Edmund Blackadder facts for kids

Captain Blackadder in the Suffolk Regiment

Edmund Blackadder is the name given to a group of made-up characters in the funny TV show Blackadder. Each Blackadder character is played by Rowan Atkinson. Even though each series is set in a different time in British history, all the characters are part of the same family. They are usually called Edmund Blackadder. Each character also shares many of the same personality traits. In a 2001 poll, Edmund Blackadder was voted third on a list of the 100 Greatest TV Characters.

What Makes Blackadder Characters Similar?

Each Blackadder character lives in a different part of British society over time. They usually lose social rank as history moves forward. He starts as a prince (in The Black Adder). Then he becomes a lord (in Blackadder II). After that, he is a knight or baronet (in Blackadder: The Cavalier Years). Later, he is a royal helper (in Blackadder the Third). He even becomes a shopkeeper (in Blackadder's Christmas Carol). Finally, he is an army captain (in Blackadder Goes Forth).

In every series, Blackadder cares only about himself. He is a cynical person who looks for chances to get ahead. He only wants to make himself more important, gain more status, and get richer. His character is often linked to the adder, which is the only venomous snake in Great Britain. This snake sometimes appears in the show as a symbol.

Except for the first Blackadder, Prince Edmund, most of them are smart and charming. They are also often cynical. Even though he has bad luck, Blackadder is usually very good at getting out of trouble. He often finds ways to gain some fame and money for himself. Blackadder is also usually one of the smartest people around. He is often surrounded by clumsy, slow-witted servants, friends, and bosses. Because of this, he is very quick-witted and ready with many sharp comebacks. However, these clever remarks are often wasted on the people he says them to.

He often finds himself at important moments in British history. But he usually looks down on the people around him, no matter how important they are. He also generally dislikes the art and culture of the times he lives in. This includes medieval folk shows, plays by Shakespeare, Romantic poems, and Charlie Chaplin films.

Each Blackadder is also surrounded by other characters who appear in many series. These include his servant Baldrick (Tony Robinson). There are also many foolish rich people he has to deal with. These include Lord Percy Percy (Tim McInnerny) and George (Hugh Laurie).

Main Blackadder Characters

Here are short descriptions of the main Edmund Blackadder characters. These are the ones who have had their own TV series or a special show.

Prince Edmund, The Black Adder (Medieval Times)

Prince Edmund (born 1461, died 1498) is the first person in the family to call himself 'The Black Adder'. This name was suggested by the first Baldrick. He appears in the first series, which is set shortly after The Wars of the Roses. He is the second son of the made-up King Richard IV of England (Brian Blessed). We are told that King Richard IV was removed from all history books by the next king, Henry Tudor (Peter Benson).

Prince Edmund is very different from his family members who come after him. He is slow-witted, a coward, and often the target of jokes. While he is as tricky and uncaring as his descendants, his clever plans are usually started by other characters. Despite this, he is determined to gain power. His main goal is to take the English throne and become king. After King Richard IV and Edmund's older brother Harry (Robert East) die, he is briefly King of England. A song from the end of Black Adder II says he was "a king / Although for only thirty seconds." Prince Edmund is one of the few Blackadders who dies on screen. He dies after accidentally drinking poisoned wine.

Edmund, Lord Blackadder (Series 2)

Edmund, Lord Blackadder (Elizabethan Times)

Edmund, Lord Blackadder, is the next family member we see. He lives in Elizabethan England. He is the main character of Black Adder II. He is a nobleman in the court of Queen Elizabeth I of England. Even though his 'great-grandfather' was Prince Edmund, this Blackadder is much smarter, more charming, sharper, and more respected.

However, Edmund's noble title has become lower; he is now just a lord, not a Prince. His main goals are to please his Queen (Miranda Richardson), who is shown as a childish and spoiled ruler. He also tries to outsmart his rivals, usually Lord Melchett (Stephen Fry), to gain the Queen's favor. At the end of his series, this Edmund is killed by Prince Ludwig the Indestructible of Germany (played by Hugh Laurie).

The change in character from Prince Edmund in the first series to Lord Blackadder in the second was due to Ben Elton. He joined as a co-writer with Richard Curtis. This later Edmund became the main type of Blackadder. Almost all Blackadders after him were based on Edmund, Lord Blackadder. The only exception was Ebenezer Blackadder.

Sir Edmund Blackadder (English Civil War)

Sir Edmund Blackadder appears in the Comic Relief special Blackadder: The Cavalier Years. With the title 'Sir', this Blackadder is either a Baronet or a Knight. This story is set during the English Civil War. Sir Edmund is (supposedly) a loyal royalist and a friend of Charles I of England, played by Stephen Fry. This Blackadder also appeared in a short scene for Charles III's fiftieth birthday party. In it, he was supposedly planning a birthday show for Charles II (also played by Fry).

Edmund Blackadder Esq. (Regency Britain)

Edmund Blackadder, Esq., is the Blackadder who lives during the Regency period of British history. His family has lost their money, so he is now a servant. This is even harder for him because he works as a butler for the clumsy and rude George (Laurie), who is the Prince Regent.

