Isabella de' Medici: The Glorious Life and Tragic End of a Renaissance Princess

by Caroline P. Murphy

Isabella de' Medici was the hostess of a glittering circle in Renaissance Florence. Beautiful and liberated, she not only matched the intellectual accomplishments of her male contemporaries, but sought sexual parity also, engaging in an adulterous affair with her husband's cousin. It was this affair - and her very success as First Lady of Florence - that led to her death at the hands of her husband at the age of just thirty-four. She left behind a remarkable story, and as her legacy a son who became the best of the Orsini Dukes, immortalised by Shakespeare as Duke Orsino in Twelfth Night. Caroline P. Murphy illuminates this often misunderstood figure, and in the process brings to life the home of creativity, the city of Florence itself.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Italy, Renaissance, Historical, 16th Century

432 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do not exaggerate when I say Murder of a Medici Princess is one of the best biographies I've ever read. Caroline P. Murphy brings to life not only a remarkable woman, but also the intrigue, the splendour and the violence of the Medici court during the reigns of Cosimo I and Francesco I.

Isabella de' Medici was the favourite daughter of Cosimo I, ruler of Florence and Tuscany. Dazzling, cultured, spirited and vivacious, she was a very modern woman. In a world where close relationships between relatives were infrequent, she enjoyed a deep and loving bond with her brother Giovanni, who tragically died still young, and with her father. Cosimo sincerely loved his daughter and, as long as he was alive, he granted her every wish and gave her a freedom which was unusual for women of her time: he permitted her to live separated from her despised husband, Paolo Orsini. Isabella had her own court and enjoyed life as the first lady in Florence, admired by all. She also found the love and passion she lacked in her marriage with handsome Troilo Orsini. When Cosimo died, however, her brother Francesco did not show similar sympathy towards her. Things deteriorated quickly for Isabella, and in the end she was murdered by Paolo, with the approval and probably instigation of Francesco.

This biography is comprehensive and well researched, and as absorbing as a novel. I was captivated from the first page and Murphy kept my interest for the whole book. She successfully paints not only Isabella, but also every other member of the Medici family. It is a pity they are not more featured in historical novels, because they would be fantastically intriguing characters (if you are interested in them, check out The Red Lily Crown ). The traditions, culture and entertainments of the time is also explored, as well as the political machinations and wars. Lastly, I loved the format of the book as well: every chapter opens with an evocative drawing, and the portraits of the main players are included - and, in my edition, with colours.

Warmly recommended for lovers of biographies, and for fans of Renaissance Italy especially.


She not only played and partied; she had the opportunity to think and create, to love and be loved at a time when many women were valued as little more than dowry-bearing vessels. It seems important to celebrate the laughing, high-spirited, liberal Isabella, as much as one might lament her fate. There was never another Medici woman like her.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Description: In Murder of the Medici Princess, Caroline Murphy illuminates the brilliant life and tragic death of Isabella de Medici, one of the brightest stars in the dazzling world of Renaissance Italy, the daughter of Duke Cosimo I, ruler of Florence and Tuscany. Murphy is a superb storyteller, and her fast-paced narrative captures the intrigue, the scandal, the romantic affairs, and the violence that were commonplace in the Florentine court. She brings to life an extraordinary woman, fluent in five languages, a free-spirited patron of the arts, a daredevil, a practical joker, and a passionate lover. Isabella, in fact, conducted numerous affairs, including a ten-year relationship with the cousin of her violent and possessive husband. Her permissive lifestyle, however, came to an end upon the death of her father, who was succeeded by her disapproving older brother Francesco. Considering Isabella's ways to be licentious and a disgrace upon the family, he permitted her increasingly enraged husband to murder her in a remote Medici villa. To tell this dramatic story, Murphy draws on a vast trove of newly discovered and unpublished documents, ranging from Isabella's own letters, to the loose-tongued dispatches of ambassadors to Florence, to contemporary descriptions of the opulent parties and balls, salons and hunts in which Isabella and her associates participated. Murphy resurrects the exciting atmosphere of Renaissance Florence, weaving Isabella's beloved city into her story, evoking the intellectual and artistic community that thrived during her time. Palaces and gardens in the city become places of creativity and intrigue, sites of seduction, and grounds for betrayal. Herethen is a narrative of compelling and epic proportions, magnificent and alluring, decadent and ultimately tragic.

