The Betrothed

A historical novel set in Lombardy during the wars, famine and plague of the period 1628-30. Two star-crossed lovers are tested by the political injustices of their situation, the virulence of the plague, and a life in exile, away from their homeland. First published in 1827, and now accompanied by an essay HISTORY OF THE COLUMN OF INFAMY.
Set in Lombardy during the Spanish occupation of the late 1620s, The Betrothed tells the story of two young lovers, Renzo and Lucia, prevented from marrying by the petty tyrant Don Rodrigo, who desires Lucia for himself. Forced to flee, they are then cruelly separated, and must face many dangers including plague, famine and imprisonment, and confront a variety of strange characters - the mysterious Nun of Monza, the fiery Father Cristoforo and the sinister 'Unnamed' - in their struggle to be reunited. A vigorous portrayal of enduring passion, The Betrothed's exploration of love, power and faith presents a whirling panorama of seventeenth-century Italian life and is one of the greatest European historical novels.