The Falcon of Palermo - Hardcover

Bordihn, Maria R.

3.88

268 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0871138808 ISBN 13: 9780871138804

Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2005

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A lively account of Frederick II illuminates the epic struggle for the heart of thirteenth-century Europe undertaken by the pope and Frederick's struggle to resist these forces and regain control of his kingdom.

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From Publishers Weekly:

Bordihn's scrupulously researched debut brims with drama, passion and personalities ranging from the scandalous to the sublime. After the untimely deaths of his parents (his father was the tyrannical German emperor Henry of Hohenstaufen), emperor-to-be Frederick II is on his own, mingling with street urchins in 13th-century Sicily's Muslim quarter as his homeland is besieged by German warlords. When Pope Innocent sends Archbishop Berard to quell the chaos, the green-eyed boy-king and the avuncular bishop become fast friends. Surprisingly, German princes and the pope elect Frederick Holy Roman Emperor, but he's not the malleable leader they were hoping for. Brilliant and headstrong, Frederick aspires to build an empire to equal Rome, even if it means defying the church (he was excommunicated twice). Frederick's appetite for power is nearly rivaled by his lust for beautiful women (marriage doesn't preclude him from bedding a bevy of fair-skinned lovelies). He also studies Roman history and astrology, writes poetry and excels at falconry. When, on his deathbed, Frederick laments his failures as a leader, lifelong confidante Berard reminds him of his triumphs: "You gave men a vision of enlightenment, justice and tolerance. You gave them hope." Bordihn renders vivid descriptions of the medieval era (bejeweled costumes, bloody battles, the pomp of the royal court) in this engrossing account of a legendary ruler both revered and reviled. Agent, Rogers, Coleridge and White. (Feb.)
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From Booklist:

This fascinating fictional account of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II is realistically detailed with all the pomp, pageantry, poverty, and pestilence of the Middle Ages. Born into uncertainty and upheaval, Frederick, the son of Henry Hohenstaufen, is orphaned and running wild in the Muslim quarter of Palermo at an early age. Taken under the wise and kindly wing of an archbishop sent by the pope to recover papal lands that had been stolen in a Sicily overrun by German invaders, Frederick begins the seminal tutelage that sets him on his remarkable journey toward greatness. Amazingly sympathetic to Arabic mores and culture, Frederick blends elements of East and West during his reign as king of Sicily. When Frederick is eventually elected Holy Roman Emperor, intrigue, power struggles, political machinations, and religious controversies run rampant as he struggles to maintain and extend control over a difficult empire. Bordihn artfully humanizes her larger than life subject in this remarkably intelligent and entertaining fictional biography. Margaret Flanagan
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