Opening: On 10 January 1542, [..]the Florentine cleric Ugolino Grifoni, who served the Medici family as one of their court secretaries, was busy presenting letters to the reigning duke, Cosimo d'Medici, in his chambers. The Duke's wife, Eleonora di Toledo, was also in attendence.

Further description: Isabella de' Medici was the hostess of a glittering circle in Renaissance Florence. Beautiful and liberated, she not only matched the intellectual accomplishments of her male contemporaries, but sought sexual parity also, engaging in an adulterous affair with her husband's cousin. It was this affair - and her very success as First Lady of Florence - that led to her death at the hands of her husband at the age of just thirty-four. She left behind a remarkable story, and as her legacy a son who became the best of the Orsini Dukes, immortalised by Shakespeare as Duke Orsino in "Twelfth Night".

Caroline P. Murphy illuminates this often misunderstood figure, and in the process brings to life the home of creativity, the city of Florence itself.

[Orsolya · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Medici name is one that holds a thunder clap caliber many hundreds of years later even extended beyond the confines of Italy. Synonymous with the Renaissance, wealth, scandal and the papacy; the Medici family is breathtakingly captivating. It seems that each member of the Medici family had a tumultuous life from the original branch of Cosimo the Elder to the second wave with Cosimo I. Isabella de Medici, the daughter of Cosimo I, was everything one would expect from a Medici and a daughter of a Grand Duke: a spoiled socialite who coasts through life, an involvement in scandal, an expensive taste in art, a role in romantic affairs and a not-so-happy marriage. Isabella’s life as a Renaissance heiress celebrated a level of freedom few women could relate to; living separately from her husband (single but married on paper for political purposes). Caroline Murphy attempts to bring this colorful Medici ‘princess’ alive in, “Murder of a Medici Princess”.

“Murder of a Medici Princess” aims to showcase Isabella de Medici as a formidable, independent, refined woman; who broke the boundaries of female life in Florence, Italy. The question is whether Murphy succeeded. Murphy offers a glorious, vivid, compelling and fully encapsulating look at the Medici family (and their relations) in the Tuscany region during the Italian Renaissance and“ Murder of a Medici Princess” strikes gold in the offset grabbing readers with an informative but entertaining narrative that brings the Medicis to life. The writing is elevated while the content is an intriguing page-turner. However, the questions: how much of the text is actually about Isabella?

The issue, which rears its head early on, is that Isabella appears to take somewhat of a back seat to the Medici Family drama even though “Murder of a Medici Princess” is supposed to be her portrait. Not only do readers fail to garner vivid insight into Isabella’s psyche; but “Murder of a Medici Princess” is more about her immediate family and context, overall. If taken in this respect, “Murder of a Medici Princess” is an amazing introduction to the Medicis that is both memorable and provocative. However, this misses the mark of Murphy’s hypothesis and doesn’t truly convince that Isabella was anything more beyond a rich daddy’s girl.

Murphy is truly remarkable at presenting a gargantuan amount of information in a way that doesn’t intimidate or overwhelm the reader. “Murder of a Medici Princess” is perfectly accessible and readable. The mountain of research, primary sources and documentation within the text is massive but “Murder of a Medici Princess” is streamlined into the most efficient funnel for readers to soak up. Murphy also excels at detective work dissecting and proving intentions and ‘could have beens’ but without any overt biases or speculation.

That being said, Murphy does become somewhat repetitive with Isabella’s life and the more so topical view causes disruptions in chronology that can be tedious and confusing. The text is additionally weakened by a slowing of pace as “murder of a Medici Princess” progresses with an increasingly inconsistent look at Isabella. Isabella is simply not as personally noteworthy on her own standing as Murphy claimed her to be and is merely so based on her surrounding environment. Again, this is remedied by viewing the piece through the lens of an introduction to Isabella and her family.

