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Sto caricando le informazioni... The Borgias: The Hidden History (2013)di G. J. Meyer
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Questa recensione è stata scritta per Recensori in anteprima di LibraryThing. To anyone interested in Italian Renaissance history, I can enthusiastically recommend The Borgias: the hidden history by G.J. Meyer. The author pulls together all the many reasons why historical data do not support the judgement that Pope Alexander VI was an immoral man and a bad Pope. A bit one-sided, certainly, but gives some much-needed ballast to the even more one-sided vitriol that one usually sees.For ten years my daughter lived in Nepi, a small medieval walled city about 50 km away from Rome. Lucretia Borgia, who once owned and (when her life allowed) occupied the castle, is fondly remembered there, and an annual celebration honours her. I found that more understandable after reading this book. A very interesting and thought-provoking book that takes the thesis that the Borgias get a "bum rap" from history. The big winner in this is Lucrezia Borgia, whose reputation, based on the available evidence, is almost completely overblown; there are, in fact, no real incidents of evil that can be ascribed to her, according to the author. The author also argues that Pope Alexander VI and Cesare Borgia did not have reputations that were outlandish by the standards of the time, low as they were. The only thing that can weary you is the enormous complexity of the squabbles over territory, and the endless crossing, double-crossing and triple-crossing that goes on. nessuna recensione | aggiungi una recensione
Biography & Autobiography.
History.
Nonfiction.
HTML:The startling truth behind one of the most notorious dynasties in history is revealed in a remarkable new account by the acclaimed author of The Tudors and A World Undone. Sweeping aside the gossip, slander, and distortion that have shrouded the Borgias for centuries, G. J. Meyer offers an unprecedented portrait of the infamous Renaissance family and their storied milieu. They burst out of obscurity in Spain not only to capture the great prize of the papacy, but to do so twice. Throughout a tumultuous half-century—as popes, statesmen, warriors, lovers, and breathtakingly ambitious political adventurers—they held center stage in the glorious and blood-drenched pageant known to us as the Italian Renaissance, standing at the epicenter of the power games in which Europe’s kings and Italy’s warlords gambled for life-and-death stakes. Five centuries after their fall—a fall even more sudden than their rise to the heights of power—they remain immutable symbols of the depths to which humanity can descend: Rodrigo Borgia, who bought the papal crown and prostituted the Roman Church; Cesare Borgia, who became first a teenage cardinal and then the most treacherous cutthroat of a violent time; Lucrezia Borgia, who was as shockingly immoral as she was beautiful. These have long been stock figures in the dark chronicle of European villainy, their name synonymous with unspeakable evil. But did these Borgias of legend actually exist? Grounding his narrative in exhaustive research and drawing from rarely examined key sources, Meyer brings fascinating new insight to the real people within the age-encrusted myth. Equally illuminating is the light he shines on the brilliant circles in which the Borgias moved and the thrilling era they helped to shape, a time of wars and political convulsions that reverberate to the present day, when Western civilization simultaneously wallowed in appalling brutality and soared to extraordinary heights. Stunning in scope, rich in telling detail, G. J. Meyer’s The Borgias is an indelible work sure to become the new standard on a family and a world that continue to enthrall. Praise for The Borgias “A vivid and at times startling reappraisal of one of the most notorious dynasties in history . . . If you thought you knew the Borgias, this book will surprise you.”—Tracy Borman, author of Queen of the Conqueror and Elizabeth’s Women “The mention of the Borgia family often conjures up images of a ruthless drive for power via assassination, serpentine plots, and sexual debauchery. . . . [G. J. Meyer] convincingly looks past the mythology to present a more nuanced portrait.”—Booklist “Meyer brings his considerable skills to another infamous Renaissance family, the Borgias [and] a fresh look into the machinations of power in Renaissance Italy. . . . [He] makes a convincing case that the Borgias have been given a raw deal.”—Historical Novels Review “Fascinating . . . a gripping history of a tempestuous time and an infamous family.”—Shelf Awareness. Non sono state trovate descrizioni di biblioteche |
Già recensito in anteprima su LibraryThingIl libro di G. J. Meyer The Borgias è stato disponibile in LibraryThing Early Reviewers. Discussioni correntiNessunoCopertine popolari
Google Books — Sto caricando le informazioni... GeneriSistema Decimale Melvil (DDC)945.060922History and Geography Europe Italy and region Italy Age of invasions 1492-1527Classificazione LCVotoMedia:
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It is a wonderfully put together book. Easy to read, despite the multitude of names and places. If it's too hard to keep these in your head, I wouldn't worry too much; Italian politics (in Naples, the papal states, Venice and Tuscany/Florence) and in the French and Spanish states was incredibly complex and ever changing. People complain about European politics nowadays - it's a kitchen tea party now compared to what was going on then. ( )