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Pagan Virtue in a Christian World: Sigismondo Malatesta and the Italian Renaissance
In 1462 Pope Pius II performed the only reverse canonization in history, publicly damning a living man. The target was Sigismondo Malatesta, Lord of Rimini and a patron of the arts with ties to the Florentine Renaissance. Condemned to an afterlife of torment, he was burned in effigy in several places in Rome. What had this cultivated nobleman done to merit such a fate?
Pagan Virtue in a Christian World examines anew the contributions and contradictions of the Italian Renaissance, and in particular how the recovery of Greek and Roman literature and art led to a revival of pagan culture and morality in fifteenth-century Italy. The court of Sigismondo Malatesta (1417-1468), Anthony D'Elia shows, provides a case study in the Renaissance clash of pagan and Christian values, for Sigismondo was nothing if not flagrant in his embrace of the classical past. Poets likened him to Odysseus, hailed him as a new Jupiter, and proclaimed his immortal destiny. Sigismondo incorporated into a Christian church an unprecedented number of zodiac symbols and images of the Olympian gods and goddesses and had the body of the Greek pagan theologian Plethon buried there.
In the literature and art that Sigismondo commissioned, pagan virtues conflicted directly with Christian doctrine. Ambition was celebrated over humility, sexual pleasure over chastity, muscular athleticism over saintly asceticism, and astrological fortune over providence. In the pagan themes so prominent in Sigismondo's court, D'Elia reveals new fault lines in the domains of culture, life, and religion in Renaissance Italy.
Pagan Virtue in a Christian World examines anew the contributions and contradictions of the Italian Renaissance, and in particular how the recovery of Greek and Roman literature and art led to a revival of pagan culture and morality in fifteenth-century Italy. The court of Sigismondo Malatesta (1417-1468), Anthony D'Elia shows, provides a case study in the Renaissance clash of pagan and Christian values, for Sigismondo was nothing if not flagrant in his embrace of the classical past. Poets likened him to Odysseus, hailed him as a new Jupiter, and proclaimed his immortal destiny. Sigismondo incorporated into a Christian church an unprecedented number of zodiac symbols and images of the Olympian gods and goddesses and had the body of the Greek pagan theologian Plethon buried there.
In the literature and art that Sigismondo commissioned, pagan virtues conflicted directly with Christian doctrine. Ambition was celebrated over humility, sexual pleasure over chastity, muscular athleticism over saintly asceticism, and astrological fortune over providence. In the pagan themes so prominent in Sigismondo's court, D'Elia reveals new fault lines in the domains of culture, life, and religion in Renaissance Italy.
- GenresHistoryRenaissance
355 pages, Hardcover
First published January 4, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 21, 2017
With this book I return once again to the late medieval and renaissance world, an era that continues to intrigue me. Sigismondo Malatesta's disastrous confrontation with Pope Pius II makes for an engaging story in itself, while illuminating an aspect of the renaissance that I had not previously considered. Through that story, D'Elia explores the often hostile relationship that inevitably arose between pagan ideals and Christianity during the Italian renaissance. The lusty, humanistic virtues of ancient Greece, celebrating logic, rhetoric and the robust physical body presented a dangerous challenge to an absolutist Christian world that stressed obedience, asceticism and faith while viewing the body as a prison for the soul. The fact that 15th century popes personally conducted wars and directed the wholesale slaughter of heretics or anyone else who opposed them in their pursuit of wealth and power was surely not lost on the humanists of their day who had recently rediscovered the works of classical antiquity. The book is thoroughly researched and scholarly, and yet it's colorful and eminently readable, never stuffy or pedantic.
