The Fight for Florence

In 1402, Florence faces the advance of Milanese power under the Duke of Milan, while the politics of the papacy and the rivalries of the Italian states make loyalty difficult to judge. Flavio Sabatini is sent into Florence as soldier, agent and reluctant protector of a city whose wealth makes it a strategic prize. The novel follows him through factional intrigue, betrayal and the threat of open battle as the fate of Florence depends on decisions made in council rooms, city streets and the armies gathering outside the walls.