Jonathan "Jon" of Conté is King of Tortall from 439 HE^[1] onwards. He is the only child of Roald I of Conté and Lianne of Naxen. When training for knighthood he becomes friends with Alanna of Trebond, who will later also be his lover for some time and eventually his King's Champion. Jonathan succeeds Ali Mukhtab as Voice of the Tribes. He is married to Thayet jian Wilima and they have six children. His reign is not only affected by a range of wars and conflicts, but also by open-mindedness towards new things and reforms, although he constantly has to walk a tightrope not to offend the conservative powers in his realm.

BiographyEdit

Jonathan is born in 416 HE^[1] as the only child of King Roald and Queen Lianne, and is thus their heir.

Training for knighthoodEdit

As is customary for the heir to the Tortallan throne, Jon enters page training to become a knight of the realm. Some of his closest friends in that time are Raoul of Goldenlake, Gary of Naxen and Alexander of Tirragen. In 430 HE Alanna of Trebond arrives at the palace, disguised as a boy named "Alan", to enter page training. She befriends the group around Jon and soon they are seen studying together. The following year, the Sweating Sickness, magically sent by Roger of Conté, reaches Tortall. Jon is one of the last to fall ill and nearly dies. He is saved by Alanna, who uses her magical Gift to keep him from dying. Later that year, the Prince meets the King of the Thieves, George Cooper. They become friends and Jon buys his new horse, Darkness, from him.

It is never mentioned who became Jonathan's knight-master, but it was most probably his father, Roald of Conté, as it is custom for the prince to be the squire of the king^[2]. In 433 HE the squires, including Jon, accompany Lord Martin of Meron to Persopolis. Jon convinces his uncle, Sir Gareth, to allow Page "Alan" to accompany them, as he spends a lot of time with the squires. In Persopolis they meet Ali Mukhtab, who tells them of the Black City, the only Bazhir city in existence. He reveals that many young Bazhir are drawn to this place, but none have ever returned. The squires had been warned before by Duke Roger not to go to the Black City as it is a dangerous place. Jon's curiosity is piqued both by his cousin's warning and Roger's subtle enchantment. Alanna accompanies him, despite her protest. At the Black City, they encounter the Ysandir ancient immortals who feed on humans who venture into the city. During their battle, Jonathan learns that "Alan" is in truth Alanna, a girl. After having destroyed the Ysandir through their combined magic and swordplay, Jon promises Alanna that he will take her on as a squire once he has his shield. He receives his shield on Midwinter in 433 HE^[1] after his seventeenth birthday, as is customary for the prince.

KnighthoodEdit

Once knighted, Jonathan takes Alanna of Trebond as his squire, as promised. He is careful to keep her true gender secret from their other friends. During his tenure as her knight-master, Jonathan and Alanna have a romantic relationship that becomes sexual on Alanna's seventeenth birthday. Prior to their involvement, Jonathan has a relationship with young noblewoman Delia of Eldorne, who is rumored to have been the mistress of his cousin, Duke Roger.

Shortly after Jonathan gains his shield, the Tusaine War breaks out in 435 HE^[1]. He participates in combat under his cousin Roger's command. He is nearly shot by an assassin in a tree, but Alanna spots the bowman and protects Jonathan by nearly shoving him off his saddle. He openly defies his father's orders, which were that none of his men were to cross the Drell River, in an attempt to rescue Alanna, who had been taken prisoner. He succeeds in saving Alanna before anyone realizes that "Alan" is a girl. He also takes prisoners of his own: the brothers of King Ain of Tusaine, Duke Hilam and Lord Jem. The two brothers orchestrated the infiltration and ambush of the Tortallan Army and the kidnapping of Squire Alan.. The war ends shortly after, the release of the two royal brothers a condition for peace.

Voice of the TribesEdit

In 438 HE^[1] Jon arrives at the Bazhir-tribe of the Bloody Hawk, where he becomes a Man of the Tribe, proving his worth in combat. Ali Mukhtab, who is fatally ill, mentors Jon, teaching to become the new Voice of the Tribes. Mukhtab teaches Jon the history and secrets of the Bazhir. Eventually, in a ceremony, Jon becomes the Voice and receives all the wisdom of the previous Voices. Mukhtab dies in this ceremony, but he lives on in Jonathan. Jon is the first northerner to become the Voice and this step ensures a lasting peace between the Tortallan crown and the Bazhir tribes as Jon continues to perform his duties throughout his reign.

When he stays at the tribe of the Bloody Hawk, Jon proposes marriage to Alanna. She delays giving him an answer, worrying about settling down and becoming queen. She eventually rejects his proposal during an argument, leaving Jon and Alanna to part in anger. During their separation Jonathan carries on a brief courtship with Josiane Rittevon, princess of the Copper Isles. He does this at his mother's behest and to spite Alanna.

