vander poele, nicholas (fictitious character)

In this historical novel, Nicholas vander Poele of Bruges, a merchant in the fifteenth century, sails from the Black Sea to Trebizond to retrieve a jewel that belongs to the Ottoman Empire, but trouble ensues when his stepdaughter elopes with his rival, who sabotages every port before Nicholas arives.

The third book of "The House of Niccolo" finds Nicholas, already a widower at the age of twenty-one, walking a fine line of intrigue between Queen Carlotta and her charismatic brother James, both of whom are seeking Nicholas's support in their quests for the throne of Cyprus.