Renaissance Fiction

August 1556. Jack Blackjack is on a simple mission: make it back home to his beloved London. It should be simple, right? Wrong. He's made it as far as Exeter, but before he can secure a fresh steed in that hellish city, he's faced with a dead priest, ruthless thieves, and a devious Dean who's determined to see the back of Jack. That suits Jack just fine - he wants to leave! So when wealthy merchant Wolfe, offers passage to London via sea, Jack jumps at the chance...and unwittingly into further danger!

Florenz, 1557: Lucrezia de' Medici ist gerade einmal zwölf Jahre alt, als ihr Vater sie per Brief mit Alfonso II. d'Este verlobt. Eigentlich war ihre ältere Schwester Maria dem Herzog von Ferrara versprochen, doch als diese überraschend verstirbt, tritt Lucrezia an ihre Stelle. Und wider Erwarten eröffnet sich der jungen Herzogin in Ferrara eine neue Welt: Plötzlich darf sie, die ihrer Familie immer als zu eigensinnig, zu störrisch und sensibel galt, selbst entscheiden, ob sie durch die Gärten flanieren oder sich ihrer geliebten Staffelei zuwenden will.

Marie, la fille du seigneur de Croixmart, grand chasseur de sorciers et sorcières, au temps de François Ier, consulte une voyante qui lui prédit, entre autres choses, la mort de son père. Marie prévient son père et ce dernier saute sur l'occasion de faire condamner la "sorcière" qui, bientôt, brûle sur le bûcher. La foule, excédée par toutes ces exécutions, attaque le baron de Croixmart et le massacre. Renaud, le fils de la voyante, jure qu'il se vengera de la fille de Croixmart et la tuera.

Nel maggio del 1624 un uomo accompagna la figlia sulla spiaggia di Santa Severa, dove si è arenata una balena. Esiste anche ciò che è al di là del nostro orizzonte, è questo che il padre insegna a Plautilla. Una visione che contribuirà a fare di quella bambina un'artista, misteriosa pittrice e architettrice nel torbido splendore della Roma barocca.

Ein epischer Fantasyroman über Macht, Verrat und Magie in einer alternativen Renaissance. Der Stadtstaat Navola ist auf Handel gebaut. Die Paläste und Türme sind dem Reichtum ihrer Kaufleute entsprungen. Gehandelt wird mit allem: Gerste und Reis, Flachs und Wolle, Eisen und Silber, Waffen, Armeen und Menschenleben. Und über allem thront die Bank der di Regulai. Mit List, Gewalt und ihrem unerschöpflichen Vermögen verkörpert sie eine Weltmacht: Kaufleute bitten um ihre Unterstützung, Künstler um ihre Gunst, Fürsten um eine Einladung zu ihrer Tafel.

Armand de Saint Paul ist jung, charmant und seine größten Sorgen sind eigentlich, wie er seinen Gläubigern und den zahlreichen eifersüchtigen Ehemännern entwischen kann, denn er ist ein gern gesehener Gast in den Boudoirs in Paris. Aber ein Brief ändert alles. Sein bester Freund Pierre, Marquis de Beauvoir, ist überfallen und schwer verletzt worden. Sofort alarmiert Armand seinen Freund François und sie eilen Pierre zur Hilfe. Schnell stellt sich heraus, dass es kein normaler Raubüberfall war und die Suche nach den Übeltätern beginnt.

UNA MISSIONE PERICOLOSA. UN TRADIMENTO IMPERDONABILE. UN SEGRETO NASCOSTO NEI MEANDRI DEL TEMPO. 1584. Da poco arrivato in Inghilterra dalla Francia, Tom Lutton, giovane erborista sordomuto, viene ingaggiato come assistente dallo speziale di corte e per una serie di circostanze fortuite entra nelle grazie della sovrana. Donna di acuta intelligenza, Elisabetta I intuisce subito quanto possa rivelarsi utile un domestico che non può parlare né sentire e tuttavia riesce a capire ciò che si dice attorno a lui, e in breve lo trasforma nella sua spia personale.

Anne Boleyn is at the height of her power. Feisty heroine Kat Cooke returns to the Tudor court, where danger lurks around every corner and even love is uncertain. Now a musician for Anne Boleyn, Kat struggles to keep her marriage afloat as she balances her loyalties, risking her heart and her life.

In 1537, amidst England's religious turmoil, fifteen-year-old Anne Askew is forced to take her dead sister’s place in an arranged marriage. The witty, well-educated daughter of a Lincolnshire knight, Anne is determined to free herself from her abusive husband, harsh in-laws, and the cruel strictures of her married life. But this is the England of Henry VIII, where religion and politics are dangerously entangled.

May 1536: Queen Anne Boleyn has fallen and Jane Seymour is about to become Queen, yet the King's new love is troubled not only by the fall and execution of his last wife and Queen, but by the creeping feeling that she knows not the man she has promised to marry. As Jane steps into the palaces of the King, emerging quietly as England's Queen, she finds herself haunted by thoughts of Anne Boleyn, Katherine of Aragon and what the past means for her own fate. And Jane is not the only one troubled by the actions of King Henry VIII.

