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The Bride of Sforza
The Bride of Sforza is a tale of passion and intrigue set in the turbulent atmosphere of Italy during the French invasion of the late 15th century.
Beautrice d’Este is a beautiful and headstrong girl. At a very early age, she is carried off by the dashing, powerful Lodovico “Il Moro” Sforza, Duke of Bari, to become his bride in the Milan. There Beatrice becomes embroiled in the political and amorous scheming of the Milanese court, including her husband’s behind-the-scenes efforts to replace his nephew Gian Galeazzo as Duke of Milan.
Beautrice d’Este is a beautiful and headstrong girl. At a very early age, she is carried off by the dashing, powerful Lodovico “Il Moro” Sforza, Duke of Bari, to become his bride in the Milan. There Beatrice becomes embroiled in the political and amorous scheming of the Milanese court, including her husband’s behind-the-scenes efforts to replace his nephew Gian Galeazzo as Duke of Milan.
- GenresItaly
212 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1975
30 people want to read
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March 16, 2017
After reading A History of Milan Under the Sforza, I wanted a book that would bring some life to the historical record. Dates, places, and facts are interesting, but they also lack in the emotional/human content that probably drove the creation of history as it is.
Within the Sforzas' rule of Milan, a brief period in the 1490’s marks the height of that City’s prosperity. A competent ruler, Lodovico (El Moro) Sforza, had usurped power from the rightful, but incompetent heir to Milan, namely his young nephew Gian Sforza. Leonardo da Vinci was on retainer to Lodovico, practicing art and engineering throughout the realm. As for intrigue, the wives of Lodovico and Gian were competing for the spoils of the dukedom while Lodovico had ever-growing concerns of a restoration of his nephew to his proper position. The city-state was in relative peace with its neighbors who, near the end of this period of prosperity, looked towards the riches of Milan as a suitable prize for the taking.
The Bride of Sforza capitalizes on this period of Milan’s history and tells the tale of Lodovico’s wife, Beatrice Sforza. The story gives life to those that moved in and out of hers. Miranda Seymour fills in the human personalities associated with the historical figures and uses these human attributes to move each character towards their inevitable fates. She does a good job of both respecting the framework of history and creating reasonable depictions of these people’s lives.
The shortcomings of the book reside in its stiff delivery. The story is told in the first person by an onlooker with close ties to Beatrice but somewhat outside of Beatrice’s inner circle. As a result, the installation of human emotions into the various characters is tempered by the personality of the narrator, and the attempt to give life to history falls short of the magic that can be great historical fiction.
Within the Sforzas' rule of Milan, a brief period in the 1490’s marks the height of that City’s prosperity. A competent ruler, Lodovico (El Moro) Sforza, had usurped power from the rightful, but incompetent heir to Milan, namely his young nephew Gian Sforza. Leonardo da Vinci was on retainer to Lodovico, practicing art and engineering throughout the realm. As for intrigue, the wives of Lodovico and Gian were competing for the spoils of the dukedom while Lodovico had ever-growing concerns of a restoration of his nephew to his proper position. The city-state was in relative peace with its neighbors who, near the end of this period of prosperity, looked towards the riches of Milan as a suitable prize for the taking.
The Bride of Sforza capitalizes on this period of Milan’s history and tells the tale of Lodovico’s wife, Beatrice Sforza. The story gives life to those that moved in and out of hers. Miranda Seymour fills in the human personalities associated with the historical figures and uses these human attributes to move each character towards their inevitable fates. She does a good job of both respecting the framework of history and creating reasonable depictions of these people’s lives.
The shortcomings of the book reside in its stiff delivery. The story is told in the first person by an onlooker with close ties to Beatrice but somewhat outside of Beatrice’s inner circle. As a result, the installation of human emotions into the various characters is tempered by the personality of the narrator, and the attempt to give life to history falls short of the magic that can be great historical fiction.
Displaying 1 of 1 review