Allan Christie

Allan Christie
Biographical information
Full name	Allan Christie
Born	ca. 1751
Died	November 1776 (age 24)
Physical information
Gender	Male
Hair color	Black
Skin color	Fair
Affiliations
Clan/Family	Christie
Nationality	Scottish
Religion	Presbyterian
Family members
Parents and Siblings	Thomas Christie (father) Mona Christie (Mother) † Malva Christie (sister/cousin) † Unnamed Stepmother †
Children	Unnamed Son †
Extended Family	Edgar Christie (uncle) † Darla Christie (aunt)
Book appearances
The Fiery Cross
The Fiery Cross
A Breath of Snow and Ashes
A Breath of Snow and Ashes

Allan Christie was the only son of Thomas Christie and half-brother of Malva Christie.

Personal History

While Allan's father, Tom Christie, was in prison, Allan and his mother Mona Christie lived with his Uncle Edgar Christie and his wife. While his father was still in prison, his mother gave birth to a daughter, Malva Christie, who was actually Edgar's child. After his mother murdered Edgar, she was sentenced to hang, leaving Allan and Malva in the care of their aunt. After Ardsmuir ceased its function as a prison, his father was transported to America as an indentured servant. Once there, Tom's indenture was bought by a wealthy plantation owner in South Carolina named Mr. Everett, who recognized Tom as a man of learning, and had Tom act as schoolmaster to his children. Mr. Everett also arranged for Allan and Malva to be sent from Edinburgh to the colonies to join him. His father married again, but she as well as Mr. Everett died during a yellow fever epidemic, and so they moved to North Carolina to find Jamie Fraser, whose standing offer to help former Ardsmuir men settle in the backcountry was well-known.

Events of the Novels

The Fiery Cross

Allan arrived on Fraser's Ridge with his father Thomas Christie and sister Malva Christie, seeking Jamie Fraser's permission to settle on the land. Roger MacKenzie accepts them as a tenant while Jamie is indisposed, recovering from a nearly fatal snakebite.

A Breath of Snow and Ashes

Allan started an incestuous relationship with his half-sister Malva and gets her pregnant. She starts sleeping with various men in order to deceive everyone as to the child's paternity. Under Allan's influence, she starts claiming that the child was fathered by Jamie. She later decides to come clean but is murdered by Allan. Her body is found by Claire, who tries to save the baby by making a perimortem C-section. Claire is charged with the murder and taken from the Ridge to stand a trial, accompanied by Jamie and Tom Christie who want to ensure her safety on the way. Claire becomes a prisoner of governor Josiah Martin. When Jamie's negotiations with the governor for Claire's freedom fail, Tom Christie confesses to Malva's murder.

In November 1776, Allan comes to Malva's grave and confesses to Claire about their incestuous relationship, that he was the father of Malva's child, and that he killed her because she was going to tell the truth. Claire tried to convince him to not take his own life, but Ian Fraser Murray made that decision for him shooting him with an arrow.

Personality

Allan was an outwardly agreeable person, though he was fiercely protective of his sister, Malva, and would fight anyone who took it in mind to interfere with his family's affairs. Shortly before his death, he admits that he had had an incestuous relationship with Malva, probably for her entire life.

Physical Appearance

Fair in appearance with a broad, square, clean-shaven face. With his father's feathery, tufted dark hair.

Relationships

Malva Christie was his half-sister/cousin. It is unclear when it started, but Allan had an incestuous relationship with her and fathered her child. To avoid them both getting into trouble with their father Thomas Christie, Allan told her to place blame on Jamie Fraser, figuring that Jamie would have to pay to take care of her and the baby. However, when Malva wanted to confess the truth to Claire Fraser, Allan killed her.

Name

• Allan is a variant spelling of Alan, a name of unknown origin. It was used in Brittany at least as early as the 6th century, and it possibly means either "little rock" or "handsome" in Breton.
• Christie derives from the personal names Christian (from Greek χριω (chrio) "to anoint") or Christopher (from the Late Greek name Χριστοφορος (Christophoros) meaning "bearing Christ").