Richard IV of England (Blackadder)

Blackadder character


name = King Richard IV of England
nationality = English
occupation = King of England
first appearance = "The Foretelling"
last appearance = "The Black Seal"
episode count = 6
portrayer = Brian Blessed

King Richard IV of England was 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.

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 cherished his nephews, the two princes, placed into his care. Of the two, Richard is indicated as his Uncle's favourite, reflected by his being sat at the side of the king at the banquet on the eve of the battle of Bosworth Field. As such, Richard supports the House of York during the War of the Roses. [ Curtis et al. 1999: 1]

Marriage and issue

Richard is married to Gertrude of Flanders, a foreign princess, as was typical of the nobility during the Middle Ages. Their marriage is not particularly happy, Gertude describing her husband as a 'steaming great ox', complaining of his sexual demands and stating that she wishes she'd married an eunuch, although she seems resigned to her fate. [ Curtis et al. 1999: 8, 21] However she is sometimes affectionate to her husband, as shown after his recovery from the plague. [ Curtis et al. 1999: 91] Richard believes his wife to be 'insatiable', however. [ Curtis et al. 1999: 8] They have two sons, Henry (referred to as Harry) and Edmund, Duke of Edinburgh. [ Curits et al. 1999: 2 ]

Of the two sons, Richard enjoys the closest relationship with his eldest, Harry, whom he is extremely proud of and takes time to tutor in the ways of fighting, statecraft and diplomacy. [ Curtis et al. 1999: ] Harry is shown fighting and sat at his father's side and has numerous titles and honours bestowed upon him by Richard. [ Curtis et al. 1999: ] When Richard is unable to govern his country due to absence or ill-health, he leaves Harry acting as his regent, something which causes immense resentment in Edmund. [ Curtis et al. 1999: ]

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, Edgar, Edwin, Enid, Edith, Edward, Osmond or simply 'The other one'. In "The Archbishop", he says that comparing Edmund to Harry "is as comparing excrement to cream," a comment that flatters both sons. However, he does recognise Edmund as his son whilst the Archbishop of Canterbury after Edmund successfully gets Lord Graveney to sign his lands over to the Crown Richard exclaims "My son!", then kneeling down to receive the Archbishop's blessing.

According to the series, Richard ascends to the throne in 1485 after his uncle, Richard III, is accidentally killed by Edmund 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". 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.

Notes

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