Edmund Blackadder - Citizendia

Edmund Blackadder is the single name given to a collection of fictional characters who appear in the BBC mock-historical comedy series Blackadder, each played by Rowan Atkinson. Blackadder is the generic name that encompasses four series of an acclaimed BBC One historical sitcom, along with several one-off instalments Rowan Atkinson (born 6 January 1955 is an English Comedian, actor and writer famous for his title roles in the British television comedies Blackadder Although each series is set within a different period of British history, each character is part of the same familial dynasty and is usually called Edmund Blackadder. A dynasty is a succession of rulers who belong to the same family for generations Each character also shares notable personality traits and characteristics throughout each incarnation; while each individual incarnation may be found in different circumstances, they are usually considered to all intents and purposes to be the same character.

1 Common characteristics
2 Main Blackadders
3 Other Blackadders
4 The Blackadder Dynasty
5 See also

Common characteristics

Although each Blackadder is positioned in a different place in British society over each series, there are certain common characteristics that each Blackadder shares. Throughout each series, Blackadder is a self-serving, cynical opportunist concerned solely with increasing his own influence and status within his society (and, usually, gaining a lot of money and sex along the way) rather than serving any idealistic goals.

With the exception of the first Blackadder incarnation, Prince Edmund, each Blackadder is generally witty, charming and intelligent. While he is beset by bad luck, he is usually very capable of manipulating his way out of a crisis and in securing for himself some degree of prestige and fortune. Blackadder is also usually one of the few intelligent people present at any given time and usually is surrounded by incompetent, stupid and at times mad servants, equals and superiors. As a result, he possesses a scathing wit and is usually prepared with numerous sarcastic put-downs.

He is frequently present at some of the defining moments of British history, but nevertheless usually views his contemporaries with unbridled contempt, regardless of their historical importance or interest. In particular, he tends to comment sardonically on what might, to modern eyes, be considered the more ludicrous follies of history (from the injustice of the medieval witchhunts, to the petty whims and stupidities of various British monarchs, to the pointless butchery of World War I). World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All As a result, he is something of a modern perspective placed in past societies. He is also generally dismissive of the contemporary arts and culture in the various eras in which he lives, such as medieval folk pageants, Shakespeare, Georgian Romanticist poetry and Charlie Chaplin movies. William Shakespeare ( baptised Romanticism is a complex artistic literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe, and gained strength during the

Each Blackadder is also surrounded by various other figures who reappear over the series. Most, such as his repulsive manservant Baldrick and the various imbecilic aristocrats with whose company he is lumbered (such as Lord Percy Percy or George) are usually hindrances to him of whom he is repeatedly incapable of ridding himself. Sodoff Baldrick is the name of several Fictional characters featured in the television series Blackadder. Lord Percy Percy is the name given to a pair of related Fictional characters played George is the name of two characters appearing in the historical BBC Sitcom Blackadder played by Hugh Laurie. There is also usually another main character who is on a par with him in terms of intelligence and serves as someone for him to play games of one-upmanship with, such as Lord Melchett and Captain Darling but these characters are typically sycophantic toadies who suck up to their (much less intelligent) superiors like Queenie and General Melchett who Blackadder himself is also forced to reluctantly serve. This article is about the fictional character For the football player see Kevin Darling Captain Kevin Darling was a Fictional character played by Queenie was a Caricature of the historical figure Queen Elizabeth I of England, played by Miranda Richardson in the second series

Main Blackadders

In this section, brief descriptions of the various Edmund Blackadders who have appeared in their own series or in another notable Blackadder production are provided.

Prince Edmund (Medieval England)

Prince Edmund, "The Black Adder" (Series 1)

Main article: Prince Edmund (Blackadder)

