Bardelys the Magnificent is a 1906 historical adventure novel by the Italian-born British writer Rafael Sabatini. It is set in France during the reign of Louis XIII. In 1926 the story was adapted into a film version Bardelys the Magnificent by the Hollywood studio MGM, with John Gilbert playing the title role. Plot The Novel is set in the reign of King Louis XIII. When Comte Châtellerault fails to win the hand in the marriage of Roxalanne de Lavedan, despite hinting at leniency for her rebellious family if she accepts, he responds to the notorious womanizer Marquis de Bardelys' mockery by wagering his estate against that of Bardelys that Bardelys cannot succeed in marrying Roxalanne either within three months. While Bardelys does not desire marriage, he feels he has to accept the challenge. However the king, on hearing of the wager, forbids Bardelys from seeking a marriage alliance with a rebel family. Bardelys ignores the king’s orders as he feels that his honor is at stake. On the way to the Lavedan estate, he stumbles upon a fatally wounded man, Lesperon, who asks him to say farewell to his beloved but dies before telling him her name. Bardelys takes his papers and, when challenged by a party of the king’s soldiers, assumes Lesperon’s identity to conceal his own, only to find that Lesperon is a wanted traitor. Bardelys escapes after fighting them off, and wounded, seeks refuge in the Lavedan residence. Roxanne tends to him and hides him. Meanwhile, Roxanne and her family discover with anger that she is the subject of a public wager by Bardelys, who prudently retains his assumed identity and grows closer to Roxalanne.