User:ProhibitOnions/Historical anomalies in Blackadder

The British sitcom, Blackadder, takes place in several historical eras. Although many historical figures are seen or mentioned in the series, this is not necessarily done in a strictly historically accurate manner. Since the show is a comedy, though, such anachronisms should not be taken to be mistakes.

The Black Adder

Throughout the series

The entire series is a secret history in which it is suggested that Richard III of England was defeated at the Battle of Bosworth Field,by Lord Edmund Plantagenet at that time his great nephew. Richard, Duke of York, one of the Princes in the Tower, succeeded him as Richard IV and reigned for thirteen years. In actual fact, of course, Henry won this battle and began his reign in 1485. This is very important to consider when exploring historical inaccuracies in the series, since the entire premise is built upon Henry Tudor lying about the previous royal family and re-writing history as he sees fit.
The series is rather unclear as to the manner of Richard III's taking the throne. If he did not depose his nephew Edward V, Edward would have remained king, and Richard would never have taken the throne. If he did, in fact, depose and disinherit his nephews, it is unclear why the younger Richard would be his heir at the time of Bosworth Field. (In actual fact, Richard's heir at the end of his reign was another nephew, John de la Pole, 1st Earl of Lincoln.)
At the beginning of the series in 1485 Richard IV is not only an adult but has two grown-up sons. Richard of Shrewsbury was only born in 1473.
Lord Percy Percy is the Duke of Northumberland. The Percys were at the time Earls of Northumberland. The first Percy to be a Duke was Hugh Percy, 1st Duke of Northumberland, granted the title in 1766.
Prodigious references are also made to things which are plainly ridiculous and hence presumably recognised by the writers to be apocryphal, if they themselves did not fabricate them for reasons of humour. Examples include a steadily increasing number of Popes ("The Archbishop" - although genuine antipopes are fairly common throughout history), the festivals 'Garethstide' and 'Norristide' ("Witchsmeller Pursuivant") and festivities to celebrate St. Leonard's Day including, for some reason, bearded women and eunuchs and under Edmund's stewardship The Jumping Jews Of Jerusalem, Bernard The Rabbit-Baiter and the ancient Egyptian play 'The Death Of The Pharaoh' ("Born To Be King") and warring between European states whose allegiances change on practically a daily basis ("The Queen Of Spain's Beard").

'The Foretelling'

Edmund is offered “10 thousand sovereigns” if he will help an injured soldier. The British sovereign coin was not minted until 1489, by Henry VII. Even taking account of the historical black hole which the series is set in there is no way that on the 22nd of August 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth anyone would have known what a “sovereign” was. However, the soldier in question is, in fact, Henry Tudor incognito. He may have already planned to institute the sovereign as a coin, and thus offered them to Edmund pre-emptively (although he had already announced "Lost, all is lost! Flee!", suggesting that he had by then given up hope of winning the battle and becoming king). Even given all that, it is unlikely Edmund would have understood what Henry meant by a sovereign. It may, however be possible he was referring to ownership of land, and that the large number was taken as an exaggeration, though the dialogue does suggest referrance to money.

'Born to be King'

The Duke of Edinburgh is one of Edmund's titles. However the title was not created until after the union of Scotland and England in 1707. In the credits to the episode "Born to Be King", however, it is suggested that Richard IV is also King of Scotland, which would explain his ability to grant Scottish fiefs to McAngus. (In actual history, the Kings of Scotland for the period of Richard IV's reign would be James III and James IV). It is also possible that the title was given to the character of Edmund as a joke at his expense, since the title (due to Scotland's independence at the time) is a useless one.
Richard IV is depicted as capturing Constantinople from the Turks with a fruit knife. In fact, the Turks have never lost control of that city, which is now the Turkish city of Istanbul.
In the episode "Born To Be King", the 'Jumping Jews Of Jerusalem' are featured as one of the St. Leonard's Day entertainments. However, all Jews were expelled from England in 1290 by a decree of Edward I and were not effectively (although still not legally) readmitted until 1653, during which time the British Jewish community practised their faith only in secret: they certainly would not have openly displayed it in, of all places, the Royal court. However, given their name, it is reasonable to suppose that The Jumping Jews Of Jerusalem were not English residents, although the one line spoken by the lead Jew (played by Angus Deayton) is in perfectly unaccented English. Alternatively, the Jumping Jews of Jerusalem could be merely a stage identity, and they are not Jewish at all. This interpretation is supported by the scene where the lead Jew pulls off his fake beard to speak, revealing a trimmed beard similar to those worn by Christians in the cast. Later, in 1427, during the collective conciliar supremacy ruling as regents for the infant Henry VI, a group of players called the 'Jews of Abingdon" were invited to entertain the young king at Eltham.
Edmund uses the term "chocos" as a racist slur against Turks. The term "chocolate" was unknown in Europe until 1519.