Prince Edmund is the first man in the dynasty to refer to himself as 'the Black Adder' (although in Blackadder: Back and Forth, a centurion in Roman Britain also possesses a similar name). Prince Edmund Plantagenet Duke of Edinburgh is a Fictional character in the first series of the BBC Sitcom The Black Adder. Prince Edmund Plantagenet Duke of Edinburgh is a Fictional character in the first series of the BBC Sitcom The Black Adder. Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and 410 He appears in the first series, The Black Adder, set shortly after The Wars of the Roses, and is the second son of the fictional King Richard IV of England, whom we are told at the beginning was cast from all historical references by his successor, Henry Tudor. The Wars of the Roses (1455–1485 were a series of dynastic Civil wars fought in England between supporters of the Houses of Lancaster and York He is a drastically different character from what his descendants turn into; he is incompetent and slow in the uptake, and when he carries out something Machiavellian he is shown to be either half-hearted or to regret it afterwards, as demonstrated in the first episode when, after accidentally cutting off the king's head, he later returns to haunt him in a Macbeth-like scene at the banquet. Machiavellianism is the term that some social and personality psychologists use to describe a person's tendency to deceive and manipulate others for personal gain Macbeth is among the best-known of William Shakespeare 's plays, and is his shortest tragedy, believed to have been written some time between He does, however, maintain his ascendants' wit on occasion, and is just as creative when insulting someone. His primary concern is to seize the British throne and become King. He is named after the treacherous Prince Edmund from Shakespeare's King Lear. King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1603 and 1606 and is considered one of his greatest works

Edmund, Lord Blackadder (Series 2)

Edmund, Lord Blackadder (Elizabethan England)

Main article: Lord Blackadder

Edmund, Lord Blackadder is the next-seen member of the dynasty, appearing in Elizabethan England. Edmund Blackadder Lord Blackadder ( 1531 - 1566) was the main character in the second series of the popular BBC Sitcom Edmund Blackadder Lord Blackadder ( 1531 - 1566) was the main character in the second series of the popular BBC Sitcom Romance and reality The Victorian era and the early twentieth century idealised the Elizabethan era He is the central character of Blackadder II, and is a nobleman in the court of Elizabeth I of England. Aristocracy is a form of Government, where rule is established through an internal struggle over who has the most status and influence over society and internal relations Although his 'great-grandfather' was Prince Edmund, he is much more intelligent, charming and witty than his ancestor. His main concerns are pleasing his Queen, depicted here as a childish, spoiled tyrant, and in outwitting his various contemporary rivals, usually in the form of Lord Melchett, for her favour. Queenie was a Caricature of the historical figure Queen Elizabeth I of England, played by Miranda Richardson in the second series

Mr. Edmund Blackadder (Regency Britain)

Main article: Mr. E. Blackadder

Mr. Edmund Blackadder Esq. (1762–1830 was the main character in the third series of the BBC Sitcom Blackadder. Edmund Blackadder, Esquire is the Blackadder appearing in the Regency period of British history. His family having fallen on hard times, he is reduced to a life of servitude, a fall made even more insufferable by his position as butler to the oafish and uncouth George, the Prince Regent. A butler is a senior servant in a large Household. In the Great houses of the past the household was sometimes divided into departments with the butler George is the name of two characters appearing in the historical BBC Sitcom Blackadder played by Hugh Laurie. For the station on the Docklands Light Railway, see Prince Regent DLR station. Despite this, he remains keenly intelligent (by far sharper than most of the people he associates with), and is usually found stealing from his employer. This is the only one of the main four incarnations not to be killed onscreen (the first two are murdered, whilst the fourth dies in battle); this time out, he's mistaken for the Prince of Wales by a befuddled George III and taken "home" to the royal court.

Ebenezer Blackadder (Victorian London)

Main article: Ebenezer Blackadder

Ebenezer Blackadder, the Victorian Blackadder, appears in Blackadder's Christmas Carol. Ebenezer Blackadder is one of the many Blackadder ancestors from the BBC sitcom of the name Blackadder's Christmas Carol is a one-off episode of Blackadder, a parody of Charles Dickens ' A Christmas Carol. Unlike his miserly, cynical ancestors, he is by repute the nicest man in Victorian England. Unfortunately, this only serves to make him a target for the cynical crooks and cheats he is surrounded by, and a Christmas Carol-like encounter with a Ghost of Christmas Past sees him greatly inspired by his snide-yet-triumphant ancestors. A Christmas Carol in Prose Being a Ghost Story of Christmas (commonly known as A Christmas Carol) is a Novella by Charles Dickens The Ghost of Christmas Past is a character in the well-known work of the English novelist Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol.

