Prodigal

by Peter Darman Book 3 in the Alpine Warrior series.

First published 2023

Amazon

4.5(1,050)

Set in northern Italy around 1449–1450, as Francesco Sforza closes on control of Milan, being stabbed in the back is more painful than in the front.
Leon and the Swiss stand triumphant after their victory over the Venetians. Their employer, Francesco Sforza, is now the most powerful man in northern Italy. And yet, even in the moment of victory, individuals in the shadows are manoeuvring to rob Sforza of his triumph and rid Italy of the Swiss.
For Leon Muller, victory, glory and prestige all come to him as he rises in the ranks and his name becomes known not only in Italy, but also in his homeland. He and Sigmund Thyg now become warlords in northern Italy in their own right, and they and their soldiers are soon influencing events and alliances. They are lions on the battlefield, it is true, but making enemies of rich and powerful individuals is fraught with danger, and soon Leon and his comrades have nowhere to turn as their vengeful enemies close in.

The historical setting is the final stage of the struggle for Milan after the death of Filippo Maria Visconti. Francesco Sforza used warfare, negotiation and shifting alliances to become duke in 1450, while Venice and other Italian powers tried to prevent any single ruler becoming dominant. Leon's growing fame therefore places him in a political world where a mercenary commander could be indispensable one month and a dangerous liability the next.