The latter chapters of “Murder of a Medici Princess” reverts back to the former titillating content and fast-pace honing in on Isabella a bit more. Although there is still a mystery surrounding her person; Isabella feels more vulnerable. This is especially true with Murphy’s breakdown of Isabella’s actual murder allegedly at own brother’s order and by the hand of her husband (hence the book’s title) which is electrifying. Murphy concludes “Murder of a Medici Princess” highlighting the aftermath of Isabella’s death and the psychological aspects of its causation. This serves well in summarizing the entire text.

“Murder of a Medici Princess” is supplemented with a source list, notes (not annotated) and a section of color photo plates (plus, illustrations scattered throughout).

Murphy’s “Murder of a Medici Princess” is a riveting read concerning Isabella de Medici and her family relations in Florence during the Renaissance. The main issue, which can be argued is a notable one, is the failure to prove Isabella as being truly remarkable in essence rather than by association. Regardless, “Murder of a Medici Princess” is suggested for readers interested in the Medici family and Italian Renaissance history.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is more than a story of Isabella's murder, in fact, very few pages are devoted to the actual murder. The murder is the culmination of the family relationships that brew from page one.

Through this story we learn of the people and their times. We come to appreciate Cosimo Medici, who rebuilt his family dynasty through politics and strategic marriages. We come to appreciate even more his extraordinary daughter.

Not being steeped in the history of Italy at this time, I found the first few chapters hard going. The genealogies of Medicis and the other European monarchs are complex and difficult to follow. After this, as the personalities get drawn and the story unfolds it becomes a page turner building to the actual murder.

The book built my interest Italian history. I will be reading more Italian history.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun book to read. I suppose that sounds a little strange for a biography of a Medici and one supposedly murdered at that, but it was. Isabella de Medici was a member of the second famous round of Medicis. The first bunch, Cosimo the Elder and Lorenzo the Magnificent, well known in the 15th century as the famous banking family and patron of Michaelangelo, are familiar to almost everyone as leaders of Florence. Lorenzo the Magnificent was said to be a true "Renaissance" man. Isabella's line, also from a famous Cosimo, who became the first Duke of Florence, came later, in the 16th century.

She was the daughter of Cosimo and Elanora of Toledo and was considered to be a great beauty, fashion leader, writer of music, and horsewoman and Huntress. In short, the perfect Florentine Princess, her father's favorite daughter. He married her to a Roman aristocrat, a spendthrift, a glutton, and a womanizer. Cosimo also kept Isabella in Florence with him instead of sending her to Rome with her husband. By the time her father died, her brother, the new Duke, was wildly jealous of her, her husband felt demeaned by her, and her lover had been driven out of the country. She was alone and vulnerable and shortly she, "died unexpectedly while on a hunting trip with her husband".

Does any of this sound familiar? It sure did to me! I felt like I had dropped into some 16th-century reality show. You know the one. The Real Housewives of Florence. What fun!

[Nia Weiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look into the world of the Medici, specifically from a female perspective.

[Sara Poole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of my fascination with the Renaissance stems from the extraordinary alignment of beauty and corruption that characterizes the period. Just as some of the most magnificent prose in the English language was written in the highly repressive “police state” environment of Elizabethan England, art and culture flowered amid the endemic greed, violence, brutality, and repression of Medici Florence. Murphy’s insightful foray into the life and times of Isabella de Medici goes a long way toward illuminating how this came to be.

Born at once to privilege and repression in a relentlessly male-dominated society, Isabella was a brilliant woman, fluent in five languages, devoted to the arts, high-spirited and daring. While her father lived, her life was her own as much as any woman of the time could hope. But with his death, her brother and husband conspired to kill her in circumstances that have haunting echoes in today’s “honor killings”.

Murphy’s research is impeccable, as is her ability to bring a distant time to life. Isabella emerges as a living, breathing woman who blazed a dazzling path across the Renaissance sky and whose fall to earth casts light into the darkest corners of that complex time.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never heard of this book, but it caught my eye on a book display--and what a fun surprise! I loved it. I really love well done biographies, and this was so well researched and written in short, very readable chapters. It is about Cosimo's favorite daughter (Isabella), but really it is a history of one generation of the whole Medici family. Fascinating family. Huge fan of the author now--she's also written a well known book called "The Pope's Daughter"--can't wait to read it now too.

