Showing titles in Renaissance

In 15th-century Volterra, sculptress Ravenna Maffei enters a competition hosted by a secretive, immortal family who offer an invaluable boon to the victor. Desperate to win so she can save her brother, Ravenna reveals a rare magical talent—a dangerous act in a city where magic is forbidden. Her revelation makes her a target, and she is kidnapped by the Luni family and taken to Florence, a city of breathtaking beauty and cutthroat ambition.

Beatrice Barbary has been raised to believe that while education will set her mind free, there are some questions better left unanswered. But when her father, one of the most powerful men in Bern, is brutally murdered in their own home, she is left reeling, unprotected and vulnerable. Plunging head first into the mysteries surrounding her father and her own upbringing, Beatrice discovers The Order of St. Eve and the violent secrets they have been hiding her entire life.

I 1761 udsendte Frederik V en ekspedition til Mellemøsten og Den arabiske halvø. Fem videnskabsmænd og en tjener drog ud på en rejse, der kom til at vare syv år og gav anledning til oplevelser, der vakte stor opmærksomhed i hele samtidens Europa. Den eneste af deltagerne, der vendte levende tilbage, var den unge astronom og landmåler Carsten Niebuhr. Romanen fortæller om en rejse fyldt med strabadser, intriger og et meget levende tidsbillede fra 1700-tallet. Det er ikke kun en beskrivelse af de meget fremmedartede lande, der besøges undervejs.

Rom, im August 1492. Schon am frühen Morgen ächzt die Stadt unter der Gluthitze des Sommers. Der Lärm in der engen Gasse lässt Lucrezia aus dem Schlaf fahren. Kann es wahr sein, was der Bote schreit? Ihr Vater, Rodrigo Borgia, der neue Papst? Die Nachricht stellt Lucrezias Leben und das ihrer drei Brüder auf den Kopf: Plötzlich sind sie die mächtigste Familie der Stadt, und das zwölfjährige Mädchen muss in Windeseile erwachsen werden. Denn ihr ehrgeiziger Vater weiß nur zu genau, dass die Hand seiner Tochter mehr wert ist als alle italienischen Ländereien zusammen.

London, 1607. As dawn breaks, Daniel Pursglove rides north, away from the watchful eye of the King and his spies. He returns, disguised, to his childhood home in Yorkshire - with his own score to settle. The locals have little reason to trust a prying stranger, and those who remember Daniel do so with contempt. When a body is found with rope burns about the neck, Daniel falls under suspicion. On the run, across the country, he is pursued by a ruthless killer whose victims all share the same gallows mark.

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.

Dallas Lawson är en ung vacker kvinna som har lärt sig det ädla hantverket att konservera konst. Hennes far är en av landets främsta konservatorer och när han plötsligt dör blir det Dallas uppgift att föra arvet vidare. Under ett besök i ett 1400-talsslott kommer hon över ett porträtt av greve de la Tarre och hon blir genast som förhäxad av den vackre mannen. När hon börjar gräva i mysteriet kring tavlan upptäcker hon att det är tätt förbundet med några ovärderliga juveler som försvann under den franska revolutionen.

Isola d'Elba, 1544. I corsari turchi, al comando di Khayr al-Din detto Barbarossa, sbarcano nottetempo su una spiaggia accanto a Longone – l'odierna Porto Azzurro – dove Lucero e sua sorella Angiolina si preparano alla pesca dei calamari. Lucero viene ferito, Angiolina rapita. Il mondo si apre, la storia comincia. Lucero, guidato da un indomabile sentimento di vendetta, si trasforma – anche grazie all'incontro con il capitano Rodrigo, compagno e mentore – in un "duellante imbattibile" e in un soldato di ventura.

King Henry V's beautiful widow, Catherine, is determined to marry Owen Tudor, a Welsh gentleman-at-arms. But her life decisions are not her own, overshadowed as she is by more powerful men who are closer to the Throne. The Duke of Bedford would marry her off to a foreign prince, Henry Beaufort would give his allegiance in exchange for a Cardinal's hat, and the handsome Duke of Gloucester, brother of the dead king, openly desires her. Added to that, her son, the King, is a weak child. She must use all her wits and courage if she is to forge a new life for herself.

