Trope Workshop:Duke of the North

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The peerless duke of the north is a common character archetype found in romance novels, particularly fantasy or historical romance. This duke is typically the love interest, though they can also play the role of the dad or a side character. The duke is often depicted with either a dark obsidian or a pure silver aesthetic.

When the duke is the love interest, the plot usually revolves around the female lead working to warm his tsundere heart or to prove to them that they can still thrive in the desolate northern lands. The duke often starts out their relationship with the heroine through a contract marriage meant to be temporary.

He is associated with several key traits:

• Blue Blood: As a duke, the character belongs to the high nobility and holds significant authority within the realm.
• Powerful and Stoic: The Duke is a formidable figure, often a military leader who has secured countless victories for the kingdom. He has a reputation for being stoic, aloof, and even cold. Sometimes, the duke's power is comparable to the king's who may grow scared that the duke will snatch away the throne, and thus exiles the duke to the north.
• Grim Up North: The Duke resides in a faraway northern territory, often depicted as a harsh and unforgiving land. Oftentimes, this land is ravaged by malicious beasts or invading barbarians, whom the duke regularly has to cull. This monster hunting may brand him with a barbaric and fearsome image.
• The Fettered: The Duke prioritizes his duty to his territory and the crown above all else. This can create conflict with his personal feelings.
• Tsundere: Despite his cold exterior, the Duke possesses a hidden vulnerability. He may have a tragic past or a deep sense of loyalty that endears him to the protagonist.

The trope may have been inspired by Chinese history. In Imperial China, the realm was under constant threat by nomadic peoples who lived north and northwest of the empire. The armies that defended these borderlands were led by generals who tended to have a lot of independence from the imperial court. A striking example and perhaps model of this archetype is Gao Changgong and Huo Qubing.

Examples of Duke of the North include:

Anime and Manga

• A Villainess No More: The Archduke of Winternight, the "monster of the North." He is a misunderstood soul himself, so he is one of the few people willing to give the main character, who has a poor reputation for being a "villainess," a chance.
• Adeline's Darkest Night: The male lead, Hirayth Venzak, is described as a brutal duke who rules over the Land of Darkness, who is so powerful that even the emperor could not bother him.[1]
• Another Typical Fantasy Romance: Pellus Termaine is a subversion of this trope. Instead of merely being a Raven Hair, Ivory Skin, Red eyed pretty boy, he is a grown man with a bushy beard and a face covered in scars.[1] The rumors calls him a wild beast, though of the imperial bloodline, he is without a shred of dignity and class. A madman only good for slaughtering monsters.[2] The heroine notes that he's more socially awkward, than the fearsome image he exudes.[4] Learning that she's regressed thrice, he offers to call her with more respect, but she insists that he should call her Lithera.[3] The reason given for his reputation is that since he descends from a collateral line of the imperial family, so they were sent far north to occupy them with monster hunting, to stop them from posing a threat to the royal family. In the end, it was decided to slaughter them all. The duke, being the youngest son, was the only one who survived and was able to reclaim his title. But in the process, he became isolated and increasingly ill-tempered. He despises other nobles so much, that they would faint under his pressure whenever they visit.[8]
• Author of my Own Destiny: The female lead's adoptive father is a hot duke.
• Baroness Goes on Strike: The male lead, Zester Greze, somewhat fits this trope. He was originally a common mercenary who distinguished himself in battle. The emperor wished to reward him with an honorable title, but was met with opposition, and thus ended up as a baron with a matching plot of land and an arranged marriage to the most eligible bachelorette in the realm. The other nobles look down on him and derisively nicknamed him the "emperor's dog," and he dutifully participated in large and small conflicts all across the land, so much so that he almost never spent time in the castle, leaving his wife to deal with all domestic affairs alone. Cassia describes him as an unloving husband, though he is very devoted to her but hindered by how much he lets himself be ordered around by others. At her death bed, he agrees to all her wishes, saying it's the reason he works himself to the bone, but refuses her last wish for him to sign their divorce papers. He sports deep cherry red hair and matching eyes.[1]
• Charming the Duke of the North: The male lead, Calcion Lanbird, is the titular duke of the north in the Kingdom of Iklein. After saving the main character, Rinha who goes by the stage name Selina, from a demonic beast in the snowy woods, he asks her to act as his fake lover. He sports silver snowy white hair and icy blue eyes. He is described as a cold-hearted and composed man with looks that could kill, cynical to everyone regardless of age, gender and race.[1]
• Daughter of the Emperor
• Father, I Don't Want to Get Married! Here we've got two instances, as both the male lead and the father fits the archetype.
  • The main character's father, Regis Adri Floyen, is a duke and the strongest knight in the Ashet Empire. He is misunderstood as cold and uncaring even by his own daughter, but he actually cares deeply for his family and works hard for her safety. He sports silver hair and icy blue eyes.
  • The male lead, Maximilian Kasin Ashet, is the crown prince of the empire with a terrible reputation of being tyrannical for his brutal exploits on the battle field, but acts cute around the girl he likes. He hides his face with either a helmet or a mask depending on the occassion, so no one actually knows what his face looks like. He sports raven black hair and crimson red eyes, and was personally mentored by Regis.
• How to Win my Husband Over: The male lead, Iske van Omerta of the Britanya Kingdom,[2] is known as the mightiest knight of the north, though he has a terrible reputation. He is quite handsome and is the king's nephew.[1] When he was 15, he was conferred as a holy knight. At 17, he entered the gladiatorial tournament against demonic monsters, where he prevailed as the event's youngest champion ever. Afterward, he rose to prominence as a paladin and stole the hearts of many young women. However, he coldly declined all marriage offers and pledged abstinence, which troubled his father. Probably due to his mother's suicide, he only keeps two women in his life: his younger sister and their childhood friend, Freya. He agrees to an arranged marriage with the main character, Rudbeckia de Borgia, to spare his sister from being forced to marry the main character's brother, Enzo. He sports pure white hair and red eyes.[2]
• I Became the Wife of the Male Lead: Duke Abel is a typical example and serves as the main character's adoptive father.
• I Married the Male Lead's Dad: The male lead, Hades Louvremont, is known as a tyrannical duke of the empire's leading house. He is handsome, wealthy and powerful. After witnessing the rare abilities exhibited by the novel's original hero, Abel, he adopts the boy and promptly instates him as his successor. Abel was an orphan of indistinguishable origins, but the duke quell oppositions so thoroughly that rumors began spreading that Abel was in fact his love child. According to the original novel, Hades was fated to die on Abel's 11th birthday, after heroically sacrificing himself for Abel. He sports black hair and crimson red eyes.[2]
• I Thought My Time Was Up! The male lead, Asrahan Kandel, is a duke of the highest status in the Harushan Empire. He served the realm as a general, and earned the moniker of the empire's sharpest blade, when he came back victorious from a war they were bound to lose.[3] He is often referred to as a monster with incredible strength, and people avoid him because of his terrifying visage on the battlefield. He is cursed to reek of decaying flesh, which further frightens people into staying away from him.[1] When he doesn't cover up his rotten skin, he is described as a piece of art made by god. He sports black hair and blue eyes.[3]
• I Will Seduce the Northern Duke: A supposedly tasteful example of the archetype.
• Lucia: The male lead, Duke Hugo Taran, is a quintessential example. He is emotionally constipated, a buff as heck god of war, and lives in an isolated castle in the cold north. He sports raven black hair and crimson red eyes. Before marrying the female lead, Princess Lucia, he was a well-known womanizer.
• One Husband is Enough: One of the male leads in the dating simulator, Arnold Basenberk, is a misanthrope who values money above all else, and is one of the wealthiest men in the kingdom.[3]