[Craig Monson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A notorious and fascinating story, told in a way that should gladden the hearts of early modern historians, thanks to its wealth of scholarly detail. Readers more attuned to historical novels or bodice rippers may fret a bit.

[Elizabeth S · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fascinating biography of a woman who was very famous while alive but who now goes largely overlooked.

Isabella de’ Medici was the daughter of Cosimo I, and she lived a relatively free and independent life for a woman in sixteenth century Florence.

She and her father had an unusually positive bond, with Cosimo very fond of his female relatives and willing to indulge them. Though he arranged her marriage to Paolo Giordano to unite the Medici and Orsini lines, he also helped her remain in her native city, rather than move to her husband’s much less appealing estate in Rome.

Isabella took over the role as first lady of Florence upon her mother’s passing, and navigated a multitude of complex relationships. From her father’s second wife and her brother’s out of place Austrian bride, to her own brothers and husband, she had many complications to navigate.

Rather beloved by relatives and Florentines, alike, Isabella cultivated her younger cousin and sister-in-law, Leonora, in her image. This evolved into more dangerous routes when both women engaged in extramarital affairs. While Leonora found herself caught up in conpiracy plots, Isabella largely got away with most of her transgressions by virtue of her family name.

But when Cosimo died and his son, Francesco, became grand duke, Isabella found herself in a more precarious situation. The siblings had never been close, and Francesco wanted his mistress, Bianca, to take the role of first lady ahead of his sister. What unfolded is made obvious by the book’s title, but is no less startling as a result.

At the end of her life, Isabella was in the unfortunate spot of posing a problem to both her brother and husband, and as a result of her gender, it was never a battle she would be able to win.

Murphy has researched Isabella’s life thoroughly and recounts the tales with great interest and flourish without embellishing.

I got my copy from a book fair, and it turned out to be an advanced reader’s copy, so there may have been changes after what I read. Nonetheless, I will say that this book’s largest weakness in my eyes was its attempt to seem movie-like. Too many sections ended with rhetorical questions or foreboding lines, which made the literary devices feel overplayed rather than intriguing.

Even so, I would definitely recommend this biography. Having lived in Florence for a while, I am particularly enthusiastic about books that highlight the city and its prominent residents, especially those beyond the already well-known grand dukes.

[Zella Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, in-depth look at Isabella Medici, the sister of Lucrezia, whom The Marriage Portrait was about. The book does a good job of shining light on how unusual Isabella was--her father permitted her to stay in Florence rather than joining her Orsini husband--and how her unconventional arrangement became untenable when her far less sympathetic brother inherited the family title. Lots of interesting and rowdy detail about Isabella's lively arts patronage, romantic affairs, and orchestration of murder in her spare time.

[Izzy Medici · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a fair account. I don't look perfect. But my brother, Francesco I, looks like a monster, so it seems fair. Now that it's 2014 I'm trying to understand how much of any of this is in some fundamental way really about "me" or "Francisco" or the many sad Medici women, and how much of these details are really more about the time and place more than the people in some fundamental way?

If you live in the world you are dealt, is that life about you? Or about your world? In the case of Francesco, I guess you can compare him to his predecessor, our dad, Cosimo I. In fact, dad committed many brutal acts, beheadings, all of it. But you could say that everything dad did served a purpose. Francesco seemed to simply enjoy violence as sport. I honestly don't think dad ever did that.

As for myself and my cousin Lenora, some people like to think of us as the Paris & Nicky Hilton, or the Kardashians of our age. Honestly, I don't think that's fair. I see us more like Kennedys. The Kennedys were rich and affluent and privileged and powerful and hedonistic. But they were also deeply aware of and engaged in their culture and their world. They served themselves, but they also served a larger world. Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis certainly wouldn't have married the men she did if she were "just" Paris Hilton or Kim Kardashian.

As for the book itself, Caroline P. Murphy has done a beautiful job. Honestly, after 4-1/2 centuries I'm amazed how she was able to piece our lives together. Who knew so many letters and correspondences would still exist!? I can't imagine how many hours and months she spent uncovering and organizing all this information. In the end she's presented it as an easy and compelling read.

