Bellarion the Fortunate (Historical Novel). Rafael Sabatini

Bellarion the Fortunate, set in the Marquessate of Montferrat and later in the Duchy of Milan, is the tale about a cunning young man who finds himself immersed in the politics of fifteenth-century Italy. Bellarion, abandoned as a child and raised in an abbey, departs as a young man with a letter of introduction from the respected abbot, intending to study in Pavia. Upon arriving in Casale he finds himself pursued by the authorities, who suspect him of complicity with a well-known scoundrel named Lorenzaccio da Trino. He flees until he reaches a palace, where a beautiful lady, who turns out to be the Princess Valeria of Montferrat, hides him from his pursuers. To show his gratitude, Bellarion offers to carry Princess Valeria's message to a certain Lord Barbaresco. He discovers that Barbaresco and a group of friends are plotting the murder of Regent Theodore, Valeria's uncle, while Theodore is plotting to keep the throne for himself. Bellarion gets involved in intrigues which lead to a murder, an arrest and a prison break, as he escapes to Milan only to find more troubles.