''La Sanfelice'' (or ''La San Felice'') is an 1864 novel by the French writer Alexandre Dumas.Maxwell p.275 It depicts the arrest and execution in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

Luisa Sanfelice Luisa or Luigia Sanfelice (1764–1800) was an Italian aristocrat who was executed by Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies because of her involvement with the French-backed Parthenopean Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars, although Sanfelice ...

, who was accused of conspiring with the French and their supporters against

Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies Ferdinand I (12 January 1751 – 4 January 1825) was the King of the Two Sicilies from 1816, after his restoration following victory in the Napoleonic Wars. Before that he had been, since 1759, Ferdinand IV of the Kingdom of Naples and Ferdinand I ...

during the

French Revolutionary War The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted France against Britain, Austria, Prussia ...

Lord Nelson Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought a ...

and

Lady Hamilton Dame Emma Hamilton (born Amy Lyon; 26 April 176515 January 1815), generally known as Lady Hamilton, was an English maid, model, dancer and actress. She began her career in London's demi-monde, becoming the mistress of a series of wealthy me ...

, who were in Naples at the time, also feature as characters.

Film adaptations

In 1942 the novel was used as the basis for the historical film ''

'' directed by Leo Menardi. The 1968 film '' Emma Hamilton'' directed by Christian-Jaque was also loosely based on the novel.

Paolo and Vittorio Taviani Paolo Taviani (; born 8 November 1931) and Vittorio Taviani (; 20 September 1929 – 15 April 2018), collectively referred to as the Taviani brothers, were Italian film directors and screenwriters who collaborated on film productions. At the C ...

made a television film ''

'' in 2004.

References

Bibliography

* Maxwell, Richard. ''The Historical Novel in Europe, 1650-1950''. Cambridge University Press, 2012. 1864 French novels Historical novels Novels set in the 19th century Novels set in Naples Novels by Alexandre Dumas French novels adapted into films Cultural depictions of Horatio Nelson Cultural depictions of Emma, Lady Hamilton Cultural depictions of Italian women {{1860s-hist-novel-stub