller Pursuivant", he catches the bubonic plague and goes temporarily insane; he attacks everyone he sees, believing them to be Turks. He is known to shout "Chiswick! Fresh horses!" to his courtier Lord Chiswick.

Richard, along with the rest of his court, is accidentally poisoned in the series' final episode, "The Black Seal". Shortly before he dies, he finally calls Edmund by his correct first name, although Edmund's response convinces him that he made a mistake; when Edmund asks to be called by his nom de plume, The Black Adder, he calls him The Black Dagger. Henry Tudor then usurps the throne and re-writes history so that the reign of King Richard IV of England would be eradicated from history.

Titles and honours

Notes

  1. ^ Curtis et al. 1999: 1
  2. ^ Curtis et al. 1999: 8, 21
  3. ^ Curtis et al. 1999: 91
  4. ^ Curtis et al. 1999: 8
  5. ^ Curits et al. 1999: 2
  6. ^ a b c Curtis et al. 1999:

Bibliography

* Curtis, R., Elton, B. Atkinson, R. and Lloyd, J. (1999). Black Adder: The Whole Damn Dynasty, 1485 - 1917. Penguin Books, London. ISBN 0-14-028035-9

Blackadder characters
Edmund Blackadder
Baldrick
Other characters