Senior Magicians
The unseen rulers who bind spirits to serve the state.
The Senior Magicians are the ruling elite of the magical oligarchy that dominates London in the Bartimaeus Sequence. They hold almost all political, economic, and cultural power in the United Kingdom, which has dominated Europe since the mid-19th century. These magicians are the ones who summon and control demons like Bartimaeus to enforce their rule. Nathaniel, the teenage protagonist, becomes a senior magician and a member of the ruling council by the final book of the trilogy, Ptolemy's Gate, published in 2005. The series, written by British author Jonathan Stroud, follows the career of Nathaniel (aka John Mandrake) and the five-thousand-year-old djinni Bartimaeus through this alternate history where trained people summon demons to do their bidding.
Lore & Background
In the Bartimaeus Sequence, the Senior Magicians are the apex of a magical oligarchy that has controlled the British Empire since the mid-19th century. They operate from London, the capital of an empire that dominates Europe at the time of the story. These magicians hold almost all political, economic, and cultural power, ruling over commoners who have no access to magic. The series is set in a parallel universe during the late 1900s or possibly the early 2000s, where trained individuals can summon demons to do their bidding. The magicians' power is maintained through a cycle described by Bartimaeus: magicians summon spirits, magicians rule over commoners, spirits spread magic throughout a city, some commoners gain resistance to magic, the commoners rebel, the magicians are overthrown, and the spirits return to the Other Place until another magical empire rises. Bartimaeus references other fallen magical empires such as Baghdad, Rome, and Egypt. By the final book, Ptolemy's Gate (2005), Nathaniel is a senior magician and a member of the ruling council, an elite class of magicians in the government. The main plot of that book involves a conspiracy to overthrow the government, which causes the most dangerous threat in the history of magic.
Reader's Guide
The Senior Magicians are the ruling elite of the magical oligarchy in London, holding almost all political, economic, and cultural power. They are trained people who can summon demons to do their bidding, and they maintain their dominance through a cycle of summoning spirits, ruling over commoners, and suppressing rebellions. The series follows Nathaniel, who becomes a senior magician and a member of the ruling council by Ptolemy's Gate. His journey begins as a 12-year-old apprentice in The Amulet of Samarkand (2003), where he summons the djinni Bartimaeus to steal the Amulet of Samarkand from the magician Simon Lovelace. In The Golem's Eye (2004), Nathaniel is a junior magician tasked with crushing the Resistance and capturing its members, while also dealing with a clay golem that attacks London. By Ptolemy's Gate (2005), Nathaniel is a senior magician on the ruling council, facing a conspiracy to overthrow the government. The series also includes a prequel, The Ring of Solomon (2010), set in Jerusalem in 950 BC, following Bartimaeus's adventures during the reign of King Solomon. Over six million copies of the novels have been sold in 36 languages worldwide, according to the series' website.
More in Factions & Groups
Elsewhere in Bartimaeus
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