The Falconer's Apprentice by Malve von Hassell

The Falconer’s Apprentice

by Malve von Hassell

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The Falconer’s Apprentice is a story of adventure and intrigue set in the intense social and political unrest of the Holy Roman Empire in the thirteenth century.
That bird should be destroyed!”
Andreas stared at Ethelbert in shock. Blood from an angry-looking gash on the young lord’s cheek dripped onto his embroidered tunic. Andreas clutched the handles of the basket containing the young peregrine. Perhaps this was a dream—
Andreas, an apprentice falconer at Castle Kragenberg, cannot bear the thought of killing the young female falcon and smuggles her out of the castle. Soon he realizes that his own time there has come to an end, and he stows away, with the bird, in the cart of an itinerant trader, Richard of Brugge. So begins a series of adventures that lead him from an obscure castle in northern Germany to the farthest reaches of Frederick von Hohenstaufen’s Holy Roman Empire, following a path dictated by the wily trader’s mysterious mission.
Andreas continues to improve his falconry skills, but he also learns to pay attention to what is happening around him as he travels through areas fraught with political unrest. Eventually, Richard confides in Andreas, and they conspire to free Enzio, the eldest of the emperor’s illegitimate sons, from imprisonment in Bologna.

A Word from the Author

When I began the work for this coming-of-age journey from the northernmost reaches of the Holy Roman Empire to southern Italy in the 13^th century, I was enthralled by the world I found, truly a treasure trove for writers of historical fiction. In addition to the fascinating realm of falconry in medieval times, I was privileged to delve into the architecture of the time, in particular, the splendid Castel del Monte in Apulia, the surprising breadth of medical research, exemplified by the medical university in Salerno, and the poetry created by members of the Sicilian School of Poetry. It gave me great joy to try to convey some of this in my historical fiction account.

(Malve von Hassell, 2024)