March 15, 2016
A highly readable exploration of the humanist court culture of Sigismondo Malatesta's Rimini. Sigismondo more than any other fifteenth-century leader pushed humanist culture in the direction of a pagan revival. From the Greek epigrams on his Castel Sismondo to the overwhelming pagan imagery in his Franciscan church, the Tiempo Malatesta, a Hellenic revival was in evidence. Court literature, from Vulturio's De re militaria to Basinio Basini's Hesperis, presents Sigismondo as the apex of the Greek heroic ideal. Basinio's fictional letters between Sigismondo and his mistress-cum-bride Isotta explore Neoplatonic themes such as divine eroticism and reincarnation. Though Sigismondo did not deserve the reverse canonization, excommunication, and accusations of heresy levied against him by Pope Pius II, he did leave himself open to religious criticisms across a number of fronts. Overall d'Elia provides a model for weaving together art, literature, and history to illuminate a Renaissance figure.
October 19, 2025
Anthony F. D'Elia Studies The Life & Reign Of Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, Prince Of Rimini.
Anyone familiar with the narrative in Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli's Istorie Fiorentine will agree that many of its most significant events revolve around powerful mercenary warlords, known in their native Italian tongue as condottieri & their epic, bloody exploits while using the Italian countryside as their own private battleground. For men such as Francesco Sforza, Fillipo Maria Visconti, Cesare Borgia, Federico da Montefeltro, Niccolò Piccinino, & Castruccio Castracani, reigning over their sovereign states & meeting their foes in glorious battle was the only life they ever wanted to know. The frequently shifting relationship between Milanese tyrant Duke Fillipo Visconti & Francesco Sforza is interesting due to the two men initially being immensely untrusting & skeptical of one another. It took Sforza's betrothal to Duke Fillipo's daughter, Bianca Maria Visconti, for the two Italian patriarchs to establish a degree of trust & understanding. When Duke Visconti finally died in 1447 with no male successor, readers can experience the fateful events occurring in the aftermath of the power vacuum Fillipo's death created in Cecilia M. Ady's A History Of Milan Under The Sforza. In 1450, Francesco Sforza utilized the insurgent Gaspare da Vimercate to undermine a group of chief officials at a gathering for the burgeoning Aurea Repubblica Ambrosiana & would ultimately pave for Sforza his subsequent seizure of Milan's sovereign state. As Dukes of Milan, his family reigned over the city for 85 years until the death of Francesco II in the year 1535 ended the Sforza dynasty.
One of the lesser known condottieri living during Italy's turbulent Late Middle Age, the enigmatic Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta is the primary focus for Anthony F. D'Elia's biography Pagan Virtue In A Christian World : Sigismondo Malatesta & The Italian Renaissance. The book's eight chapters are accompanied by numerous high-quality photographs of beautiful Malatestan architecture, lifelike humanist sculptures & detailed manuscript sketches & frescoes which date back to the time of the Italian Renaissance & Late Middle Age. D'Elia's writing style as I read his narrative put me in the mind of John S. McHugh's Sejanus : Regent Of Rome, because while it's quite obvious that this is a historically-grounded work of non-fiction, D'Elia manages to capture the tone & atmosphere of an epic, dramatic story that's so compelling you can't help but wonder if it actually happened in history the way the writers of antiquity recorded it. McHugh's work on Sejanus is in my estimation cut from the very same cloth; its accounting of an ambitious, pride-driven Praetorian guardsman possessing a shrewd political acumen to match his strict martial discipline made me feel as if I was experiencing an episode of the HBO Series Rome. D'Elia's & McHugh's styles of writing are very resemblant in that regard.
As the ruler of Rimini, Sigismondo was an illegitimate son of mercenary captain Pandolfo III Malatesta. Pandolfo had achieved distinction ruling modest Italian towns & serving powerful lords such as Duke Fillipo's predecessor, Giovanni Maria Visconti. Sigismondo's two brothers Galeotto Roberto & Domenico also were borne to Pandolfo out of wedlock. The youngest son Domenico suffered from an ailment early in life which effectively ended his career on the battlefield, so instead of commanding mercenary armies Domenico would instead devote much of his life towards the study of history & the humanist arts. Later in life, Sigismondo's younger sibling would construct a library in Cesena known as the Biblioteca Malatestiana which became renowned for its considerable selection of manuscripts composed by classical Greek & Latin writers. And Sigismondo had constructed a piazzaforte, which means, 'fortress' which was later named the Castel Sismondo in his honor.
