The king of the purple city
The King of the Purple City is a historical novel by the writer Rebecca Gablé from 2002. It is about the time frame immediately before her first historical novel The Smile of Fortuna . Although there is a personal overlap, he is not part of the Waringham saga .
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In the year of the Lord 1330 the apprentice Jonah did not have an easy life in the house of his master and cousin Rupert Hillock. With ambition, the withdrawn boy succeeds in convincing his cold, calculating grandmother of his skills. After her death, he was given a generous inheritance to build the basis for a later career as a cloth merchant. But his cousin envies this legacy. An attempted murder during a business trip can only be prevented by a hunting party that happens to be nearby. This is how Jonah meets the English King Edward III. and know his wife. After this incident, Jonah is prematurely released from his apprenticeship and accepted into the guild of London draperies.
A few months later, Jonah is lucky enough to save the life of the Queen of England . After this second meeting with the English royal family, Jonah was promoted to purveyor to the court. However, through his own recklessness, he endangers his secure ascent. In order not to go under, he makes a pact with William de la Pole . Meanwhile knighted by the king , Jonah seeks revenge with a cunning plan. In addition, with the help of Flemish craftsmen and the support of the Queen , he succeeds in restructuring his business and revolutionizing the manufacture of cloth in England.
In 1337 Jonah persuades William de la Pole, with a financial advantage, to give him the hand of his daughter Giselle. With the financial advantage, de la Pole manages to impress the English king. He needs the money for the upcoming war with France . Meanwhile, a bad deal with the king has given Jonah another financial ruin. Only with the help of his wife Giselle and his partner Crispin is it possible to avert the disaster this time.
Years later, Jonah regained financial prosperity through his involvement in the Battle of Sluis . But even misfortune and intrigue do not let him rest. So he can only save his family with difficulty in a house fire. The plague leaves its mark on the Durham household and his cousin Rupert Hillock wants to settle a score.
Acting characters
Fictional characters
- Jonah Durham, main character in the novel
- Giselle, daughter of William de la Pole and Jonah's wife
- Lucas, Philip, Elena and Samuel, their children
- Crispin Lacy, Jonah's friend and associate
- Rupert Hillock, his teacher and cousin
- Elizabeth Hillock, Rupert's wife
- Cecilia Hillock, grandmother of Jonah and Rupert
- Annot, whore and businesswoman
- Cecil, her disabled son
- Francis Willcox, the fox, king of thieves
- Harry, his son
Historical figures
- Edward III , King of England
- Philippa von Hainault , his wife
- John Pulteney , Merchant and Lord Mayor of London
- William de la Pole , England's most notorious merchant
- Joan of Kent , later consort of Edwards of Woodstock
Radio play version
From 2014 to 2015 the book was set to music and published as a three-part radio play version under the title Jonah by Audible . Speakers included Detlef Bierstedt , Timmo Niesner (Jonah), Dorette Hugo (Giselle), Nicolás Artajo (Crispin), Marie-Isabel Walke (Annot), Ulrike Stürzbecher (Philippa), Norman Matt (Edward), Stefan Kaminski (Waringham ), Oliver Siebeck , Vera Teltz , Uve Teschner , Reinhard Kuhnert , Greta Galisch , Erich Räuker , Robert Frank and Michael Iwannek .
The three parts are:
- Jonah - The Apprenticeship Years: The King of the Purple City 1
- Jonah - The Rise: The King of the Purple City 2
- Jonah - The Empire: The King of the Purple City 3