Character guide

Norman of Torn

major

Also known as Sir Norman of Torn, Norman, Torn, the Devil of Torn, Devil of Torn, the Outlaw of Torn

Norman of Torn commands a thousand cutthroats from a Derby stronghold while passing, as Roger de Condé, through the courts and castles of his enemies. He is torn between the hatred he was raised on and a growing love for England — and for Bertrade de Montfort, a king's niece far above a highwayman. His refusal to loose his lawless band on the realm, and his hunger for the friendship and light of noble life, set the whole early conflict in motion.

Bertrade de Montfort

major

Also known as Lady Bertrade de Montfort, Bertrade of Montfort, Lady Bertrade

Daughter of Simon de Montfort and sister to a king, Bertrade moves easily among earls and princes, yet she answers Roger de Condé's plain speech more warmly than any courtier's flattery. She insists the gulf between a king's niece and the Outlaw of Torn is unbridgeable, even while her fingers betray her at farewell. Her sealed summons draws Norman into the heart of the De Montfort household, where love and loyalty collide.

De Vac

supporting

Also known as the terrible De Vac, Sir Jules de Vac, Jules de Vac

De Vac snatches the little Prince Richard from the King's own gardens, strips him of silks and name, and vanishes with him down the Thames past searching knights. He is patient, merciless, and utterly in control of the child he has made fatherless. His old grudge against Henry drives the entire design of the outlaw's life, and his whispered treacheries keep steering the plot long after the boy becomes a man.

Joan de Tany

supporting

Also known as de Tany, Joan, Tany

Joan de Tany belongs to the world of castles and courts that surrounds the outlaw's war, and her fate becomes one of its quiet casualties. When she dies, Norman's entire band rides south in silence to follow her bier, a tribute no one in her family can explain. Her loss deepens his conviction that sorrow and death follow his footsteps, pushing him toward the priest's counsel and the question of what his life is truly for.

Simon de Montfort

supporting

Also known as De Montfort, the hated De Montfort, the wily Simon de Montfort

Simon de Montfort stands at the center of the baronial opposition to King Henry, a statesman so respected that Father Claude calls him the most honorable man in England. He offers Roger de Condé a place of trust in his retinue, never guessing the guest's true identity, and his daughter's fate binds him to the outlaw in ways he cannot yet see. His judgment — of Norman's origins and of his worth — becomes the hinge on which the young man's future turns.

Peter of Colfax

supporting

Also known as Peter, Colfax

Peter of Colfax hides behind his castle walls and his guests, a great coward whose base treatment of Bertrade de Montfort has earned him two years of the outlaw's patient pursuit. Cornered at last, he is given brandy to steady his sword arm and then carved apart with fiendish precision, never once touched in the face until the end. His punishment — the letters N.T. cut into his brow — announces to all England what happens to those who wrong the woman Norman loves.

Father Claude

supporting

Also known as the good Father Claude, Father

A gentle priest whose cottage becomes the confessional where Norman of Torn weighs his hatred, his love, and the war between King and baron.

Roger de Condé

supporting

Also known as Roger, De Condé

A charming swordsman who moves through De Montfort's halls with easy grace, speaking plain truths that flatter more than any courtier's compliment.

Henry III

supporting

Also known as King Henry, Henry

England's King, whose repeated breaches of the Oxford Statutes are steadily pushing his barons toward open rebellion and arming De Montfort's cause.

Shandy

supporting

Also known as Red Shandy

A rough, loyal outlaw of Norman's band, the kind of man whose plain speech and steady blade prove worth more than any baron's oath.

Mary de Stutevill

minor

Also known as Mary, Stutevill, Lady Mary

A gentle noblewoman and friend to Bertrade.

Roger Leybourn

minor

Also known as Sir Roger, Leybourn, Roger de Leybourn

A knight and ally of the de Montfort faction.

Prince Edward

minor

Also known as the young Prince Edward, Prince Edward of England, Edward

The son of King Henry III, later Edward I.

Henry de Montfort

minor

Also known as Henry

Son of Simon de Montfort, a young nobleman.

Lady Maud

minor

Also known as the Lady Maud

A noblewoman at court, possibly a relative of the de Montforts.

Prince Philip

minor

Also known as Philip of France, Philip

A French prince involved in diplomatic intrigue.

Earl of Leicester

minor

Also known as Leicester, My Lord Earl of Leicester

Another title for Simon de Montfort, used in formal contexts.

Eleanor

minor

Also known as Princess Eleanor, the Princess Eleanor

A princess of England, sister of Henry III.

Spizo the Spaniard

minor

Also known as Spizo

A foreign mercenary or knight in the service of de Montfort.

John de Fulm

minor

Also known as John, De Fulm

A minor nobleman or knight.

Richard de Tany

minor

Also known as Richard, De Tany

A knight and member of the de Tany family.

Paul of Merely

minor

Also known as Paul

A knight loyal to Simon de Montfort.

Sir Peter

minor

A knight, possibly distinct from Peter of Colfax.

John Flory

minor

Also known as Flory, John

A minor character, possibly a servant or soldier.

Beauchamp

minor

A nobleman, possibly a supporter of the king.

Guy

minor

A minor character, perhaps a soldier or attendant.

Old Brus

minor

Also known as Brus

An elderly servant or retainer.

Sir John de Stutevill

minor

Also known as John, Sir John

A knight, father of Mary de Stutevill.

Til

minor

Also known as old Til

An old servant or peasant loyal to Norman.

Earl of Buckingham

minor

Also known as Buckingham, the Earl of Buckingham

A nobleman at the English court.

Claudia Leybourn

minor

Also known as Leybourn

A female relative of Roger Leybourn.

Greystoke

minor

A minor nobleman or knight.

Edwild the Serf

minor

Also known as Edwild

A serf who aids Norman or the outlaws.

One Eye Kanty

minor

A one-eyed outlaw in Norman's band.

Sir John Mandecote

minor

Also known as John, Mandecote

A knight, possibly a minor antagonist.

Lady de Tany

minor

Also known as the Lady de Tany

Mother or wife of Richard de Tany.

Isaac the Jew

minor

Also known as Isaac

A Jewish moneylender or merchant.

Sir Mortimer

minor

A knight, possibly a minor ally or foe.

James Flory

minor

Also known as James

A relative of John Flory.

Pensilo

minor

A minor character, possibly a servant or soldier.

Giles

minor

A minor character, perhaps a servant.