Fernand Mondego, Comte de Morcerf (died 1831) was a French aristocrat of the Bourbon Restoration era. In 1815, while working in the shipping industry, he betrayed his longtime friend Edmond Dantès due to his jealousy over the commoner Dantès' meteoric rise in the business, Dantès' secrecy about smuggling a letter from Elba to Marseille for Napoleon, and Dantès' relationship with the beautiful Mercédès Herrera. After Dantès was sent to the Chateau d'If on charges of high treason, Mondego married Herrera and came to inherit his father's title of count on his death at the Battle of Waterloo, but Dantès escaped from prison in 1828, discovered the vast treasure of Count Enrique Spada, and reinvented himself as the "Count of Monte Cristo". Using this disguise, Dantès had his revenge against Mondego and the other men who had conspired against him, destroying their businesses and landing Mondego's co-conspirators Philippe Danglars and Gérard de Villefort in prison. Mondego, wanted on charges of piracy, corruption, and murder, attempted to flee the country, only to be confronted and slain by Dantès at his ruined family estate of Bouchon.
Biography[]
Mondego as a sailor
Fernand Mondego was born in Marseille, Provence, France, the second son of a French count. As a second son, Mondego expected for his older brother to inherit his father's title and lands, and Fernand went to work in the shipping industry as the representative of Patrice Morell aboard his merchant vessels. Mondego befriended his fellow sailor Edmond Dantès, an illiterate commoner, and, in 1815, the two of them decided to come ashore at Elba to seek aid for their captain Reynaud Leclère, who was suffering from brain fever. They braved gunshots and sword slashes from the British dragoons guarding the exiled Napoleon on the island before Napoleon assured the guards that neither Dantès nor Mondego were his agents, and Napoleon had his physician attend to Leclère's wounds until the captain finally succumbed. That night, Napoleon persuaded Dantès to smuggle a private letter back to Marseille, though he told him not to let anyone - even Mondego - know. Mondego observed the hand-off from a window, and, while Dantès slept, Mondego read the letter and discovered its treasonous contents.
Mondego getting drunk
Mondego grew resentful towards Dantès not only because Dantès kept the letter from him, but also because - on Dantès' return to Marseille with the rest of the crew - Dantès was promoted to captain of their ship, the Pharaon, enabling him to propose to his girlfriend Mercédès Herrera. Mondego coveted Mercédès for himself, and a jealous Mondego drunkenly told the jealous first mate Philippe Danglars about Dantès' secret. Mondego and Danglars conspired to inform on Dantès regarding Bonaparte's letter, and they told the chief magistrate Gérard de Villefort of Dantès' "treason". Dantès escaped from his captors after learning that he was to be sent to the Chateau d'If, and he came to Mondego's mansion in search of help. However, Mondego revealed his treachery before defeating him in a duel and handing him over to the gendarmerie. Mondego proceeded to visit Villefort and persuade him to inform Mercédès that Dantès had been executed for treason and that she should take comfort in Mondego, in exchange for which Mondego assassinated Villefort's Bonapartist father Monsieur Clarion to cover up Villefort's ties to the deposed emperor and enable his career advancement. Mondego married Mercédès a month after Dantès was arrested, and, after his father and brother's deaths at the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815, Mondego inherited the title of Count and his family's estate in Paris. Later that year, Mercédès gave birth to a son, Albert.
Mondego spent the next several years gambling away his money and philandering, resulting in his slaying of the Viscount Tourville in a duel over the honor of his wife, Mondego's fourth mistress Madame Tourville, in 1821. In 1831, he made the acquaintance of the nouveau-riche Count of Monte Cristo (who, unbeknownst to him, was an escaped, disguised, and wealthy Dantès) after the count rescued Mondego's son Albert from a kidnapping attempt in Rome, and Monte Cristo had his valet Jacopo Guzman spy on Mondego and learn his affairs. Monte Cristo covertly pressured Mondego's banks to stop loaning him money, forcing him to go back into business with his former ally Danglars. After learning from his son Albert that Monte Cristo may have discovered the treasure of Count Enrique Spada, Mondego plotted with Danglars and Villefort to steal the treasure as it was shipped to Marseille; Villefort would impound the shipment and Danglars would steal it. However, Monte Cristo paid Villefort more, and Danglars was arrested by Villefort's gendarmes while attempting to steal the treasure. Shortly after, Monte Cristo tricked Villefort into confessing his solicitation of his father's murder by Mondego, leading to Villefort's arrest as well.
Mondego was soon wanted on charges of piracy, corruption, and murder, and he made preparations to flee the country as his banks called in all of his loans. Mercédès, who had discovered Monte Cristo's identity, told her husband that she did not intend to travel with him, and revealed that Albert was Dantès' son. Mondego decided to ride alone to his family's ruined estate at Bouchon to recover any remaining treasure, but he found all the chests full of rubble rather than gold. He was then confronted by a shaved Monte Cristo, who revealed himself to be Dantès. Dantès disarmed Mondego after the latter drew his sword, but, as Dantès hesitated to kill his old friend, Albert - who had discovered from Villefort's wife Valentina that Monte Cristo had used him as a dupe to infiltrate his family - intervened and fought Dantès. Mercédès arrived shortly after and revealed her son's true parentage to both Dantès and Albert, who turned to his father and disappointedly asked how his father could let him fight Dantès despite knowing the truth. Mondego insulted Mercédès as a "whore" and attempted to shoot Dantès as part of his escape, but Jacopo, who had arrived shortly after, threw a knife at Mondego's hand, causing him to shoot Mercédès in the shoulder instead. Mondego then attempted to flee, but, feeling that he could not live while Dantès had everything and he nothing, Mondego challenged Dantès to a fight to the death.
Mondego's death
In the ensuing fight, Mondego was able to wrest Dantès' sword from him and attack Dantès with both swords. However, Mondego seized his sword back and stabbed Mondego through the abdomen, impaling him. A dying Mondego chastised Dantès for offering him mercy earlier, but Dantès said that he was a count, not a saint. With Mondego dead, Dantès was able to marry Mercédès and adopt Albert as his own son.