Though he was born & raised a Catholic, throughout his life Sigismondo exhibited very little interest in living a modest life of piety & religious devotion. The Greek & Italian humanists were what tugged at the young, ambitious Malatesta's heartstrings. Unfortunately for him, the subject of humanism & the humanists themselves were considered heretical to the Catholic Church & grounds for excommunication, a punishment that in no way tempered his passion & enthusiasm. Sigismondo's opinion & approval were viciously courted by the Late Middle Age's renowned humanists, men such as Basinio of Parma, Porcello de' Pandoni & Tommaso Seneca vied against one another for Malatestan patronage. Being in Lord Sigismondo's favor was a privilege that became the subject of fierce competition as D'Elia provides clear evidence of in the third chapter, The Greek Renaissance & The Return Of The Paideia by including excerpts of correspondence exchanged by the three humanists as they vied for the lord of Rimini's patronage. There was a church in Rimini Sigismondo had renovated to demonstrate his affection for Greek & Roman mythology which later became known as the Tempio Malatestiano. He commissioned Florentine sculptor Agostino di Duccio to carve numerous reliefs inside the Tempio depicting legendary figures such as Hercules, David, Mars & Minerva. Sigismondo, ever the unapologetic pagan, regularly consulted an astrologer which to me is reminiscent of the relationship of Greek soothsayer Thrasyllus & Roman emperor Tiberius. D'Elia describes a custom practiced in Sigismondo's era known as sortes vergilinae, where an individual seeking guidance on a life decision would flip to a random page in Virgil's Aeneid & then make the decision according to whichever page it happened to be. Kind of like the Renaissance era's version of modern Bible Bingo. Isn't it strange how far back a custom like Bible Bingo dates back to ? I think so.
Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta was a formidable tactician & a seasoned mercenary commander. In 1446 at the battle of Gradara he defeated Francesco Sforza, also achieving victory over invading armies led by Alfonso of Aragon in two decisive conflicts during Italy's turbulent Tuscan Wars. In 1448 he was instrumental in raising the siege of Piombino by driving off the Aragonese invaders & saving the city's beleaguered inhabitants while gaining the trust of fellow Italian city-state Florence. Malatesta would repeat this heroic accomplishment with his victory over the Aragonese besieging army at Vada five years later in the year 1453.
In closing, I simply cannot say enough good things about Pagan Virtue In A Christian World : Sigismondo Malatesta & The Italian Renaissance. If you would like some suggestions of books with relevant subject matter, I would suggest Pier Candido Decembrio's Lives Of The Milanese Tyrants for Suetonian-style biographies of Fillipo Maria Visconti & Francesco I Sforza, albeit with a darker, more somber undertone. Candido's writing lacks the upbeat, good-natured sarcasm of his Roman predecessor. Neal Wood & Ellis Farnesworth's translation of Niccolò Machiavelli's The Art Of War by De Capo Press would complement the chapters discussing Sigismondo Malatesta's battlefield accomplishments wonderfully. Also, D'Elia provides astute commentary on Machiavelli's assessments of key battles fought during the Italian Renaissance, & Laura F. Banfield & Harvey C. Mansfield Jr's translation of Niccolò's Florentine Histories would be a wonderful reader's introduction to the narrative portion of his extant writings. Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus' The Twelve Caesars would also be fantastic historical background due to numerous Renaissance humanists' literary works having a heavy degree of Suetonian influence. Finally, Andrew Brown's translation of Machiavelli's La Vita Di Castruccio Castracani Da Lucca would provide an epic tale of another renegade condottiere for readers to compare alongside D'Elia's accounting of Sigismondo Malatesta's. Thank you so much for reading, I hope that you enjoyed the review!
