| Morris Roth | |
| Fictional Character | |
| 1632 series POD: May, 1631 | |
| Appearance(s): | 1632 Ring of Fire (anthology) (The Wallenstein Gambit) The Anaconda Project 1636: The Viennese Waltz 1636: The Ottoman Onslaught |
| Type of Appearance: | Direct |
| Nationality: | United States of Europe (born in the United States of America) |
| Religion: | Judaism |
| Date of Birth: | 1950 |
| Occupation: | Jeweler General |
| Spouse: | Judith Roth |
| Affiliations: | USE Army |
| Created by: | Eric Flint |
Morris Roth was a jeweller. He and his wife Judith were the only Jewish citizens of Grantville when it was transported back in time by the Ring of Fire. The Roths would prove important in bridging relationships between up-timer tolerance and down-timer anti-Semitism.
Early life[]
Roth lived in Grantville after his father had been liberated from Buchenwald by Tom Stearns, the grandfather of Michael Stearns, at the end of World War II. Tom Stearns invited the senior Roth to move to Grantville after the war, and Roth, feeling that there would be no safer place than near his rescuer, accepted.
The Ring of Fire[]
Shortly after a posse led by Mike Stearns rescued Rebecca Abrabanel and her father Balthazar Abrabanel, he asked that the Roths play host to their first "immigrants". The Roths agreed. Rebecca was astonished to learn that, not only were the Roths Jewish, but that they were openly so.
Days later, the Roth home became host to a meeting between the Grantville government and Alexander Mackay, a mercenary in the employ of Gustavus Adolphus. It was here that the first alliance between the two entities was forged.
That night, Balthazar Abrabanel shared his concerns that his daughter had grown attracted to Mike Stearns, and vice versa. Morris Roth shared his family history, and his high opinion of the Stearns family, Mike Stearns included.
One of Morris' strongest concerns was forestalling the massacres of Jews that had accompanied the Khmelnytsky Uprising. Albrecht von Wallenstein's assertion that he not only could, but would prevent this led to his decision to accompany Wallenstein to Prague.
Prague[]
After being reminded by Red Sybolt that he was just "ahead of the wave" with regard to the beginnings of modern-style faceted jewelry, Morris formed a partnership with Antonio Nasi and Gerhard Rueckert. The partners were able to combine Morris' up-time knowledge of design with the skills and tools of down-time gemcutters. They knew that they would, at best, be able to keep a monopoly on the new designs for a few years, but that they stood to make a fortune during that time. This turned out to be the case. The new "Prague jewels" were a sensation, and Morris became a very rich man. Among other things, he was able to use his wealth to establish the University of Prague as a secular, quasi-coeducational institution, with Bishop Comenius of the Unity of the Brethren as its first rector.
Morris was deeply committed to his up-time Reform beliefs, and this sometimes caused friction with Jason Gotkin and the leaders of Prague's Jewish community. Still, he was able to successfully lead the defense of Prague's Stone Bridge against Heinrich Holk's troops.