In the end she rekindles both my passion for life, and my hatred of my misanthrope brother. Feelings in a way I would rather not revisit. Still, for you, the 21st century reader, I do think the book provides both historical context and contemporary insight. Whether it's Florence under the misogynistic hand of Francesco I in the 16th century, or Italy under the misogynistic hand of Silvio Berlusconi in the 21st century, you do have to ask how much has really changed and why my beloved country refuses to break this cycle of misogyny.

One of my distant progeny has summoned me to participate in an upcoming event #1850charla:
http://practicebased.re/act/category/...

Since I'm back, I'd like to take the opportunity to rethink the way Lenora and I fit in this world. I think we did the best that was possible in the context of what the 16th century had to offer to people of my gender. The 21st century seems far from perfect, yet it also seems filled with far more possibilities than the world I knew. Murphy's elegantly detailed book reminds me of the life I once lived. It's a beautiful book in that it gives both the details of that life and also the perspective that perhaps I didn't always have. It was a joy to read. It was painful to read. I think her book offers a wonderful opportunity to understand my own past. And how can you build any better future without first understanding the past.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm wavering between 3 and 4 stars, I admit. "Murder of a Medici Princess," despite its teasing title, is not a murder mystery, but is an excellent biography of Isabella de Medici, the much adored daughter of Grand Duke Cosimo de Medici, the most powerful Medici ruler in that family's long history. However, Caroline Murphy skillfully integrates a mystery within her biography. How does this powerful, favored princess meet the brutal end spoken of in the title? Murphy doesn't give away the answer easily and instead skillfully unravels the Medici family cloak-and-dagger ways to explain the mystery. It is a highly enjoyable biography.

Isabella lived a charmed life, not only as the child of nobility, but as a woman in 1500s Florence. Cosimo was an unusual man who valued his daughters and sons equally and treated and educated his daughter accordingly. Her freedom continued even after her marriage, as Isabella lived independently from her well-connected but generally useless, spend-thrift husband Paolo Orsini, to whom she writes many, many letters full of (increasingly amusing) ailments and excuses to explain her absence from him. But the Medici court is a dangerous place, and Isabella must fight to retain her place as the first lady of Florence.

Murphy is at her best when depicting the Medici family squabbles, plots, and in-fighting. The most engaging parts of the biography are the back and forth issues between Cosimo, saturnine heir Francesco, cunning Ferdinando, and their various mistresses. Most of what we know about Isabella is based on what is going on in the whole of the Medici family--which accurately demonstrates the dynamics of the family--oddly tight-knit yet complicated.

Still, I'd rather the whole of the Medici family had been the focus of the book and not Isabella herself. Yes, she was intelligent and cultured, but Isabella was also a spoiled, self-absorbed, hard-partying hypochondriac who was complicit if not an active participant to a brutal murder herself. Murphy often tries to apologize for her subject. "This may make her seem spoiled..." Why, yes, it does. Because she is. Murphy tries too hard to make Isabella a victim we should mourn for, which she was surely not. It was disappointing in a book that otherwise doesn't pull punches in discussing court intrigue and shady characters.

This was an enjoyable biography that introduced me to historical figures I hadn't read about before. While Isabella wasn't the heroine Murphy may wish her to be, "Murder of a Medici Princess" was an excellent piece of historical writing that is as page turning as any modern thriller.

[Alison C · Rating 2 out of 5]

