Of Faith and Fidelity ― Geoffrey Hotspur and the War for St Peter's Throne

As the papal wars of the Western Schism rage across Europe, a young man takes his first step on the journey of a lifetime. Geoffrey Hotspur dreams of knighthood. As an English orphan-squire bonded to the court of Sir John of Gaunt, his prospects are few. A deadly street brawl results in his banishment from court, and as further punishment, he is ordered to join a royal commission bound for Florence. He becomes part of a company of Catalonian crossbowmen en route to enlist with the Roman papal army. The need to do right inspires Geoffrey to take a personal stake in the outcome of the war between two popes. With little more than his wits and a sword, the young squire must find a way to fulfill his duty to his lord, to his faith, and to himself. As the war culminates in the final battle for the throne of St. Peter, will Geoffrey find that a knighthood is worth the risk to his honor?

Evan Ostryzniuk grew up in Canada and was educated in both Canada and the United Kingdom. He currently works and writes in Kiev, Ukraine. He earned several academic degrees in history and modern languages, which culminated in doctoral research at Cambridge University that resulted in a thesis about rural insurgency during the Russian Revolution.