It was a sultry summer night of the year five hundred and twenty-six, A.D. Thick clouds lay low over the dark surface of the Adrea, whose shores and waters were melted together in undistinguishable gloom; only now and then a flash of distant lightning lit up the silent city of Ravenna. At unequal intervals the wind swept through the ilexes and pines on the range of hills which rise at some distance to the west of the town, and which were once crowned by a temple of Neptune. At that time al...

The novel follows the life of Felicitas, a young woman of Germanic descent, as she navigates the challenges and upheavals brought about by the migration of Germanic tribes into the territories of the Roman Empire. Through Felicitas's experiences, the reader is immersed in a world of political intrigue, cultural clashes, and epic struggles for power and survival.As the Roman Empire crumbles and barbarian hordes sweep across the continent, Felicitas finds herself caught between rival faction...

Felicitas is centred on Juvavum-the modern day Salzburg-of AD. 476 and is an adventure set in the time of the invasion of the Danubian regions by the hostile Germanic tribes. A masteful piece of historical fiction, deftly bringing the reader into the calamitous world of 5th century Rome and its stunning collapse.

Called "Geimer" in it's original German, this novel of the fall of the Vandal Kingdom in Africa is a very dramatic story, with all the contrasts which make for the popularity of stories of the decadent Roman period. In essence it is a tragedy of tragedies, the bloody destruction of the whole Germanic race which, after sacking Rome, ruled for a hundred years upon the site of Old Carthage. Felix Ludwig Julius Dahn was a German lawyer, author and historian. Dahn's writings were extremely infl...

After the death of Theodoric the Great his successors try to maintain his legacy: an independent Ostrogothic Kingdom. They are opposed by the Eastern Roman Empire, ruled by emperor Justinian I. It is he who tries to restore the Roman Empire to its state before the Migration Period from his residence in Constantinople, which requires the capture of the Italian Peninsula and specifically Rome. Theodoric the Great is succeeded by his infant grandson Athalaric, supervised by his mother, Amalas...

The SAGA OF HALFRED THE SIGSKALD is tale of the Tenth Century.A Long time ago, there was growing up in the North; a boy named Halfred. In Iceland, on the Hamund Fjord, stood the splendid hall of his father, Hamund.At that time elves and goblins still moved about freely among the Northern nations. And many say that an elf, who had been friendly to the powerful Hamund, drew near to the cradle of the boy Halfred, and laid wild honey upon his lips, and said--"Victory shal...

To Cornelius Cethegus Caesarius, a Friend: I send these notes to you rather than to any other man. Why? First of all, because I know not where you are, so the missive will probably be lost. Doubtless that would be the best thing which could happen, especially for the man who would then be spared reading these pages! But it will also be well for me that these lines should lie-or be lost-in some other place than here. For here in Constantinople they may fall into certain dainty little well-k...

Some years ago I was at work in Salzburg: in the library among the old records, and in the Museum of Roman antiquities.My studies were principally concerned with the fifth century: the time when the Germanic tribes invaded these regions, the Roman garrisons retiring with or without resistance, while many settlers remained in the land. Peasants, trades-people, mechanics, would not forsake their homes, nor give up their lucrative occupations, would not quit their valued, long-cherish...

Felix Dahn was a nineteenth century German Professor of Jurisprudence, as well as a historian, novelist and poet, who was greatly admired by his academic contemporaries for his grasp of the historical detail of the periods about which he wrote. He has been well served by this magisterial translation, which at last makes this astonishingly rich novel available to the modern English reader. This is a story - perhaps the story - of the clash between two great civilizations of the sixth centur...

Whoever has been at Friedrichshafen on beautiful Lake Constance, on a clear August day, and watched the sun setting in splendor behind the tops of the beeches of Manzell; whoever has seen the waves of the lake and the snow-capped peaks of the Alps from Sentis to the Allgau Mountains glow in the crimson light, while the notes of the Ave Maria float softly over forest, meadow, and water, will treasure the memory of the peaceful scene throughout his whole life.

This story, published in Germany under the title of Gelimer is the third volume in the group of romances to which "Felicitas" and "The Captive of the Roman Eagles" belong, and, like them, deals with the long continued conflict between the Germans and the Romans. But in the present novel the scene of the struggle is transferred from the forests of Germania to the arid sands of Africa, and, in wonderfully vivid pen pictures, the author displays the marvellous magnificence surrounding the des...

Volume 1 of "A Struggle for Rome" sets the stage for the conflict and introduces the key characters and factions involved. The novel likely depicts the political intrigue, military campaigns, and cultural clashes characteristic of this tumultuous period in European history.Felix Dahn was known for his meticulous research and vivid storytelling, and "A Struggle for Rome" is considered one of his masterpieces. The novel provides readers with a compelling portrayal of the ancient world and of...