Despite this, he is still very smart. He is much sharper than most of the people he meets. He is usually found stealing from his employer. This Blackadder is the most in control of his own life. This allows him to be more proudly confident than other Blackadders. This Blackadder is the only one of the four main characters who does not die on screen.

Mr. Ebenezer Blackadder (Victorian London)

Mr. Ebenezer Blackadder, the Victorian Blackadder, appears in Blackadder's Christmas Carol. Unlike his cold-hearted, cynical family members from the past, he is known as the nicest man in Victorian England. Sadly, this only makes him an easy target for the cynical crooks and cheats around him.

He has an experience like the story of A Christmas Carol with the "Ghost of Christmas." This ghost shows him how successful his rude but triumphant ancestors were. He learns that if he acts like them, his family will rule the universe. If he doesn't, they will end up as Baldrick's slaves in the same time period. After the Ghost leaves, Blackadder stops being kind and goes back to his old ways right away.

Captain Edmund Blackadder (World War I)

Captain Edmund Blackadder appears in Blackadder Goes Forth. This series is set during World War I. He has been a soldier for a long time. Early in his career, Blackadder was "The Hero of Umboto Gorge." This was a made-up battle in Upper Volta in 1892. During this battle, he saved the life of Douglas Haig. He also fought in the 1898 Sudan War. He mentions that he spent most of his career away from Britain.

Before World War I started, Blackadder liked life in the British Army. He had lived a relatively safe life. His main job was to support colonialism in the British Empire. As he put it, he was fighting native people who were usually "two feet tall and armed with dried grass." However, in World War I, Blackadder understands how serious and deadly trench warfare is. Unlike his superior officers, he realizes that earlier colonial battles gave people very unrealistic ideas about future wars.

Blackadder does not want to die in the mud of the trenches on the Western Front. His only goal is to escape his certain fate. His attempts to escape are stopped by General Melchett (Fry) and Melchett's assistant Captain Kevin Darling (McInnerny), who is Blackadder's enemy.

Blackadder shares his trench with Private S. Baldrick (Robinson) and Lt. The Hon. George Colthurst St Barleigh (Laurie). Also seen from a distance is Douglas Haig (Geoffrey Palmer), whom Blackadder had saved before.

In the final episode, "Goodbyeee", Captain Blackadder and his company are ordered to attack. After trying and failing to get out of the battle, Blackadder's company charges into machine-gun fire. The scene then fades to a field of poppies with only birdsong. This leaves the company's fate unclear.

In an alternative ending to the finale, it is shown that Blackadder survives. He pretends to be dead after his whole company dies. He then dives back into the trench for safety, surviving the war.

Lord Edmund Blackadder / King Edmund III (Modern Times)

Lord Edmund Blackadder is the modern-day member of the Blackadder family. He plans to play a trick on his friends around the year 2000. He will claim he has a time machine. But he is unpleasantly surprised when the device Baldrick built actually is a working time machine. Baldrick followed Leonardo da Vinci's instructions exactly, except for the numbers on the display.

He manages to change history by:

• Beating up William Shakespeare (Colin Firth) and telling him his plays are just people "wearing stupid tights." When Blackadder also leaves his ballpoint pen behind, history remembers Shakespeare not as a great playwright, but as the pen's "inventor."
• Convincing Robin Hood's (Rik Mayall) men that stealing from the rich is fine, but giving to the poor makes them look crazy. This causes them to shoot Robin full of arrows.
• Causing the time machine to land on top of the Duke of Wellington (Fry) during the Battle of Waterloo. This allows Napoleon Bonaparte to win the battle and take over the United Kingdom.

He fixes history, but then he gets the idea to change history in his favor. In the present day, a news report shows the popular King Edmund III and his queen, Marion of Sherwood (Kate Moss). They are greeted by the prime minister, Baldrick. With Baldrick as his prime minister and Parliament ended, the Blackadder and Baldrick families have finally won and become the rulers of the UK.

Other Blackadder Family Members

Even though they didn't have their own series or special, other Blackadder family members have appeared or been mentioned.

Some relatives of the Blackadder family include the Puritan Whiteadders and the Highlander clan of MacAdder. Different one-off specials have shown other Blackadders throughout history. These range from the Roman Centurion Blaccadicus to a Grand Admiral Blackadder in the far future who rules the universe.

At the 2000 Royal Variety Performance, Rowan Atkinson performed a short speech called "Blackadder: The Army Years." He played Captain Lord Edmund Blackadder of Her Royal Highness's Regiment of Shirkers. It is possible that Captain Lord Blackadder is the same modern-day Lord Blackadder seen in "Back and Forth," though no military rank is mentioned there.

In 2002, during the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II (Queen Elizabeth II's 50th year as Queen), trailers for the Party at the Palace featured the Keeper of Her Majesty's Lawn Sprinklers, Sir Osmond Darling-Blackadder. He was against the idea of the party. Sir Osmond also helped host a light-hearted documentary about the celebrations called Jubilee Girl. He is special because he is one of the few family members not named Edmund. Also, his double-barreled name suggests a family link to Kevin Darling.