Captain Edmund Blackadder (World War One)

Main article: Captain Blackadder

Captain Edmund Blackadder appears in Blackadder Goes Forth, and is an officer in the British Army during World War I. Captain Edmund Blackadder was the main Fictional character in the fourth and final series of the popular BBC Sitcom Blackadder, The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Characteristically reluctant to meet his end in the mud of the trenches of the Western Front, this Blackadder's sole goal is to escape his inevitable fate. Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914 the German army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining

Lord Edmund Blackadder V / Edmund III

Lord Edmund Blackadder V (Modern)

Main article: Lord Edmund Blackadder V

Lord Edmund Blackadder is the modern representative of the Blackadder family. Edmund Lord Blackadder is the modern day descendant of fictional character Edmund Blackadder in the Blackadder TV series Edmund Lord Blackadder is the modern day descendant of fictional character Edmund Blackadder in the Blackadder TV series He intends to play a third millennium-prank on his friends by claiming that he (or rather, Baldrick) has built a time machine - only to be unpleasantly surprised when it transpires that the device that Baldrick has created (following Da Vinci's instructions to the letter, save for marking values on the instrument display. A millennium (pl millennia) is a period of Time equal to one thousand Years (from Latin la mille, thousand and la annum Sodoff Baldrick is the name of several Fictional characters featured in the television series Blackadder. Time travel is a common theme in Science fiction and is depicted in a variety of media ) actually is a time machine.

Other Blackadders

Although not appearing within their own series or one-off special, various other Blackadders have appeared or been alluded to over the course of the series. Most prominently is Sir Edmund Blackadder, who appears in the Comic Relief special Blackadder: The Cavalier Years. Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character or scene or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work often to relieve tension Blackadder The Cavalier Years is a 15 minute one-off edition of Blackadder set during the English Civil War, shown as part of Comic Set after the English Civil War, Sir Edmund is (apparently) a loyal royalist and friend of Charles I of England. The English Civil War (1642-1651 was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I during the English Civil War ( 1642 &ndash 1651 Charles I, (19 November 1600 &ndash 30 January 1649 was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution. This Blackadder also appeared in an introductory sequence for Charles, Prince of Wales' fiftieth birthday Gala Performance, in which he was supposedly organising a similar show for King Charles' birthday.

Several relatives of the Blackadder family include the Puritan Whiteadders, and the Highlander clan of MacAdder. A Puritan of 16th and 17th century England was an associate of any number of religious groups advocating for more "purity" of Worship and Doctrine, The Scottish Highlands ( Scottish Gaelic: A' Ghàidhealtachd, Scots: Hielans) include the rugged and Mountainous

Various one-off specials have introduced other Blackadders throughout history, from the Roman Centurion Blaccadicus, to a Grand Admiral Blackadder in the distant future who becomes ruler of the universe. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial

In 2002, during the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II trailers for the Party at the Palace featured the Keeper of Her Majesty's Lawn Sprinklers, Sir Osmond Darling-Blackadder, who was against the idea. The Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II marked the fiftieth anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II 's accession to the throne The Party at the Palace was a Pop concert held in London in 2002. Sir Osmond also co-hosted the light-hearted documentary on the celebrations Jubilee Girl. He is notable for being one of the few members of the family not to be named Edmund, and also for his double barrelled name, suggesting a family connection to Kevin Darling. This article is about the fictional character For the football player see Kevin Darling Captain Kevin Darling was a Fictional character played by

The Blackadder Dynasty

Centurion Blackadicus - Roman Britain (Blackadder Back And Forth)
Lord Blackadder - Year and first name unknown - simultaneous with Robin Hood (timeperiod visited in Blackadder Back And Forth)
Prince Edmund, Duke of Edinburgh, the Black Adder - Middle Ages (The Black Adder)
Prince Edmund, Duke of York - 400 years ago (The Black Adder pilot)
Lord Edmund Blackadder - Elizabethan (Blackadder II)
Blackadder (Shakespeare's agent) - Elizabethan
Sir Edmund Blackadder - Stuart, English Civil War (Blackadder: The Cavalier Years)
Lord Edmund Blackadder, Privy Counsellor - Stuart, 1680 (Blackadder And The King's Birthday )
Edmund Blackadder, Esq - Regency (Blackadder the Third)
Mr Ebenezer Blackadder - Victorian (Blackadder's Christmas Carol)
Captain Edmund Blackadder - First World War (Blackadder Goes Forth)
Lord Edmund Blackadder - 1999 (Blackadder Back And Forth)
King Edmund III - 1999 (Blackadder Back And Forth) (alternate)
Lord Edmund Blackadder, Captain In Her Royal Highness' Regiment of Shirkers - 2000 (Blackadder: The Army Years )
Sir Osmond Darling-Blackadder, 'Keeper of the Lawn Sprinklers' - 2002 (BBC Golden Jubilee advert and Jubilee Girl)
Grand Admiral Blackadder of the Dark Segment - Distant Future (Blackadder's Christmas Carol)

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