'The Archbishop'

Baldrick makes refence to being in possession of "shrouds, from Turin". During the period The Black Adder was set, the Shroud of Turin was being housed in various cities in Europe, but did not come to Canterbury. It is however possible that Baldrick was referring to (other) fake shrouds, rather than being a sly joke about the possible fraudulent nature of the Shroud of Turin.
The episode features two knights "freshly returned from the Crusades", despite the Crusades having finished in 1291, almost two centuries before the series begins. (There were military movements called crusades for some time after the official Crusade period, but the last of them occurred in 1456. This would mean they returned home some thirty-odd years after the siege, and the knights are clearly not middle-aged or elderly.)
Reference is made to "all three Popes", despite there being no antipope claimants during the late fifteenth century and only one genuine Pope.
References are made to an "Archbishop [of Canterbury] Godfrey" who is 'accidentally' killed by the King's hired killer Sir Tavis Mortimer during the episode, which is stated at the beginning of the episode to be set in 1487. In fact, John Morton was Archbishop from 1486 to 1500, and there has never been an Archbishop of Canterbury by the name of Godfrey.
Archbishop Godfrey is stated to have a catamite, yet pederasty was frowned upon by the Church of the fifteenth century and such a formalised pederastic relationship was rare after the fall of Rome.
Percy is made Bishop of Ramsgate, yet such a position has never existed. It is however possible that the position was created solely for Percy and discontinued after his (presumed) excommunication.

'The Queen of Spain's Beard'

Reference is made to a famously homosexual Earl of Doncaster, a title which did not exist until 1663. A dying Duke of Winchester also makes an appearance, but the Peers of Winchester were at the time Earls and have never been Dukes.
Various princesses who are betrothed to Prince Henry are listed. Many of them are princesses of countries which did not exist in the late 15th century, or as in the case of Queen Beowulfa of Iceland, of a country that was a monarchy of its own only in 1918-1944 (and then in union with Denmark). Beowulfa is also not an Icelandic name.

'Witchsmeller Pursuivant'

Someone is said to have recently seen Geoffrey Chaucer acting like a cow. In fact Chaucer had died in 1400, 95 years before this episode is set. The sighting is cited as an example of supernatural phenomena in England. Therefore it is not unreasonable that just as Chaucer is acting out of character, he also exists out of time. This does, however, raise the question of how he could be recognised as Geoffrey Chaucer.

Blackadder II

Throughout the series

There are numerous references to William Shakespeare in the series, despite the fact that Shakespeare did not start writing his plays until 1588, when Elizabeth was already 55 years old.
The Earl of Essex is several times mentioned as having been already executed by the Queen. However, Essex was not executed until 1601, when the Queen was 67 years old, while the Queen is depicted as a young woman throughout the series.
In several different episodes, most notably 'Chains', Blackadder and others use the derogatory slur dago to refer to Spanish characters. The word dago - at least as an offensive term, as it was not always considered to be such by the British - did not come into usage until the mid-1850s.
In the opening credits, a completely black snake is depicted. There were, and are, no snakes like this in Britain. It is presumably the "black adder", but there is no such thing. However, purely melanotic adders do exist.
Although the title Lord Melchett does in fact exist in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, it was only created in 1928.

