Set in 1485 at the end of the British Middle Ages, the series is written as a secret history which contends that King Richard III won the Battle of Bosworth Field, only to be unintentionally assassinated, and is succeeded by King Richard IV, one of the Princes in the Tower. The series follows the exploits of Richard IV's unfavoured second son Prince Edmund (who calls himself "The Black Adder") in his various attempts to increase his standing with his father and in the final episode his quest to overthrow him.