Historical Fiction Renaissance

In a city of masks, no one is what they seem . . . Englishman Richard Hughes has survived a stint as a galley slave and is now a free man in Venice, where he enjoys a modest life as a fencing master. He believes he has long-since left behind the ideals that landed him in slavery...until he...

One of the Sunday Times's Top Fifty Summer reads - 'Extravagant portrait of . . . power and decadence' In the Name of the Family - as Blood and Beauty did before - holds up a mirror to a turbulent moment of history, sweeping aside the myths to bring alive the real Borgia family; complicated...

A beautifully illustrated history of the Renaissance told through the lives of its most influential patrons. From the late Middle Ages, the independent Italian city-states were taken over by powerful families who installed themselves as dynastic rulers. Inspired by the humanists, the princes of...

The electrifying tale of rage and resistance of young noblewoman Beatrice Cenci, now in paperback A young noblewoman accused of murder, awaits execution. Imprisoned in the Corte Savella, she has captured the hearts and sympathy of all Rome. . . This is the true and tragic tale of Beatrice Cenci...

Behind the stone walls of Santa Croce delle Pietre, time belongs to God. The bells divide the day. The Rule governs the body. Silence is meant to purify the soul. For fourteen years, Sister Beatrix has survived by becoming exactly what the abbey requires: obedient, watchful, disciplined, untouched. She has learned to bury every hunger before it can be named. Then Sister Ilaria arrives. A widow from the world beyond the cloister, Ilaria is everything Beatrix has trained herself not to be—warm, restless, unguarded, alive.

Mia Caiozzi is determined to discover her destiny by studying the science of astronomy. But her stepmother Giulia forbids her to engage in this dangerous occupation, fearing it will lead her into trouble. The ideas of Galileo are banned by the Inquisition, so Mia must study in secret.

Brought to you by Penguin. ONE WAR. TWO WOMEN. WILL THEY BE ABLE TO SAVE THE ONES THEY LOVE? A sweeping new novel from the number one Sunday Times bestselling author of The Tea Planter's Wife In 1943, Contessa Sofia de' Corsi's peaceful Tuscan villa among the olive groves is upturned by the...

Giulia Tofana longs for more responsibility in her mother’s apothecary business, but Mamma has always been secretive and refuses to tell her the hidden keys to her success. But the day Mamma is arrested for the poisoning of the powerful Duke de Verdi, Giulia is shocked to uncover the darker side of her trade. Giulia must run for her life and escapes to Naples, under the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, to the home of her aunt Isabetta, a famous courtesan.

On May 17, 1536, a young court musician was executed, accused of adultery and treason with the queen. Most historians believe both he and Anne Boleyn were innocent—victims of Henry VIII’s rage. Mark Smeaton was a talented performer who rose from poverty to become a royal favorite. He played for the king in private and entertained at sumptuous feasts. He witnessed Anne Boleyn’s astonishing rise and fall—her reign of a thousand days. History tells us little about him, other than noting his confession and execution.

Dr. Whitfield is looking forward to a sabbatical year of peace and quiet, gardening in his backyard, and tinkering with what he calls his latest "unpublishable book". As the year begins, he is drawn by a series of seeming coincidences into involvement with a group of characters from across Europe, including a family that has been the target of assassination attempts by unknown powers. During his journey to Romania, the situation in which he finds himself becomes more sinister than it first seemed.

Written with cinematic flair, this historical novel brings in key figures such as Shakespeare and Descartes as it recreates the drama and intrigue of 17th-century England and the Continent. Elizabeth’s children included Rupert of the Rhine and Sophia of Hanover, from whom the Hanoverian line descended to the present Queen Elizabeth II.

A finales del siglo XV, Jheronimus Bosch trabaja en una pintura destinada a trastornar la mirada de las generaciones por venir. Más de un siglo después de que el pintor flamenco imaginara sus visiones de paraísos, placeres y condenas, otro artista, nacido en el Nuevo Reino de Granada, descubre en Madrid la obra que marcará su destino y el amor que dará forma a su vida. Entre los Países Bajos y la España imperial y las tierras americanas recién incorporadas al mapa del mundo, las vidas de ambos pintores se encontrarán en un contrapunto de deseo, creación y asombro.

