Gertrude of Flanders
Encyclopedia
Gertrude of Flanders is a fictional character
in the popular BBC
sitcom Blackadder
(series 1
). 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 seems to be rather distant and absent-minded. She once had an affair with a Scottish laird
, which may have resulted in Edmund's birth. Even Gertrude doesn't seem entirely sure who his father was.
She appears mainly to give Edmund unwanted advice and embarrass him. In the first episode, "The Foretelling
", when Edmund asks her not to tell anybody he overslept and missed part of the battle of Bosworth Field, she reveals her husband has small private parts, and Harry is afraid of spoons. In 'The Archbishop' she flicks Edmund's large phallic codpiece and reveals that she smacked Edmund's bottom the previous week. In the episode "The Witchsmeller Pursuivant", it is revealed that she is in fact a kind-hearted witch and uses her secret powers of witchcraft
to save Edmund from being burned at the stake. When Edmund pleaded with her to use whatever power she had to save him, she claimed that she had not had any power for years but her magic is resurfaced in order to save Edmund. When her 11-year-old daughter-in-law Leia is about to tell the King that Edmund is going to die, Gertrude silences her and assures her husband that she has "sorted it all out". She then breaks the fourth wall by winking at the audience and a sparkle of stars fly from her eyes.
She dies in the final episode, "The Black Seal
", along with the rest of the royal family, by accidentally drinking poisoned wine.
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 popular 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...
sitcom 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...
). She was played by Elspet Gray
Elspet Gray
Elspeth Jean Gray, Baroness Rix is a Scottish actress, known for her work on British television in the 1970s and '80s...
.
In the series, she is the Queen 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...
in her own right and the wife of King Richard of England and Scotland
King Richard IV of England
King Richard IV of England / XII of Scotland / I of Flanders is a fictional character in the BBC comedy series Blackadder , played by Brian Blessed...
and mother of Princes Harry
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
Prince Edmund (Blackadder)
Prince Edmund Plantagenet, Duke of Edinburgh is a fictional character in the first series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder.-Character overview:...
.
In attitude, Gertrude mainly seems to be rather distant and absent-minded. She once had an affair with a Scottish laird
Laird
A Laird is a member of the gentry and is a heritable title in Scotland. In the non-peerage table of precedence, a Laird ranks below a Baron and above an Esquire.-Etymology:...
, which may have resulted in Edmund's birth. Even Gertrude doesn't seem entirely sure who his father was.
She appears mainly to give Edmund unwanted advice and embarrass him. In the first episode, "The Foretelling
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...
", when Edmund asks her not to tell anybody he overslept and missed part of the battle of Bosworth Field, she reveals her husband has small private parts, and Harry is afraid of spoons. In 'The Archbishop' she flicks Edmund's large phallic codpiece and reveals that she smacked Edmund's bottom the previous week. In the episode "The Witchsmeller Pursuivant", it is revealed that she is in fact a kind-hearted witch and uses her secret powers of witchcraft
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
to save Edmund from being burned at the stake. When Edmund pleaded with her to use whatever power she had to save him, she claimed that she had not had any power for years but her magic is resurfaced in order to save Edmund. When her 11-year-old daughter-in-law Leia is about to tell the King that Edmund is going to die, Gertrude silences her and assures her husband that she has "sorted it all out". She then breaks the fourth wall by winking at the audience and a sparkle of stars fly from her eyes.
She dies in the 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...
", along with the rest of the royal family, by accidentally drinking poisoned wine.
External links
- The Queen at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...