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Roald of Conté (pronounced ROH-ahld of kohn-TAY), born in 440 HE,[1] is the Crown Prince of Tortall, and first in line to succeed his father, King Jonathan IV, and his mother, Queen Thayet, as monarch. He is a Knight of Tortall and completed his training in 458 HE. He is married to Shinkokami, originally a second-rank princess of the Yamani Islands, and they have one daughter together so far: Princess Lianokami. Roald is a member of House Conté, the royal family of Tortall. He has five siblings: Kalasin Iliniat the Empress of Carthak, Prince Liam, Prince Jasson, Princess Lianne, and Princess Vania.

Prince Roald is named after his paternal grandfather King Roald, who was known as the "Peace-maker" during his reign.

Biography[]

Early years[]

Roald was raised very closely with his sister, Kalasin. When they met Daine, they were fascinated with her, and followed her around everywhere—much to the amusement of their mother. Roald was shy compared to his sister, who was quite outspoken.

Training for knighthood[]

Page[]

Crown Prince Roald entered training in 450 HE,[1] and was quiet as a page, although friendly. He was careful to show the same amount of attention to all the other pages and to not favor or disfavor anyone outright. This was an approach that was very different to his father's approach when he was a page, as Jonathan showed a lot of favoritism, as well as open dislike.

When Keladry of Mindelan entered training in 452 HE, Roald was kind to her and became her friend. He did sit with Joren of Stone Mountain and his cronies, but that was only for formalities sake, and not because he liked the bullies or their methods. His liking to Kel could be explained because he, like Nealan of Queenscove, was raised at the royal palace. Thus he was exposed to women fighters such as his mother, Buriram Tourakom, Veralidaine Sarrasri, Alanna the Lioness, and the women of the Queen's Riders. As it was, he didn't make her feel inferior because she was a girl, but showed that he liked her because of her personality and the way she treated others. When Kel began her anti-bullying campaigns against Joren, Roald was seen to be sad that he could not join them because of his royal status. Again, this lack of surety to enter battles of will with other pages was in stark contrast to his father.

Kel, because of her knowledge of the Yamani Islands, helped Roald understand the culture of the Yamanis in order to prepare for his marriage. During his page years, his marriage was arranged with Chisakami, a Yamani princess whom Kel did not know. This changed later when Chisakami was killed in an earthquake.

Squire[]

Imrah, lord of Legann, took Roald as his squire, breaking centuries of royal tradition that the heir apparent serves his or her father.[2] Instead, Jonathan took Zahir ibn Alhaz as his squire, to further the relationship with the Bazhir and to make it clear that Bazhir could become knights if they could afford the huge expenses. Because of the prior death of Chisakami, Roald's marriage had been arranged with Shinkokami, a Yamani princess of the second rank.

When he met Shinko, he was painfully polite to her. She was the same to him, as they thought the other would find them scandalous. Kel concocted a plan to get them to talk about something they both were interested in, such as battle strategy.

Knighthood[]

After becoming a Knight of Tortall, Roald was disheartened by not being able to fight in the Scanran War. As he had a powerful healing Gift, Vanget haMinch used him mostly for healing. He was sent away from the regular army for a time, as General Vanget saw his antsy behavior and knew that he had to do something with him before Roald did something himself, as that kind of thing did run in his family. Roald was even more gloomy as the war had forced him and Shinkokami to put off their wedding.

In September of 460 HE, Roald and Shinkokami did marry. The celebrations for this wedding had completed by September 10.[3]

Roald and Shinkokami have one daughter so far: Lianokami of Conté. This baby has never appeared in any of the books, and has only been mentioned by Tamora Pierce.

Physical description[]

Roald takes after his parents with white skin, blue eyes, and black hair.

Personality and traits[]

Roald is very shy and is determined to be gracious to all, even to people he does not like. He believes that it is his duty as his father's heir apparent to be fair and to not show favoritism. This was very unlike his father when he was a page, as Jonathan showed favoritism and open dislike to other boys such as ery outgoing and fl. tatious personality whe, one of Roald's good friends, recognizes that even though he is shy and determined to be fair and gracious, he is still every bit as stubborn as his parents. Kel also knows that Roald does not wish to abuse royal privilege.

