British Government

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The British Government in the series is a magical oligarchy where magicians hold almost all political, economic, and cultural power. The UK has dominated Europe since the mid-19th century and continues to do so at the time of the story. The government includes a ruling council, an elite class of magicians, of which Nathaniel becomes a senior member by the final book of the trilogy, published 2005. The government's power is maintained through the summoning and control of spirits like the five-thousand-year-old djinni Bartimaeus. The series reveals an endless cycle: magicians summon spirits, magicians rule over commoners, spirits spread magic throughout a city, some commoners gain a resistance to magic, the commoners rebel against the magicians, the magicians are overthrown, and the spirits return to the Other Place until another magical empire rises to dominance. This cycle is referenced with other magical empires such as Baghdad, Rome, and Egypt, all of which have fallen from dominance.

In Their Own Story

In the second book, The Golem's Eye, published 2004, Nathaniel is a junior magician working his way up the government ranks. He is tasked by his superiors with crushing the Resistance movement and capturing its members. His task is complicated by the unexpected appearance of a seemingly invulnerable clay golem that attacks London. In the end, the golem is revealed to have been created by Kavka, a Czech magician, and animated by Henry Duvall, the London Chief of Police. In the final book, Ptolemy's Gate, published 2005, Nathaniel is a senior magician and a member of the ruling council. The main plot is a conspiracy to overthrow the government which causes the most dangerous threat in the history of magic. Together, Nathaniel, Bartimaeus and Kitty try to save the city of London from this dangerous threat.

Reader's Guide

The British Government in the Bartimaeus Sequence is a magical oligarchy where a ruling elite of magicians hold almost all political, economic and cultural power. The government's senior magicians, like Nathaniel (aka John Mandrake), serve on the ruling council, an elite class of magicians in the government. The government operates through a hierarchy of magicians, from apprentices like the 12-year-old Nathaniel in The Amulet of Samarkand (published 2003) to senior magicians like Arthur Underwood, a middle-aged mid-level magician. The government faces threats from within, such as the magician Simon Lovelace who humiliates Nathaniel and plots with powerful demons, and from without, such as the Resistance movement seeking to end the oppressive rule of the magicians. The government also deals with rogue magical creations like the clay golem that attacks London, animated by the London Chief of Police Henry Duvall.

Did You Know?

• The British Government in the series is a magical oligarchy where magicians hold almost all political, economic and cultural power.
• By the final book, published 2005, Nathaniel becomes a senior magician and a member of the ruling council, an elite class of magicians in the government.
• The London Chief of Police, Henry Duvall, animated a clay golem that attacked London in the second book, The Golem's Eye.
• The series reveals an endless cycle of magical empires rising and falling, including Baghdad, Rome, and Egypt.
• Over six million copies of the novels were sold in 36 languages worldwide, according to the series' website.