Fernand Mondego (later Count de Morcerf; pronounced [fɛʁ.nɑ̃ mɔ̃.de.ɡo, kɔ̃t də mɔʁ.sɛʁf]) is a fictional character in the 1844 adventure novel The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, and one of the three main antagonists alongside Baron Danglars and Gérard de Villefort. He is, at the beginning of the novel, a Catalan fisherman in Marseilles who is in love with his cousin, Mercédès Herrera. Due to his jealousy over her engagement to the protagonist Edmond Dantès, Fernand mails the accusation letter that leads to his imprisonment in the Château d'If.
After Dantès is incarcerated in the Château d'If, Fernand marries Mercédès and embarks on a military career, serving as a military officer under the Albanian ruler Ali Pasha among other things. He moves to Paris, where he acquires a fortune, the rank of general, and the title of Count de Morcerf, largely through his betrayal and murder of his former employer Ali Pasha. The Count of Monte Cristo causes the unmasking of Fernand's war crimes and treason through the testimony of Ali Pasha's daughter, Haydée, which results in his social ruin, the desertion of his family, and his ultimate suicide.
Contents
Character
Appearance
In 1815, Dumas describes Mondego as a young man of twenty to twenty-two years of age who generally wears traditional Catalan clothing. He is described as having an "athletic" build; Danglars notes that Fernand has "fists that would crush the skull of an ox."
Upon his elevation to the peerage as the Count of Morcerf, Fernand Mondego is described as being between forty and forty-five years of age, but bearing the physical characteristics of a man of at least fifty. His black moustache and eyebrows stand in contrast to his greying hair, cut in a military manner. His complexion is pale, with a strained expression. He typically wears the formal uniform of a lieutenant-general adorned with the grand cross of the Legion of Honour along with the ribbons of various other orders he is part of.
Personality
Mondego is characterised by an intense jealousy. His unrequited love for his cousin, Mercédès Herrera, motivates his participation in the conspiracy against Edmond Dantès. His career is built upon further acts of treachery, most notably his betrayal of Ali Pasha in Yanina, prioritising wealth and status over loyalty. Despite his illustrious career and rise to French nobility, he remains haunted by the possibility of his past being revealed, along with a general dissatisfaction with his life. These facts gets exploited by the Count of Monte Cristo to motivate him to take his own life.
History
Early life
At the beginning of the book, Fernand Mondego is introduced as a Catalan fisherman living in the outskirts of Marseille. He is in love with his cousin, Mercédès Herrera, who rejects his advances due to her engagement to the sailor Edmond Dantès. Driven by jealousy over their relationship, Fernand meets with the supercargo of Dantès' ship, Danglars, and the tailor Gaspard Caderousse at a local tavern, La Réserve. At the tavern, Danglars drafts an anonymous letter to the authorities accusing Dantès of being a Bonapartist agent. Fernand takes the letter and delivers it to the deputy crown prosecutor, Gérard de Villefort. This accusation directly leads to Dantès's arrest and imprisonment in the Château d'If.
Military service
After Dantès is arrested, Fernand is conscripted into the French military. While he is away, Mercédès mourns the loss of Dantès, but after eighteen months, she yields to Fernand's persistence and marries him. Fernand participates in multiple military campaigns and is promoted through the officer ranks. During the Greek War of Independence, he is stationed in Yanina as an attaché and defending officer to the local ruler, Ali Pasha. Rather than defending the city of Yanina, Fernand accepts a large bribe from the Ottoman Empire, surrendering the fortress and betraying Ali Pasha, who is subsequently killed. Fernand then sells Ali Pasha's wife, Vasiliki, and his young daughter, Haydée, into slavery. Using the wealth obtained from this betrayal, Fernand moves to Paris, purchases the title Count de Morcerf, and secures a position in the Chamber of Peers. He and Mercédès have a son together, Albert de Morcerf.
Public scandal
Decades after escaping from the Château d'If, Edmond Dantès, operating under the alias of the Count of Monte Cristo, is introduced into Parisian high society after saving the life of Fernand's son, Albert de Morcerf, after he was kidnapped by bandits in Italy. As part of his revenge plot, the Count encourages Baron Danglars into telling the press that betrayal of Ali Pasha was caused by a French officer named Fernand.
Albert de Morcerf attempts to defend his father's reputation by challenging the editor Beauchamp to a duel, but Fernand is called into a hearing in the Chamber of Peers. During the inquiry, Haydée, the daughter of Ali Pasha enters as a witness. She provides official documentation and personal testimony proving that the Count de Morcerf is the officer who betrayed her father and sold her into slavery. The revelation results in Morcerf being found guilty of treason and dishonorably dismissed from the Chamber of Peers.
Confrontation and suicide
Following the scandal, Albert finds out about the Count of Monte Cristo's role in it and challenges him to a duel. Mercédès, having recognised the Count as Edmond Dantès, begs him to spare her son. She informs Albert of his father's role in Dantès's imprisonment, leading Albert to apologise to the Count, cancelling the duel. Disgraced by his son's refusal to fight, Fernand confronts the Count. During this encounter, he reveals his identity as Edmond Dantès, and when Fernand flees home, he arrives just in time to witness Mercédès and Albert leaving the estate to abandon his name and start a new life. Left alone and facing total social ruin, Fernand commits suicide by shooting himself in his study.