Wir schreiben das Jahr 1643. Der englische König kämpft verzweifelt um seine Krone. Der intrigante Kardinal Mazarin ist jetzt Premierminister von Frankreich. Ebenso verschlagen wie sein Vorgänger Richelieu, engagiert er den ehemaligen Offizier François de Toucy, um die Königin von England, eine frühere französische Prinzessin, in Sicherheit zu bringen. François und seine Freunde machen sich also auf die gefährliche Reise nach England.

1483: Margherita ha solo tre anni quando il padre, Massimiliano d’Asburgo, imperatore del Sacro Romano Impero, la promette in sposa a Carlo VIII, re di Francia, per porre fine ai contrasti tra francesi e fiamminghi. Nello splendido castello di Amboise, la duchessa cresce spensierata, ma quando, anni dopo, Carlo VIII stipula per sé un accordo matrimoniale più vantaggioso, a Margherita non resta che tornare nelle Fiandre. Finalmente può dedicarsi anima e corpo alla sua passione principale, l’arte, e così conosce Conrad Meit, scultore che apprezza e di cui s’innamora perdutamente.

Начало XVII века. Войско Лжедмитрия I вторгается в Россию, переживающую к этому времени глубокий кризис, вызванный опричниной, Ливонской войной, голодом и эпидемиями. Начинается так называемое Смутное время, продлившееся без малого два десятилетия. В этот тяжелый для России период, самая незавидная участь была у холопов, которые из-за происходящих событий находились практически в абсолютном подчинении у хозяев без какой-либо надежды на освобождение.

In 16th century France, Marguerite de Valois is growing up in one of Europe's most dysfunctional families - the Medici clan. Their extreme inbreeding has led to an alarming number of genetic defects in France's kings. Marguerite alone has escaped this curse. Uncharacteristically beautiful, intelligent, and sane, she is seen as a useful pawn by her mother, Catherine de Medici. In a scheme to unite the country during the raging religious wars, the queen decides to marry her Catholic daughter to Protestant Henri, Prince of Navarre, a charming libertine.

All’approssimarsi di un evento decisivo per la storia della Cristianità – la battaglia di Lepanto (1571) che impegnerà la flotta mussulmana dell’Impero Ottomano e quelle alleate del Papa e dell’Imperatore guidate da don Giovanni d’Austria, figlio naturale di Carlo V d’Absburgo – a Messina un maturo frate intellettuale e una donna di nobili origini, giunta da Aquisgrana al seguito del giovane condottiero, tramano un complesso intrigo per favorire la flotta imperiale a scapito dei papisti, tra colpi di scena e difficoltà nel portare a buon esito il piano.

March 1557. Jack Blackjack is back in London and enjoying a sedentary life. After his treacherous voyage back to his beloved city the previous year, he desires nothing more than women, wine, beer and more women. But his new parish of St Helen's has different ideas for him. A week after first laying eyes on the tempting Miss Rachel Nailor, she turns up dead on the church vestry floor...and someone is trying to frame him for her murder! Rachel was a woman with many secrets. But was she murdered in a fit of lustful rage, or was it part of a wider political play?

In 16th-century Europe, as countries extend their global reach, an Anglo-Dutch allegiance sets out to undermine and bring down the Spanish Empire.

Rome, 1520. The Eternal City is in mourning. Raphael Sanzio, beloved painter and national hero, has died suddenly at the height of his fame. His body lies in state at the Pantheon. At the nearby convent of Sant'Apollonia, a young woman comes to the Mother Superior, seeking refuge. She is Margherita Luti, a baker's daughter from a humble neighborhood on the Tiber, now an outcast from Roman society, persecuted by enemies within the Vatican. Margherita was Raphael's beloved and appeared as the Madonna in many of his paintings. But now that Raphael is gone, the convent is her only hope.

Cesare Borgia, former cardinal, Duke of Valentinois and Romagna, has been a figure of awe and scorn for generations. Seemingly compelled to explore this fascinating historical figure's true nature, Rafael Sabatini brought Borgia life as no one had before. Drawn to the passion, suspicion, betrayal, and ambition of Borgia's brief but exciting life, Sabatini penned seven short stories set during the Italian Renaissance: "The Honour of Varano", "The Test", "Ferrante's Jest", "Gisimondi's Wage", "The Snare", "The Lust of Conquest", and "The Pasquinade". These stories are collected here.

Carit Etlars historiske roman fortæller om den svenske kong Gustav Vasas fængselsophold på Kalø Slot i starten af 1500-tallet. Som noget ganske særligt fik han lov til at bevæge sig frit omkring på slottet i stedet for at rådne op i fangehullet med de andre fanger, men Gustavs taknemmelighed rakte ikke langt. Han savnede sit hjemland og gav sig til at planlægge sin flugt... Carit Etlar er pseudonym for den danske forfatter Carl Brosbøll (1816-1900).