Gertrude of Flanders

Gertrude of Flanders

Blackadder character


name = Gertrude "The Witch Queen" of Flanders
nationality = Flemish
occupation = Queen Regnant of Flanders; Queen Consort of England, witch
first appearance = "The Foretelling"
last appearance = "The Black Seal"
episode count = 6
portrayer = Elspet Gray

Gertrude of Flanders was a fictional character in the popular BBC sitcom "Blackadder" (series 1). She was played by Elspet Gray.

In the series, she is the Queen of Flanders in her own right and the wife of King Richard IV of England and mother of Princes Harry and Edmund.

In attitude, Gertrude mainly seems to be rather distant and absent-minded. For whatever reason, she once had an affair with a Scottish laird, which may have resulted in Edmund's birth. Even Gertrude doesn't seem entirely sure who his father was. She appears mainly to give Edmund advice and embarrass him. In the episode "Witchsmeller Pursuivant", it is revealed that she is in fact a kind-hearted witch and uses her secret powers of witchcraft to save Edmund from being burned at the stake. When Edmund pleaded with her to use whatever power she had to save him, she claimed that she had not had any power for years but her magic is resurfaced in order to save Edmund. When her 11-year-old daughter-in-law Leia is about to tell the King that Edmund is going to die, Gertrude silences her and assures her husband that she has "sorted it all out". She then breaks the fourth wall by winking at the audience and a sparkle of stars fly from her eyes.

She dies in the final episode, along with the rest of the royal family, by accidentally drinking poisoned wine.

External links

* [http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0051568/ The Queen] at the Internet Movie Database


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Gertrude of Saxony — (also known as Gertrude Billung) (c. 1030 – August 4, 1113), was the daughter of Bernard II, Duke of Saxony and Eilika of Schweinfurt. She married Floris I, Count of Holland (c. 1017 June 28, 1061) c. 1050, and upon his death, her son Dirk V… …   Wikipedia

  • Gertrude — or Gertrud may refer to:*The underwater phone used by submarines for communication *Gertrude (Hamlet), Hamlet s mother * Gertrud (novel), by Hermann Hesse * Gertrud (play), by Hjalmar Söderberg * Gertrud (film), a 1964 Danish film based on… …   Wikipedia

  • Thierry, Count of Flanders — Thierry of Alsace (Dietrich) (c. 1099 – January 17, 1168), in Flanders known as Diederik van den Elzas, was count of Flanders from 1128 to 1168. He was the youngest son of Duke Thierry II of Lorraine and Gertrude of Flanders (daughter of Robert I …   Wikipedia

  • Mathilde of Flanders — Matilde of Flanders (1170 – 16 October 1210) was the youngest daughter of Marie I, Countess of Boulogne and her husband Matthew, Count of Boulogne. Matilde was Duchess of Brabant, by her marriage to Henry I, Duke of Brabant. Contents 1 Family 2… …   Wikipedia

  • Robert I, Count of Flanders — Robert I of Flanders (b. between 1029 and 1032–13 October 1093, Kassel), known as Robert the Frisian , was count of Flanders from 1071 to 1092.HistoryHe was the younger son of Baldwin V of Flanders and Adèle, a daughter of King Robert II of… …   Wikipedia

  • Charles I, Count of Flanders — Charles the Good Statue in the Basilica of the Holy Blood, Bruges Born 1083 Odense, Denmark Died March 2, 1127( …   Wikipedia

  • List of consorts of the counts of Flanders — See also: Count of Flanders Contents 1 Countess of Flanders 1.1 House of Flanders, 862 1119 1.2 House of Estridsen, 1119 1127 1.3 …   Wikipedia

  • Robert II, Count of Flanders — Robert II (c. 1065 ndash; October 5, 1111) was Count of Flanders from 1093 to 1111. He became known as Robert of Jerusalem ( Robertus Hierosolimitanus ) or Robert the Crusader after his exploits in the First Crusade.HistoryHe was the eldest son… …   Wikipedia

  • Counts of Flanders family tree — This is a family tree of the Counts of Flanders, from 864 to 1792, when the county of Flanders was annexed by France. House of Flanders       …   Wikipedia

  • Adela of Flanders — (c. 1064 1115) was a mediaeval Danish Queen and Italian Duchess and regent, Queen Consort of King Canute IV of Denmark, and Duchess consort of Duke Roger Borsa of Apulia, and then minor regent of Apulia in 1111 1115 as mother and guardian of… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”