Murder of a Medici Princess, by Caroline P. Murphy, details the remarkable life of Isabella de Medici, the 16th-Century "princess" daughter of Duke Cosimo I of Florence. Unlike virtually all other women of her place and time, Isabella was able to lead a relatively independent existence, constantly fobbing off the requests of her husband, the Duke Paolo Giordano Orsini, to move from her villas in Florence to his home in Rome. Duke Paolo was a typical man of his time, prone to visiting prostitutes and to engage in violence against women, and Isabella wanted nothing to do with him (the marriage had been made for political reasons on the part of her father, after all), but the fact that Isabella was able for the most part to live her life away from her husband was quite unusual. Unfortunately, her degree of freedom was due largely to her father's indulgence of her, and when he died, her life changed rapidly, ending with her death at the hands of her husband and with the consent of her elder brother Francesco, the new Duke of Florence.... Well-written and rooted in contemporary sources, including letters by the main characters and by court observers, this biography is quite fascinating. I know almost nothing about the region of Europe that became Italy during this historical period, so some of the political maneuvering was somewhat opaque to me, but Murphy does a good job of clarifying what can seem to be an endless web of intrigue and one-upmanship. Well worth reading if you're interested in this period of time or in biographies of remarkable women.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non fiction. An interesting read, though not my favorite of the many historical books I've read. I found this book more confusing than the Alison Weir books you see in my 'read' shelf. Perhaps that is because I'm less familiar with Italian history than I am with English or French history. I also think it has something to do with the fact that so many of the characters in this story have the same name. However, the author's writing, while in general pretty good, is also a bit less lucid.
The story the book tells is, of course, very interesting, and is a good portrayal of a unique woman who bucked the conventions of her time. I thought it was very interesting that she was able to do so because her father was unique as well. Renaissance Italy was a fascinating place, and the status of women portrayed in this book is a lovely way to look at it. Isabella, the main Medici princess of the title, tries to live her own way and suffers for it. Giovanna of Austria, wife of Isabella's brother, tries to be a virtuous wife, and is scorned by her husband. Bianca, loved by Isabella's brother, is able to do pretty much whatever she wants, in spite of a lower status, simply because she is loved. The men in this book mostly end up looking like villians, especially Francesco the brother and Isabella's weak husband Paolo Giordano. Cosimo, Isabella's father, is much more sympathetic.
A good look at Renaissance Italy through the eyes and actions of upper class women.

[Robotbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a lot of Caroline Murphy's work on Lavinia Fontana for a term project I did for my art history class, so when I was absently flipping around on amazon.com and it recommended this book for me (based on my having purchased the True Memoirs of Little K, a fictional but historically accurate retelling of the mistress of the last Romanov czar's Imperial ballerina mistress Mathilde Kschessinska), I took one look at the author's name and dropped it right in my cart.

I generally don't go for the non-fiction, but Murphy tells the story of Isabella de' Medici like a fiction writer would. She was the beloved star of Florence and the darling of her father, whose clout protected her from her well-connected but brutal and oafish husband. During her father's lifetime she flouted convention in many ways, including making herself happy with a handsome lover. Many modern critics agree that Isabella was in some ways a feminist, although others view her as a spoiled party girl, despite her high level of education and her charitable activities.

She meets her end, as the title suggests, in a violent way, and although his involvement is never seriously disputed, her husband never pays for his crime.

If you like historical fiction, or princesses, or the Renaissance, you should read this book. The copy I have includes several plates of portraits that I found extremely compelling.

[Jeanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Detail in his biography puts you smack dab in the middle of 16th Century Florence. Isabella's life as a Medici Princess was exceptional for the level of power and the amount of autonomy she experienced as a female in an era in which that was rare. Nobel females leaving their birth families and towns extremely young, and often raised within their future spouse's extended household- was absolutely the norm. Not Isabella. She was cosseted by Cosimo. I especially enjoyed reading about the children's wardrobes and shoe requests.

But regardless, her strategy and luck ran out. The book itself, its form? Regardless of the excellent factual context record, clear writing style, and massive research- I never did grasp the real personality that made Isabella. For instance, her two live births are at 30 and 31 years of age? When she was married from 16-17? Despite her losing some pregnancies, I felt that there was most probably more to her core than you got from the facts of history. Her Father came alive to me, as did her Mother. Isabella- she had a mysterious quality. I believe she could keep her secrets.

What always amazes me after reading these histories are the numbers of deaths of siblings, and generally of very young people or children. IMHO, that alone kept emotional distance by adulthood nearly assured.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third of eight surviving children, Isabella de Medici (1542–1576) was unusually close to her father, Cosimo, the powerful grand duke of Tuscany who built most of what we know of Renaissance Florence, and whose protection allowed her to live a glittering Florentine life apart from her debt-ridden, abusive husband in Rome. After Cosimo's death in 1574, her spiteful older brother, Francesco, reneged on her inheritance and ultimately Isabella pays with her life for flouting her era's traditional gender roles.

[Jennifer Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The thing that stands out most about this book for me is how much more engaging the second half is than the first. I kind of read 20 pages here and there, but then read the last 150 in a single go. I won't give it away, but it's such a sad book, and the last few chapters bring this to life so well.

[Quirkyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

See my review on my book blog: http://quirkyreader.livejournal.com/2...

[Teri Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book looks on the outside (and on the jacket cover) like a novel, but it isn't. It's a history. It's well researched and interestingly presented, but it wasn't what I was hoping for....

[Helen Carolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not so much a biography of Isabella de Medici as a look at the times she lived in.

[emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

But the fact remains that for much of her life this tragic heroine was anything but tragic. She not only played and partied; she had the opportunity to think and create, to love and be loved at a time when many women were valued as little more than dowry-bearing vessels. It seems important to celebrate the laughing, high-spirited, liberal Isabella, as much as one might lament her fate.

This biography wowed me.

I found this book in doing some research for my studies, and I'm so glad that I gave it a shot. This is a stunning biography of an incredible woman who history (and men) did their best to erase.

Caroline P. Murphy's style of writing is engaging and epic. She doesn't get bogged down by fact or detail, but at the same time, when I went looking for a source, she provided one. Even when I disagreed with an argument (I'm not entirely convinced by Isabella's involvement in Bianca Cappello's husband's murder), I can't fault Murphy for that. Her research and knowledge is amazing.

What I really love about this book is how it brought Isabella to life. She's not just a victim and not just an adulteress. Her faults are examined, but so too are the assets, skills, and personality that made her so important to the Florentine court. No other woman is degraded at her expense, even those who should found herself at odds with. Instead, Murphy's examination of Cosimo I of Tuscany and Francesco's courts is filled to the brim with colourful characters and considerations. Even the murderers in this story have their personal histories filled out, providing context for their decisions.

I also have to point out that, in spite of its central themes of misogyny and violence against women, there's a stunning amount of humour in Murder of a Medici Princess. This is all thanks to its central focus. Isabella de Medici was witty and verbose, and Murphy makes the most of that. She includes quotes and correspondence from Isabella that demonstrate just how bright and, at times, ridiculous she could be. Towards the novel's inevitable conclusion, I felt devastated knowing how quickly her brilliant personality would be snuffed out.

Like Murphy says, Isabella's life isn't just a tragedy; it was replete with comedy and romance. In fact, what makes her story all the more tragic are the infinite possibilities of what might've been and what had been when Isabella was afforded freedom. I found myself getting emotional when I read the conclusion, and truly mourning the death of someone who died more than 400 years ago. I want to leave this review with a quote from the conclusion, which I find demonstrates just how deeply Murphy cared for the subject of this biography:

It seems likely that Cerreto would be her more likely haunt of choice, especially if she could select her company of fellow ghosts. This is no question that Isabella would choose her babbo Cosimo and her brother and near twin Giovanni to join her. there would be some companions to make her laugh: the Ferrarese Ridolfo Conegrano and the tiny but bellicose Morgante, who faithfully tried to follow her into the room where Paolo was preparing to kill her. There would be musicians, poets, and playwrights to entertain. Isabella's cousin Leonora would be there, with whom she could have a girlish laugh, generated by the presence of a few ardent pages and cavalieri, who could join her in the hunts that would take place every day. Such companions would need to be careful because undoubtedly Isabella would have Troilo Orsini make the journey back from Paris to Cerreto, reuniting her with a lover from whom she was forced apart. In this new celestial world Isabella, the goddess, could reign eternal...

[Willow · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Isabella de' Medici is a perfect reminder of why reading about the Italian Renaissance. Married to a deeply pathetic husband, she was lucky enough to enjoy a unique amount of independence, living alone in her own villa near Florence where she hosted parties, took a lover, and stayed near her family (especially her dear father). But naturally in the 1500s such a life for a woman existed only on the goodwill of the powerful men around her, and except for her father, those men did not approve.

I enjoy reading works of social and cultural history to try to 'get into the mind' of an early modern person, but some (huge) part of me always recoils at the intense hypocrisy and misogyny of this era where it was acceptable to (among other things) murder your adulterous wife. Isabella's brother likely signed off on her murder, while neglecting and humiliating his own wife by parading his mistress around his court. I suppose I did achieve my goal of 'getting into' the early modern mindset while reading this book, though: I totally understand why Isabella de' Medici made the choices she did. As I've said to my mom about three times for every episode of The Borgias we watch, if I had a husband like that I'd cheat on him too.

