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House of Borgia: A Captivating Guide to the Borgias and Their Feuds with the Medici Family, Sforza Dynasty, and Girolamo Savonarola

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The History of the House of The Infamous Family of the Italian Renaissance!

Do you know the WHOLE story of the House of Borgia—from their rise from obscurity to the highest echelons of European society? The family produced two popes and a saint, but they are more known for stories of murder, debauchery, and incest. What is accurate, and what is just slander? Were the Borgias worse than any other powerful family of the time? Was Rodrigo Borgia, who became Pope Alexander VI, a monster? Was his son Cesare a psychopath? Was his daughter Lucrezia a murderous temptress?

In this book, you will learn the answers to these questions and more about the origins of the House of Borgia in SpainThe rise of the first Borgia pope, Callixtus IIIThe power struggles between the great houses of the Borgia, the Sforza, the Medici, the Orsini, and the Colonna, among othersThe character of the infamous Rodrigo Borgia, Pope Alexander VIThe fiery battle between the Borgias and Friar Savonarola that ended in death and ruinThe reality of Cesare Borgia and his attempts to carve out his own kingdomThe real story of Lucrezia BorgiaThe role Christopher Columbus and Machiavelli played in the story of the Borgias, along with the monarchs of Spain, France, and NaplesHow the Borgias helped shape the Renaissance and the future of EuropeHow a descendant of the Borgias became a revered saint in the Catholic ChurchAnd so much more!
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100 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 23, 2023

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53 people want to read

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Captivating History

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Profile Image for Emilija.
1,902 reviews31 followers
January 8, 2024
2024 52 Book Challenge - 30) Picked Without Reading The Blurb

I find the Borja family really interesting, especially when it's written about in concert with Machiavelli, so I purchased this book without reading the blurb, and I was quite happy with it. It was more of a general overview of the family and everything that happened than an in-depth biography of the family. This would be perfect for anybody who is just looking for a general overview or is new to the history of the era.
Profile Image for Rhonda Hicks.
4,648 reviews84 followers
July 25, 2023
This is the history of the Borgia family, one of the names most associated with Italian medieval history. While I thought I knew parts of the story, I didn't know many of the facts listed in this read. The Borgias started in Spain and came to Italy as a result of the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church at the time was much more involved with political events and government. While in Italy, the Borgias became wealthy and prominent, developing several rivalries with other well-placed Italian families, specifically, the Medici family, the Sforza dynasty, and Girolamo Savonarola which would carry over for decades. Many Borgia descendants became high-level Clerics in the Church. Others ended up as nobility in various countries. Borgia's story encompasses scandal, murder, incest, betrayal, and so many secrets. It is truly a story of intrigue for those who enjoy history as it's well told.
Profile Image for J. Walker.
212 reviews4 followers
July 12, 2023
Cesare Borgia
Psychopath or Tactical Genius?
As with Julius Ceasar and many historical figures, there is a reassessment going on.
Captivating History: House of Borgia is an informative and easy read, if rather heavy on the dates and places. Keeping track of the players was presented fairly straightforwardly and easy to follow.
This story exists on three levels: the "facts as known", the rumors as they spread (based on some degree of deliberate obfuscation on the part of the principles under discussion), and the legends as they have grown out of these.
Captivating History focuses on the first level, presenting an in-depth review of available records and their own history in a refreshingly easy way to read and absorb some history of an age five hundred years in the past.
The authors lean too heavily in an academic direction in favor of a more artistic presentation; possible motivation and psychological theorizing left to the very end. To be fair, this is probably the authors' intentions, and if so, kudos. Well done.
Profile Image for Debbie Benson.
9,600 reviews34 followers
July 14, 2023
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. It was an interesting look into this family that was full of intrigue and plots.
Profile Image for Beth Gibson.
167 reviews2 followers
April 6, 2024
It was interesting. But I think a bit more background would have helped to set the stage, i.e., general historical period and movements going on in Europe at the time. More background on who the Medici's were and who the Sforza's were would have gone a long way to understanding why the Borgia's were feuding with them and why that was significant. Instead, we just get a blow by blow account of events. It was an interesting time in history. However, without some background, and better understanding of relationships, I was often left confused as to what was happening.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews

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