'Bells'

Blackadder uses the word "quack" to refer to the doctor. This term came around in the early 17th century.
Nursie describes Thomas More as having been present at Elizabeth's birth. In fact, More had already been imprisoned some months before Elizabeth's birth on 7 September, 1533, and given his antipathy to Elizabeth's mother Anne Boleyn, it is rather unlikely he would have been there even if he had been at liberty to do so.
Melchett says "The whisper on the underground grapevine, Ma'am..." The phrase, "I heard on/through the grapevine" originated only in the late 1800s.
Percy carries a piece of very smooth, pink paper. It is unlikely that he would have had such a thing. Paper of that time would have been white or brownish, and more textured.
Blackadder and Bob go to the Palladian Bridge in the grounds of Wilton House; this was not built until 1736/7.
Blackadder says "hello" to the Wise Woman. This word came into use in the late 19th Century. Queenie also greets Blackadder like this later.
Blackadder calls Bob his "chum". This word would not have been around in that time.
Blackadder says that Flasheart has the "sexual capacity of a rutting rhinoceros". Only ungulates (that does not include rhinoceri) rut, and anyway people in England at that time would not know of these animals or their habits.

'Head'

Among those whom Lord Blackadder is to execute are Sir Francis Drake and Lord Effingham, the historical victors against the Spanish Armada. Neither of these men were executed during Elizabeth's reign, and Lord Howard of Effingham, indeed, lived well into the reign of her successor.
Nursie refers to Elizabeth I's "sister Mary" having been beheaded. Elizabeth's sister Mary I of England died of influenza. She is often confused with her contemporary cousin Mary Queen of Scots who was beheaded, but one would expect Nursie to know the difference between the death that brought her mistress to the throne and one that Elizabeth ordered. On the other hand Nursie is senile, and Elizabeth and Mary Stuart sometimes addressed each other (in letters) with very insincere, friendly words as "sister" or "dear cousin".
Melchett and Queenie talk about elephants, which were not known of by people in England at that time.
The axe that Baldrick holds is not one that would have been used at that time to behead people.

'Potato'

Queenie plays ring toss with Raleigh's hat. This game was invented in the 19th century.
Blackadder brings back a boomerang, which comes from Australia. However, in the credits it is said that Blackadder visits the New World (the Americas).
Blackadder uses the word "quack" to refer to the doctor, and Queenie uses the word "quack" to mean the sound of a duck. This term came around in the early 17th century.
There is a pub called the Old Sea Dog. The term "sea dog" was invented in the 1580s or later.
Raleigh tells Blackadder that he couldn't put two gobstoppers in his mouth. These sweets were invented in 1925.
Queenie says that she dreamed that she was a sausage roll. These were invented in 1647.
Baldrick says that a horse became the Pope. This never happened, although it is possible that somebody told Baldrick this story as a joke and the slow-witted Baldrick believed it.
Some children and Percy call Blackadder a "sourpuss". This word was first coined in 1935.
Sir Walter Raleigh refers to an expedition begun in 1552. The historical Raleigh was born in 1554.
Melchett uses the phrase "With a yo-ho-ho, and perhaps I might venture, a bottle of rum into the bargain." The shanty 'Dead Man's Chest' would not be written for another three hundred years, when Robert Louis Stevenson wrote it for inclusion in Treasure Island.
Raleigh states that nobody has ever gone around the Cape of Good Hope. In fact, it had been done by Bartolomeu Dias in 1488.
Blackadder says that Raleigh brought the first potato in England back with him from his travels. In truth, the potato was brought to England from Colombia by Sir Thomas Herriott, 1586.
Blackadder translates for Raleigh when the Queen tries to greet him in faux-sailor speak by saying "She says hello". However, 'Hello' as a greeting did not come into use until the late Nineteenth Century, being generally credited to Edison. As a greeting, it first appeared in print in 1872 in Roughing It by Mark Twain, and did not appear in dictionaries until 1883.
Blackadder calls the person knocking at his door a "berk". This word did not exist then - it comes from Cockney rhyming slang, invented much later.
Blackadder asks a child why they aren't in school. It was not unusual for children not to go to school then - the majority of families could not afford the fees.
When trying to look like seafarers, everybody wears patches over their eyes. This stereotype didn't exist then.

