List of Characters
The Royals
Joanna: widow of King William of Sicily, favorite sister of King Richard of England and, not coincidentally, the heroine of this story
Richard: King of England, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Normandy, Count of Poitou, etc., known as Coeur-de-Lion (Lionheart) for his exploits as a great warrior
Philip: King of France, not known for his exploits as a warrior and, unsurprisingly, resentful of Richard
John: younger brother of Richard and Joanna, resentful of everything and hoping to take advantage of Richard’s absence
Eleanor: mother of Richard, Joanna, and John; formerly Queen of England and before that, Queen of France, Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, and a formidable woman by any standards
Berengaria: wife of King Richard, daughter of King Sancho of Navarre, still amazed that Richard chose her of all the women in the world to be his wife
Henry: Holy Roman Emperor, married to Constance of Sicily, not very well disposed towards Richard
Guy de Lusignan: King of Jerusalem, not born royal but has to be counted by virtue of his title though he acquired it by marrying Sibylla, the mother of the late child-King Baldwin. Richard supports his claim to the throne
Beatrice: daughter of Emperor Isaac of Cyprus (though he will not remain royal for long)
Saladin: leader of all the Saracens
Saphadin: his brother
The Nobles
Conrad of Montferrat: an able warrior and a rival of Guy de Lusignan for the throne of Jerusalem. Philip supports his claim. The question is moot as Saladin holds Jerusalem.
Raymond de St. Gilles: son and heir to the Count of Toulouse, who will play a big part in this story
Henry, Count of Champagne: Richard’s nephew (son of Richard and Joanna’s half-sister Marie)
The Others
(Neither royal nor noble, they hardly count at all in the overall scheme of things)
Blondel: Richard’s minstrel
Berthe: Joanna’s lady-in-waiting