Nicholas de Fleury
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nicholas de Fleury (Claes, Nikko, Niccolò) (van der Poele, St. Pol) is a fictional character created by the novelist Dorothy Dunnett, and the central figure in The House of Niccolò, eight historical novels set in the 15th century, spanning Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Nicholas de Fleury is initially introduced as Claes, a large, cheerful, goodnatured eighteen-year-old dyer's apprentice working in Bruges, in whose wake trouble and upsets of the most grand and hilarious kind often follow. Of unfortunate birth, Claes was taken in by relatives-by-marriage of his mother's after she died, and has been raised as an apprentice and sometime companion to the son and heir of the Charretty company.
It soon becomes apparent that Claes is a polymath and polyglot, and is turning himself into a leader of men and player of great games. He loves creating and solving puzzles of all kinds, he is highly numerate, and applies himself to learning whatever he can (languages, engineering, warcraft, philosophy, as well as courtly manners and intrigue), both for practical purposes and for the sake of learning. From apprentice, he rises to merchant, banker, master of warcraft, and adviser to kings -- at times at great cost to both himself and those near him.
Nicholas believes, having been told so by his mother, Sophie de Fleury, that he is the legitimate son of the beautiful Simon de St. Pol of Kilmirren, a Scottish lord, champion jouster, and merchant. Simon refutes this, claiming that Nicholas is a bastard born to his first wife, and no get of his. Nicholas's desire for acceptance from what he believes is his father's family, and their disdain for him, are the force and conflict that drive much of the series, which takes Nicholas and his friends and enemies across most of the known world.
The eight novels in The House of Niccolò series are as follows:
- Niccolò Rising (1986)
- Spring of the Ram (1987)
- Race of Scorpions (1989)
- Scales of Gold (1991)
- The Unicorn Hunt (1993)
- To Lie with Lions (1995)
- Caprice and Rondo (1997)
- Gemini (2000)
[edit] See also
Nicholas de Fleury and Francis Crawford of Lymond - Family Tree
