Top-rated
Tue, Dec 26, 2017
Richard, a bastard from Augsburg's immensely rich Fugger family, is raised as novice in a far-way German monastery' school, near his converted Saracene mother Zobeida, but the open-minded abbot's hands are tied when the papal-mandated inquisitor Heinrich Insistoris imposes a reign of heresy-paranoid terror. Zobeida is raped by a frustrated monk, who delivers her to the stake to save his own neck. Grief-maddened, Richard stabs the inquisitor half-blind and flees, but is rescued from death row dungeon by Fugger's discrete minder Eberding, who starts his mundane education to become a trustee in the Fugger mining and financial empire, rising to chief accountant. Richard is obsessed with revenge on the inquisition, hence motivated to help Jakob Fugger, who needs a crusade-friendly pope to stop the Ottoman threat to his Hungarian silver and copper mines, prevent the Holy See falling to another 'witchhunter'.* So they set out over the Alps to prepare the electoral conclave of cardinal Sforza. On the way, Richard falls in hopeless love with gallantly saved gypsy in trouble Saviya, who may even expose Richard to the inquisition and hence compromise Fugger's mission.
Top-rated
Thu, Dec 28, 2017
'Chief accountant' Richard assists Jakob Fugger on their Italian campaign to buy the succession of the ailing pope, starting in Florence even before his death prompts a conclave. Counting on pro-crusade cardinal Sforza they need the support of vice chancellor Borgia, to stop off ruthless conservative rival della Rovere of the Inquisition party, for one buying dodgy ratification of a cardinal appointment 'in pettore'. In Rome the intrigue is merciless, even deadly, but Richard bluntly disappoints Fugger and his minder Eberding, even risks everything to save gypsy harlot Saviya who serves Borgia in bed and as card reader, a pretext for inquisitor Heinrich Institoris to charge her as witch, punishable on the stake. Borgia becomes the last hope after Sforza is disqualified. Richard may get to revenge his mother or loose everything, and Jakob Fugger reveals a family secret.