Treasure of the Vanquished

Fülszöveg

The Treasure of the Vanquished
The treasure of the royal chapel, which was his charge, must be saved for the king The king must not come to them as a defeated man, without resources. He must have that booty of a thousand raids and fights, long since cast into golden crosses and jewel-heavy crowns, which adorned the royal chapels of Toledo. It had glorified God and mollified the saints. Now it could support a hundred campaigns.
He came suddenly on a small oratory. A solid little church whose priest had doubtless fled, perhaps with the villagers. Just beyond it lay a cemetery to the edge of which he led the pony. He stopped by a grave. The granite cover looked loose. He must dispose of the gold. Perhaps it would be safe. Perhaps he could return for it. He hardly cared except to get rid of that weight, that drag.
The notion of the hunt, rising within him, raised anew the thrill of terror. Urgently he wrested off the granite slabs, straining at the weight. He must not break... Tovább

Fülszöveg

The Treasure of the Vanquished
The treasure of the royal chapel, which was his charge, must be saved for the king The king must not come to them as a defeated man, without resources. He must have that booty of a thousand raids and fights, long since cast into golden crosses and jewel-heavy crowns, which adorned the royal chapels of Toledo. It had glorified God and mollified the saints. Now it could support a hundred campaigns.
He came suddenly on a small oratory. A solid little church whose priest had doubtless fled, perhaps with the villagers. Just beyond it lay a cemetery to the edge of which he led the pony. He stopped by a grave. The granite cover looked loose. He must dispose of the gold. Perhaps it would be safe. Perhaps he could return for it. He hardly cared except to get rid of that weight, that drag.
The notion of the hunt, rising within him, raised anew the thrill of terror. Urgently he wrested off the granite slabs, straining at the weight. He must not break them. The faint stench that met him was familiar from a dozen battlefields. Too frightened to do more than curse weakly, he wrested the pony towards the sarcophagus and tipped the heavy sack into it.
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In the 8th Century the world had been turned upside down: the Roman Empire had collapsed, chaos ruled and Muslim invaders swarmed into Spain threatening to seize all of Europe. Treasure of the Vanquished is a historical novel set in this dark time. Its protagonist is Pelayo, an epic figure of which historians know little save his legendary victory at Covadonga. In the midst of an irresistible invasion and demoralization, this fiery Gothic noble struggles to create an army of warriors and forge a kingdom. For Pelayo, it is a constant display of will to lead against a powerful foe and the treachery of his own people, including his sister Amalsuntha who beds with a chieftain of the adversary to achieve power. At the same time he must deter the ambition of his own lieutenants and seek a balance of tyranny with justice.
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Professor Bernard Reilly draws upon his voluminous knowledge of this tortuous time of troubles in human history to paint a portrait of violence, lust, opportunism and heroism. The characters include a full pageant of the players for power on the Iberian Peninsula: fallen Romans, proudly defiant Visigothic warriors, the aggressively brilliant Arabs and Moors, and manipulating agents of the invaders. Reilly's tale captures a full range of human desires and emotions from chivalry, honor and love to revenge, greed and terror. It is a story that seizes the imagination not only for its epic grandeur, but because it brings to life an awful period in history.
Dr. Bernard Reilly, professor of medieval history at Villanova University, brings a lifetime of research and unparalleled knowledge of Visigothic and Muslim Spain to this exciting tale of a world that is part of the fabled past, but seems to offer a lesson to the very real present. Vissza