| 'The Forty-Five Guardsmen', by Alexandre Dumas (1894), the most celebrated of French romance writers, is in two volumes, and is the third of a series known as 'The Valois Romances'. It basically deals with Diana de Meridor and her servant Remy who find a way to take revenge upon Duc d'Anjou for his heinous betrayal of Bussy d'Amboise. Historically it commences with the execution of Salcede and the arrival of the Forty-Five at Paris and deals with the Guise intrigues, the campaign of Anjou in Flanders and his death; the events in the novel take place in 1584-1585. Alexandre Dumas' 'The Forty-Five Guardsmen', which has been translated into several languages, tells a wonderful story, full of the rich historical detail, rousing action, and gripping characters that mark the best of Dumas' work. |