Another way Roald differed from his father is that he seemed to be far less of a lady's man and far less experienced by the time he wed. This could've also been due to Roald's shyness, as Jonathan had a very outgoing and flirtatious personality when he was a young man.

Relationships[]

His family[]

It is believed that he has a good relationship with his parents, as well as his younger sister, Kalasin. They might have been distanced slightly as teenagers, as Roald went to become a knight, and his sister went to live with a kinswoman. Although Prince Liam and Prince Jasson would have started page training when Roald was an older page or a squire, it is unknown how they feel about each other, as they have never been seen together. It is assumed that generally Roald does have a good relationship with his family, however.

Keladry of Mindelan[]

Kel was one of his closest friends as a page and squire, and he helped and offered her advice during her time. As he was prince, he did not take directly to her anti-hazing war, but supported her and her friends' efforts. She was his wife's closest Tortallan friend, and he got along very well with Kel.

Knight-master[]

As opposed to honoring royal tradition by having the crown prince as the king's squire, Roald became the squire of Imrah of Legann, one of the most important and esteemed men of the country. Lord Imrah had been crucial in the decisive battle of Port Legann. As such, he was an excellent knight-master to have, as he would be very experienced in battle and naval strategy, being the lord of a port city with a history of land battles.

Family tree[]

Thom of Pirate's Swoop's Versions[]

From 795 AE to 367 HE[]

Collapsible family tree showing the family line prior to 367 HE.

Conté family per Thom of Pirate's Swoop's timeline[4][5]from 795 AE[6] to 367 HE.
Unnamed ancestors[7]
Newlin I of Conté[8]Unnamed woman
Conté manUnnamed woman
Unnamed womanNewlin II of Conté
Roald I of Conté[9]Annable of ?
Unnamed womanEnnalt of ? AKA Newlin III of Conté[10]
Roald II of Conté[11]Unnamed woman
Doras of Great MinchGareth I of ContéWoman x2[12]
Unnamed womanConté manContés[13].Contés[13]
Conté manUnnamed woman
Conté man x2[14]Baird II of Conté[15][16][17]Unnamed woman
Unnamed womanRoger I of Conté
Unnamed womanJonathan II of Conté[18]
Baird III of Conté[19]Unnamed woman
Roger II of Conté[20]Unnamed woman
See QueenscoveJasson I of Conté[21]
See BarzunHenrim of Queenscove AKA Gareth II of Conté[22]Unnamed woman
Jessamine of BarzunRoger III of Conté[20][23]Unnamed womanBaird of Conté[24]See Trebond
Gareth III of Conté[25]Unnamed womanContés[26]Contés[24]
Conté woman[24]Lionel of Trebond[27]
Wylles of Conté[28]Unnamed womanSee Trebond
Jasson II of Conté[29]Unnamed woman
Roald III of ContéUnnamed womanSee Legann
Roger IV of ContéConté woman[30]Legann man
Unnamed womanRoald of Legann AKA Roald IV of Conté[30]See Dunlath[31]
Baird IV of ContéUnnamed womanSee JesslawConté womanDunlath man[31]
After 367 HE[]

Alternate Version[]