He sports black hair and red eyes.

• Shall We Bathe, Your Grace?: The male lead, Claude Cartane, is the duke of the north. For saving the north from a monster invasion, he is known as a great war hero. He treats everybody including the female lead coldly, because he is sensitive to foul smells and even dusts his hands off after having touched her. Once he learns that their interests aligns, he warms up to her and they eventually fall in love. He sports raven black hair and golden eyes.
• The Duchess' 50 Tea Recipes: Alphonso, the male lead, is a rare blonde example who still fits the criteria.
• The Duke's Cursed Charm: The male lead, Carhel Luave, "is known as the devilish duke due to his uncontrollable magical ability to charm every single person who lays their eyes on him. But this is more of a curse than a blessing with several noble houses plotting to drive him out of power. Having no one he can genuinely like or trust, Carhel wonders if he will ever be able to feel the warmth of another human being. One day, after raiding the estate of one of his enemies, Carhel mistakenly has Lena, the house’s maid, captured in the aftermath. But when he tries to use his charming powers to give her a painless death, something unexpected happens. For some reason, Carhel’s powers have no effect on Lena!"
• The Male Lead's Little Lion Daughter: Pelliot Vereoti rules the bleak and dangerous lands in the snowy north. He is famed for his ferocious beauty which demands an extraordinary presence, and inherited the moniker "Black Beast." As one of the only two dukes in the empire, he is considered its #1 most eligible bachelor. He sports raven black hair and matching black eyes, with an infernal gaze that may gleam crimson.[1]
• The One Within the Villainess: The Demon King arguably fits this archetype. He is a powerful king who rules a desolate land plagued by misfortune, lying on the edge of human civilization. Although demonkind are discriminated against, they are practically humankind's allies at the frontiers. He has black hair and a piercing gaze that instills fear in those subjected to it, yet an unexpectedly soft side that his closest is privy to. The female lead helps him resolve the struggles of the demon realm, through both purification and entrepreneurial support.

Folklore

• Imperial China: We've got two striking examples from Chinese history. Both may have been the model that inspired the Duke of the North archetype.
  • Gao Changong was a powerful general who was undefeated in battle. Despite being incredibly handsome, he wore a mask. He was a close relation to the emperor, and many the court's nobles envied his accomplishments. He was popular enough that songs and dances were created to honor him.
  • Huo Qubing was one of the most successful generals in Chinese history. He grew up as a commoner, since his mother was unmarried and his father effectively disowned him. His mother's brother was a stableboy and his mother's sister was a dancing girl, until she caught the eye of the emperor and they were whisked off to the imperial court. His aunt rose through the ranks of the imperial concubines and eventually became the empress, while the uncle rose through the ranks of the imperial army and eventually became its top general. Huo Qubing first joined the army when he was 18, and just kept on winning crazy battles everywhere he went. His uncle was already the one of the top generals of Chinese history, but Huo Qubing became even more famous and victorious. On top of this, he very famously never married; claiming that his duty to the empire was more important than raising a family. Even better for storytelling purposes, like Gao Changgong, he died young so nobody ever has to think of him as an old man.

Literature

• A Promise of Fire by Amanda Hocking
• A Song of Ice and Fire: In Westeros, Eddard Stark, better known as Ned, is the Warden of the North. His stern but fair leadership, loyalty to his people, and adherence to a strict code of honor are all key elements of this archetype.

Live-Action TV

• Game of Thrones: In the TV adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire, Ned continues be depicted as the quintessential "Duke of the North", maintaining the same characteristics as in the books.

Video Games

• Diablo III: Tyrael, as the commander of the Heavens' northern bastion, embodies the role of the "Duke of the North" within the context of the game's celestial conflict.

Web Comics

• Lore Olympus: Hades