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    The Borgias and Their Enemies, 1431–1519
    The Borgias and Their Enemies, 1431–1519
    The Borgias and Their Enemies, 1431–1519
    Ebook357 pages

    The Borgias and Their Enemies, 1431–1519

    By Christopher Hibbert

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    This colorful history of a powerful family brings the world they lived in—the glittering Rome of the Italian Renaissance—to 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—Lucrezia Borgia, his daughter, whose husband was famously murdered by her brother, and that brother, Cesare, who inspired Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince.
     
    Notorious for seizing power, wealth, land, and titles through bribery, marriage, and murder, the dynasty’s dramatic rise from its Spanish roots to its occupation of the highest position in Renaissance society forms a gripping tale.
     
    From the author of The Rise and Fall of the House of Medici and other acclaimed works, The Borgias and Their Enemies is “a fascinating read” (Library Journal).
     
     
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Integrated Media
    Release dateSep 16, 2009
    ISBN9780547350615
    The Borgias and Their Enemies, 1431–1519
    Author

    Christopher Hibbert

    Christopher Hibbert, an Oxford graduate, has written more than fifty books, including Wellington: A Personal History, London: The Biography of a City, Redcoats and Rebels, and The Destruction of Lord Raglan. He lives with his family in Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire, England.

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    Reviews for The Borgias and Their Enemies, 1431–1519

    3.5/5

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    • 3/5
      Read this quick history to see how fictionalized the (albeit entertaining) Showtime series really is.
    • 3/5
      I did enjoy this, but I feel that I need to read more on the subject before I can tell if this was definitive.
    • 4/5
      Fascinating era with a fascinating cast of characters. The author is good at story-telling with historical accuracy.
    • 4/5
      I first came across the name Borgia while reading "The Prince" and decided to read further about them. Since I knew nothing about the Borgia's, it was a good introduction. However, if you've read about them before, I would recommend a more detailed book.
    • 5/5
      Good book to help flesh out the family, region and time.
    • 5/5
      A well researched and written account of a fascinating time in medieval Italian history.
    • 3/5
      Great subject matter handled a little too matter-of-factly.

      Full of colorful characters, fascinating intrigue and skull-duggery, and the selection of events and pacing are both fine. I just felt, as a popular history, this could have been more lively and interesting; perhaps more interpretation or specualtion on the Borgia figures would have brought them them more to life.
    • 5/5
      Best book on the Borgias available on scribd! Highly recommended
    • 3/5
      The story of the family Borgias and its claim to power from 1431 to 1519. Rodrigo Borgia who would become Pope Alexander VI is or was considered a corrupt Pope, known for his excesses. This book tells the tail of his planning and scheming.
    • 3/5
      Being fascinated by all things Borgia so,I picked up this work by renowned historian and biographer, Christopher Hibbert with great eagerness. I won’t say that I was disappointed; histories of the Borgias are too few and far between not to give any one of them the benefit of the doubt. The problem really lies in the book’s brevity, skimming as it does over events and personalities that deserve more detailed consideration, if only to make them comprehensible. Hibbert also wrote an examination of the Medicis that offered more detail and generally succeeded better in conveying that family’s impact on the world. Why he did not do the same for the Borgias is a mystery. If you’re looking for a quick introduction to the Borgias, this is a good place to start but keep in mind that it is an oversimplification of a complex and fascinating family.