Character guide

Rudolf Rassendyll

major

Also known as Rudolf, Rassendyll, old Rudolf, cousin Rudolf, Mr. Rassendyll

Rudolf Rassendyll is a well-born idler whose red hair and distinctive nose betray a scandalous ancestral link to Ruritania's royal Elphbergs. When a casual trip brings him face to face with the king he so uncannily resembles, a shave and a borrowed uniform turn him into a monarch. His wit and honor carry him through the role, but his growing love for Princess Flavia makes the impersonation a torment as much as an adventure, and the story's central tension is whether he can play a king without losing himself.

Colonel Sapt

major

Also known as Sapt, Old Sapt, old Sapt, wise old Sapt, tough old Sapt

Colonel Sapt is the old campaigner who serves the crown with a ferocity that borders on insubordination, and he is the one who conceives and executes the scheme to put Rudolf Rassendyll on the throne. Where others hesitate, Sapt acts: he carries the drugged king to a cellar, ties up a witness, and roars down objections with the line that they are not playing games. His loyalty is absolute but unsentimental, and he treats Rudolf, Flavia, and the real king alike as pieces in a game whose only stake is Ruritania.

Rupert Hentzau

major

Also known as young Rupert Hentzau, young Hentzau, young Rupert, Rupert, Rupert of Hentzau, Master Rupert

Rupert Hentzau is the most dangerous of Duke Michael's men, a swordsman and horseman whose charm is as lethal as his blade. He leaps a moat under a hail of bullets and lives to taunt his enemies again, and his casual cruelty makes him the perfect instrument for a usurper's dirty work. He is the story's most electric antagonist because he enjoys the game for its own sake, and his presence turns every encounter into a contest of nerve.

Fritz von Tarlenheim

supporting

Also known as Tarlenheim, Fritz, von Tarlenheim, young Fritz, Count Fritz, Master Fritz

Fritz von Tarlenheim is the King's trusted companion and Sapt's younger partner in the plot, a man whose courage is matched by his tenderness. He is in love with the Countess Helga, and his personal stake in the outcome makes him risk more than the others, as Rudolf notes with envy. When the crisis comes, Fritz refuses to abandon Rudolf even against Sapt's orders, and his friendship proves as decisive as any sword in the final rescue.

Black Michael

major

Also known as Michael, brother Michael, cousin Michael, Duke Michael, Michael of Strelsau, cousin Michael

Duke Michael is the King's brother and the shadow behind every threat to the crown, a man who hides his treason behind courtly manners and a network of hired swords. He wants both the throne and Flavia, and his willingness to imprison his own brother shows how far he will go. He and Rudolf are forced into a strange, mutually deceptive truce, each pretending to be something he is not, and Michael's cold calculation makes him a worthy and unsettling adversary.

Princess Flavia

major

Also known as Flavia, the Princess Flavia, Queen Flavia

Princess Flavia is the King's cousin and intended bride, adored by the people of Strelsau and bound by duty to a marriage of state. She falls in love with the man she thinks is the king, unaware that he is an impostor, and her warmth and loyalty make her both a prize and a victim of the political game. Her presence raises the stakes of the impersonation from adventure to tragedy, because every kiss and every cheer binds Rudolf more tightly to a role he cannot keep.

Antoinette Mauban

supporting

Also known as Antoinette de Mauban, de Mauban, Antoinette, the fair Antoinette, Mme. de Mauban

Antoinette de Mauban arrives in Ruritania bound to Duke Michael by shame and stubborn hope, but his cool head takes all and gives nothing. Jealous of Flavia yet unwilling to be a decoy for murder, she sends warning letters that quietly serve the king's cause. Her divided loyalties make her a volatile force in the struggle for the throne.

Johann

supporting

Also known as Master Johann, Poor Johann

Johann runs the household at Zenda, waiting on Duke Michael's gentlemen and one mysterious lady, while sulking away from his sweetheart in town. Overworked and under-loved, he is exactly the kind of man whose vanity and appetite can be turned against him. His loose tongue and looser loyalties make him the thread by which the king's friends hope to unravel Michael's plans.

Detchard

minor

Also known as Mr. Detchard

Ruthless mercenary guarding the imprisoned King at Zenda.

Bertram Bertrand

minor

Also known as Bertram, Bert, the relentless George, George, poor Bertram, the hapless Bertram, George bade Bertram Bertrand

Friend of Rudolf who helps him travel to Ruritania.

George Featherly

minor

Also known as George

Acquaintance of Rudolf in London, part of the social circle.

Sir Jacob Borrodaile

minor

Also known as Jacob

British diplomat in Ruritania who aids Rudolf.

Josef

minor

Also known as Poor little Josef, poor Josef, Little Josef

Loyal servant at the hunting lodge who helps the King.

Marshal Strakencz

minor

Also known as Strakencz, Marshall Strakencz, old Strakencz

Old military commander loyal to the King.

De Gautet

minor

Also known as Gautet, MM. De Gautet

One of Black Michael's henchmen at Zenda Castle.

Bersonin

minor

Swiss mercenary guarding the King at Zenda.

Countess Helga von Strofzin

minor

Also known as the Countess Helga von Strofzin, the Countess Helga, Helga

Lady-in-waiting to Princess Flavia.

Lady Burlesdon

minor

Also known as Burlesdon

Rudolf's sister, who disapproves of his idle ways.

Max Holf

minor

Also known as Holf, Max

Brother of Johann, a servant at Zenda Castle.

Krafstein

minor

One of Michael's guards at the Castle of Zenda.

Count Stanislas von Tarlenheim

minor

Also known as Count Stanislas, Count

Relative of Fritz, present at court ceremonies.

Robert of Lauengram

minor

Also known as Lauengram, Albert of Lauengram

Nobleman attending the coronation.

The Belgian

minor

Mercenary guard at Zenda, killed during the rescue.