'Money'

Blackadder says that they have the preliminary sketches of a painting. The word "preliminary" was invented in the mid-17th century.
Blackadder says that he needs an easel. This device was invented in the early 17th century.
Blackadder calls Percy a "berk". This term was invented through Cockney rhyming slang, hundreds of years later.
Percy says that he is holding a "nugget". This term was first coined in the mid-19th century.
A mysterious man in the graveyard tells Edmund that the Black Monks spiked a man in the "cat flap" (referring to his anus). This term was first coined in 1957.
Blackadder introduces Percy to the baby-eating Bishop of Bath and Wells as 'Lord Percy Percy, heir to the Duchy of Northumberland'. The house of Percy were at the time Earls of Northumberland and did not become Dukes until 1766 (see The Black Adder, above).
Blackadder tells Molly "If I'd wanted a lecture on the rights of man I'd have gone to bed with Martin Luther". Luther died in 1543, and never campaigned for the rights of man. Martin Luther King did, but lived in the twentieth century instead of the sixteenth.

'Beer'

In Beer, Blackadder threatens to call the police if Percy says "hey nonny nonny". Actually, the British police force was not established until 1821, by Sir Robert Peel.
The drunken revellers who burst into Edmund's house sing Happy Birthday to You. In fact, the song was not written until 1883.
Edmund says that the ideal guest for his drinking party should be "an aggressive drunken lout with the intelligence of a four year old, and the sexual sophistication of a donkey" and Percy suggests, "Cardinal Wolsey?" In reality, Thomas Wolsey died in 1530, 28 years before Elizabeth I became Queen and, indeed, three years before she was born. The joke plays off Wolsey's contemporary reputation for being more concerned about his physical well-being than his godly office.
Lady Whiteadder tells Blackadder that "silence is golden". This is a reference to the song of that name, which was written in 1964.
Percy suggests to the Whiteadders that they play Shove Piggy Shove. This game was invented in the 20th Century.

'Chains'

The captured Blackadder demands to see "the British ambassador". There was no Britain at the time, only the Kingdoms of England and Scotland, and so Blackadder (being an English subject) should have demanded to see the "English ambassador". Also, England's first permanent ambassador was maintained in Tunis from 1580; perhaps Blackadder is merely assuming that there is an English envoy present in the (unidentified) country where he is being held.
For ransom, Evil Prince Ludwig demands 10,000 Swedish krona. He is supposed to be German, and, even if his castle is in Sweden, krona only became the official currency in 1873. The Swedish units of currency at the time were the mark and the daler.
Percy sings Pat-a-cake, Pat-a-cake, Baker's Man to entertain the queen. This nursery rhyme was written in the 17th or 18th century.

Blackadder: The Cavalier Years

Charles I of England is depicted as in hiding when the story begins, in 1648. In fact, Charles had been captured by Parliamentary forces two years earlier, in 1646.
At the end of the sketch, Blackadder has been given Charles's son to watch over. The son is depicted as an infant, but the historical Charles II was already 19 years old at the time of his father's death.
In the sketch, Oliver Cromwell refers to himself as "Lord Protector". In reality, he only took up this title and office in 1653, after the civil wars and the execution of Charles I. It is however possible that he had thought of the title years earlier, and used it casually, but not officially.
At one point, Blackadder says "One lousy civil war in the history of England, and I'm on the wrong bloody side". However, there have been other civil wars in English history (The Wars of the Roses for instance, in which, according to the first Blackadder series, the House of York to which Edmund belonged was ultimately the winning side - although in real history it was the ultimate loser). On the other hand, that particular war (in the middle of the 17th century) is the only one referred to as The English Civil War.
King Charles I also appears with Sir Edmund in 'The King's Birthday', a special sketch recorded for Prince Charles' 50th in 1998 – although in this vignette the obvious Charles Windsor voice is absent. Maybe the King's barking loudness was reduced to a gibbering whisper after his arrest by Parliamentary forces, but the fact remains that although Sir Edmund is forced to announce a gala evening of entertainment for the King's 50th Birthday, Charles I was beheaded before his 49th.

Blackadder the Third

Blackadder the Third, perhaps more than any of the other three series of Blackadder, suffers from inaccurate historical references. Many originate from a lack of clarity as to exactly when it is set. The sleeve for a recent DVD release states that the period is "1760-1815" and the series embraces people and events right throughout this era and beyond, often with little regard for chronology or whether the individuals' lives overlapped. However, there are events contained within it that fall even outside this very broad timeframe. Some have assumed that the series is set during the Regency (1811-1820) but this is by no means clear. This was perhaps a result of a lack of clarity over the period which Prince George reigned as regent, and the period prior to this where he was the Prince of Wales, on the part of the writers Richard Curtis and Ben Elton or else a willingness to ignore precise historical accuracy. Actor Tony Robinson has commented on the popular degree of ignorance about Georgian Britain, compared to Elizabethan England, and the creators possibly felt unbound to follow strict historical accuracy. Although this is of little significance to the overall quality of the series, it is still, perhaps, interesting to note.

