Condottiere: A Knight's Tale
by Edward John Crockett
A POWERFUL NOVEL OF INTERNECINE WARFARE AND POLITICAL INTRIGUE SET AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF THE WARRING CITY STATES OF 14TH CENTURY ITALY The year is 1356. Europe writhes in the grasp of the Black Death. The Hundred Years War drags inexorably on. Sir John Hawkwood, battle-hardened veteran of Crécy and Poitiers, falls out of favour with England's Edward III. He leaves his estates in England and accepts a commission as a condottiere (leader of a mercenary company) in the service of Pisa. CONDOTTIERE is the 'factionalised' account of Hawkwood's subsequent long and illustrious career in the service of Pisa, Florence, Milan and Rome. It is a tale of kings and princes, popes and anti-popes, dukes and despots, saints and sinners - a complex tissue of loyalty and betrayal, ambition and intrigue, bitter rivalries and shifting allegiances. '**An excellent and captivating tale woven out of solid historical research; rich with political intrigue and battlefield excitement. An engaging and informative journey into the world of medieval Italy.' **- The Historical Novels Review**