N.H. Barnes
Historical fiction about women whose influence in their own time outran their place in the record.
Forthcoming: If She is anything
A Novel of Matilda of Tuscany
Italy, 1046. A daughter is born into one of the most powerful families in Europe—but no one expects her to inherit its destiny.
When murder and political ambition tear apart the legacy of the House of Canossa, Matilda is left with vast lands, dangerous enemies, and a burden few men would dare to carry.
Across an Italy divided between pope and emperor, loyalty is bought with blood and faith has become a weapon. Kings seek to control her. Armies march through her territories. Powerful men underestimate her because she is a woman.
They will not make that mistake twice.
Told through the eyes of Benedetta, the companion who has stood fast beside Matilda since childhood, If She is anything brings to life the extraordinary true story of a woman who commanded armies, defied emperors, and became one of the most formidable rulers of the Middle Ages.
Behind the legend was a woman.
Behind the woman was a lifetime of sacrifice.
In final edits · forthcoming
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