The Borgias
Christopher Hibbert
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 served as the model for Niccolo 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.
Erudite, witty, and always insightful, Hibbert removes the layers of myth around the Borgia family and creates a portrait alive with his superb sense of character and place.
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About Christopher Hibbert
Reviews for The Borgias
Daily Express
... a coherent and colourful historical record of the Borgias.
Literary Review
Few could have told the story better ... pacy, uncluttered and an eye for resonant detail. Sparkling.
Tribune
A tale of greed, nepotism, assassination and relentless jostling for power.
Sunday Times
Hibbert tells a good story.
Times Literary Supplement
In the last book he wrote before he died Hibbert captures quite brilliantly the extravagence and immorality at the heart of the papal empire on the eve of the Reeformation.
Good Book Guide