History Literature / DickWhittingtonAndHisCat

Good old Dick Whittington! He went from his hometown of Gloucester with [[LoyalAnimalCompanion his cat]] to [[UsefulNotes/{{London}} London town]] to find his fortune, as he heard the [[BlatantLies streets were paved with gold!]] Of course, that quickly proved to be false - the only "fortune" he found was a job as a lowly servant to a rich merchant named Fitzwarren, and was so disheartened [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere he was ready to leave]]. But suddenly, he heard the bells of London call out "Turn again, Whittington, Lord Mayor of London!". He decided to stick it through, and after some adventures in Tonga, where his cat [[OneManArmy killed all the rats in that country]], he was given three chests filled with gold, married Fitzwarren's daughter Alice and became Lord Mayor of London!

* BrokenAesop: Supposedly the story's moral is that success eventually comes to those that don't give up; but Dick Whittington's fortune is more the result of a lucky strike than the [[HardWorkHardlyWorks hard work he does as a scullery boy.]]

* BrokenAesop: Supposedly the story's moral is that success eventually comes to those that don't give up; but Dick Whittington's fortune is more the result of a lucky strike than than the [[HardWorkHardlyWorks hard work he does as a scullery boy.]]

* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: There really was a Richard Whittington who was Lord Mayor of London and married an Alice FitzWaryn, but that's where the similarities to the folk tale end. The real Whittington wasn't born into poverty (far from it), and there's no evidence as to whether he ever had a cat.

Good old Dick Whittington! He went from his hometown of Gloucester with [[LoyalAnimalCompanion his cat]] to [[UsefulNotes/{{London}} London town]] to find his fortune, as he heard the [[BlatantLies streets were paved with gold!]] Of course, that quickly proved to be horseshit, and he was so disheartened [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere he was ready to leave]]. But suddenly, he heard the bells of London call out "Turn again, Whittington, Lord Mayor of London!". He decided to stick it through, and after some adventures in Tonga, where his cat [[OneManArmy killed all the rats in that country]], he was given three chests filled with gold, and became Lord Mayor of London!

* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: There really was a Richard Whittington who was Lord Mayor of London.

Some might be surprised to learn that there really was a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Whittington Richard Whittington]] who was Lord Mayor of London. Few would be shocked to hear that that's about the extent of the truth in the story, but the popularity of the FolkHero-style OriginStory may be a result of the popularity of the man himself. He was elected four times, a feat nobody has ever equalled before or since. During his reign, he made many beneficial changes to the city, such as building a ward for unmarried mothers at St Thomas' Hospital and passing a law prohibiting the washing of animal skins by apprentices in the River Thames in cold, wet weather because many young boys had died through hypothermia or in the strong river currents. He was also London's sheriff, and a Member of Parliament. And no, he never owned a cat (one theory has it that a "cat" was a slang expression for a type of ship used in his merchant business).

!! Tropes featured in the fairy tale and pantomime include:

* ChessmasterSidekick: The cat is often turned into one, likely by association with the other old RagsToRiches story "Literature/PussInBoots"

* NoNameGiven: The cat's name is never mentioned, even though ''she'' is arguably the true hero of the story.
* NonHumanSidekick: Dick is helped through his adventures by his feline companion.

* HistoricalBadassUpgrade: The real Richard Whittington was a popular and competent mayor, but he was not a man of action.

Some might be surprised to learn that there really was a Richard Whittington who was Lord Mayor of London. Few would be shocked to hear that that's about the extent of the truth in the story, but the popularity of the FolkHero-style OriginStory may be a result of the popularity of the man himself. He was elected four times, a feat nobody has ever equalled before or since. During his reign, he made many beneficial changes to the city, such as building a ward for unmarried mothers at St Thomas' Hospital and passing a law prohibiting the washing of animal skins by apprentices in the River Thames in cold, wet weather because many young boys had died through hypothermia or in the strong river currents. He was also London's sheriff, and a Member of Parliament. And no, he never owned a cat (one theory has it that a "cat" was a slang expression for a type of ship used in his merchant business). It's also fun to know that the name has been passed down and so the High Sheriff of Surrey until 2017 [[http://www.villagematters.co.uk/sunbury-matters/sunbury-matters-articles/2016/12/our-high-sheriff-dick-whittington was another Dick Whittington]].

There are a large number of fairy tales that recount it, without any such historical connections.

* ChessmasterSidekick: The cat is often turned into one, likely by association with the other old RagsToRiches story ''Literature/PussInBoots''

* HistoricalBadassUpgrade

* NonHumanSidekick
* PropheciesAreAlwaysRight: The bells were right.
* RagsToRiches: The main motif.

* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: But who goes to the pantomime for a history lesson?

* ChessmasterSidekick: The cat is often turned into one, likely by association with the other old RagsToRiches [[ABoyAndHisX Boy And His Cat]] story ''Literature/PussInBoots''

Some might be surprised to learn that there really was a Richard Whittington who was Lord Mayor of London. Few would be shocked to hear that that's about the extent of the truth in the story, but the popularity of the FolkHero-style OriginStory may be a result of the popularity of the man himself. He was elected four times, a feat nobody has ever equalled before or since. During his reign, he made many beneficial changes to the city, such as building a ward for unmarried mothers at St Thomas' Hospital and passing a law prohibiting the washing of animal skins by apprentices in the River Thames in cold, wet weather because many young boys had died through hypothermia or in the strong river currents. He was also London's sheriff, and a Member of Parliament. And no, he never owned a cat (one theory has it that a "cat" was a slang expression for a type of ship used in his merchant business).

