The Saracen Blade

This book by Frank Yerby was published in 1952. The hero in the story is Pietro di Donati, a Sicilian, son of a blacksmith. Born in 1194 in Iesi, on the same day with Frederick II of Hohenstaufen, they later become good friends. Raised by a wealthy Jew in Palermo, clever Pietro learns many things: Latin, Greek, Arabic, algebra, logic, and rhetoric. Later, the Jew and Pietro's father are executed by the devilish Count Alessandro of Siniscola and Pietro himself must serve Baron Rogliano's family where he meets and falls in love with Iolanthe, the daughter of his master. Iolanthe has to marry someone else, who is rich and noble of course, and not Pietro the serf. Pietro then meets a knight from France, Gautier of Montrose, and with him Pietro starts his journey to Italy, France, Germany, the Holy Land, and Egypt.

The story is very rich and Frederick II appears now and then. Yerby includes interesting notes to explain the history background. If you are interested about the life of European knights in the 13th century, this book is for you. About Pietro's love story, after separated from Iolanthe, he married Gauthier's sister, Antoinette, to save her honour, but she fails to learn to love him, and set him free. He later marries again to Lady Elaine, Count Siniscola's niece, whom he has admired for a long time. This marriage also doesn't goes well, because proud Elaine hardly accepts Pietro, who is by now rich and has been knighted twice, as her equal and only agrees to take his hand because Emperor Frederick demands it. They never have any child. In this turmoil, Pietro leaves to the Holy Land to take part in the Crusades, is captured, becomes a slave, and only after eight years can see his wife again, and it's too late to save the marriage by then. All that time, Iolanthe and her husband only live 20 miles away and all the time she has been waiting for Pietro.

"The time will come when men will know that goodness of heart and greatness of soul are the only true tests of nobility - not the wild accident of birth." - Pietro di Donati to Lady Elaine.