At the 2012 charity event We Are Most Amused, Atkinson appeared in a short play. It made fun of the banking crisis at the time. He played Sir Edmund Blackadder, CEO of the Melchett, Melchett and Darling Bank.

The Blackadder Family Tree

Here are some other members of the Blackadder family mentioned or shown:

• Edmun, a druid who helped build Stonehenge.
• Blaccadda, who insulted Boadicea of the Iceni.
• Centurion Blaccadicus – in Roman Britain (from Blackadder Back And Forth).
• Duc D'Blackadder – during the Norman Conquest.
• Blackadder the Chickenheart – during the time of Richard the Lionheart.
• Baron de Blackadder – during the time of King John.
• Lord Blackadder – in the Middle Ages – his first name is unknown. He lived at the same time as Robin Hood (a time period visited in Blackadder Back And Forth).
• Prince Edmund, Duke of Edinburgh "The Black Adder" – Middle Ages (from The Black Adder).
• Prince Edmund, Duke of York "The Black Adder" – 400 years ago (from The Black Adder - an episode that was not shown).
• Cardinal Blackadder – in Tudor times.
• Nathaniel Whiteadder – in Elizabethan times – he seems to be Prince Edmund's uncle.
• Osric Blackadder – in Elizabethan times (mentioned in Blackadder II).
• Edmund, Lord Blackadder – in Elizabethan times (from Blackadder II).
• Blackadder (Shakespeare's agent) – in Elizabethan times.
• Sir Edmund Blackadder – in Stuart times, during the English Civil War (from Blackadder: The Cavalier Years).
• Lord Edmund Blackadder, Privy Counsellor – in Stuart times, 1680 (from Blackadder and the King's Birthday).
• Duke of Blackadder – during the reign of Queen Anne.
• Mr. E. Blackadder Esq. – in the Regency period (from Blackadder the Third).
• MacAdder – in the Regency period – a cousin of Blackadder (from Blackadder the Third). MacAdder is Mr. E. Blackadder Esq.'s Scottish cousin. He is known as the 'most dangerous man ever to wear a skirt in Europe'. He believes he is the rightful king of England and plans to start a rebellion, which makes his cousin hate him.
• Mr. Ebenezer Blackadder – in Victorian times (from Blackadder's Christmas Carol).
• Capt. Edmund Blackadder – during the First World War (from Blackadder Goes Forth).
• Lord Edmund Blackadder / King Edmund III – in 1999 (from Blackadder Back And Forth).
• Lord Edmund Blackadder, Captain in Her Royal Highness' Regiment of Shirkers – in 2000 (from Blackadder: The Army Years).
• Sir Osmond Darling-Blackadder, 'Keeper of the Lawn Sprinklers' – in 2002 (from a BBC Golden Jubilee promotion and Jubilee Girl).
• Sir Edmund Blackadder, CEO of the Melchett, Melchett and Darling Bank – in 2012 (from We Are Most Amused).
• Lord Blackadder – in 2020 (from The Big Night In).
• Grand Admiral Blackadder of the Dark Segment – in the Distant Future (from Blackadder's Christmas Carol).

Is the Blackadder Name Real?

Blackadder is a real last name. Its use in the UK has been recorded since the 15th century. This might explain why the name was chosen, as the first series is set in that time. The name is thought to be mostly Scottish in origin. This fits with the series, as the first Blackadder starts as the Duke of Edinburgh. However, the Scottish name means 'black water'. The first series clearly links the name to the snake. There is even a video of a black snake in the opening credits. In the third series, it is revealed that a part of the Blackadder family is a big clan in Scotland. They are known by the name MacAdder. There is a real Clan Blackadder.

Among real historical members of the Clan, in 1502, Robert Blackadder, who was the Archbishop of Glasgow, led a ceremony that went wrong. In it, James IV of Scotland swore to keep lasting peace with England. The first time, the King read his oath from a paper where "France" was written instead of "England."

George Buchanan mentions an Edmund Blackadder in his 1582 book Rerum Scoticarum Historia. He wrote that Mary, Queen of Scots got on a boat at Leith to sail to Alloa Tower in June 1566. The crew included "William and Edmond Blackadder, Edward Robertson and Thomas Dickson, all Bothwell's servants and well-known pirates." In 1567, her husband Lord Darnley was killed in strange circumstances after an explosion in Edinburgh. This Captain William Blackadder was one of the first people at the scene. He was thought to be one of the people who planned the murder. He was blamed and executed. Later, it was said that he had only appeared on the street after hearing the explosion while drinking in a tavern. Edmund Blackadder was at the battle of Carberry Hill in June 1567. He was one of the first to leave the Queen and ride away.

A Major General Charles Blackader served in the British army during the First World War. He led an Indian colonial army group and the 38th (Welsh) Division on the Western Front. He also led a local army group in Dublin during the Easter Rising of 1916.

The name 'Baldrick' is also real, but much rarer. It has been found in Britain all the way back to the Norman Conquest of 1066. This name comes from German.