* AdaptationDisplacement: The pantomime is more well-known than the original fairy tale to a certain extent.

Some might be surprised to learn that there really was a Richard Whittington who was Lord Mayor of London. Few would be shocked to hear that that's about the extent of the truth in the story, but the popularity of the FolkHero-style OriginStory may be a result of the popularity of the man himself. He was elected four times, a feat nobody has ever equalled before or since. During his reign, he made many beneficial changes to the city, such as building a ward for unmarried mothers at St Thomas' Hospital and passing a law prohibiting the washing of animal skins by apprentices in the River Thames in cold, wet weather because many young boys had died through hypothermia or in the strong river currents. He was also London's sheriff, and a Member of Parliament. And no, he never owned a cat.

Good old Dick Whittington! He went from his hometown of Gloucester with [[LoyalAnimalCompanion his cat]] to LondonTown to find his fortune, as he heard the [[BlatantLies streets were paved with gold!]] Of course, that quickly proved to be horseshit, and he was so disheartened [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere he was ready to leave]]. But suddenly, he heard the bells of London call out "Turn again, Whittington, Lord Mayor of London!". He decided to stick it through, and after some adventures in Tonga, where his cat [[OneManArmy killed all the rats in that country]], he was given three chests filled with gold, and became Lord Mayor of London!

* MemeticBadass

Good old Dick Whittington! He went from his hometown of Gloucester with [[LoyalAnimalCompanion his cat]] to LondonTown to find his fortune, as he heard the [[BlatantLies streets were paved with gold!]] Of course, that quickly proved to be horseshit, and he was so disheartened [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere he was ready to leave]]. But suddenly, he heard the bells of London call out "Turn again, Whittington, Lord Mayor of London!". He decided to stick it through, and after some adventures in Tonga, where his cat [[OneManArmy killed all the rats in that country]], he was given three chests filled with gold, and became Lord Mayor of London! All British people know the story of Dick Whittington!

... except they don't.

Richard Whittington was indeed Lord Mayor of London. In fact, he was elected four times, a feat nobody has ever equalled before or since. During his reign, he made many beneficial changes to the city, such as building a ward for unmarried mothers at St Thomas' Hospital and passing a law prohibiting the washing of animal skins by apprentices in the River Thames in cold, wet weather because many young boys had died through hypothermia or in the strong river currents. He was also London's sheriff, and a Member of Parliament. And no, he never owned a cat.

[[TheThemeParkVersion The version in the first paragraph]] i.e. the one everyone in Britain believes is true, started as a play ''The History of Richard Whittington, of his lowe byrth, his great fortune'', and eventually turned into a {{pantomime}}, where equal measures of AdaptationDecay, CriticalResearchFailure and MemeticBadass have set in quite thoroughly.

!! Tropes in the fairy tale and the pantomime "Dick Whittington and His Cat":

Good old Dick Whittington! He went from his hometown of Gloucester with [[LoyalAnimalCompanion his cat]] to LondonTown to find his fortune, as he heard the [[BlatantLies streets were paved with gold!]] Of course, that quickly proved to be horseshit, and he was so disheartened [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere he was ready to leave]]. Bbut suddenly, he heard the bells of London call out "Turn again, Whittington, Lord Mayor of London!". He decided to stick it through, and after some adventures in Tonga, where his cat [[OneManArmy killed all the rats in that country]], he was given three chests filled with gold, and became Lord Mayor of London! All British people know the story of Dick Whittington!

Richard Whittington was indeed Lord Mayor of London. In fact, he was elected four times, a feat nobody has ever equalled before or since. During his reign, he made many beneficial changes to the city, such building as a ward for unmarried mothers at St Thomas' Hospital and passing a law prohibiting the washing of animal skins by apprentices in the River Thames in cold, wet weather because many young boys had died through hypothermia or in the strong river currents.. He was also London's sheriff, and a Member of Parliament. And no, he never owned a cat.

[[TheThemeParkVersion The version in the first paragraph]] i.e. the one everyone in Britain believes is true, started as a play ''The History of Richard Whittington, of his lowe byrth, his great fortune'', and eventually turned into a {{pantomime}}, where equal measures of AdaptationDecay, CriticalResearchFailure and MemeticBadass has set in quite thoroughly.

Good old Dick Whittington! He went from his hometown of Gloucester with [[LoyalAnimalCompanion his cat]] to LondonTown to find his fortune, as he heard the [[BlatantLies streets were paved with gold!]] Of course, that quickly proved to be horseshit, and he was so disheartened [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere he was ready to leave]]. but suddenly, he heard the bells of London call out "Turn again, Whittington, Lord Mayor of London!". He decided to stick it through, and after some adventures in Tonga, where his cat [[OneManArmy killed all the rats in that country]], he was given three chests filled with gold, and became Lord Mayor of London! All British people know the story of Dick Whittington!

!! Tropes in the fairy tale "Dick Whittington and His Cat":

* {{Fanon}}: In the pantomime, Dick travels to Africa himself, but in the fairy tale, he does not actually participate in the trading trip, but stays at home.

* PropheciesAreAlwaysRight: The bells were right.

* FromRagsToRiches: The main motif.

* SwarmOfRats: The land of the King of Barbary[[hottip:*:The location can vary between
versions of the tale.]] is overrun with mice.