Throughout the series

There are a number of references in many episodes to Prince George as the "Prince Regent". In reality George was only Prince Regent from 1811.
George's father, George III, is referred to on several occasions as being mad. George III suffered his first attack of what is now believed to be porphyria in 1765, but it was not until 1788 that he suffered a more prominent attack. In 1810 he suffered a further attack and from the following year was declared permanently insane in 1811.
Prince George is portrayed as thin and young, when, if it is set during the Regency, by this point he was actually in his early fifties and very, very fat. Bizarrely, jokes are made about his weight which, while appropriate for the real Prince, seem out of place when describing Hugh Laurie.

'Dish and Dishonesty'

Blackadder says that Pitt the Elder "is as effective as a cat flap in an elephant house". The term "cat flap" was first coined in 1957.
This episode features William Pitt the Younger becoming Prime Minister, portrayed as a teenage boy. However, Pitt became Prime Minister in 1783 and died in 1806, 5 years before George became Prince Regent. (It is also worth noting that he was 24 years old, not a teenage boy, when he first became Prime Minister, but that was clearly a joke, taken from the contemporary lines "a sight to make all nations stand and stare: a kingdom trusted to a schoolboy's care", and should probably go without saying.)
Upon becoming Prime Minister, Pitt declares his determination to go to war with France and Napoleon Bonaparte; however, in reality war did not break out until 10 years into Pitt's premiership and before Bonaparte had risen to power. Also this episode precedes Nob and Nobility, which is set during the Terror in Revolutionary France and thus before Bonaparte's rise to power.
Prince George greets Pitt the Younger with the phrase "Why, hello there, young shaver-me-lad!". 'Hello' as a greeting did not come into use until the late Nineteenth Century, being generally credited to Edison. As a greeting, it first appeared in print in 1872 in Roughing It by Mark Twain, and did not appear in dictionaries until 1883.
The start of the episode refers to a general election having just taken place, but Pitt did not become Prime Minister until three years into the Parliament, calling the 1784 general election after his appointment.
The episode shows Pitt taking over from his father, William Pitt the Elder, as Prime Minister. However, in reality, their respective premierships were separated by fifteen years and Pitt the Elder died five years before his son's appointment. Mr Blackadder says that the Elder Pitt is an ineffective Prime Minister, which is actually a fair assessment of his premiership (1766-8). The Elder Pitt's high reputation is derived from his earlier stint as Secretary of State for the Southern Department in 1757-61, during the Seven Years' War.
"Lord Nelson" is referred to in this episode, but Nelson was not ennobled until 1798, 15 years after the Younger Pitt first became Prime Minister.
Pitt refers to speaking to "Chancellor Metternich at the Congress of Strasbourg". However Metternich did not rise to power until 1809, three years after Pitt's death, and Metternich never held the office of Chancellor, whilst Pitt never travelled abroad to conduct diplomacy.
Pitt has a younger brother active in politics (humorously referred to as "Pitt the Even Younger"). In real life James Pitt died in 1780, before Pitt first entered Parliament, although Pitt's older brother Lord Chatham was a notable politician of the period.
There are a number of references to Pitt's schooldays but in fact he was tutored at home by his father William Pitt the Elder and Reverend Edward Wilson.
Blackadder mentions looking up Sir Talbot Buxomly in Who's Who, which was only first published in 1849.
Blackadder refers to Manchester as a parliamentary constituency (with an electorate of three, no less). In reality, the borough of Manchester was only created in the Reform Act of 1832.
Blackadder says that he is wearing a catskin windcheater. This kind of coat is a registered trademark that was invented in the 20th century.

