Recensioni dei lettori

• George Singer

  (5/5)

  I really loved the book! I’ve been looking for a book to read on the Borgias and this one hasn’t disappointed!!
• Joey Loeffelbein

  (5/5)

  I bet if throughout history every Pope was investigated to the extent that Pope Alexander vi ( Borgia Pope), we would find as much letchery, simoney, adultry, and otger abuses. The fact that he was Spanish was the first straw with his incredible power over Rome being the final.
• Bill Lafever

  (5/5)

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  It’s a great story, well told. I recommend it.

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• drmaf-1

  (5/5)

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  Its generally believed that the reign of Pope Alexander VI (1492-1503) represents the absolute nadir of the papacy. In fact, there have been far worse popes, however Rodrigo Borgia and his family have become infamous for their greed, violence, lust for power and insatiable sexual appetites. This was not always the view however, in the centuries afterwards many expressed admiration for Alexander as a "strong" pope, who brought glory and power to the Church. Rodrigo Borgia came from an obscure Catalan family with alleged royal links in its past. Fiercely ambitious, he chose the Church as the best vessel for improving his family fortunes, but had little time for its moral strictures. By the time he arrived in Rome and became a cardinal he had already fathered illegitimate children, and would end up with at least 8. The most famous and influential of these would be the one he produced with Vanozza de Cattanei. Cesare, Juan, Lucrezia and Joffre would become as notorious as their father. Borgia served as Vice-Chancellor to five popes while he learned the dirty secrets of the Vatican and learnt how to play its power games. Finally after the death of the spectacularly unmemorable Innocent VIII, he made his move, trumping his fierce arch rival and lifetime enemy Guiliamo della Rovere by simply bribing his way into the papacy. Once there, he turned the Holy See into purely a vessel for enriching his family and increasing the temporal power of the church. His mercurial and violent son Cesare was his main tool for achieving this, while his daughter Lucrezia became a marital pawn in his game of thrones. Over a period of just 11 years Alexander and his family became legendary for their greed, violence, lust and political machinations as they stripped the Church bare for their own aggrandizement. In the end it all came to nothing though, as after Alexander's death his bitter enemy della Rovere became Pope as Julius II and he set about vigorously destroying the Borgia legacy. This book is a searing look into the corruption and violence of Renaissance Italy, the never-ending dynastic squabbles and outbreaks of war as rival city-states fought for advantage, with periodic interventions by France and Spain. Some of it sounds completely incredible but there is no doubt it is all true. A fantastic read.

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