Synopses & Reviews
and#8220;A rich, nuanced portrait of a highly controversial beauty and military leader, and her violent albeit glittering Italian Renaissance milieu.and#8221;and#8212;
Publishers WeeklyA strategist to match Machiavelli; a warrior who stood toe to toe with the Borgias; a wife whose three marriages would end in bloodshed and heartbreak; and a mother determined to maintain her familyand#8217;s honor, Caterina Riario Sforza deand#8217; Medici was a true Renaissance celebrity, beloved and vilified in equal measure. In this dazzling biography, Elizabeth Lev illuminates her extraordinary life and accomplishments.
Raised in the court of Milan and wed at age ten to the popeand#8217;s corrupt nephew, Caterina was ensnared in Italyand#8217;s political intrigues early in life. After turbulent years in Romeand#8217;s papal court, she moved to the Romagnol province of Forland#236;. Following her husbandand#8217;s assassination, she ruled Italyand#8217;s crossroads with iron will, martial strength, political savvy, and an iconand#8217;s fashion sense. In finally losing her lands to the Borgia family, she put up a resistance that inspired all of Europe and set the stage for her progenyand#8212;including Cosimo deand#8217; Mediciand#8212;to follow her example to greatness.
A rich evocation of Renaissance life, The Tigress of Forland#236; reveals Caterina Riario Sforza as a brilliant and fearless ruler, and a tragic but unbowed figure.
Review
"Bradford’s zest for this era is contagious." —
USA Today
"A lively view of Lucrezia, capturing the glamour and tragedy of her story." —The Wall Street Journal
"This is also a tender and intimate account of a misunderstood and passionate woman." —Elle
Review
"Bradfordandrsquo;s zest for this era is contagious."andnbsp;andmdash;
USA Today
"A lively view of Lucrezia, capturing the glamour and tragedy of her story."andnbsp;andmdash;The Wall Street Journal
"This is also a tender and intimate account of a misunderstood and passionate woman." andmdash;Elle
Review
"A rich account of a dramatic and tragic life: a tale of murder, childhood marriage, revenge, rape, accession to power by a Florentine woman, and a violent downfall. Lev offers a rich, nuanced portrait of a highly controversial beauty and military leader and her violent albeit glittering Italian Renaissance milieu." and#8212; Publishers Weekly "An engrossing biography of one of Renaissance Italyand#8217;s most accomplished powerbrokers. The author writes with a light touch and an eye for the pageantry and drama of the timeand#8212;her subject was known as one of the best-dressed women in Italyand#8212;while colorfully recounting weighty affairs of state. An inspiring tale of the courage and fortitude of an enigmatic and indomitable woman."and#8212;Kirkus "Lev continues the recent biographical trend of unearthing extraordinary women from the historical dustpile. The Renaissance is hot right now, and this well-researched biography is a welcome addition to the reexamination of the era." and#8212;Booklist
Synopsis
The very name Lucrezia Borgia conjures up everything that was sinister and corrupt about the Renaissance—incest, political assassination, papal sexual abuse, poisonous intrigue, unscrupulous power grabs. Yet, as bestselling biographer Sarah Bradford reveals in this breathtaking new portrait, the truth is far more fascinating than the myth. Neither a vicious monster nor a seductive pawn, Lucrezia Borgia was a shrewd, determined woman who used her beauty and intelligence to secure a key role in the political struggles of her day.
Drawing from a trove of contemporary documents and fascinating firsthand accounts, Bradford brings to life the art, the pageantry, and the dangerous politics of the Renaissance world Lucrezia Borgia helped to create.
Synopsis
The very name Lucrezia Borgia conjures up everything that was sinister and corrupt about the Renaissanceincest, political assassination, papal sexual abuse, poisonous intrigue, unscrupulous power grabs. Yet, as bestselling biographer Sarah Bradford reveals in this breathtaking new portrait, the truth is far more fascinating than the myth. Neither a vicious monster nor a seductive pawn, Lucrezia Borgia was a shrewd, determined woman who used her beauty and intelligence to secure a key role in the political struggles of her day.
Drawing from a trove of contemporary documents and fascinating firsthand accounts, Bradford brings to life the art, the pageantry, and the dangerous politics of the Renaissance world Lucrezia Borgia helped to create.
Synopsis
A Rome-based American historian tells the extraordinary story of Caterina Sforza, perhaps the most prominent woman of Renaissance Italy, who was a wife, a mother, a leader, and a warrior with the courage to battle a Borgia pope, the charm to beguile a Medici husband, and the fierceness to make Machiavelli himself wince.and#160;
About the Author
Sarah Bradford is a historian and biographer. Her previous books include Cesare Borgia, Disraeli, Princess Grace, George VI, Splendours and Miseries: A Life of Sacheverell Sitwell, Elizabeth: A Biography of Her Majesty the Queen, America’s Queen: The Life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and Lucrezia Borgia.
Table of Contents
Authorand#8217;s Noteand#160;vii
Prologue: Christmas Cannonsand#160;xi
Map: Kingdoms, Duchies, and Republics of Caterinaand#8217;s Ageand#160;xvi
THE EDUCATION OF AN AMAZONand#160;1
CHILDHOODand#8217;S ENDand#160;11
THE COUNTESS-IN-WAITINGand#160;21
THE TRIUMPHAL PARADE TO ROMEand#160;30
COURTIERS AND CONSPIRACIESand#160;40
THE GROWTH OF THE RIARIO DYNASTYand#160;50
THE FAIREST IN THE REALMand#160;61
THE BIRTH OF ATHENAand#160;78
THE LEAN YEARSand#160;95
TAKING CENTER STAGEand#160;110
THE RETORT AT RAVALDINOand#160;125
THE SPOILS OF WARand#160;140
FANNING THE FLAMESand#160;154
BLINDED BY LOVEand#160;170
AVENGING FURYand#160;181
INTRIGUE AND INVASIONand#160;202
ITALYand#8217;S IDOLand#160;216
THE LONG NIGHT OF CASTEL SANTand#8217;ANGELOand#160;234
SLEEP AFTER TOILand#160;249
Epilogue: Mantua, 1526and#160;266
Notesand#160;274
Sourcesand#160;284
Indexand#160;290