'Ink and Incapability'

The episode features Robbie Coltrane playing the great literary figure Samuel Johnson as he completes his dictionary. However, Johnson completed the work in 1755, before Prince George was even born, and died in 1784.
Johnson is referred to several times as "Dr. Johnson"; however, the real Johnson did not receive his honorary doctorate until 1765, ten years after he finished his dictionary.
Also featured as friends of Johnson are the poets Shelley, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Lord Byron. However Coleridge was only 12 when Johnson died whilst the other two were not yet born. None of them, at any rate, much cared for Johnson or his literary works.
Johnson states that his mother died, his father committed suicide and his wife had affairs whilst he worked on the dictionary. In reality his father died in 1731 when Johnson was 21, his wife died early on during his work whilst his mother died four years after he completed the dictionary.
Blackadder refers to his pseudonymously-penned manuscript as a "huge roller coaster of a novel". Roller coasters were not invented until the late 19th century.
Blackadder mentions that the author Jane Austen is a man using a female pseudonym, but she was not. However, this may be a belief that Blackadder erroneously holds.
Before Blackadder starts to work on rewriting Johnson's dictionary, he asks Baldrick to make him a sandwich to which Baldrick replies "Like Gerald, Lord Sandwich, had the other day?" In fact the Lord Sandwich for whom the sandwich is named was John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich.
Blackadder mentions Thomas More as having been burned at the stake for being a Catholic, when in fact he was beheaded.
Prince George says that Blackadder's vocabulary is "all sounding like dago talk". The insult "dago", meaning "Spanish" did not come into use until the late 19th century.
Blackadder says that George is German. He is technically not, because he was born in England, although Blackadder could simply be insulting George over his German ancestry.
Lord Byron says he has consumption. He never did, and anyway, if he did, he would be in bed.
Lord Byron and Percy Shelley give each other a high-five. This greeting was first recoreded in 1955.
Blackadder refers to Lord Nelson's signal at the Battle of the Nile: "England knows Lady Hamilton's a virgin - poke my eye out and cut off my arm if I'm wrong". Nelson had already lost his eye and arm by the time the Battle of the Nile took place in 1798.

'Nob and Nobility'

The episode is set during the French Revolution, which took place between 1789 to about 1799, and apparently specifically during the Reign of Terror, which took place in 1793 and 1794. This would place the episode earlier historically than previous episodes in which Napoleon and Lord Nelson are mentioned.
Blackadder claims he left Maximilien Robespierre a tray of milk chocolates. They were not on sale till the 19th century.

'Sense and Senility'

George says that Blackadder is talking "hogwash". This word (although invented in the 15th century) only came to mean "rubbish" in the early 20th century.
The actors say that they can "sod" their audience. "Sod" was first used as an insult in the 1870s.
Blackadder looks at the Situations Vacant section of The Times, which he remarks "has really been going downhill." This comment is a deliberately anachronistic joke on the part of the writers referring to Rupert Murdoch's News International purchasing The Times in 1981. Regardless, Blackadder reads out three positions, but all of them are from different periods:
- "Mr. and Mrs. Pitt are looking for a baby-minder to take Pitt the Younger to Parliament." However the Younger Pitt's mother became Lady Chatham in 1761 when he was only two years old, and his father the Earl of Chatham in 1766 when his son was six. Additionally his father was dead before he first entered Parliament in 1781. (Again, the reference to baby-minders and Pitt's age is a joke.)
- "A fellow called George Stephenson has invented a moving kettle" presumably a reference to Blücher, not invented until 1814 (after Pitt's death).
- Napoleon Bonaparte is looking for someone to be King of Sardinia. Napoleon conquered the larger mainland (Piedmont) portion of the kingdom in 1798 and annexed it in 1802, but never the island itself, and Victor Emmanuel I of Sardinia was restored to his full dominions in 1814.
George refers to his "future queen". He was not a bachelor at that time, having been publicly married in 1795.
The two actors have a superstition about using the term "Macbeth". This "tradition" was invented by Max Beerbohm in the late 19th Century.

'Amy and Amiability'

Prince George is portrayed as not yet officially married. In reality he secretly married Maria Anne Fitzherbert on December 15, 1785, though this was illegal under the Royal Marriages Act 1772 and he would have reasons not to mention it. In 1795 he publicly married Caroline of Brunswick (who is mentioned as a prospective bride for him in the show).
Blackadder talks about Grand Duchess Sophia of Turin. There was no such person at the time. It was made up because the show is a work of fiction, which involves lots of things being made up - a common literary device used for comic effect. Emma Hamilton perhaps did not own a cat.

