For the actual Prince Richard that Richard IV is based on, see Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York

Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York

Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York, 1st Duke of Norfolk, 1st Earl of Norfolk, Earl Marshal was the sixth child and second son of King Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville. He was born in Shrewsbury....

.

King Richard IV of England / XII of Scotland / I of Flanders is a fictional character

Fictional character

A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...

 in the BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 comedy series Blackadder

Blackadder

Blackadder is the name that encompassed four series of a BBC1 historical sitcom, along with several one-off instalments. All television programme episodes starred Rowan Atkinson as anti-hero Edmund Blackadder and Tony Robinson as Blackadder's dogsbody, Baldrick...

(series 1

The Black Adder

The Black Adder is the first series of the BBC situation comedy Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson, directed by Martin Shardlow and produced by John Lloyd...

), played by Brian Blessed

Brian Blessed

Brian Blessed is an English actor, known for his sonorous voice and "hearty, king-sized portrayals".-Early life:The son of William Blessed, a socialist miner, and Hilda Wall, Blessed was born in the town of Goldthorpe, West Riding of Yorkshire, England...

. The character is loosely based on Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York

Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York

Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York, 1st Duke of Norfolk, 1st Earl of Norfolk, Earl Marshal was the sixth child and second son of King Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville. He was born in Shrewsbury....

 (1473-1483?), son of Edward IV

Edward IV of England

Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...

, brother to Edward V

Edward V of England

Edward V was King of England from 9 April 1483 until his deposition two months later. His reign was dominated by the influence of his uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who succeeded him as Richard III...

, one of the Princes in the Tower

Princes in the Tower

The Princes in the Tower is a term which refers to Edward V of England and Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York. The two brothers were the only sons of Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville alive at the time of their father's death...

 who disappeared in 1483.

Background

In the alternate chronology of series 1

The Black Adder

The Black Adder is the first series of the BBC situation comedy Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson, directed by Martin Shardlow and produced by John Lloyd...

, the Plantagenet king Richard III

Richard III of England

Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...

 (played by Peter Cook

Peter Cook

Peter Edward Cook was an English satirist, writer and comedian. An extremely influential figure in modern British comedy, he is regarded as the leading light of the British satire boom of the 1960s. He has been described by Stephen Fry as "the funniest man who ever drew breath," although Cook's...

) is introduced as being a "kind and thoughtful man" who cherishes his nephews (the two princes

Princes in the Tower

The Princes in the Tower is a term which refers to Edward V of England and Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York. The two brothers were the only sons of Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville alive at the time of their father's death...

) 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

House of York

The House of York was a branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet, three members of which became English kings in the late 15th century. The House of York was descended in the paternal line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, the fourth surviving son of Edward III, but also represented...

 during the Wars of the Roses

Wars of the Roses

The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...

.

Marriage and issue

Richard is married to Gertrude

Gertrude of Flanders

Gertrude of Flanders is a fictional character in the popular BBC sitcom Blackadder . 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 of England and Scotland and mother of Princes Harry and Edmund.In attitude, Gertrude mainly...

, the Queen Regnant of Flanders

Flanders

Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...

; it was typical for royalty from different countries to marry during the Middle Ages

Middle Ages

The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

. 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

Eunuch

A eunuch is a person born male most commonly castrated, typically early enough in his life for this change to have major hormonal consequences...

. She is sometimes affectionate to her husband, however, as shown after his recovery from the plague. Richard believes his wife to be "insatiable".

They have two sons, Harry, Prince of Wales

Harry, Prince of Wales (Blackadder)

Prince Henry "Harry" Plantagenet, Earl of March was a fictional character played by Robert East in the popular BBC sitcom Blackadder ....

 and Edmund, Duke of Edinburgh

Prince Edmund (Blackadder)

Prince Edmund Plantagenet, Duke of Edinburgh is a fictional character in the first series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder.-Character overview:...

. 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. Harry is shown fighting and seated at his father's side and has numerous titles and honours bestowed upon him by Richard. 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.

In the series

Richard and his wife Gertrude of Flanders

Gertrude of Flanders

Gertrude of Flanders is a fictional character in the popular BBC sitcom Blackadder . 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 of England and Scotland and mother of Princes Harry and Edmund.In attitude, Gertrude mainly...

 have two sons. The eldest is Harry, Prince of Wales

Harry, Prince of Wales (Blackadder)

Prince Henry "Harry" Plantagenet, Earl of March was a fictional character played by Robert East in the popular BBC sitcom Blackadder ....

, of whom the king is extremely proud. The younger son is Prince Edmund, Duke of Edinburgh

Prince Edmund (Blackadder)

Prince Edmund Plantagenet, Duke of Edinburgh is a fictional character in the first series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder.-Character overview:...

, 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

The Black Seal

"The Black Seal" is the final of six episodes of the first series of the BBC One sitcom Blackadder .- Plot :On Saint Juniper's Day, 29 January 1498, King Richard IV snubs Prince Edmund, taking away his Duchy and leaving him with the sole dignity of Lord Warden of the Royal Privies, while awarding...

; when Edmund pointed this out, he said 'Sorry, Edgar.') In "The Archbishop

The Archbishop

"The Archbishop" is the third episode in of the first series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder .- Plot :In November 1487, the dying Duke of Winchester , the greatest landowner in the kingdom, leaves his lands to the Catholic Church, prompting King Richard to have Godfrey, the Archbishop of Canterbury,...

", he says that comparing Edmund to Harry "is as comparing excrement to cream", a comment that flatters Harry. In "Born to be King

Born to be King

"Born to Be King" is the second episode of The Black Adder, the first series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder.- Plot :In autumn 1486, King Richard IV departs on a Crusade...

", 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

Battle of Bosworth Field

The Battle of Bosworth Field was the penultimate battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the House of Lancaster and the House of York that raged across England in the latter half of the 15th century. Fought on 22 August 1485, the battle was won by the Lancastrians...

. (The series' first episode

The Foretelling

"The Foretelling" was the first episode of the first series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder . It introduces Edmund Blackadder , and opens with a narrative dispelling the popular depiction of King Richard III of England as a scheming murderer...

 explains that Henry Tudor

Henry VII of England

Henry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....

 altered the historical record to make himself the victor.)

Richard revels in crusades

Crusades

The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...

 and, in "Born to be King," defeats an entire Turkish

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

 horde armed only with a small knife used for peeling fruit. He despises the Turkish people

Turkish people

Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...

 and quotes the Bible

Bible

The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...

 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

Bubonic plague

Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...

 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

The Black Seal

"The Black Seal" is the final of six episodes of the first series of the BBC One sitcom Blackadder .- Plot :On Saint Juniper's Day, 29 January 1498, King Richard IV snubs Prince Edmund, taking away his Duchy and leaving him with the sole dignity of Lord Warden of the Royal Privies, while awarding...

". 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

Memory hole

A memory hole is any mechanism for the alteration or disappearance of inconvenient or embarrassing documents, photographs, transcripts, or other records, such as from a web site or other archive, particularly as part of an attempt to give the impression that something never happened...

.

Titles and honours

• Lord Richard Plantagenet (?–1485)
• The Duke of York (?–1485)
• The Duke of Norfolk (?–1485)
• The Earl of Norfolk (?–1485)
• King of England (1485–1498)
• King of Scotland (1485–1498)
• King of Flanders (?–1498)