The book that saved Notre Dame from demolition, the chronicles of St. Bartholomew’s night, the youth of Peter I and the life of an English sailor in Japanese captivity.
The historical novel places characters in the context of important events. Against their background, the plot develops and the fate of the characters intertwines. In this genre, facts and fiction coexist, and heroes can be both real historical figures and a figment of the author’s imagination. Thanks to such novels, one can see another era through the eyes of eyewitnesses and feel the atmosphere of that time.
I, Claudius / Robert Graves
The sick, ugly youth Claudius was prophesied to become the most important person in the Roman Empire. Only no one believed this prediction and did not pay attention to the short.
Robert Graves showed the life of his hero against the background of the reign of three emperors. His ascension to the throne despite poor health and ridicule.
Quo vadis / Henryk Sienkiewicz
The eccentric, cruel and capricious Roman emperor Nero sets a fire in his capital for fun. Blames the followers of the nascent Christian faith for this and punishes them. Among his victims are the apostles Peter and Paul. Against the background of the massacres, the thin love line of Lygia and Marcus Vinicius stretches. Which does not see any obstacles, be it cultural, social or religious.
Ivanhoe / Walter Scott
The genre of the historical novel originates from the works of Walter Scott. Ivanhoe is a book about a brave young knight who happened to live in one of the most difficult periods in the history of England. The Third Crusade is over, King Richard the Lionheart is in captivity, and the country has to repel the attacks of Normandy.
Notre-Dame de Paris / Victor Marie Hugo
Hugo did not hide that he made the main character exactly the temple in the heart of Paris. The author wanted to interfere with the authorities’ plan to demolish or remake the cathedral and was right. After the release of the story about the deaf hunchback Quasimodo, the beautiful Esmeralda and the priest Frollo, a public movement began to preserve the original appearance of the building.
The novel about unrequited love, hope, devotion, which go hand in hand with betrayal and meanness, could not leave readers indifferent. He played a crucial role in the history of one of the most important architectural monuments.
Chronique du règne de Charles IX / Prosper Mérimée
The young Huguenot Bernard de Mergy is in love with the first beauty of the French royal court and is ready to go to any feat for her sake. Lofty feelings will have to be postponed, because the question of life and death arises before him.
It was during the reign of Charles IX that one of the bloodiest religious confrontations in the history of France happened – St Bartholomew’s Night. On August 23, 1572, the Catholics staged a mass murder of the Huguenots.
Marie Stuart / Stefan Zweig
The Scottish Queen Mary Stuart claimed the English throne, considering herself the true heiress. But on her way stood Elizabeth I, who firmly took the position of the ruler and was not going to retreat. Two powerful women and their retinues waged a cunning undercover fight, and in public spoke warmly and affectionately about each other.
Zweig contrasts the two queens, emphasizing their dissimilarity and mutual envy. Elizabeth had power and the boundless support of the people, and Mary was a beloved wife and mother.
Le Roi de fer / Maurice Samuel Roger Charles Druon
This novel is the beginning of the Cursed Kings cycle about the history of France at the beginning of the 14th century. The Iron King was nicknamed Philip IV. Who weakened the power of the feudal lords and strengthened the monarchy. Many were dissatisfied with his reforms, but most of all – the Order of the Templars. Which lost its power precisely because of the harsh ruler. Before his execution, the Grand Master of the Order curses both Philip IV and his associate, the Pope. From that moment on, both of them began to be haunted by a series of terrible failures.
