A historical romance of Emperor Charles V, at the outset of his career, when the vast projects which he subsequently went so far toward realizing were just beginning to take shape in his mind. The story here puts before us a man for whom "a long train of fortunate events had opened the way to the inheritance of more extensive dominions than any European monarch since Charlemagne had possessed" and is remarkably true to life. The Brigand is fairly entitled to a place in the class of works to which the illustrious romancist, Alexandre Dumas, owes his greatest fame.Also included in this volume is a shorter Dumas work, "Blanche de Beaulieu," a story of the French Revolution. This episode tells of the first uprising in La Vendee, and incidentally of the Reign of Terror as it existed under the auspices of Carrier at Nantes.Alexandre Dumas (also known as Dumas pere) (1802-1870) was one of the most famous French writers of the 19th century. Dumas is best known for the historical novels "The Three Musketeers" and "The Count of Monte Cristo," both written within the space of two years, 1844-45, and which belong to the foundation works of popular culture. Dumas' works are fast-paced adventure tales that blend history and fiction.