Corse de Leon; or, the Brigand

by G. P. R. James

First published 1841

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Set in mid-sixteenth-century France during the reign of Henry II, Corse de Leon combines court politics with the dangerous independence of a famous brigand. James contrasts the formal hierarchy of monarchy and nobility with people who live beyond the effective reach of ordinary law, allowing roads, forests and provincial strongholds to matter as much as royal chambers. Romance and pursuit develop in a kingdom whose government is becoming stronger but remains uneven outside the centres of power.

The period stands between the reign of Francis I and the outbreak of the French Wars of Religion. Rival noble households, military reputations and court favour already create the tensions that will later become more destructive. By placing a brigand at the centre of the action, James also examines the ambiguous border between outlawry and political service, where violent men may be condemned in one circumstance and employed by authority in another.