Anno del Signore 1469. Una tempesta è in arrivo su Firenze, prestigioso crocevia di artisti e mercanti: dopo la morte di Cosimo, carismatico patriarca della potente famiglia Medici, un attentato alla vita di suo figlio Piero ne scoperchia gli inquietanti segreti. Lorenzo, il giovane nipote di Cosimo da sempre destinato a raccoglierne l'eredità spirituale, si trova costretto ad assumersi gravi responsabilità prima del tempo e a dover maturare in fretta l'abilità e la malizia necessarie per confrontarsi con i sotterfugi e le macchinazioni che regolano il grande gioco del potere.

La Rochelle, France, 1661. Fierce Protestant Isabelle is desperate to escape persecution by the Catholic King. Isabelle is tortured and harassed, her people forced to convert to the religion that rules the land. She risks her life by helping her fellow Protestants, which is forbidden by the powers of France. She accepts her fate—until she meets a handsome Catholic soldier who makes her question everything. The only way to save herself is to flee to the colony of Canada. She can have money, protection, and a new life—if she adopts the religion she’s spent a lifetime fighting.

Fünf magische Juwelen. Eine tödliche Aufgabe. Und eine Liebe, die alles riskiert. Florenz, 1478: Die Bildhauerin Ravenna tut alles, um ihre magische Gabe zu verbergen. Doch als ihr Bruder in Gefahr gerät, rettet sie mit ihrem Talent sein Leben – und wird zur Gefangenen der mächtigen Familie Luni. In deren Palast soll sie fünf Nightflame-Juwelen befreien. Je näher sie Saturnino Luni kommt, desto weniger kann sie ihre Magie und ihr Herz kontrollieren. In einem Netz aus Verrat, Liebe und tödlichen Geheimnissen kämpft Ravenna um ihr Überleben und das Schicksal von Florenz.

"Ich, die Königin" von Susan Hastings ist nicht nur ein historischer Roman - es ist eine Zeitreise ins Kastilien von 1464, ein Land geplagt von Unordnung und Ungerechtigkeit. In dieser raue Welt, wo Reisende und Kaufleute der Gnadenlosigkeit von Räuberscharen ausgeliefert sind und Adel und Klerus sich unerbittlich an der armen Bevölkerung bereichern, erscheint die Lage düster und verzweifelt. Aber aus dem Schatten tritt Isabella hervor, die Schwester des unauffälligen Königs Enrique. Mit ihrer eisernen Entschlossenheit und scharfen Intelligenz trotzt sie den Gezeiten und bringt Veränderung.

Milano, 1385. Forza, conquista, potere. Sono queste le parole che guidano i pensieri di Gian Galeazzo Visconti, da poco divenuto signore della città dopo aver deposto e fatto arrestare lo zio Bernabò. Quando l'arcivescovo di Milano gli prospetta l'idea di una grande cattedrale che sostituisca la chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore, il conte di Virtù, da sempre devoto alla Vergine, approva il progetto anche se la decisione non ha nulla di religioso. Diventerà potente, espanderà i confini del ducato e la cattedrale dovrà essere il simbolo della sua grandezza.

Siguiendo con su gusto por la literatura de viajes y las novelas de aventuras, Alberto Vázquez-Figueroa nos acerca en este libro a una de las fuentes inagotables de peligros y aventuras de la literatura universal: el Amazonas. Seguiremos los pasos del explorador español Francisco de Orellana en su empresa de recorrer el Amazonas. De la mano de Vázquez-Figueroa y el propio Orellana, encontraremos cuevas secretas, tesoros ocultos de los incas, fieras mujeres guerreras y ciudades olvidadas en una aventura de sabor clásico y trepidante.

1590. À Rome, Fausta, après avoir mis au monde le fils de Pardaillan, bénéficie de la grâce du pape Sixte Quint, qui se prépare à intervenir auprès du roi d'Espagne Philippe II dans le conflit qui l'oppose à Henri IV roi de France. Fausta est investie d'une mission auprès de Philippe II : lui faire part d'un document secret par lequel le roi de France Henri III reconnaissait formellement Philippe II comme son successeur légitime sur le trône de France.

Lucy is the last Chantress, the only remaining girl who can sing magic into the world. Since she defeated the evil Lord Scargrave, England has changed—and not for the better. With crops failing and the people rebelling, Lucy is called urgently back to King Henry’s court. His Inner Council is convinced that making gold through alchemy will save England. But a critical element to the alchemical process has been stolen. Lucy is tasked with finding it with her magic…or else. And until she succeeds, the castle is on lockdown.