Release date is 2025-04-27

Ramón Pajares Box. (This book was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries.)

"Ni rey ni roque (1-2 de 4): episodio histórico del reinado de Felipe II, año…" by Patricio de la Escosura is a historical novel written in the early 19th century. The book is set in Spain during the late 16th century, under the reign of Philip II, and follows characters entwined with themes of family legacy, tradition, and social intrigue. Its likely central figure is don Juan de Vargas, whose involvement in unusual events and mysteries offer a window into the social, political, and moral atmosphere of the era. The opening of the novel begins with a modern editor’s note about textual changes, before transitioning into the main narrative. The story is introduced through a contemporary narrator’s accidental meeting with don Sebastián de Vargas, a veteran soldier now retired to a rural estate with his family. The meeting leads to tales of family history and an old condition in a will influencing marriages across generations, especially affecting the current heirs, Inesita and her cousin Pedro. This frame narrative shifts to a historical recounting centered on don Juan de Vargas, who, while traveling, becomes embroiled in local intrigue after a mysterious encounter and a wrongful accusation. The initial chapters establish a vivid setting in rural and small-town Spain, introduce a cast of vibrant secondary characters, and quickly become embroiled in suspenseful and even comedic misadventures as confusion, popular excitement, and notions of justice surround don Juan’s plight. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Originally published: Madrid: Imprenta de Repullés, 1835