KingshipEdit

In Lioness Rampant, readers learn that Queen Lianne of Tortall succumbed to illness and King Roald killed himself soon after, faking a hunting accident. Following the deaths of his parents in 439 HE^[1], Jonathan passes the Ordeal of Kings and ascends to the throne. His coronation is marked by a battle against the resurrected Duke Roger and his attempt to destroy Tortall by tearing it apart with magical earthquakes. Jonathan uses the Dominion Jewel, brought to him by Alanna, to counteract Roger's spells, which results in a famine the following year. He subsequently marries the exiled Saren princess Thayet jian Wilima and they have six children, Roald, Kalasin, Liam, Lianne, Jasson and Vania^[3].

His political advisors included the Council of Lords, the Council of Commons, the Council of Mages and his private council, which was headed by Gary and included Alanna as well as Numair Salmalín.^[4]

In 442 HE^[1] Jonathan and his queen pass a law allowing noble girls to train for knighthood. However Jon talks his eldest daughter, Princess Kalasin, out of pursuing her knighthood when she announces her desire to become a page. Thus the first girl after Alanna to begin page training is Keladry of Mindelan, who is put under a probation, despite the King's earlier law. The King only agreed to give Keladry probationary status when the training master, Wyldon of Cavall, threatened to resign and leave Jonathan without significant support from noble conservatives. When she discovers this, Kel resents King Jonathan over what she perceives as unfair hypocrisy, and her attitude towards him remains negative throughout most of the quartet, despite her sharing his politically progressive ideals.

Jon always had a squire as his personal attendant. In May of 454 HE he took on Zahir ibn Alhaz, a Bazhir, as his squire. His reasons for this were mainly political, considering Jon was the Voice and he still worked hard to integrate the Bazhir into the rest of the kingdom.^[5]

Physical descriptionEdit

Jonathan has short coal black hair and sapphire blue eyes. He had a straight but slightly hooked nose.^[6] He later also grows a beard.^[7] Jon is described by several people, among them Alanna of Pirates' Swoop (or Alanna the Lioness),Keladry of Mindelan and Veralidaine Sarrasri, as very handsome. He is also very tall, as seen by the fact that as a page Jon was around the same height as Ralon of Malven, who was a year older than Jon.^[8]. Jonathan's magical gift shares the same blue color as his eyes.

Personality and traitsEdit

Jon is normally very responsible and takes his duties seriously, caring very much for his people and always trying to do what is right for them. Jonathan also has a very strong will. He goes knowingly into danger when riding into the Black City - to save the Bazhir from further suffering. Jon also keeps a cool head when Duke Gareth is hurt while the Tortallan army assembles to fight Tusaine. He keeps Gary from forgetting his duty over worry for his father. Jon is tutored by Ali Mukhtab and undergoes the ritual of becoming the Voice of the Tribes. He does this to unite Tortall and the Bazhir tribes and reduce conflict. Later, Jonathan endures his grief for his dead parents while assuming the throne amid the conflict of his dead cousin's resurrection and attempt to destroy Tortall.

Despite his qualities, Jon has also less dutiful sides, which were most pronounced in his early knighthood, and when visiting the Bazhir tribe of the Bloody Hawk. Alanna notices his restless and immature behavior. On one occasion he refuses to see Ali Mukhtab for his lessons, because he wants to go riding instead. Alanna accuses him of being spoiled, which leads to their most serious and upsetting argument and the dissolution of their romantic relationship.

RelationshipsEdit

FamilyEdit

  Alysy of Conté † - Roger II of Conté ┬ Jessamine of Conté
                                       │
                                Gareth of Conté
                                       │
                                  ? generations
                                       │
                               Jasson I of Conté ┬ Naxen third cousin
                                                 │
              Naxen           ┌——————————————————┴————————————————┐
               │              │                                   │
     Lianne of Naxen ┬ Roald I of Conté                 unnamed brother ┬ unnamed wife
                     │                                                  │
              Jonathan IV of Conté ┬ Thayet jian Wilima             Roger of Conté
                                   │
               ┌———————————————————┴———┬———————————————————————————————————┬———————————┬———————————————┬——————————————————┐
               │                       │                                   │           │               │                  │
               │                       │             Iliniat               │           │               │                  │
               │                       │                │                  │           │               │                  │
Shinkokami ┬ Roald II of Conté  Kalasin of Conté ┬ Kaddar Iliniat  Liam of Conté  Jasson II of Conté  Lianne of Conté  Vania of Conté
           │                                     │
       Lianokami of Conté                 Binur Iliniat

Roald and Lianne of ContéEdit

Jon has a close relationship to his parents. He is their only heir and thus very precious to his parents and the realm. Their devotion to each other is shown when Jonathan nearly dies from the Sweating Sickness and during Queen Lianne's many illnesses.

Despite his love for his father, Jon doesn't always approve of King Roald's political decisions. His disapproval is most obvious in the Tusaine War, when Roald gives the order not to cross the Drell River. Jon thinks that Roald is too intent on not losing his reputation as "The Peace-Keeper". When Alanna is taken prisoner Jon openly defies his father's order and crosses the river to rescue his friend. Jonathan also criticizes his father's decision to take his life after the death of Queen Lianne. After Jon assumes the throne, he makes it clear that he is not going to follow his father's example of passivity and peace-keeping. He alienates many nobles by reforming the realm's protocols and policies, most notably marrying a foreigner and allowing women to pursue their knighthood.