Settled down in his beloved Mortlake once again, philosopher and astronomer John Dee is enjoying the quiet life when Her Majesty’s spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham darkens his door, instructing him to befriend a certain Polish count with an interest in alchemy and angelic communication. But when Dee and the count are caught breaking the law, trying to convene with angels, they are exiled, and must make their way to the court of Rudolf, Holy Roman Emperor, in far-off Prague.

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).

1505: Pregnant and reunited with the love of her life, artist Mira survives a harrowing journey to the city of her dreams. But Bayonne is nothing like she imagined. Navigating a dangerous world ruled by merchants and bishops, she struggles to reignite her painting career. 2016: Scholar Zari seizes the chance to return to Europe as a consultant for an art dealer. Overwhelmed by her job, she has little time to hunt for clues about Mira. But when art experts embrace a theory that Mira’s paintings are the work of a famous man, Zari must act.

1494. L'ombra di Carlo VIII si allunga come una maledizione sulla penisola italica. Intanto Ludovico il Moro ha da tempo usurpato il ducato di Milano. A Roma Rodrigo Borgia, eletto papa, alimenta un nepotismo sfrenato e colleziona amanti. Venezia osserva tutto grazie a una fitta rete di informatori, magistralmente orchestrata da Antonio Condulmer, Maestro delle Spie della Serenissima, mentre il re francese valica le Alpi e, complice l'alleanza con Ludovico il Moro, giunge con l'esercito alle porte di Firenze.

Isaac Stanfield leaves his home to become a sailor on a merchantman, the Sweet Rose, and through ingenuity and sheer luck, finds himself in the middle of the drama and explorations that precede the departure of the Mayflower for New England in 1620. Exploration is Isaac's coming-of-age story, capturing the turbulence of the times through his observations and experiences. Suspenseful, poignant, and expertly researched, David Tory's novel brings to life an engaging cultural history of English seafaring exploration and intrigue in the early 17th century.

En este audiolibro, con el ritmo trepidante de las narraciones de misterio, Isabel de Inglaterra decide deshacerse de Felipe II y pone la conjunta en manos de un mercader portugués, cabeza de su red de espías en España. No sólo se trata de matar al rey sino también su fama gracias a documentos sobre los familistas y alquimistas sospechosos que tenía a su servicio en El Escorial. Una de las personas más principales de la Corte de Madrid resulta cómplice del intento de envenenamiento del monarca.

Ortona a Mare, ottobre 1585. Margherita d'Austria si è ritirata in Abruzzo da alcuni mesi. È qui che, infatti, dopo tanto peregrinare per l'Europa, ha deciso di trascorrere i suoi ultimi anni, qui ha trovato una terra che ama e, soprattutto, che è soltanto sua. Non una pesante eredità paterna, non un privilegio del matrimonio. Sta facendo costruire un palazzo sul mare, un edificio imponente e prezioso che accolga e mitighi la sua vecchiaia.

When rumors reach Vienna that an attack by the Ottoman army is imminent, Wilhelm von Schor, one of the emperor’s courtiers, prepares to evacuate his family—including his sister, Katja. But Katja’s reluctance to leave the city and the people she loves so well grows the farther the family carriage gets from her childhood home. When she learns that another brother, Xavier, is returning to Vienna with his musketeers, she decides to remain behind and face the shadow of war. But all too soon, the Ottomans encircle the city, blanketing its inhabitants in fear.

È l'anno del signore 1550 L'Europa è ancora percorsa da venti di guerra. Il lungo scontro tra Spagna e Francia, durato decenni, causando tante morti e tanta distruzione, senza risparmiare nemmeno Roma, messa a ferro e fuoco dai lanzichenecchi, non si è ancora concluso. Il luteranesimo e le altre confessioni protestanti infiammano gli animi del Nord Europa e dell'Inghilterra. E la minaccia dei turchi, che hanno già conquistato tutto l'Oriente e raso al suolo quel che restava dell'impero bizantino, è più viva che mai.

London, 1628. Nicolaes de Pelgrom, assassin and devoted servant of George Villiers, will do whatever his master asks of him—even if that means enduring the perilous voyage to the Indies to exact a grieving widow's revenge. Making that same journey is Jeronimus Cornelisz, a conniving apothecary determined to escape the backstreets of Amsterdam and become rich beyond imagination. Hired by a criminal mastermind to escort precious cargo to the Indies, he will kill anyone who stands in his way.