Description
The life of a Norman mercenary in the service of the Byzantine Empire. The Emperor in Constantinople is hiring mercenaries to repel the infidel. Among them is the ruthless nobleman Roussel de Balliol and his wife Lady Matilda. His obligations sit lightly upon him; his first priority is to find a fief. Only land will give him the wealth, status and power he desires.
It is upon Roger, attached to Rousselโs force, that the story is concentrated. Through him we receive a vivid and vital picture of eleventh-century life.
Historian, archaeologist and novelist Alfred Duggan wrote historical fiction and non-fiction about a wide range of subjects, in places and times as diverse as Julius Caesarโs Rome and the Medieval Europe of Thomas Becket. Twelve of his classic novels have now been republished by Bello.
โOne of the best historical novelists of this centuryโ Times Literary Supplement