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Tortallan timeline
  2. Page, Ch. 6 (pg. 101; Random House paperback)
  3. Lady Knight, Epilogue (pg. 409; Laurel-Leaf Books)
  4. 4.0 4.1 Tortall: A Spy's Guide (electronic edition), Cooper Family Papers, Timeline of the Realm of Tortall.
  5. Unfortunately, the timeline conflicted with Ms. Pierce's commentary prior to the publication of the Spy's Guide. See the "other sources" family tree and footnotes for Newlin I, Roger the Liberator, and Jasson II-or-III, among others. Additionally, there may have been additional members of the family not mentioned in the timeline, as it was concerned exclusively with the reigning kings. Some people have been added from other sources, specified in footnotes.
  6. 900 Asaron's Era was 1 Human Era, so this would be about 104 years pre-HE, or 471 years before this chart ends.
  7. It wasn't clear whether Newlin I was the first Conté or only the first royal Conté.
  8. Per the timeline, Newlin I opened the Book of Gold, founded Tortall, and was its first king. But prior to the publication of the Spy's Guide, Ms. Pierce said in online statements that Jonathan I was the first Conté king, that another family held the Tortallan throne before him, and that the Contés were ennobled in the Book of Silver. Archived at Words of Tamora Pierce "The Book of Silver, Reign of the Contés, and Old Ones" August 28, 2007. Archived at the Wayback Machine December 28, 2009. Accessed November 20, 2022. See also the Succession of Tortallan Monarchs.
  9. Not to be confused with Roald V, Jonathan IV's father.
  10. Newlin III was Annable's nephew by birth and was adopted by the childless royal couple.
  11. Not to be confused with Roald VI, Jonathan IV and Thayet's son.
  12. Gareth I's other two wives were Merice of Queenscove and Andrette of Tameran.
  13. 13.0 13.1 In total, between all three wives, Gareth I sired nine children (five women and four men) who gave him eighteen grandchildren and twenty-four great-grandchildren.
  14. It was also possible that the elder great-grandsons were sired by other Contés rather than being Baird II's older brothers (for example, if a sister or younger brother of Doras and Gareth I's firstborn son reproduced before their brother).
  15. Baird I was omitted.
  16. Baird II was Gareth I and Doras's "third great-grandson", which could in theory mean three-times-great-grandson rather than third-eldest great-grandson, but the former was temporally implausible.
  17. It was likely that Baird II's royal parent and grandparent were men, though it wasn't stated explicitly, as Ms. Pierce has stated that prior to Jonathan IV's reign the royal succession was secured to the male line. Sheroes thread as archived at Words of Tamora Pierce, "Lianokami and Succession to the Throne" August 28, 2007. Archived at the Wayback Machine November 5,2022. Accessed November 23, 2022.
  18. Jonathan I was omitted.
  19. 19.0 19.1 Baird III founded the Provost's Guard in 127 HE (two years after his death, according to the Spy's Guide timeline). Terrier (electronic edition) "The Provost's Guard".
  20. 20.0 20.1 20.2 The notes on the timeline made it clear that the character referred to as Roger II in the Terrier (electronic edition) "Cast of Characters" was called Roger III in the Spy's Guide. See also Roger III of Conté.
  21. Jasson I was co-regnant with Sidea of Naxen, but wasn't married to her and didn't sire children at all but adopted his cousin instead.
  22. Gareth II was a cousin of Jasson I by birth, but the degree was not specified.
  23. 23.0 23.1 Roger III of Conté was married to Alysy of Galla until her death, but the marriage produced no issue. Terrier "Cast of Characters" and Mastiff.
  24. 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 24.4 24.5 Per Bloodhound (electronic edition) "September 13, 247", Prince Baird's oldest daughter was married to Lionel of Trebond, which implied he had other daughters. Per Mastiff, he was childless.
  25. 25.0 25.1 Roger III of Conté and Jessamine's son Gareth's regnal number may have only appeared in the Spy's Guide.
  26. 26.0 26.1 Roger III of Conté and Jessamine had more children after Gareth III per this Random Buzz thread "Fall 2011 Chat with Tamora Pierce!" as archived at the Wayback Machine October 17, 2012. Accessed November 15, 2022.
  27. 27.0 27.1 Bloodhound "Thursday, September 14th, 247".
