Turmoil in the Renaissance : A Historical Fiction of Ludovico Sforza-Duke of Milan

It is the height of the Renaissance. The “princes” of the states which 400 years later will be united into the country of Italy are trying to maintain their independence from foreign intervention, including the Vatican. Culture in the form of painting, architecture, writing and philosophy is an aristocratic endeavor. In this era of cultural development, religious fervor and territorial aggrandizement, Ludovico Sforza’s Milan is among the five dominant states on the Italian peninsular militarily and it is recognized as having one of its greatest cultural courts. Ludovico and his two fictional friends, Gianni and Giorgio, move through the era with all the faults and virtues of their contemporaries, advancing Milan’s economic well-being, protecting its borders, enjoying its festivals and solving a Vatican conspiracy. Along the way Leonardo da Vinci, Lorenzo de Medici, Pope Sixtus IV, Cesare Borgia and others make their appearance onto the scene. It is a story of friendship, culture, Vatican intrigue and religious debate until Ludovico’s tragic end.