The title isn't truly representative of the book, though it might colour the way one reads it. Most of the book is about Isabella's life, and as the author points out, for most of that life she was NOT a tragic figure. Certainly she was far from naive, and managed potentially volatile relationships with her female relatives with a good deal of pragmatism. The author clearly has a great affection for her subject and I agree with her view that Isabella would have been an absolute pleasure to meet. Her personality bursts out of the excerpts of her letters we are shown - something unusual for a woman of her time.

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted this to be great. This was not great. I love the Medicis and know a lot about Lorenzo the Magnificent and Cosimo the Elder so the main draw here for me was learning about this "younger generation" of Medici. The premise around Isabella and her life was a great angle and it was evident from the start what was going to happen so I thought that it would mean the journey along the way must be interesting. And, yet, it was really not. Murphy obviously did a great deal of research and you could see that throughout with her quoting at length from letters and even using specific scudi amounts for purchases. Ultimately, that part was tedious and boring. It didn't add color or perspective for me, just a dryness like would come from reading a history book which didn't bring the characters to life. The second thing that made this a 1-star was her tendency to reiterate often things that she'd said earlier in the chapter in essentially the same words. She may have written it like this but it should have been edited down. I struggled in finishing this but was ultimately too lazy to get to the library with everything going on and so I plunged through to the finish. It did not get better.

[Charlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like:
- I've always been interested in the Medici's and I loved learning about the family.
- I didn't expect for Catherine de Medici to appear in this, but she did. Since I love the French court from that time period, I was pleasantly surprised.
- The whole customs from that time and the recurring names people had in that time made me laugh quite a bit. Apparently everyone was called Giovanni or Eleonora.
- There were little illustrations in this book of the palazzo's the family were living in. I definitely want to go to Florence one day.
- My curiosity about this family has been satisfied for a while.

Dislike:
- It's quite dry. It's obviously a full-on biography and it was hard sometimes to keep being focused.

[Xole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've become fascinated by Italian Renaissance ladies, and so I added this to my collection. This is the second book I've read by this author - her biography of Felicia della Rovere was the other. It was a lively, although ultimately very sobering, book - I kept pausing with a distinct sense of foreboding, only to remind myself that given the book's title I shouldn't be surprised about whatever outcome was looming. It would be wrong to say I enjoyed the book, because Isabella's ending is so very sad and unnecessary, but it was a good read nonetheless. Anybody who claims honour killings only happen in Muslim countries should read this.

[Adelais · Rating 4 out of 5]

Біографія Ізабелли Медичі, доньки тосканського герцога Козімо. Дуже ретельне дослідження, буквально тільки що на кухні в Ізабелли не побувала; а так нагадування, чому у минуле можна лише з коротким візитом: улюблена донька герцога за його життя мала все, що хотіла, навіть жила окремо від свого осоружного чоловіка у щасливому союзі з іншим. Але після смерті батька воля скінчилася, а розлучень тоді майже не існувало (існували, але ганьба і таке інше), тому чоловік взяв та просто її вбив, і йому майже нічого за це не було.
Гарно передана атмосфера того часу, а ще мене дуже радуть всі ці сімейні звязки, де всі у Флоренції одне одному родичі.

[Hildie Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard to believe this was a tale of murder in with the history and story, but for the title! This book was descriptive, well-researched, and engaging. I really like that the author included pictures, not just in the middle of the book, but at every chapter and even some on the pages within the chapters! This should be done more often in history books! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and wish that more was known about remarkable women from the past who were movers and shakers in their own time periods. Thank you to the author for researching and sharing this story of this one. This was a fascinating read!

[Bmeyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well researched and engaging to read. Dragged a little in the middle as Venetian/Florentine/Roman politics became the focus. As usual with biographies of women in the premodern period there is an enormous amount of information about their fathers, brothers, husbands, and lovers but a lot less information about the women themselves. This leads to a sort of lopsided picture about the figure in question; however, Isabella had a lot of source material to discuss so it was somewhat less lopsided than other books I have read.