Anyone familiar with the narrative in Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli's Istorie Fiorentine will agree that many of its most significant events revolve around powerful mercenary warlords, known in their native Italian tongue as condottieri & their epic, bloody exploits while using the Italian countryside as their own private battleground. For men such as Francesco Sforza, Fillipo Maria Visconti, Cesare Borgia, Federico da Montefeltro, Niccolò Piccinino, & Castruccio Castracani, reigning over their sovereign states & meeting their foes in glorious battle was the only life they ever wanted to know. The frequently shifting relationship between Milanese tyrant Duke Fillipo Visconti & Francesco Sforza is interesting due to the two men initially being immensely untrusting & skeptical of one another. It took Sforza's betrothal to Duke Fillipo's daughter, Bianca Maria Visconti, for the two Italian patriarchs to establish a degree of trust & understanding. When Duke Visconti finally died in 1447 with no male successor, readers can experience the fateful events occurring in the aftermath of the power vacuum Fillipo's death created in Cecilia M. Ady's A History Of Milan Under The Sforza. In 1450, Francesco Sforza utilized the insurgent Gaspare da Vimercate to undermine a group of chief officials at a gathering for the burgeoning Aurea Repubblica Ambrosiana & would ultimately pave for Sforza his subsequent seizure of Milan's sovereign state. As Dukes of Milan, his family reigned over the city for 85 years until the death of Francesco II in the year 1535 ended the Sforza dynasty.
One of the lesser known condottieri living during Italy's turbulent Late Middle Age, the enigmatic Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta is the primary focus for Anthony F. D'Elia's biography Pagan Virtue In A Christian World : Sigismondo Malatesta & The Italian Renaissance. The book's eight chapters are accompanied by numerous high-quality photographs of beautiful Malatestan architecture, lifelike humanist sculptures & detailed manuscript sketches & frescoes which date back to the time of the Italian Renaissance & Late Middle Age. D'Elia's writing style as I read his narrative put me in the mind of John S. McHugh's Sejanus : Regent Of Rome, because while it's quite obvious that this is a historically-grounded work of non-fiction, D'Elia manages to capture the tone & atmosphere of an epic, dramatic story that's so compelling you can't help but wonder if it actually happened in history the way the writers of antiquity recorded it. McHugh's work on Sejanus is in my estimation cut from the very same cloth; its accounting of an ambitious, pride-driven Praetorian guardsman possessing a shrewd political acumen to match his strict martial discipline made me feel as if I was experiencing an episode of the HBO Series Rome. D'Elia's & McHugh's styles of writing are very resemblant in that regard.
As the ruler of Rimini, Sigismondo was an illegitimate son of mercenary captain Pandolfo III Malatesta. Pandolfo had achieved distinction ruling modest Italian towns & serving powerful lords such as Duke Fillipo's predecessor, Giovanni Maria Visconti. Sigismondo's two brothers Galeotto Roberto & Domenico also were borne to Pandolfo out of wedlock. The youngest son Domenico suffered from an ailment early in life which effectively ended his career on the battlefield, so instead of commanding mercenary armies Domenico would instead devote much of his life towards the study of history & the humanist arts. Later in life, Sigismondo's younger sibling would construct a library in Cesena known as the Biblioteca Malatestiana which became renowned for its considerable selection of manuscripts composed by classical Greek & Latin writers. And Sigismondo had constructed a piazzaforte, which means, 'fortress' which was later named the Castel Sismondo in his honor.
Though he was born & raised a Catholic, throughout his life Sigismondo exhibited very little interest in living a modest life of piety & religious devotion. The Greek & Italian humanists were what tugged at the young, ambitious Malatesta's heartstrings. Unfortunately for him, the subject of humanism & the humanists themselves were considered heretical to the Catholic Church & grounds for excommunication, a punishment that in no way tempered his passion & enthusiasm. Sigismondo's opinion & approval were viciously courted by the Late Middle Age's renowned humanists, men such as Basinio of Parma, Porcello de' Pandoni & Tommaso Seneca vied against one another for Malatestan patronage. Being in Lord Sigismondo's favor was a privilege that became the subject of fierce competition as D'Elia provides clear evidence of in the third chapter, The Greek Renaissance & The Return Of The Paideia by including excerpts of correspondence exchanged by the three humanists as they vied for the lord of Rimini's patronage. There was a church in Rimini Sigismondo had renovated to demonstrate his affection for Greek & Roman mythology which later became known as the Tempio Malatestiano. He commissioned Florentine sculptor Agostino di Duccio to carve numerous reliefs inside the Tempio depicting legendary figures such as Hercules, David, Mars & Minerva. Sigismondo, ever the unapologetic pagan, regularly consulted an astrologer which to me is reminiscent of the relationship of Greek soothsayer Thrasyllus & Roman emperor Tiberius. D'Elia describes a custom practiced in Sigismondo's era known as sortes vergilinae, where an individual seeking guidance on a life decision would flip to a random page in Virgil's Aeneid & then make the decision according to whichever page it happened to be. Kind of like the Renaissance era's version of modern Bible Bingo. Isn't it strange how far back a custom like Bible Bingo dates back to ? I think so.
Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta was a formidable tactician & a seasoned mercenary commander. In 1446 at the battle of Gradara he defeated Francesco Sforza, also achieving victory over invading armies led by Alfonso of Aragon in two decisive conflicts during Italy's turbulent Tuscan Wars. In 1448 he was instrumental in raising the siege of Piombino by driving off the Aragonese invaders & saving the city's beleaguered inhabitants while gaining the trust of fellow Italian city-state Florence. Malatesta would repeat this heroic accomplishment with his victory over the Aragonese besieging army at Vada five years later in the year 1453.
In closing, I simply cannot say enough good things about Pagan Virtue In A Christian World : Sigismondo Malatesta & The Italian Renaissance. If you would like some suggestions of books with relevant subject matter, I would suggest Pier Candido Decembrio's Lives Of The Milanese Tyrants for Suetonian-style biographies of Fillipo Maria Visconti & Francesco I Sforza, albeit with a darker, more somber undertone. Candido's writing lacks the upbeat, good-natured sarcasm of his Roman predecessor. Neal Wood & Ellis Farnesworth's translation of Niccolò Machiavelli's The Art Of War by De Capo Press would complement the chapters discussing Sigismondo Malatesta's battlefield accomplishments wonderfully. Also, D'Elia provides astute commentary on Machiavelli's assessments of key battles fought during the Italian Renaissance, & Laura F. Banfield & Harvey C. Mansfield Jr's translation of Niccolò's Florentine Histories would be a wonderful reader's introduction to the narrative portion of his extant writings. Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus' The Twelve Caesars would also be fantastic historical background due to numerous Renaissance humanists' literary works having a heavy degree of Suetonian influence. Finally, Andrew Brown's translation of Machiavelli's La Vita Di Castruccio Castracani Da Lucca would provide an epic tale of another renegade condottiere for readers to compare alongside D'Elia's accounting of Sigismondo Malatesta's. Thank you so much for reading, I hope that you enjoyed the review!
March 20, 2025
D'Elia offers a fascinating biography of one of the most colorful rogues of the renaissance. Sigismondo Malatesta was a soldier and a scoundrel, and broke as many promises as he made. But his interest in classical Greek and Roman art meant his small coastal town of Rimini was patronized by some of the greatest artists of the day.
Sigismondo was a study in contrasts: he raped, murdered, and pillaged, but also wrote remarkably tender love poetry to his paramour and (very unusually for the time) included her in all his official sigils and portraits. This book explores the tension between Sigismondo's official Christianity vs. his clear preference for classical characters and myths. It is an interesting look into a culture that tried to embody the teachings of Christ while simultaneously honoring and copying the great pagan heroes of antiquity--and as Sigismondo's violent and tumultuous life proves, this is an impossible task.
Sigismondo was a study in contrasts: he raped, murdered, and pillaged, but also wrote remarkably tender love poetry to his paramour and (very unusually for the time) included her in all his official sigils and portraits. This book explores the tension between Sigismondo's official Christianity vs. his clear preference for classical characters and myths. It is an interesting look into a culture that tried to embody the teachings of Christ while simultaneously honoring and copying the great pagan heroes of antiquity--and as Sigismondo's violent and tumultuous life proves, this is an impossible task.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews