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The ''Lymond Chronicles'' is a series of six
historical History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...
novels written by
Dorothy Dunnett Dorothy, Lady Dunnett (née Halliday, 25 August 1923 – 9 November 2001) was a Scottish novelist best known for her historical fiction. Dunnett is most famous for her six novel series set during the 16th century, which concern the fictiti ...
and first published between 1961 and 1975. Set in mid-16th-century Europe and the Mediterranean area, the series tells the story of a young Scottish nobleman, Francis Crawford of Lymond, from 1547 until 1558.


Overview


Francis Crawford of Lymond

The six volumes follow the life and career of the charismatic Francis Crawford of Lymond, the younger son of the Crawfords of Culter, members of the
landed aristocracy Landed may refer to: * ''Landed'' (album), a 1975 album by German krautrock band Can. * " Landed (Ben Folds song)", from ''Songs for Silverman'' 2005 * "Landed", a song by Drake from ''Dark Lane Demo Tapes'' * Landed gentry, a largely historical ...
of the Scottish Lowlands. Brought up according to the Renaissance ideal of an educated
autodidact Autodidacticism (also autodidactism) or self-education (also self-learning, self-study and self-teaching) is the practice of education without the guidance of schoolmasters (i.e., teachers, professors, institutions). Overview Autodi ...
, he is a
polyglot Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. When the languages are just two, it is usually called bilingualism. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolin ...
, knowledgeable in literature, philosophy, mathematics and the sciences, a practitioner of all the martial arts, a spell-binding musician, a talented thespian, and a master strategist with a genius for imaginative tactics. An intensely private man with a public persona, Lymond is a non-conformist who is suspicious of political and religious causes. He is driven by his demanding personal code of behaviour and responsibility, regardless of society's expectations or rules. Though a cosmopolitan military leader, diplomat and spy, he has an abiding feeling for his home country of
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. Despite his reluctance to relinquish his cherished independence and align himself permanently with any nation's ruler, Lymond's professional reputation increasingly makes him a sought-after ally, or a foe to be avoided, by many of the crowned heads of Europe. Still, only for goals he believes in strongly will he deploy his glittering and commanding persona, quicksilver mind, talent for dissembling what he thinks or feels, and rapier tongue; and once he dedicates himself to a goal, his will is implacable. In his personal life, Lymond has an unusual ability to inspire intense loyalty and even love in those who are attracted to him. But the Crawford family's history begins to produce more and more tensions, and these conflicts are exacerbated by the family's shared weaknesses: immense pride and a stubborn refusal to explain the reasons for their actions. As a whole, the ''Lymond Chronicles'' tell how an arrogant, brilliant, but troubled individualist, though increasingly successful professionally, becomes alienated and isolated as a result of battles with forces he can't control, as well as with himself; and how he ultimately becomes reconciled with his country, his family and friends, and himself.


History in the ''Lymond Chronicles''

Dunnett paints on a large historical canvas, with details based on meticulous research in hundreds of primary and secondary sources. In addition to their original characters, the novels feature a large number of historical figures, often in important roles. The historical setting is the incessant jockeying for power through treaties, alliances of convenience, political marriages, wars, and even piracy, among the English
Tudors The House of Tudor ( ) was an English and Welsh dynasty that held the throne of England from 1485 to 1603. They descended from the Tudors of Penmynydd, a Welsh noble family, and Catherine of Valois. The Tudor monarchs ruled the Kingdom of Engl ...
, the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
of the
Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...
s, the French Valois, the Ottoman Empire of
Suleiman the Magnificent Suleiman I (; , ; 6 November 14946 September 1566), commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent in the Western world and as Suleiman the Lawgiver () in his own realm, was the List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman sultan between 1520 a ...
, and their respective secular and religious allies, including the
Stewarts Stewart's or Stewarts can refer to: *Stewart's Fountain Classics, brand of soft drink **Stewart's Restaurants, chain of restaurants where the soft drink was originally sold *Stewart's wilt, bacterial disease affecting maize *Stewart's (department s ...
of Scotland, the
Knights of St. John The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there u ...
, the corsairs of North Africa, and Tsar Ivan the Terrible of Russia. Each of the six books has several locations with the exception of the first, ''The Game of Kings'', which takes place almost exclusively in the Scottish Lowlands and the borders with England. The novels examine the politics and culture of each court and its nobility as monarchies centralized their power; the intensifying controversies over the
Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...
; implications of the
Age of Discovery The Age of Discovery (), also known as the Age of Exploration, was part of the early modern period and overlapped with the Age of Sail. It was a period from approximately the 15th to the 17th century, during which Seamanship, seafarers fro ...
for political and economic power and knowledge; and the blurred boundaries between faith and reason in religion,
esoteric Western esotericism, also known as the Western mystery tradition, is a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas and currents are united since they are largely distinct both from orthod ...
a such as
alchemy Alchemy (from the Arabic word , ) is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practised in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe. In its Western form, alchemy is first ...
and
astrology Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...
, and science. In addition, the large number of women in positions of political power during this period (as rulers in their own name, as regents, as strong wives or mistresses of kings, or as heirs to thrones) affords an exploration of women's roles.


Structure

The six books, collectively, form a single story, told in chronological order though the first two books can be read as self-contained novels. The endings of the third and fifth novels do not resolve their stories but lead directly to the story taken up in their respective sequels.


Relationship to other works by Dunnett

Dunnett viewed these works as part of a larger fourteen-volume work, with ''
The House of Niccolò ''The House of Niccolò'' is a series of eight historical novels by Dorothy Dunnett set in the mid-fifteenth-century European Renaissance. The protagonist of the series is Nicholas de Fleury (Niccolò, Nicholas van der Poele, or Claes), a boy ...
'' series forming the other part. The other books, written afterwards, tell of Lymond's ancestors in the previous century and allude to events in the ''Lymond Chronicles''. Dunnett recommended readers begin with the ''Lymond Chronicles'' and then read ''The House of Niccolò''. As with the ''Lymond Chronicles'', ''The House of Niccolò'' features a number of historical figures as important characters. Both the historical and fictional characters are taken from a wider variety of occupations and social classes than in the ''Lymond Chronicles''. There are significant differences in narrative approach and writing style between the series, reflecting the different journey taken by the central character in each.


''The Game of Kings'' (1961)

After five years in exile, Lymond has recently returned to Scotland, in defiance of Scottish charges against him for pro-English treason and murder. Lymond has returned with the goal of proving his innocence and restoring his name. His family, the Crawfords, have become entangled in the complex politics between England and Scotland, including the Anglo-Scottish wars, Scotland's alliance with France, and skirmishes in the Borders region. The novel is constructed as an intricate mystery, punctuated by set pieces of adventure, high comedy, and drama. Characters such as Richard Crawford, third Baron Culter and Lymond's older brother, and
Margaret Douglas Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox (8 October 1515 – 7 March 1578), born Lady Margaret Douglas, was the daughter of the Scottish queen dowager Margaret Tudor and her second husband Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, and thus the granddau ...
, Countess of Lennox are one-time friends or intimates of Lymond's who become his mortal enemies. Betrayals and double-crosses, both potential and actual, abound. The pieces of the mystery only fit together late in the story as revelations at a trial. Historical figures appearing in the novel include members of the Scott clan including
Sir Walter Scott of Buccleuch Walter Scott, 5th of Buccleuch, 1st Lord Scott of Buccleuch (1565 – 15 December 1611) was a Scotland, Scottish nobleman and famous border reivers, border reiver, known as the "Bold Buccleuch" and leader of Kinmont Willie Armstrong, Kinmont Wi ...
, his wife, Janet Beaton, and his son William Scott of Kincurd, who becomes Lymond's second-in-command in his band of outlaws;
Mary of Guise Mary of Guise (; 22 November 1515 – 11 June 1560), also called Mary of Lorraine, was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from 1538 until 1542, as the second wife of King James V. She was a French people, French noblewoman of the ...
, the Queen Dowager of Scotland and her young daughter,
Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...
; and members of the Douglas family including
Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus (c. 148922 January 1557) was a Scottish nobleman active during the reigns of James V and Mary, Queen of Scots. He was the son of George, Master of Angus, who was killed at the Battle of Flodden, and succ ...
, his brother Sir George Douglas, his daughter
Margaret Douglas Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox (8 October 1515 – 7 March 1578), born Lady Margaret Douglas, was the daughter of the Scottish queen dowager Margaret Tudor and her second husband Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, and thus the granddau ...
, Countess of Lennox (niece of
Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
), and Margaret's husband
Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox (21 September 1516 – 4 September 1571) was a leader of the Catholic nobility in Scotland. He was the paternal grandfather of King James VI of Scotland. He owned Temple Newsam in Yorkshire, England. Origin ...
, a potential claimant to the Scottish throne if the young Mary, Queen of Scots, died. The English military leaders responsible for prosecuting the war of
The Rough Wooing The Rough Wooing (; December 1543 – March 1551), also known as the Eight Years' War, was part of the Anglo-Scottish Wars of the 16th century. Following the English Reformation, the break with the Catholic Church, England attacked Scotlan ...
, Sir William Grey and Lord Thomas Wharton, also have prominent, and often comedic, roles.


Main fictional characters

*Francis Crawford of Lymond, Master of Culter *Sybilla Crawford, Dowager Baroness Culter *Richard Crawford, Third Baron Culter *Mariotta Crawford, Baroness Culter *Christian Stewart *Jonathan Crouch *Gideon Somerville *Kate Somerville *Philippa Somerville *Samuel Harvey


Main historical characters

* Mary de Guise,
Queen Dowager A queen dowager or dowager queen (compare: princess dowager or dowager princess) is a title or status generally held by the widow of a king. In the case of the widow of an emperor, the title of empress dowager is used. Its full meaning is cle ...
of Scotland *Tom Erskine *
Walter Scott of Branxholme and Buccleuch Sir Walter Scott, 1st of Branxholme, 3rd of Buccleuch (c. 1495 – killed 4 October 1552), known as "Wicked Wat", was a nobleman of the Scottish Borders and the chief of Clan Scott who briefly served as Warden of the Marches, Warden of the Middl ...
*His son, William Scott of Kincurd *
Janet Beaton Janet Beaton, Lady of Branxholme and Buccleugh (1519–1569) was an aristocratic Scottish woman and a mistress of James Hepburn, Earl of Bothwell. She had a total of five husbands. One of her nieces was Mary Beaton, one of the four ladies-in-wai ...


Main locations

*
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
, Scotland *
Stirling Stirling (; ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the roya ...
, Scotland * The Lowlands of Scotland (including the fictional Midculter Castle) *
Northumbria Northumbria () was an early medieval Heptarchy, kingdom in what is now Northern England and Scottish Lowlands, South Scotland. The name derives from the Old English meaning "the people or province north of the Humber", as opposed to the Sout ...
, England (including the fictional Manor of Flaw Valleys and
Hadrian's Wall Hadrian's Wall (, also known as the ''Roman Wall'', Picts' Wall, or ''Vallum Aelium'' in Latin) is a former defensive fortification of the Roman province of Roman Britain, Britannia, begun in AD 122 in the reign of the Emperor Hadrian. Ru ...
) *
Threave Castle Threave Castle is situated on an island in the River Dee, west of Castle Douglas in the historical county of Kirkcudbrightshire in the Dumfries and Galloway region of Scotland. Built in the 1370s by Archibald the Grim, it was a stronghold o ...
, Scotland


''Queens' Play'' (1964)

Lymond takes on an alias in order to infiltrate the French court and protect the young Mary, Queen of Scots, from her would-be assassins.


Main fictional characters

*Francis Crawford of Lymond, Master of Culter *Sybilla Crawford, Dowager Baroness Culter *Richard Crawford, Third Baron Culter *Phelim O'Liam Roe, Irish leader *Thady Boy Ballagh, Irish bard *Oonagh O'Dwyer, Mistress of Cormac O'Connor *Archie Abernethy, Elephant Keeper


Main historical characters

* Mary de Guise,
Queen Dowager A queen dowager or dowager queen (compare: princess dowager or dowager princess) is a title or status generally held by the widow of a king. In the case of the widow of an emperor, the title of empress dowager is used. Its full meaning is cle ...
of Scotland *Margaret Erskine * Jenny Fleming, Mistress of the King of France *John (Stewart) D'Aubigny, exiled Scot, living in France *George Douglas, Scottish nobleman, visiting France *Cormac O'Connor, claimant to the Irish throne


Main locations

*
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, France *
Blois Blois ( ; ) is a commune and the capital city of Loir-et-Cher Departments of France, department, in Centre-Val de Loire, France, on the banks of the lower Loire river between Orléans and Tours. With 45,898 inhabitants by 2019, Blois is the mos ...
, France *
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, England *
Falkland Palace Falkland Palace, in Falkland, Fife, Scotland, is a royal palace of the Scottish kings. It was one of the favourite places of Mary, Queen of Scots, who took refuge there from political and religious turmoil of her times. Today it is under th ...
, Scotland


''The Disorderly Knights'' (1966)

Lymond travels to the Isle of
Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
, home to the Crusading Order of Knights Hospitaller of St John, just before the Ottoman Turks lay siege to it.


Main fictional characters

*Francis Crawford of Lymond *Jerott Blyth, childhood friend of Francis Crawford, French merchant and Knight of St John *Sir Graham ("Gabriel") Reid Malett, Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St John *Joleta Reid Malett, Sir Graham's younger sister *Randy Bell, Alec Guthrie, and Adam Blacklock, men of the company of St Mary's *Oonagh O'Dwyer *Kate Somerville, English landowner and friend of the Crawfords *Philippa Somerville, daughter of Kate Somerville


Main historical characters

* Juan de Homedes, Grand Master of the Order of St John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta * Galatian de Cesel, Governor of Gozo *
Nicolas de Nicolay Nicolas de Nicolay, Sieur d'Arfeville & de Belair, (1517–1583) of the Nicolay (family) was a French geographer. Biography Born at la Grave in Oisans, in the Dauphiné, he left France in 1542 to participate in the Siege of Perpignan (1542), si ...
, Knight of the Order of St John * Marie de Guise, Queen Dowager of Scotland * Gaspard De Villiers, Governor of Tripoli * Dragut Rais, Corsair


Main locations

*
Birgu Birgu ( , ), also known by its title Città Vittoriosa ('Victorious City'), is an old Fortifications of Birgu, fortified city on the south side of the Grand Harbour in the Port Region, Malta, Port Region of Malta. The city occupies a promontory ...
, Malta *
Mdina Mdina ( ; ), also known by its Italian epithets ("Old City") and ("Notable City"), is a fortifications of Mdina, fortified city in the Western Region, Malta, Western Region of Malta which served as the island's former capital, from antiquity ...
, Malta *
Gozo Gozo ( ), known in classical antiquity, antiquity as Gaulos, is an island in the Malta#The Maltese archipelago, Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After the Malta Island, island of Malta ...
, Malta *
Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis (from , meaning "three cities") may refer to: Places Greece *Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in the Pelasgiotis district, Thessaly, near Larissa ...
, North Africa *Scottish Borders, including
St Mary's Loch St Mary's Loch is the largest natural loch in the Scottish Borders, and is situated on the south side of the A708 road between Selkirk and Moffat, about south of Edinburgh. Description It is long and wide, and was created by glacial acti ...
*Edinburgh, Scotland


''Pawn in Frankincense'' (1969)

Lymond embarks upon a hunt for the child who may or may not be his and crosses Europe and North Africa following the trail of clues an adversary has laid for him. He arrives glittering court of the Ottoman sultan
Suleiman the Magnificent Suleiman I (; , ; 6 November 14946 September 1566), commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent in the Western world and as Suleiman the Lawgiver () in his own realm, was the List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman sultan between 1520 a ...
.


Main fictional characters

*Francis Crawford of Lymond *Jerott Blyth, childhood friend of Francis Crawford, French Merchant and Knight of St John *Jubrael Pasha, officer at the court of Suleiman the Magnificent *Joleta Reid Malett, Sir Graham's younger sister *The Dame de Doubtance, caster of horoscopes, from France *Georges Gaultier, her associate *Marthe, his niece *Philippa Somerville, daughter of Kate Somerville *Mikal, a pilgrim of Love *Güzel (Kiaya Khátún), mistress of the Harem of Dragut Rais *Onophrion Zitwitz, master of Lymond's household *Salablanca, Moor


Main historical characters

*
Leone Strozzi Leone Strozzi (15 October 1515 – 28 June 1554) was an Italian condottiero belonging to the famous Strozzi family of Florence. Biography He was the son of Filippo Strozzi the Younger and Clarice de' Medici, and brother to Piero, Roberto and L ...
, of Florence, Prior of Capua in the Order of the Knights Hospitaller of St. John *
Salah Rais Salah Rais () ( 1488 – 1568) was the 7th King of Algiers, an Ottoman privateer and admiral. He is alternatively referred to as ''Sala Reis'', ''Salih Rais'', ''Salek Rais'' and ''Cale Arraez'' in several European sources, particularly in Sp ...
, Viceroy of Algiers *Aga Morat, Turkish Governor of Tripoli * Gabriel de Luetz, Baron et Seigneur d'Aramon et de Valabregues, French Ambassador to Turkey *
Roxelana Hürrem Sultan (; , "''the joyful one''"; 1505– 15 April 1558), also known as Roxelana (), was the chief consort, the first Haseki Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and the legal wife of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, and the mother ...
Sultan (Khourrem), wife of Suleiman the Magnificent *
Suleiman the Magnificent Suleiman I (; , ; 6 November 14946 September 1566), commonly known as Suleiman the Magnificent in the Western world and as Suleiman the Lawgiver () in his own realm, was the List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman sultan between 1520 a ...
, Sultan of Turkey and Lord of the Ottoman Empire *Jean Chesnau, French Chargé d'Affaires at Constantinople


Main locations

*
Baden Baden (; ) is a historical territory in southern Germany. In earlier times it was considered to be on both sides of the Upper Rhine, but since the Napoleonic Wars, it has been considered only East of the Rhine. History The margraves of Ba ...
, in
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
*
Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...
, in modern-day
Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
*
Bône Annaba (), formerly known as Bon, Bona and Bône, is a seaport city in the northeastern corner of Algeria, close to the border with Tunisia. Annaba is near the small Seybouse River and is in the Annaba Province. With a population of about 263,65 ...
, modern-day Annaba (and ancient Hippo) in Algeria * Monastir, in modern-day
Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...
* Mehedia, modern-day Mahdia in Tunisia *
Zakynthos Zakynthos (also spelled Zakinthos; ; ) or Zante (, , ; ; from the Venetian language, Venetian form, traditionally Latinized as Zacynthus) is a Greece, Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands, with an are ...
, an island off the coast of
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
*
Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...
, in
Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
*
Djerba Djerba (; , ; ), also transliterated as Jerba or Jarbah, is a Tunisian island and the largest island of North Africa at , in the Gulf of Gabès, off the coast of Tunisia. Administratively, it is part of Medenine Governorate. The island h ...
, an island off the coast of modern-day Tunisia *
Thessalonika Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...
, in Greece * Zuara, in modern-day
Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...
*
Chios Chios (; , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greece, Greek list of islands of Greece, island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, tenth largest island in the Medi ...
, in modern-day Greece, close to the coast of
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
*
Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
, capital city of the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...


''The Ringed Castle'' (1971)

Lymond arrives at the court of the Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible.


