A list of characters that appear in The Black Coats.
The council proper fluctuates so at no points where all these people on it at once. Some are killed off and replaced (Like the False Princes), and some where really in charge of other regions outside Paris so don't directly effect the main narrative much at all. And in the chronologically latter stories we see people who rose to prominence after the Glory Days of the Black Coats where over.
Colonel Bozzo-Corona
The Machiavellian Master of The Black Coats.
- Big Bad: Main villain of the series
- The Chessmaster: A truly Machiavellian criminal master mind
- The Don: perhaps the Ur-Example
- The Heavy: He is only really The Heavy for The Invisible Weapon or perhaps the early part of The Companions of The Treasure
- Manipulative Bastard: He can play you like a fiddle
Lecoq de La Perroere a.k.a Toulonnias-l'Amite
The Colonel's right hand man
- Corrupt Cop
- The Dragon
- The Heavy: For the original Novel, subtitled in the English Translation as Parisian Jungle.
- Manipulative Bastard: not as great as the Colonel but pretty good
- Master of Disguise: He dons a few
Marguerite Sadoulas The Comtesse De Clair
An ambitious Seductive con woman
- The Heavy: for Heart of Steel
- Manipulative Bitch: Might have been easier to list the ones who aren't Manipulative, but she The Colonel and Lecoq most embody this archetype in this series.
- The Smurfette Principle: The only woman on The High Council
- The Vamp
Compt Corona
Married to The Colonel's Granddaughter
Doctor Samuel
A corrupt Doctor
Abbe Franceschi
A Corrupt Preist
Jouan
A Pawn Broker
Portal-Girard
A Doctor of Law
Prince Nicolas
The most prominent of the False princes
- The Heavy: For Salem Street
Monsieur de Saint-Louis
Another False Prince, appears in The Invisible Weapon
Coriolani Bozzo-Corona
A Grandson of The Colonel who lead a failed rebellion against his Grandfather in Corsica with 3 other High Council members.
Nicholas Smith
- Bat Family Crossover: Might be the same as the Nick Smith on the Council of The Gentlemen of The Night in The Mysteries of London
An Unamed Preist
Gian-Paolo
Julian Bozzo-Corona
The Colonel's Grandson who killed and replaced him in 1841
- Doppelgänger: Becomes one of his Grandfather
- Gender Bender: Also disguises himself as his Sister who was a Nun
- Master of Disguise: Is able to make himself a Doppelgänger of both her Grandfather and Sister.
Cadet L'Amour
- The Heavy: For The Cadet Gang.
- Sociopath: Probably all the High Council members qualify, but only Cadet is specifically defined as one by Brian Stableford in his exposition material that accompanies his Translations.
Comayrol
Jaffret
Annibal Gioja
Saladin, The Sword Swallower
Becomes the leader for a time during the latter years, well after the deaths of The Colonel and Lecoq.
- The Heavy: for The Sword Swallower
Coyatier The Marchef
The top Assassin of The Black Coats.
- Alas, Poor Villain: The most sympathetic villain in the saga, he has a pretty tragic back story he shares.
- The Brute
Similor
A Circus performer and a grunt for The Black Coats
- Ambiguously Gay: With Echalot
Piquepuce
Cocotte
Giovan-Battista
Monsieur Vidoc
A Historical figure, founder of the Surette. Implied to possibly be a Habit Noir or perhaps even an alias of Lecoq in Salem Street.
Francesca Comtesse Corona a.k.a. Fanchette
The Colonel's Granddaughter
- Mad Scientist's Beautiful Daughter: May well be The Trope Codifier.
- Mafia Princess: perhaps the Ur-Example
Andrea Mayonette
The protagonist of the original Novel
Julie Mayonette
Andrea's Wife
Michel
Andrea and Julie's son
J.-B. Schwartz
A Banker
- Ambiguously Jewish: Has a Yiddish Name, and is a Banker. Lecoq once says his family are "Like the Jews" which would imply he's not Jewish, but knowing Paul Féval he was probably just messing with his readers.
Pistolet
Protagonist of Salem Street
Maman Leo
An Animal Tamer, who married Echolat and becomes foster mother to Saladin.
Echolat
A Circus Strong-Man
- Ambiguously Gay: With Similor.