'Duel and Duality'

Baldrick says his cousin Bert Baldrick is currently dogsbody to Thomas Gainsborough's butler. Gainsborough died in 1788.
The Duke of Wellington and Blackadder discuss the movements of Horatio Nelson, Blackadder suggesting that Trafalgar would be a good place for a naval battle with Napoleon (which he did not actually do). It is mentioned that Wellington triumphed six months earlier, but Britain is at war with Napoleon at the time of the episode. This victory would most logically be the Battle of Vittoria (June 21 1813) (although that was nearly two years before Napoleon's Hundred Days), but could refer to the Battle of Waterloo. At any rate, the episode must be set no earlier than 1814, when Wellesley became Duke. However, the Battle of Trafalgar, in which Nelson was killed, took place about a decade earlier in 1805.
Wellington claimed he would 'mention [Blackadder's plan] to Nelson'. In reality, the two only met once. The encounter, in Lord Castlereagh's waiting room, occurred the day before Nelson left for Trafalgar.
The book The Prince and the Pauper is mentioned. This novel was written by Mark Twain in 1881, more than 60 years after the series is set.
George III is portrayed with a very strong Germanic accent. In reality English was his first language and he never set foot in Germany, being the first English-born British monarch since Queen Anne. He is also depicted ending sentences with the word 'penguin'. In reality the word with which George, during one bout of insanity, insisted on ending sentences was 'peacock'.
At the end of the episode, Blackadder assumes the identity of Prince George while the real Prince dies. The opening credits show Blackadder as born in 1760 and dying in 1827. However, if George IV was really Blackadder, Blackadder must have lived to 1830. The 1827 date cannot refer to the real Prince's death in the guise of Blackadder either, as George III, who died in 1820, is still alive when this happens. It is possible the opening credits are set in 1827 and the date is not when he died but the most recent year the chronicler has recorded.
After the duel, Blackadder introduces Wellington to the King as 'This is the Iron Duke, Wellington, commander of all your armed forces', when Wellington didn't become Commander-in-Chief for the first time until 1827. Also the nickname 'The Iron Duke' (due to the iron shutters on his London home, Apsley House) wasn't coined until 1828.

Blackadder's Christmas Carol

The joke about "Subtle plans are here again" alludes to a song written in 1929.
There is no evidence for the existence of ghosts. They are a common literary device.
People who lived in the Victorian era workhouses were not usually fat biffers like the orphans featured. Many were tiny and thin. The overweight of the orphans may in fact have been the result of Blackadder's kindness, feeding them into obesity.
Blackadder tells Baldrick to go out, and "buy a turkey so large you'd think its mother had been rogered by an omnibus". In fact turkey dinners for Christmas only became a popular British tradition in the 1950s. Before that the meal of the feast would most likely have been a roast goose, swan, pheasant or peacock. However, in A Christmas Carol, set in the Victorian era, Ebenezer Scrooge does buy the Cratchits a turkey for their Christmas dinner.
Queen Elizabeth orders "burn all the crackers and block all the chimneys" when she abolishes Christmas. In the 16th Century, the character of Father Christmas ("Santa Claus"), who is hinted as having existed at the time by the use of the words "block all the chimneys," and is referred to by Queen Elizabeth again later in the episode when she talks about times when she used to "leave out a mince pie for Father Christmas," had not been conceived. Christmas Crackers were a nineteenth century invention.

Blackadder Goes Forth

'Captain Cook'

Melchett tells George he can have a week off in April in order not to miss the University Boat Race. Due to the war, the Boat Race did not take place between 1915 and 1919.

'Corporal Punishment'

Captain Blackadder simulates radio interference by impersonating a song from a commercial radio station. The first commercial radio station, (KDKA), began in 1920. He then imitates a small portion of the Shipping Forecast. The first shipping forecast was not broadcast until 1924.
Blackadder uses the word gobbledygook, a term which was not coined until 1944. However, it is clear from Melchett and Baldrick's reactions that they were unfamiliar with the word, and so he and Baldrick could have been using it before it passed into popular usage.
Blackadder reads aloud a letter from George to his family which refers to his Great Uncle Rupert becoming Minister of War. However the position was a Secretary of State, not a Minister (titles such as "Minister of..." only began to be used to senior British ministers from midway during the First World War) and nobody called Rupert held this position during World War I.

