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Prince of Foxes is a novel of
historical fiction by
Samuel Shellabarger, following the adventures of the fictional Andrea Orsini, a captain in the service of
Cesare Borgia during his conquest of the
Romagna.
Plot introduction
Andrea Zoppo, an Italian peasant schooled in the arts and versed in the ways of nobility during his University years, loses his old identity during the French invasion of Florence, and becomes Andrea Orsini, a bastard member of a dead Neapolitan junior branch of the great house of
Orsini. Having made his name with the French forces, he takes service with Cesare Borgia, with dreams of uniting Italy to stop the depredations of foreign adventurers and the manipulations of France and the Holy Roman Empire. However, his love of Lady Camilla of the Bagliones and respect for her husband Lord Varano of Citta del Monte derail those plans when he is sent to their court to take the city by treachery.<!--This should give some idea of the type of novel this article is about, the setting,the period and its place in literature. It should
not give information that wouldbe though of as
spoilers.-->
Plot summary
The novel begins with Andrea on the verge of embarking from Venice on his first non-military mission for Borgia, to induce Alfonso d'Este, the heir of
Ferrara, the "brightest court in Italy," to marry
Lucrezia Borgia, lately widowed, despite the numerous objections...
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