I have long been in awe of the abilities (and intelligence and education) of Scotland's Dorothy Dunnett (now deceased). She wrote a six book series known collectively as The Lymond Chronicles, set in the era when Mary, Queen of Scots, was a child (it begins in 1547). Francis Crawford of Lymond is the most intriguing fictional character I've ever met. Dunnett also wrote a standalone book, The King Hereafter, set in the Orkneys in the time when the Viking era was giving way to Christianity. In between her historical novels, she wrote a lighthearted suspense series about a portrait painter named Johnson Johnson who traveled about on his yacht Dolly. The British editions all had "Dolly" in the title: "Dolly and the Singing Bird," "Dolly and the Nanny Bird," etc. The American editions changed the titles to the likes of "Murder in the Round" and "The Rum Affair."
Unobtainable for a long time, there are now new paperback and e-book editions available in the US.
Dunnett (who was also a noted portrait painter herself) then started a new series known as "The House of Niccolo" which includes a total of eight books. It is set in the fifteenth century and begins in Bruges in a trading company and dyeworks. I collected each as it was released in hardback, but kept putting off starting the new series for fear of how the main character would compare to Lymond. My most recent "Reading Resolution" was (1) to reread the Lymond books in order, and (2) to finally dive into the world of Niccolo and read that series in order as well. I am now reading the fourth Niccolo book, "Scales of Gold" -- I am not disappointed.
I highly recommend these books, along with the caveat that they aren't for everybody. You have to like richly detailed and in-depth history which reflects the interplay of politics and religion on life at the time of the story. Dunnett's descriptions of setting and scene are like watching a movie spectacle but with scent included. She manages a huge cast of characters, probably 90 percent actual people from the pages of history. She never puts a foot wrong. She cuts her readers very little slack -- like the people surrounding Niccolo and Lymond, you never know what is really going on inside the minds of her main characters.
Except for the Johnson Johnson books, you can't just pick up one of Dunnett's creations for a casual read. They require a certain amount of commitment from the reader commensurate with the craft and dedication that went into building them. You may find that "it's all just too much for me." If not, you'll be rewarded by a constant series of "WHAT????" along with a continuing feeling of "WOW, what a ride!!!!"
I don't know of another author who writes anything that remotely resembles what Dorothy Dunnett could do -- I wish I did.
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