Roger of ContéEdit

Roger and Jon are cousins and like most people Jon fell for Roger's charm. Early in the series, Jon liked and respected his cousin. He still trusted his older cousin despite Alanna mentioning her suspicions about Roger to him. It was only after Roger makes more attempts on his and his friends' lives that Jon began to mistrust his cousin. When Alanna accuses Roger of attempting to kill the members of the royal family and take the throne for himself, Jonathan believes her.

After Roger came back from his Sorcerer's Sleep Jon never trusts Roger again, having his advisors keep a close watch on him and his supporters.

Thayet of ContéEdit

Thayet accompanies Alanna when she returns from her journey to attain the Dominion Jewel. Jon first meets her in the house of Myles of Olau and is instantly attracted to her. In the days preceding his coronation they often go riding together. They are betrohed some time after Jon is made King of Tortall and eventually have six children. There doesn't seem to be much conflict in their marriage, except when Jon talks their daughter Kalasin out of being a page. Subsequently, Thayet moves to a different wing of the palace for one year, until she forgives him for manipulating their daughter and taking a hypocritical stance of his beliefs regarding women and combat.

Alanna of Pirate's Swoop and OlauEdit

Jon and Alanna meet when she first comes to the Royal Palace to train for her knighthood, disguised as the boy "Alan". They quickly become close friends.

They become lovers the year before Alanna's ordeal for knighthood. Their relationship is passionate, but they eventually realise that marrying would be a mistake. When Jon proposes to Alanna in the desert they argue and part angrily. Both are too stubborn and temperamental and Alanna does not want the duties of a future queen. They remain apart until Alanna returns to Tortall with the Dominion Jewel. Upon her return however, Jon holds true to his word and tells her that his proposal still stands if she wants to accept, even though he is already attracted to Thayet. Alanna tells him that she wouldn't make a good queen, which closes the subject once and for all, relieving them both.

Jon and Alanna remain friends afterwards, with Alanna becoming the King's Champion and a close adviser of the king.

Ralon of MalvenEdit

Ralon went through page years around the same time that Jon did, although Ralon was about a year older than Jon. Jonathan never liked Ralon, despite Ralon's attempt to curry favor. By the time Alanna arrived at the palace Jon had already forbidden Ralon to speak to him again. When he did speak with Ralon it was in a icy manner.^[9]

Roald of ConteEdit

Jonathan has a loving but sometimes tense relationship with his son, Roald. Roald is named after his paternal grandfather and seems to take after him in nature. While King Jonathan is a strong-willed reformer and able mage, Roald is not seen using his gift. The young prince is soft-spoken, kind and careful to slight no one. He spends time with all of his fellow pages and squires, even those he dislikes, such as Joren of Stone Mountain. When Jonathan was a page, he openly showed his derision for Ralon of Malven and clearly favored his friends.

Delia of EldorneEdit

During In the Hand of the Goddess, Jonathan has a sexual relationship with Delia of Eldorne, the court beauty of the time. Delia is manipulative and deceitful and is a secret supporter of Duke Roger and his plans to take the throne of Tortall. Delia causes tension between Alanna and Jonathan. Alanna dislikes Delia on principle and feels she is coming between her and Jon's friendship. When Jon transfers his affections to Alanna, Delia is at once confounded and furious. She reveals in a conversation with Roger that she was using her sexual relationship with Jon as a means of manipulation and is angry when she no longer has an effect on him.

AppearancesEdit

• The Song of the Lioness
  • Alanna: The First Adventure
  • In the Hand of the Goddess
  • The Woman Who Rides Like a Man
  • Lioness Rampant
• The Immortals
  • Wild Magic (minor character)
  • Wolf-Speaker (only mentioned)
  • Emperor Mage (only mentioned)
  • The Realms of the Gods (minor character)
• Protector of the Small
  • First Test (minor character)
  • Page (minor character)
  • Squire (minor character)
  • Lady Knight (only mentioned)
• Daughter of the Lioness
  • Trickster's Choice (seen through a dream or vision)
  • Trickster's Queen (only mentioned)

Notes and referencesEdit

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6} Tortallan timeline
2. ↑ Page, Cp. 6 (p. 101; Random House paperback)
3. ↑ Vania and Jasson are rarely mentioned, because Pierce's publisher "(doesn't) like me to bring them in". SheroesCentral, "The Royal Family."
4. ↑ Emperor Mage, Cp. 2 (p. 54; Simon Pulse paperback)
5. ↑ Randombuzzers: Chat with Tamora Pierce - Tortall - retrieved on March 11, 2011
6. ↑ Alanna: The First Adventure, Cp. 2 (p. 29; Random House paperback)
7. ↑ Wild Magic, Cp. 5 (p. 132)
8. ↑ Alanna: The First Adventure, Cp. 2 (p. 28; Random House paperback)
9. ↑ Alanna: The First Adventure, Cp. 2 (p. 28/29; Random House paperback)

See alsoEdit