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Valperga

English BooksWhale Edition by Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley’s historical novel of medieval Italy, political ambition, republican ideals, love, and moral conflict.

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Valperga

Valperga reimagines the life of Castruccio Castracani against the political world of medieval Tuscany. Mary Shelley turns Italian history into a novel about power, liberty, conscience, gender, loyalty, and the costs of ambition after Frankenstein.

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Why this edition can be shared

Mary Shelley died in 1851, and Valperga was first published in 1823. These dates support the public-domain basis for the original English text used in this edition.

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Valperga

Mary Shelley

Preview chapterVolume IPreview

VALPERGA:

OR, THE

LIFE AND ADVENTURES

OF

CASTRUCCIO,

PRINCE OF LUCCA.

BY THE AUTHOR OF "FRANKENSTEIN."

IN THREE VOLUMES.

VOL. I.

LONDON:

PRINTED FOR G. AND W. B. WHITTAKER, AVE-MARIA-LANE.

1823.

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The accounts of the Life of Castruccio known in England, are generally taken from Macchiavelli's romance concerning this chief. The reader may find a detail of his real adventures in Sismondi's delightful publication, _Histoire des Republiques Italiennes de l'Age Moyen_. In addition to this work, I have consulted Tegrino's Life of Castruccio, and Giovanni Villani's Florentine Annals.

The following is a translation from the article respecting him in Moreri.

"Castruccio Castracani, one of the most celebrated captains of his time, lived in the fourteenth century. He was of the family of the Antelminelli of Lucca; and, having at a very early age borne arms in favour of the Ghibelines, he was exiled by the Guelphs. He served not long after in the armies of Philip king of France, who made war on the Flemings. In the sequel he repassed the Alps; and, having joined Uguccione Faggiuola, chief of the Ghibelines of Tuscany, he reduced Lucca, Pistoia, and several other towns. He became the ally of the emperor Louis of Bavaria, against pope John XXII, Robert king of Naples, and the Florentines. Louis of Bavaria gave him the investiture of Lucca under the denomination of Duke, together with the title of Senator of Rome. Nothing seemed able to oppose his courage and good fortune, when he was taken off by a premature death in 1330, in the forty-seventh year of his age."

The dates here given are somewhat different from those adopted in the following narrative.

VALPERGA

Table of contents

Inside this edition

  1. 01Full text
  2. 02Volume I
  3. 03PREFACE
  4. 04CHAPTER I
  5. 05CHAPTER II
  6. 06CHAPTER III
  7. 07CHAPTER IV
  8. 08CHAPTER V
  9. 09CHAPTER VI
  10. 10CHAPTER VII
  11. 11CHAPTER VIII
  12. 12CHAPTER IX
  13. 13CHAPTER X
  14. 14CHAPTER XI
  15. 15CHAPTER XII
  16. 16CHAPTER XIII
  17. 17CHAPTER XIV
  18. 18Volume II
  19. 19CHAPTER I _Conference of Castruccio and Galeazzo Visconti--of Castruccio and the Bishop of Ferrara.
  20. 20CHAPTER II _Parentage of Beatrice.--She is arrested by the Inquisition.
  21. 21CHAPTER III _Judgement of God.--Revolution of Ferrara.
  22. 22CHAPTER IV _Fall of Beatrice.
  23. 23CHAPTER V _Visit to Pepi at Cremona.
  24. 24CHAPTER VI _Galeazzo Visconti at Florence.--Castruccio and Euthanasia meet at Valperga: Doubts and Reserve.
  25. 25CHAPTER VII _Castruccio exiles three hundred Families from Lucca--Visits at Valperga--His Character further developed.
  26. 26CHAPTER X _Castruccio reconnoitres for a Surprise.--Embassy of Tripalda.
  27. 27CHAPTER XI _Valperga taken.
  28. 28CHAPTER XII _Euthanasia at Lucca.
  29. 29CHAPTER I
  30. 30CHAPTER II
  31. 31CHAPTER III
  32. 32CHAPTER IV
  33. 33CHAPTER V
  34. 34CHAPTER VI
  35. 35CHAPTER VII
  36. 36CHAPTER VIII
  37. 37CHAPTER IX
  38. 38CHAPTER X
  39. 39CHAPTER XI
  40. 40CHAPTER XII
  41. 41Volume III
  42. 42CHAPTER I _The Witch of the Forest.
  43. 43CHAPTER IV _Beatrice's Narrative.
  44. 44CHAPTER V _Beatrice resolves to take the Veil.--Euthanasia visits Florence.
  45. 45CHAPTER VI _Beatrice meets Tripalda--is led by Bindo to the Witch's Cave.
  46. 46CHAPTER VIII _Castruccio's Progress in Arms.--He brings Devastation to the Gates of Florence.--A Conspiracy formed against him.
  47. 47CHAPTER IX _Euthanasia joins the Conspiracy.--Tripalda a Member.
  48. 48CHAPTER X _Euthanasia removes to Lucca.--Conference with Tripalda.--Tripalda turns Informer.
  49. 49CHAPTER XI _Euthanasia in Prison.
  50. 50CHAPTER I
  51. 51CHAPTER II
  52. 52CHAPTER III
  53. 53CHAPTER IV
  54. 54CHAPTER V
  55. 55CHAPTER VI
  56. 56CHAPTER VII
  57. 57CHAPTER VIII
  58. 58CHAPTER IX
  59. 59CHAPTER X
  60. 60CHAPTER XI
  61. 61CHAPTER XII

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