Bellarion the Fortunate

Bellarion the Fortunate, set in the Marquessate of Montferrat and later in the Duchy of Milan, is the tale about a cunning young man who finds himself immersed in the politics of fifteenth-century Italy. Bellarion, abandoned as a child and raised in an abbey, departs as a young man with a letter of introduction from the respected abbot, intending to study in Pavia. Upon arriving in Casale he finds himself pursued by the authorities, who suspect him of complicity with a well-known scoundrel named Lorenzaccio da Trino. He flees until he reaches a palace, where a beautiful lady, who turns out to be the Princess Valeria of Montferrat, hides him from his pursuers. To show his gratitude, Bellarion offers to carry Princess Valeria's message to a certain Lord Barbaresco. He discovers that Barbaresco and a group of friends are plotting the murder of Regent Theodore, Valeria's uncle, while Theodore is plotting to keep the throne for himself. Bellarion gets involved in intrigues which lead to a murder, an arrest and a prison break, as he escapes to Milan only to find more troubles.

Rafael Sabatini (1875-1950) was an Italian-English writer of romance and adventure novels. He wrote mainly historical romance novels and he is best known for his worldwide bestsellers Scaramouche, The Sea Hawk, Captain Blood, and Bellarion the Fortunate.