King Richard IV of England was a fictional character in the first series of the BBC comedy series The Black Adder, 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, who was, it is believed by some, murdered to the political benefit of his uncle, Richard III in 1483. A fictional character is any person who appears in a work of fiction. ... Corporate logo of the British Broadcasting Corporation. ... Blackadder is the generic name that encompasses four series of an acclaimed BBC historical sitcom, along with several one-off instalments. ... Blessed (centre) as Exeter in Henry V Brian Blessed (born October 9, 1937) is an English actor. ... Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York and 1st Duke of Norfolk (17 August 1473–1483?) was the second son of King Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville and, thus, the younger brother of King Edward V. In January 1478, when he was about 4 years old, he married... Events Ottoman sultan Mehmed II defeats the White Sheep Turkmens lead by Uzun Hasan at Otlukbeli Axayacatl, Aztec ruler of Tenochtitlan invades the territory of neighboring Aztec city of Tlatelolco. ... Events The São Tomé settlement is founded. ... Edward IV (April 28, 1442 – April 9, 1483) was King of England from March 4, 1461 to April 9, 1483, with a break of a few months in the period 1470–1471. ... Edward V (4 November 1470 – 1485) was an English monarch, although never crowned. ... The Princes in the Tower Edward V of England (1470–1483?) and Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York, (1473–1483?) were the two young princes, sons of Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville, who were declared illegitimate by the Act of Parliament known as Titulus Regius. ... Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was the King of England from 1483 until his death and the last king from the House of York. ... Events The São Tomé settlement is founded. ...

Richard and his wife Queen consort Gertrude of Flanders have two sons. The eldest is Harry, Prince of Wales, Captain of the Guard, Grand Warden of the Northern and Eastern Marches, Chief Lunatic of the Duchy of Gloucester, Viceroy of Wales, Sheriff of Nottingham, Marquis of the Midlands, Lord Hoe-Maker in Ordinary, Harbinger of the Doomed Rat (1460–1498), of whom the king is extremely proud. The younger, or 'slimey' son is Prince Edmund (1461-1498), Duke of Edinburgh, laird of Roxborugh, Salkirk and Peebles, and keeper of the Royal Privy, of whom the king is oblivious. On the few occasions he does recognise his son, he calls him by the wrong name, be it Edgar, Enid, Edward or simply 'The other one'. King George V of the United Kingdom and his consort, Queen Mary A queen consort is the wife and consort of a reigning king. ... Gertrude of Flanders was the wife of King Richard IV of England and mother of Harry, Prince of Wales and Edmund, Duke of Edinbrough in the first series of the popular BBC sitcom The Black Adder. ... Prince Henry Plantagenet of York (February/March 1460 - December 1498), known as Harry, was a fictional character in the first series of the popular BBC sitcom The Black Adder, played by Robert East His Royal titles included the Prince of Wales, Prince Regent, Captain of the Guard, Grand Warden of... The Sheriff of Nottingham was historically the office responsible for law and order in Nottingham, directly appointed by the Lord Mayor of Nottingham. ... Events The first Portuguese navigators reach the coast of modern Sierra Leone. ... 1498 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Prince Edmund, The Black Adder Spoiler warning: Prince Edmund Plantagenet of York (August/ September, 1461 - December, 1498) (Later King Edmund of England - for about 30 seconds) was a fictional character in the first series of the popular BBC sitcom The Black Adder. ... Events February 2 - Battle of Mortimers Cross - Yorkist troops led by Edward, Duke of York defeat Lancastrians under Owen Tudor and his son Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke in Wales. ... 1498 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

According to the series, Richard came to the throne in 1485 after his uncle, Richard III was accidentally killed by Edmund. He was actually similar to Henry VIII with his large red beard, desire to disestablish the church and his massive appetite (at one point he is seen to eat the back end of a horse). He revels in crusades and once defeated an entire Turkish horde armed only with a small knife used for peeling fruit. Clearly, he despises the Turkish people and once quoted the Bible as saying "Love thy neighbour as thyself. Unless he's Turkish, in which case, kill the bastard!". He once caught the bubonic plague, and went temporarily insane, attacking everyone he saw, believing them to be Turks. He had to be locked in his room for some time. He was known to shout "Chiswick! Fresh horses!" to his courtier Lord Chiswick. // Events August 5-7 - First outbreak of sweating sickness in England begins August 22 - Battle of Bosworth Field is fought between the armies of King Richard III of England and rival claimant to the throne of England Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond. ... Prince Edmund, The Black Adder Spoiler warning: Prince Edmund Plantagenet of York (August/ September, 1461 - December, 1498) (Later King Edmund of England - for about 30 seconds) was a fictional character in the first series of the popular BBC sitcom The Black Adder. ... Henry VIII (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was King of England and Lord of Ireland (later King of Ireland) from 22 April 1509 until his death. ... This article is about historical Crusades . ... The Bible (Hebrew תנ״ך tanakh, Greek η Βίβλος [hē biblos] ) (sometimes The Holy Bible, The Book, Good Book, Word of God, The Word, or Scripture), from Greek (τα) βίβλια, (ta) biblia, (the) books, is the classical name for the Hebrew Bible of Judaism or the combination of the Old Testament and New Testament of Christianity... Der Doctor Schnabel von Rom (English: The Doctor Beak of Rome) engraving by Paul Fürst (after J Columbina). ... Lord Chiswick was a fictional character in the first series of the British sitcom Blackadder. ...

According to the series, Richard, along with the rest of his court, were accidentally poisoned in late December 1498. At this point, Henry Tudor usurped the throne and re-wrote history so that he would be declared the victor of the Battle of Bosworth Field, and the reign of King Richard IV of England would be eradicated from history. Henry VII (January 28, 1457 - April 21, 1509), King of England, Lord of Ireland (August 22, 1485 – April 21, 1509), was the founder and first patriarch of the Tudor dynasty. ... Combatants Richard III of England, Yorkist Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, Lancastrian Commanders Richard III of England† Nominally, Richmond In practice, the Earl of Oxford Strength 8,000 5,000 Casualties Unknown Unknown The Battle of Bosworth or Bosworth Field was an important battle during the Wars of the Roses...

Blessed's perfomance as the loud, violent, crude, slightly insane king stood out as probably the most amusing and imaginative role in the first Blackadder series. The character did not feature in any of the following series.