History[]
The Habits Noirs (The Blackcoats) are a powerful international crime syndicate. They began as the Camorra in southern Italy and the Veste Nere in Corsica, the Brothers of Mercy, The Companions of Silence, and in England, The Gentlemen of The Night.
Notorious members include (In the actual Habits Noirs series):
Colonel Bozzo-Corona, The Il Padre Diogni/Pere-A-Tous (The Allfather): The seemingly immortal ruler.
Lecos de la Periera (aka Toulonnias L'Amitie): The Colonel's right hand man, who also runs a corrupt detective agency.
Margurite Sadalous la Comtesse DeClare: A notorious Femme Fatale.
Coyatier, The Marchef: The order's top Assassin, whose hand even other criminals are afraid to shake.
Saladin, The Sword Swallower: Son of Simolor (and also raised by Echolat) who took over the order in 1866.
From other earlier Paul Feval Novels retroactively made in the same continuity:
Tom Brown, alias John Devil The Quaker (in German, Hans Teufel): He may or may not be the same person as Henri de Belcamp, or just his half brother.
Thomas Paddock: The original John Devil.
Helen Brown: A jewel thief and the mother of Tom Brown/Henri Belcamp.
Sarah O'Neil (born Sarah O'Brien): A femme fatale who is Tom Brown's most trusted ally, and a patriotic Irish national.
Ned Knob: A short, artful Dodger.
Mr. Wood: An elderly man who first lead Helen into a life of crime.
Fergus O'Breanne (alias The Marquis de Rio-Santo): The Lord of The Night who ruled the Gentlemen of the Night. Crime was just a means to an end for him however, as his goal was to destroy the British Empire and liberate Ireland.
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
Novels by Paul Feval:
Les Mysteries de Londres 1843-1844
Bel Demonio 1850
Les Compagnons du Silence 1857
Jean Diable 1862
Les Habits Noirs 1863
Coeur d'Acier 1865
L'Avaleur de Sabres 1867
La Rue de Jerusalem 1867-1868
L'Arme de Invisible 1869
Les Compagnons du Tresor 1870, 1871-1872
La Bande Cadet 1874-1875
- Stage plays by Paul Feval:
Les Mysteries de Lodnres 184?
Novels by Jules Cardoze:
Les Batards de Rocomboles 1886
English Translations:
The Mysteries of London, or Revelations of the British Metropolis 1847
The Woman of Mystery (A very Abridged Translation of Bel Demonio)
See Also[]
CoolFrenchComics/LesHabitsNoirs