Tigana

Two sorcerer-tyrants have conquered the Peninsula of the Palm, a land of nine provinces that echoes Renaissance Italy. After his son is killed in battle, Brandin of Ygrath crushes the province of Tigana and then uses magic to erase its name and history from the minds of all but those born there.

Twenty years on, Tigana's last prince, Alessan, leads a small band of wandering musicians across the Peninsula. Among them are Devin, a young singer, along with Baerd and Catriana. Their plan is to set Brandin and his rival, Alberico of Barbadior, against one another and so free the Peninsula and restore Tigana's name.

The book follows the rebels as well as people inside Brandin's court, and it treats the tyrant as a grieving man rather than a stock villain. It is a standalone epic fantasy about memory, identity, exile and the cost of revenge, and it won the 1991 Aurora Award.