The novel, written by Federico De Roberto and published in 1894, is set in Sicily in the period between the Risorgimento and the years following the Italian unification, when the territory of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy. The events of the Uzeda dynasty - of Spanish origin - are narrated through a development in which the paths of the characters are intertwined with the cultural and historical characteristics of the moment.
"Viceroy" was the title given to the Regents of the Spanish royal government in the Kingdom of Sicily between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries. Sicily was part of the Spanish area as the Kingdom of Sicily had established an agreement with the royal dynasty of Aragon (Spain). Since then there was a profound historical and cultural link between Sicily and Spain.
The narrative rotates around the legacy left by Princess Teresa, wife of Consalvo VII Uzeda of Francalanza. Starting from this event, the personal stories of his brothers, his sister, his children, his in-laws are articulated, each of which has characteristics from which we can draw an effective portrait of that historical period (and not only of that period).
One of the main passages of the novel is the speech by Consalvo, nephew of Princess Teresa, candidate in the Italian legislative elections of 1882, in which he demonstrates a politician of considerable rhetorical ability and cultural preparation (for example, for his references to Europe). The accuracy of the historical references is another of the main features of the novel.
In addition to the description of the social, historical and cultural context, Federico De Roberto's narration is of considerable quality in the development of the personalities and ways of life of the characters, all very characterized. The description of the disillusionment following the Risorgimento, which materializes in the personal parable of Benedetto, husband of Lucrezia (one of the daughters of Princess Teresa), is particularly realistic. He will see his ideals crumble in the face of the pragmatism of the Duke of Oragua, his uncle Gaspare Uzeda (brother of Princess Teresa).
The character transformation of Lucrezia from the desired modernity to the return to tradition, the moral and cultural unscrupulousness of her brother Raimondo, are some of the features of the novel. For the description of Sicily in the period before and after the Risorgimento, the novel "I Vicerè" and "Il Gattopardo", written by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa and published in 1958, can be considered complementary.
