George Steger

Author of The Sebastian Chronicles

 

The Sebastian Chronicles

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This is a tale of two men who raised themselves above the narrow conventions of their times, one a great king, the other a simple Frankish warrior who taught himself to read. The king was Karl der Grosse, later to be known as Charlemagne. War was what sustained the High King Karl. He remained mighty and glorified as long as he could win victories, fighting and ruling largely like his pagan enemies. Gradually he began to change, moved by uncommon men around him who were able to show him a different way. It was his genius to recognize them.

One of those men was Sebastian, the bastard child of Ermengard, the wife of a famous count at Charlemagne’s court, and Attalus, a renowned but landless “Horse Master,” or constable. Sebastian was raised in relative isolation on the wild Saxon border by a lucky combination of enlightened people: his imperious mother, a blind sage, and a pair of very unorthodox clergymen, all of whom taught him to seek his own way and be strong enough to bear the consequences.

Sebastian succeeds in becoming a skilled and formidable fighter, but Heimdal, the blind man, and the two counter-cultural priests inspire him to become a scholar as well, a status avoided by most of Charlemagne’s rough-edged warriors.

Sebastian’s determination and unconventional character win him the king’s love, but an ingrained sense of integrity leads him to oppose Charlemagne’s brutal methods of vengeance against his enemies the Saxons. Standing on the perilous edge of treason, Sebastian’s fate is further imperiled by his brutish cousin Konrad, whose hatred threatens to destroy Sebastian and his family.

The story’s young hero is not immune to the attractions and temptations of the fairer sex. At the court of the king, he is stunned and enchanted in turn by the bold charms of the voluptuous Adelaide and the cool beauty of the regal Adela. Later, he succumbs to the allure and availability of a village girl, Gersvind, with tragic consequences.

The story follows closely the chronicle of Charlemagne’s 30-year war against his foes, the pagan Saxons, led by Widukind, Prince of the Saxons, a wily blond giant of legendary fame and ferocity. This fast-paced adventure story brings to life Charlemagne’s realm at a time when the vicious Christian-pagan wars of the 8th century would decide the fate of Europe. Full of action and romance, it is a realistic and colorful recreation of the world of Europe’s greatest medieval monarch.

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Sebastian’s Way, Book I of The Sebastian Chronicles, tells the tale of a young man who sought to be different in a world in which being right when those in authority are wrong could be dangerous as well as ruinous. It is the story of two men, Charlemagne, “The Thunderer”, who fights and rules like the pagan enemies he seeks to conquer, and a young warrior who challenges the king to forge a new path to peace. Though action and adventure abound, it is a colorful medieval stew, rich with the authentic stock of the times: savage warriors, salty peasants, courageous, ground-breaking clergy, and plenty of memorable maidens for those who like a good romance.

The Paladin, Book II of The Sebastian Chronicles, takes the hero far afield from the Court of Charlemagne and its Rhineland background. Through his courage on the battlefield, original ideas, and steadfast service to the king Sebastian has been given the honor of becoming one of Charlemagne’s twelve paladins, men who hold the king’s absolute trust and are thus asked to undertake the hardest and most dangerous missions for the realm.

The first part of the book describes how Sebastian came to be chosen as a paladin. It is a high honor but the cost is also high. He loses his wife and family and is submerged into a world of intrigue and violence. Eventually he is asked by the king to undertake a long and arduous trip to three preeminent capitals of the 9th century medieval world: Constantinople, Jerusalem and Baghdad. In each city he faces highly complicated tasks with only a slender chance of success.

Becoming a paladin and pursuing the complex and dangerous business of one of the most powerful rulers of the day changes Sebastian from the young man of faith and character he once was into a hard-bitten warrior in a violent world whose losses and trials lead him to fear for the loss of his soul. Thus the latter part of the book also becomes a parable of the ruin and redemption of a professional soldier.

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Harun al-Rashid receiving a delegation of Charlemagne in Baghdad
Julius Köckert, 1864

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Harun al-Rashid receiving a delegation of Charlemagne in Baghdad


Julius Kockert, 1864
Emperor Charlemagne
Albrecht Durer, 1512

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Emperor Charlemagne


Albrecht Durer, 1512
Charlemagne, King of the Franks
D.J. Pound, 1875

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Charlemagne, King of the Franks


D.J Pound, 1875
Charlemagne in court in Aachen
J.H. Isings, 1961

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Charlemagne in court in Aachen


J.H. Isings, 1961
Charlemagne on horseback
Bronze Statuette, 1567

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Charlemagne on horseback


Bronze Statuette, 1567
The Midnight Encounter
N.C. Wyeth, 1924

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The Midnight Encounter


N.C. Wyeth, 1924
Carlo Magno
Louis Felix Amiel, 1839

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Carlo Magno


Louis Felix Amiel, 1839
The Age of Charlemagne
Angus McBride, 1984

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The Age of Charlemagne


Angus McBride, Men-at-Arms No. 150, 1984
The Coronation of Napoleon
in imitation of the crowning of Charlemagne in 800 AD
Jacques-Louis David, 1807

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The Coronation of Napoleon
in imitation of the crowning of Charlemagne in 800 AD


Jacques-Louis David, 1807