Synopses & Reviews
The first major biography of the Borgias in thirty years, Christopher Hibbert's latest history brings the family and the world they lived inthe glittering Rome of the Italian Renaissanceto life. The name Borgia is synonymous with the corruption, nepotism, and greed that were rife in Renaissance Italy. The powerful, voracious Rodrigo Borgia, better known to history as Pope Alexander VI, was the central figure of the dynasty. Two of his seven papal offspring also rose to power and fame -- his daughter Lucrezia and her brother Cesare, who murdered Lucrezia's husband and served as the model for Machiavelli's The Prince. The Borgias were notorious for seizing power, wealth, land, and titles through bribery, marriage, and murder. The story of the family's dramatic rise from its Spanish roots to the highest position in Italian society is an absorbing tale.
Review
PRAISE FOR CHRISTOPHER HIBBERT "[A] superbly scrupulous and sympathetic interpreter."The Boston Globe "Simply unputdown-able."The New York Times Book Review
Synopsis
The name Borgia is synonymous with the corruption, nepotism, and greed that were rife in Renaissance Italy. This is the absorbing tale of the family's dramatic rise from its Spanish roots to the highest position in Italian society.
About the Author
Christopher Hibbert has written more than fifty acclaimed books, including The Rise and Fall of the House of Medici and Rome: The Biography of a City. A leading popular historian whose works reflect meticulous scholarship, he is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He is married with three children and lives in Oxfordshire.
Table of Contents
Contents Chapter 1 The Crumbling City 1
Chapter 2 Elections and Celebrations 10
Chapter 3 A Man of Endless Virility 20
Chapter 4 Servant of the Servant of God 36
Chapter 5 Marriages and Alliances 43
Chapter 6 The French in Rome 54
Chapter 7 The Conquest of Naples 74
Chapter 8 The Borgia Bull 83
Chapter 9 Father and Children 92
Chapter 10 The Dominican Friar 99
Chapter 11 Murder 105
Chapter 12 Another Husband for Lucrezia 111
Chapter 13 The Unwanted Cardinals Hat 121
Chapter 14 Cesares French Bride 128
Chapter 15 Conquests 139
Chapter 16 Jubilee 153
Chapter 17 Duke of the Romagna 168
Chapter 18 The Naples Campaign 179
Chapter 19 The Duke and the Borgia Girl 184
Chapter 20 Frolics and Festivities 198
Chapter 21 The New Bride 205
Chapter 22 Castles and Condottieri 221
Chapter 23 The Death of the Pope 244
Chapter 24 Conclaves 254
Chapter 25 Cesare at Bay 264
Chapter 26 Duchess of Ferrara 274
Chapter 27 The End of the Affair 290
Chapter 28 The Death of the Duchess 302
Chapter 29 Saints and Sinners 311
Bibliography 315
Index 321