His Majesty, McDuck
Encyclopedia
His Majesty, McDuck is a 1989 Donald Duck
story by Don Rosa
, first published in Uncle Scrooge Adventures
#14.
Despite thematic similarities, this story is not to be confused with the Carl Barks
story King Scrooge the First.
accidentally finds a brass
plaque
on the site of his Money Bin. The plaque was originally made by Sir Francis Drake
, who claimed the entire hill as property of the Queen of England
back in 1579. Later, in the early 19th century, the English built a fort there. However, a war with Spain
caused England to abandon the fort, giving it away to the nearest non-English person found, who just happened to be Cornelius Coot. Coot, the sole person present at the fort, drove the Spanish away with a clever plot, and continued to maintain the fort. Later, of course, Scrooge's Money Bin was erected in its place.
Scrooge finds out that the hill his Money Bin stands on was never actually part of the United States of America
, so he jumps at the chance to claim sovereignty
and collect tax refunds from Duckburg. To retaliate, Duckburg imposes strict restrictions on inter-country travel, with Scrooge's own employees having to show their passport
s just to come to work. A crafty villain
shows up with the Beagle Boys
, attempting to conquer Scrooge's own private country, but Scrooge fends him off.
Finally, the mayor of Duckburg tells Scrooge that his tax refunds would be so large that they would bankrupt the entire city. Scrooge does not seem to care, but he accidentally destroys the deed that Coot signed, and irritably informs his nephews that he melted down Drake's plaque to make his crown, materials being expensive. In the end, it turns out that this was no accident: Scrooge still has the plaque, but chooses to keep it secret, indicating that he destroyed the grant on purpose, from the good of his heart.
.
Donald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
story by Don Rosa
Don Rosa
Keno Don Hugo Rosa, known simply as Don Rosa, is an American comic book writer and illustrator known for his stories about Scrooge McDuck, Donald Duck and other characters created by Carl Barks for Disney comics, such as The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck.-Early life:Don Rosa's grandfather,...
, first published in Uncle Scrooge Adventures
Uncle Scrooge Adventures
Uncle Scrooge Adventures is a comic book published by Gladstone Publishing under license from the Walt Disney Company. It features the adventures of Scrooge McDuck and his nephews...
#14.
Despite thematic similarities, this story is not to be confused with the Carl Barks
Carl Barks
Carl Barks was an American Disney Studio illustrator and comic book creator, who invented Duckburg and many of its inhabitants, such as Scrooge McDuck , Gladstone Gander , the Beagle Boys , The Junior Woodchucks , Gyro Gearloose , Cornelius Coot , Flintheart Glomgold , John D...
story King Scrooge the First.
Plot
Scrooge McDuckScrooge McDuck
Scrooge McDuck is a cartoon character created in 1947 by Carl Barks and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Scrooge is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a red or blue frock coat, top hat, pince-nez glasses, and spats...
accidentally finds a brass
Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...
plaque
Commemorative plaque
A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other vertical surface, and bearing text in memory of an important figure or event...
on the site of his Money Bin. The plaque was originally made by Sir Francis Drake
Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Elizabeth I of England awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581. He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He also carried out the...
, who claimed the entire hill as property of the Queen of England
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
back in 1579. Later, in the early 19th century, the English built a fort there. However, a war with Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
caused England to abandon the fort, giving it away to the nearest non-English person found, who just happened to be Cornelius Coot. Coot, the sole person present at the fort, drove the Spanish away with a clever plot, and continued to maintain the fort. Later, of course, Scrooge's Money Bin was erected in its place.
Scrooge finds out that the hill his Money Bin stands on was never actually part of the United States of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, so he jumps at the chance to claim sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
and collect tax refunds from Duckburg. To retaliate, Duckburg imposes strict restrictions on inter-country travel, with Scrooge's own employees having to show their passport
Passport
A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....
s just to come to work. A crafty villain
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
shows up with the Beagle Boys
Beagle Boys
The Beagle Boys are a group of fictional characters from the Scrooge McDuck universe. Created by Carl Barks, they are a gang of criminals who constantly try to rob Scrooge McDuck. Their introduction and first appearance was in Terror of the Beagle Boys, in Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #134,...
, attempting to conquer Scrooge's own private country, but Scrooge fends him off.
Finally, the mayor of Duckburg tells Scrooge that his tax refunds would be so large that they would bankrupt the entire city. Scrooge does not seem to care, but he accidentally destroys the deed that Coot signed, and irritably informs his nephews that he melted down Drake's plaque to make his crown, materials being expensive. In the end, it turns out that this was no accident: Scrooge still has the plaque, but chooses to keep it secret, indicating that he destroyed the grant on purpose, from the good of his heart.
Cultural references
The panel in which Cornelius Coot's journal is removed from a vault in the Coot Library for reading is a direct homage to a scene from Citizen KaneCitizen Kane
Citizen Kane is a 1941 American drama film, directed by and starring Orson Welles. Many critics consider it the greatest American film of all time, especially for its innovative cinematography, music and narrative structure. Citizen Kane was Welles' first feature film...
.