About “For the Crown of Steel”

FOR THE CROWN OF STEEL
An epic fantasy of war, power, and impossible choices

Crowns are forged in war, but war is only the beginning.

  • Political fantasy inspired by real medieval warfare
  • Mercenaries, fractured kingdoms, rising empires

This is not a story of chosen ones, it is a story of men forced to rule in chaos, every battle, duel and assassination has been realistically described by a well-known historical fencing master.

Empires rise. Kingdoms fracture. Men must choose where they stand.

Vindice Maravoy was born to rule in Gallesse, heir to an ancient House and to a secret guarded for generations. But when his family defied the might of the Dosthan Empire, they were erased from history.

Stripped of lands and title, Vindice finds exile in the Kingdom of Malia—a proud land in decline, torn apart by internal wars and ruled by a feeble, corrupt crown. While its nobles conspire and its people bleed, the shadow of imperial conquest once again stretches across the northern borders.

Vindice knows the enemy. He has seen what the Empire does to those who resist.

As mercenary, commander, and reluctant player in Malia’s political game, Vindice is drawn into a struggle that is no longer just about battlefields, but councils, alliances, betrayals, and impossible compromises. To defend the land he has come to love, he may have to abandon his own principles.

For the Crown of Steel is an epic novel of war and power, loyalty and ambition, where the fate of nations rests on the choices of nobles, captains, and assassins.

Written by Marco Rubboli
Author, historian, and historical fencing master (HEMA)

  • Decades of research in medieval warfare
  • Consultant and author on historical combat
  • This experience shapes every battle in the novel
  • “79 reviews in Italy, mostly 4–5 stars”
  • “First volume of a completed trilogy”, with several tales and two spin-off short novels already published
  • “Translated from a successful Italian fantasy saga”