Main fictional characters

*Francis Crawford of Lymond *Richard Crawford, 3rd Baron of Culter, Lymond's older brother *Sybilla Crawford, Dowager Lady Culter, Lymond's mother *Danny Hislop, Alec Guthrie, Adam Blacklock, Fergie Hoddim, Lancelot Plummer, and Ludovic d'Harcourt, men of the company of St Mary's *Kate Somerville, English landowner and friend of the Crawfords *Philippa Somerville, daughter of Kate Somerville *Guzel, kingmaker


Main historical characters

* Ivan IV Vasilyevich, Tsar of Russia *
Margaret Douglas Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox (8 October 1515 – 7 March 1578), born Lady Margaret Douglas, was the daughter of the Scottish queen dowager Margaret Tudor and her second husband Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, and thus the granddau ...
, Countess of Lennox * Diccon Chancellor, explorer and navigator *Osep Nepaja, ambassador *
Mary I of England Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain as the wife of King Philip II from January 1556 until her death in 1558. She made vigorous ...
, Queen of England *
Princess Elizabeth of England Elizabeth Stuart (28 December 1635 – 8 September 1650) was the second daughter of Charles I, King of England, Scotland and Ireland, and his wife, Henrietta Maria of France. From age six until her death at age 14, Elizabeth was a prisoner of ...
*
John Dee John Dee (13 July 1527 – 1608 or 1609) was an English mathematician, astronomer, teacher, astrologer, occultist, and alchemist. He was the court astronomer for, and advisor to, Elizabeth I, and spent much of his time on alchemy, divination, ...
, mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, occultist, navigator *
Dmytro Vyshnevetsky Dmytro Ivanovych Vyshnevetsky (; ; ) was a Ruthenian magnate of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. He established the Zaporozhian Cossack stronghold on the Small Khortytsia Island. He was also known as ''Baida'' () in Ukrainian folk song ...
, Lithuanian prince


Main locations

* The Lowlands of Scotland (including the fictional Midculter Castle) *
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, England *
Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, in the then Tsardom of Russia *
Archangel Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the Catholic hierarchy of angels, based on and put forward by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite in the 5th or 6th century in his book ''De Coelesti Hierarchia'' (''On the Celestial Hierarchy'') ...
, in the then Tsardom of Russia


''Checkmate'' (1975)

In 1557, Lymond, Comte de Sévigné, is once again in France, leading an army against England. Meanwhile, Mary, Queen of Scots, prepares to marry the French Dauphin.


Main fictional characters

*Francis Crawford of Lymond and Sévigné *Richard Crawford, Lymond's older brother *Sybilla Crawford, Lymond's mother *Philippa Somerville


Main historical characters

* Mary Stewart, queen of Scots * Henri II, king of France *Catherine d'Albon, French noblewoman


Reading aids

*''The Dorothy Dunnett Companion'' (1994, ) and ''The Dorothy Dunnett Companion II'' (2002, ) by Elspeth Morrison – Dorothy Dunnett aided in the compilation, and wrote some of the entries for this book, which provide background information to historical characters and events featured in the ''Lymond Chronicles'' and ''The House of Niccolò'', as well as explanations of classical allusions and literary and other quotations used in the two series, notes to sources of these citations, and many maps. The second volume contains a bibliography of many of the hundreds of primary and secondary sources Dunnett used in her historical research. *''Ultimate Guide to Dorothy Dunnett's The Game of Kings'' by Laura Caine Ramsey, J.D. (2013, LymondGuides.com) – An illustrated encyclopaedic resource of translations and historical, literary, mythological, musical, and poetic references in the order in which they appear in the series. *''Dorothy Dunnett’s Lymond Chronicles: The Enigma of Francis Crawford'' by Scott Richardson (2016, )


Further reading

* * *{{cite journal , last1=Serjeantson , first1=Deirdre , title='That Private Labyrinth': The Books that made Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond , journal=Whispering Gallery , date=2017 , issue=134 , pages=20–27 , url=https://www.academia.edu/30197812/That_Private_Labyrinth_The_Books_that_made_Dorothy_Dunnetts_Lymond , publisher= The Dorothy Dunnett Society Book series introduced in 1961 Historical novels by series Novels set in the 1540s Novels set in the 1550s Novels set in the Renaissance Cultural depictions of Suleiman the Magnificent