'Major Star'

In the beginning of the episode, it is said that the Russians have left the Entente. At the end, general Melchett says that the Americans joined the war the day before. However, the Russians left the war in november 1917, while the Americans declared war in april 1917.

'Private Plane'

Blackadder leaves a telephone message for "the head of the Flying Corps, Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Massingberd-Massingberd, VC, DFC and bar". (The name is probably inspired by that of the writer on aristocratic subjects Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd, whose great-uncle Field Marshal Sir Archibald Montgomery-Massingberd was head of the British Army in the 1930s.) The Royal Flying Corps was historically commanded during the Great War by Lieutenant-General Sir David Henderson and Major-General Sir Hugh Trenchard. Air Chief Marshal is a rank of the Royal Air Force, which was founded in 1918 and given its own ranking system in 1919, and no-one was appointed to this rank (parallel to General in the Army) until 1922. The Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) was only established in 1918.
The overtly dashing Squadron Commander Lord Flashheart (presumably a descendant of the character seen in Blackadder II) rescues Blackadder from a German dungeon and shoots and, it is assumed, kills his archnemesis, Manfred von Richthofen, also known as the Red Baron. The series ends in 1917, but historically Richthofen died when his trademark red Fokker triplane crashed after being shot down in 1918. Lord Flashheart is clearly in the Royal Flying Corps and wears the uniform, but Squadron Commander was a rank in the Royal Naval Air Service. The equivalent RFC rank would have been Major.
Both Blackadder and George make reference to the lyrics of the song "Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines", from the film of the same name. Like the film itself, the song did not exist until 1965.

'General Hospital'

Blackadder is introduced to the finest spy in the British Army, a Brigadier Smith. However the rank of Brigadier did not exist until 1928. The rank at the time was Brigadier-General. Brigadier-Generals were often referred to as "Brigadiers", but would not have been referred to as "Brigadier Smith". Smith also wears the rank badges of a modern Brigadier, not the crossed sword and baton of a Brigadier-General.
When Captain Darling says he is as British as Queen Victoria, Blackadder replies "So your father's German, you're half-German and you married a German?" Victoria was arguably more than half-German, but it was her mother Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld who was German. Her father Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn was English, but of the House of Hanover, whose first King, George I, had come from northern Germany in 1714 - the throne of Hanover had passed to Queen Victoria's uncle in 1837 because, as a woman, she could not inherit it.
Blackadder asks Nurse Fletcher-Brown if her ex-boyfriend went to one of the great universities- Oxford, Cambridge or Hull. However the University of Hull was not founded until 1927 (as University College Hull) and did not receive University status until 1954. However it should be noted that this line was intended as a trick to see if Nurse Fletcher-Brown noticed the fact that only two of them are great universities, although General Melchett is also unaware that there is no university in Hull.

'Goodbyeee...'

Blackadder mentions that, in 1914, he had been a soldier for fifteen years. From September 1915, onwards, all regular officers who had served for at least fifteen years were promoted to Major - therefore he should have been Major Blackadder. It is not impossible, however, that Blackadder was promoted to Major in 1915 and subsequently demoted. (In fact, it is not unlikely, given his behaviour in the series). It is however possible that Blackadder had not been commissioned for 15 years and therefore not promoted to Major.

Black Adder Back and Forth

Lord Blackadder time travels to the reign of Elizabeth I and brings back the title page of Macbeth. This is believed to have been written after Elizabeth died.
In ancient Rome, Hadrian is described as the Roman leader. However, Roman troops are shown being withdrawn from Italy. This took place long after Hadrian died.
In the same scene, a Roman officer (played by Stephen Fry) says the emperor "poisoned his mother and married his horse." This appears to be a made-up emperor. It hints at Caligula, who made his horse a senator (but who died before Rome conquered Britain), and Nero (who died eight years before Hadrian was born).
This Roman officer is wearing a crown of bay leaves, which would not have been worn into battle.

Category:Blackadder