Roman Murder Mystery - The True Story of Pompilia (Hardcover, illustrated edition)

In June 1860, poet Robert Browning, browsing through a market-stall of second-hand books in Florence, picked up a 'square old yellow book' whose Latin title intrigued him. It contained an account of a trial 150 years earlier for the murder of three people: father, mother and daughter. He took it home, and found in it the story which inspired his long poem The Ring and the Book: a tale of greed, ambition, snobbery, deception, conflict and revenge between two families, each of whom believed that by joining their offspring in marriage they would gain both materially and socially. Unfortunately, the marriage was a disaster, and acrimony ensued. The bride, Pompilia, became so miserable that in desperation she eloped with a handsome young acquaintance who promised to return her to her parents. Guido, the 'wronged' husband, incandescent with rage, gathered together a group of assassins and on 2 January 1698 followed her and, bursting unceremoniously in upon them, hacked his wife and her parents to death in a scene of such horror that 'the house was awash with blood'. A detailed description of the trial of the assassins follows and one can see why Browning and Parker were so fascinated. Parker's diligent search for the smallest details (some not available to Browning) and his thoughtful dissection of them is admirable, as is the controlled imagination he brings to his task. The story is gruesome, violent and macabre, but so were the times in which it took place - and its connection with one of England's greatest poets adds to its appeal. (Kirkus UK)

Derek Parker unravels a tale of duplicity, treachery and betrayal set in the most romantic period of Italian history, when children were married off for gain and society condoned the murder of adulterous wives. It has intrigued everyone who has heard of it for over 300 years. In 1697, a teenage girl named Pompilia tried to escape from her abusive husband, Count Guido Franceschini, with the help of a man called Guiseppe Caponsacchi. Arrested for adultery and put on trial, Pompilia was found guilty and sent to a nunnery. She was later allowed to return to her parents' home in Rome, where she gave birth to a son. During the night of the 3 January 1698, her elderly parents, Pietro Camparini and his wife Violante, were stabbed to death, their heads almost hacked from their bodies. Pompilia was also attacked, dying the next day from 20 stab wounds inflicted by the same five men. The men were arrested that evening. Seven weeks later, they were all convicted of one of the most notable and controversial crimes of the century and led to their executions by the Brotherhood of Death. After her death, the Franceschini continued to claim her dowry, while others tried to clear Pompilia's name. But was Pompilia saint or sinner? Had her parents set up a match for their child-bride, knowing that she was illegitimate? Who was the father of her son? Was her murder justified (17th-century Italy condoned the killing of adulterous wives)?

General

Imprint:	Sutton Publishing Ltd
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Release date:	November 2007
Authors:	Derek Parker
Dimensions:	198 x 127 x 27mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover
Pages:	256
Edition:	illustrated edition
ISBN-13:	978-0-7509-2582-2
Categories:	Books > Fiction > True stories > Crime
LSN:	0-7509-2582-5
Barcode:	9780750925822

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