Character from Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
Jorg's father — the king who chose politics over avenging his murdered wife and baby, and created a monster by teaching his surviving son that love means nothing next to power.
King Olidan of Ancrath is the reason Jorg is what he is. When Count Renar's men killed Jorg's mother and baby brother William, Olidan chose not to retaliate — the political calculus didn't support it. He married Katherine instead. He sent Jorg away. He demonstrated, through inaction, that love is a liability and power is the only thing that protects. Jorg internalized this lesson so completely that he surpassed his teacher. Olidan was pragmatic. Jorg became absolute. The father who taught his son that nothing matters more than power raised a son who took that lesson to its logical conclusion and burned down everything in his path. Olidan is not evil — he's political. In the Hundred Kingdoms, the distinction barely matters.
A middle-aged king with the bearing of pragmatic authority. He looks like what Jorg might become if Jorg ever learned to sit still — the same sharp features, aged into something calculating rather than explosive. He dresses and carries himself as a king of the Hundred Kingdoms should: with the awareness that everyone wants what he has.
Also known as: The King of Ancrath