The Betrothed (Manzoni novel)

The Betrothed

Title page of 1842 edition
Author	Alessandro Manzoni
Original title	I promessi sposi
Translator	Charles Swan
Country	Italy
Language	Italian
Genre	Historical novel
Publication date	1827 (first version) 1842 (revised version) (Title pages give wrong date because of delays in publication)
Published in English	1828
Media type	Print (hardback and paperback)
Pages	720

The Betrothed (Italian: I promessi sposi [i proˈmessi ˈspɔːzi]) is an Italian historical novel by Alessandro Manzoni, first published in 1827, in three volumes. It has been called the most famous and widely read novel in the Italian language.

Set in northern Italy in 1628, during the oppressive years of direct Spanish rule, it is seen as a veiled attack on the Austrian Empire, which controlled the region at the time the novel was written. (The definitive version was published in 1842). It is also noted for the extraordinary description of the plague that struck Milan around 1630.

It deals with a variety of themes, from the cowardly, hypocritical nature of one prelate (Don Abbondio) and the heroic sainthood of other priests (Padre Cristoforo, Federico Borromeo), to the unwavering strength of love (the relationship between Renzo and Lucia, and their struggle to finally meet again and be married), and offers some keen insights into the meanderings of the human mind.

I promessi sposi was made into an opera of the same name by Amilcare Ponchielli in 1856 and by Errico Petrella in 1869. There have been many film versions of I promessi sposi, including I promessi sposi (1908),The Betrothed (1941)The Betrothed (1990), and Renzo and Lucia, made for television in 2004.

In May 2015, at a weekly general audience at St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis asked engaged couples to read the novel for edification before marriage.