  28. Wylles became king, but as there was no second King Wylles, no regnal number was used.
  29. 29.0 29.1 29.2 Prior to the publication of the Spy's Guide, Ms. Pierce said in online statements that Jonathan IV's grandfather Jasson III of Conté was Jasson II, not Jasson III. Archived at Words of Tamora Pierce "The Book of Silver, Reign of the Contés, and Old Ones" August 28, 2007. Archived at the Wayback Machine December 28, 2009. Accessed November 20, 2022.
  30. 30.0 30.1 Roald IV was Roger IV's nephew by birth. It was inferred that his birth Conté parent was a woman. It was not known whether there was further issue from match.
  31. 31.0 31.1 31.2 31.3 31.4 31.5 Per Wolf-Speaker (electronic edition), Ch. 3, Maura of Dunlath and Yolane of Dunlath were Jonathan IV's "third cousins or something like that" (This meant they shared at least one great-great-grandparent. In the Spy's Guide version, this would have to be Roald IV.) It's inferred that the half-sisters' Conté ancestor was a woman.
  32. Unfortunately, the timeline conflicted with Ms. Pierce's commentary prior to the publication of the Spy's Guide. See the "other sources" family tree and footnote for Jasson II-or-III, among others. Additionally, there may have been additional members of the family not mentioned in the timeline, as it was concerned exclusively with the reigning kings. Some people have been added from other sources, specified in footnotes.
  33. 33.0 33.1 33.2 33.3 Prior to the publication of the Spy's Guide, Ms. Pierce said in online statements that "the Old King" (which generally meant Jonathan IV's grandfather, Jasson II-or-III) married a Naxen third cousin. Random Buzz thread from 2009 "Random Tortall Questions..." as archived at the Wayback Machine March 30, 2012. Accessed November 15, 2022. (Perhaps Jesslaw had a connection to Naxen, or Jasson II-or-III was married twice.)
  34. 34.0 34.1 In noncanonical sources created before the reveal of Jonathan IV's father Roald the Peacemaker's canonical regnal number (and newer sources that preferred to stick with what they knew), he was often known as Roald I, but the timeline indicated he was Roald V.
  35. Jonathan III was omitted.
  36. 36.0 36.1 In noncanonical sources created before the reveal of Jonathan IV and Thayet's son Crown Prince Roald's canonical regnal number (and newer sources that preferred to stick with what they knew), he was often known as Roald II, but the timeline indicated he was Roald VI.
  37. 37.0 37.1 Shinkokami's first pregnancy was referenced in Ch. 6 of Trickster's Queen, but Lianokami's name appeared only in the "Official Chronology of Tortallan Events" in the Spy's Guide and Ms. Pierce's online commentary. Sheroes thread as archived at Words of Tamora Pierce, "Lianokami and Succession to the Throne" August 28, 2007. Archived at the Wayback Machine November 5,2022. Accessed November 23, 2022.
  38. Specifically, canon sources (other than Thom of Pirate's Swoop's timeline in the Spy's Guide) and Tamora Pierce's extracanonical commentary. Unfortunately, both canon and comments conflict with the information given in the Spy's Guide. See footnotes for Newlin I, Roger II-or-III, and Jasson II-or-III. Additionally, there may have been members of the family not mentioned, as Ms. Pierce was not giving a complete accounting. Sources specified in footnotes.
  39. Archived at Words of Tamora Pierce "The Book of Silver, Reign of the Contés, and Old Ones" August 28, 2007. Archived at the Wayback Machine December 28, 2009. Accessed November 20, 2022.
  40. 40.0 40.1 40.2 Mastiff.
  41. 41.0 41.1 41.2 Alanna: The First Adventure (electronic edition), Ch. 4.
  42. Lioness Rampant (electronic edition), Ch. 2.
  43. Lioness Rampant (electronic edition), Epilogue.
  44. Alanna: The First Adventure (electronic edition), Ch. 5.
  45. Squire (electronic edition), Ch. 1.
  46. 46.0 46.1 Wild Magic (electronic edition), Ch. 8.
  47. Sheroes thread as archived at Words of Tamora Pierce, "Kaddar and Kally". August 26, 2007. At the Wayback Machine November 15th, 2022. Accessed April 27, 2023.
  48. 48.0 48.1 48.2 First Test (electronic edition) Ch. 2
  49. Sheroes thread as archived at Words of Tamora Pierce: "Vania, Ilane, and Thayet". August 28, 2007. At the Wayback Machine November 15, 2022. Accessed April 27, 2023.

See also[]

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