L'enigma Montefeltro

by Marcello Simonetta

II 26 aprile 1478, a Firenze, durante la messa in Duomo, Giuliano de' Medici viene pugnalato a morte mentre il fratello maggiore Lorenzo si rifugia ferito in sacrestia. Ma i seguaci dei Medici riprendono il controllo, la folla si abbandona alla giustizia sommaria e la famiglia Pazzi, considerata la principale responsabile del tentativo di colpo di Stato, viene bandita per sempre dalla città. Dopo oltre mezzo millennio, le minuziose ricerche di Marcello Simonetta hanno portato alla luce la verità: nella congiura erano coinvolti i principali Stati italiani, e in particolare il duca di Urbino; Federico da Montefeltro, come dimostra una lettera cifrata di cui Simonetta è riuscito a violare il codice. Oggi Simonetta racconta le sue scoperte in un libro che ha il ritmo di un avvincente thriller storico, e ci restituisce gli ambienti, i paesaggi, le atmosfere e gli intrighi che rendono unico il Rinascimento italiano.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Italy, Renaissance, Art, Art History, Mystery

307 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Blaine DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being Italian (my father was born there in a small hill town above Ascoli Piceno), I have immersed myself into Italian culture and literature since my retirement. This book appeared to have it all for me: Italy, Renaissance, Art and Mystery, along with some truly memorable characters. This is a very well researched book into the Pazzi Conspiracy and the attempt that was made on the life of Lorenzo de' Medici, which resulted in his being wounded and the death of his brother Giuliano. The author presents us with a whole host of characters, not just the main plotters and victims, but allies, painters, philosophers, spies, etc. To be honest, it is a bit much unless you are super into this time period and the life of Lorenzo the Magnificent. I enjoyed the book, but the first half plodded along. By the 2nd half of the book we have the attack taking place, the immediate aftermath and retribution, and then the continuing attempts by what appears to be most of the rest of Italy to unseat Lorenzo and claim Florence (Firenze) for itself. This 2nd half moves quickly and finally puts into motion all the characters who are more posturized in the first half. There also are new documents that have been uncovered and decoded that show the extent of the Conspiracy and how it was not just the Pazzi who wanted the Medici's gone, but other powerful figures throughout the Italian peninsula.
The book concludes with a great chapter on Botticelli paintings, some of which are still in the Sistine Chapel and others at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, and the authors attempts to use the symbolism of the Renaissance paintings to show the true meaning behind these paintings.
It is a fascinating read and one that shows all the power and politics, the alliances and the duplicities that ruled that time period. Filled with many black and white photos of major works of art (actually this is one of my pet peeves - if you are going to use great art, at least use color copies which are available for all of these paintings) that help you understand the people, the symbolism and the power that was centered in the Italian peninsula during the Renaissance.

[arcobaleno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Conviene al capitano esser leone, e talora volpe
Dall’inverno 1476 all’estate 1482: retroscena noti e inediti, avvenimenti precedenti e seguenti la "congiura dei Pazzi" (Firenze, 26 aprile 1478); vicende di amicizia e tradimento, potere religioso e corruzione morale, lotta politica e vendetta artistica che hanno condito, nella seconda metà del quattrocento, il Rinascimento italiano. I personaggi principali del quadro: il Duca Federico da Montefeltro, il "Magnifico" Lorenzo de’ Medici, il..."diabolico" Papa Sisto IV, Cicco Simonetta, reggente del Ducato degli Sforza dopo l’assassinio di Galeazzo Maria; e, intorno a loro, i tanti duchi, i signorotti, gli usurpatori, tutti in qualche modo coinvolti nelle sorti della penisola.
L’enigma Montefeltro è una ricostruzione dettagliata e rigorosa, ben documentata, degli intrighi di corte, degli interessi politici ed economici, della sete di potere e delle scelte opportunistiche, che hanno determinato la spartizione dei poteri, nei delicati equilibri delle città-stato rinascimentali. Una visione nuova delle vicende, alla luce di una lettera cifrata, rinvenuta e decodificata nel 2001 dallo storico-documentarista Marcello Simonetta (discendente del Cicco milanese), che chiarisce e ribalta il ruolo del Duca di Urbino e riscrive la storia di uno dei più avvincenti episodi del Rinascimento.
Ma è di più: è anche un quadro sulla scena di uno dei periodi artisticamente più proficui e ricchi della nostra Storia. L’ultimo capitolo aggiunge poi una possibile lettura "politica", molto interessante, degli affreschi della Cappella Sistina e della "Primavera" di Botticelli che, insieme a Pollaiolo, Ghirlandaio, Perugino, Filippino Lippi, Leonardo,… hanno operato tra Roma e Firenze in quegli anni "caldi", vivendone in prima persona le atmosfere e gli avvenimenti.

[Truls Ljungström · Rating 3 out of 5]

I termer av ren historisk landvinning, är detta läsvärt. Författaren har avkodat/tolkat renässanskorrespondens och hittat ett hot från Montefeltros sida mot Florens efter Pazzikuppen. Författaren menar sig ha indicier på att Montefeltro som minst var medveten om attacken, och möjligen var med och planerade den, utifrån brev och diplomatiska noter.

Detta är intressant av flera skäl. Till att börja med framställs ofta Montefeltro som en hederlig Condottieri med en moralisk kompass som står över varje skändlighet; författarens upptäckt indikerar som minst att han tidvis lät lojalitet mot uppdragsgivare gå före hederskod. Vidare indikerar det att Pazzikuppen inte bara var en lokal intrig stödd av kyrkan, dvs. en opportunistisk attack med liten kostnad från påven, utan en internationell sammansvärjning. Författarens tolkning kopplar vidare detta till kontrollen över Milano, och den militära balansen på italienska halvön.

Tyvärr är boken lite av en skvader. Författaren framställer inte sin argumentation helt tydligt, och är inte så populistisk att hans framställning blir välfungerande.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author is focused, as a writer of a book with this title should be, on this one episode of Renaissance Italy. The writing is clear. The arrangement of short chapters, helps a lay reader, like me, to understand the complicated relationships. The illustrations are a big plus.

Through this episode you can learn about the political structures of Italy's main city states, the role of the church, how armies were raised and what armies did, and how interlocking loyalties functioned and changed. You also learn about mail, how it was sent, spied upon and coded.

I think the discussion of Botticelli at the end was appropriate. Not being attuned to the heavily allegorical art of the time, I couldn't debate the author's thesis, but found it plausible. It got me wondering what stories might lurk in Michelangelo's ceiling.

Because I am new to the literature of Renaissance in Italy, I can only review this for those who are also new to the material. While I am sure there are better places to start, if you know something about the city states, the Medici, and the art of the period, this book will add to your understanding and provides an interesting story.

[Anton Tomsinov · Rating 5 out of 5]

A captivating tale of Renaissance diplomacy. This book is the best research of the Pazzi consiparacy that tried to murder the Medici brothers but failed to kill Lorenzo. Alas, the subsequent Pazzi war is described here only from the diplomatic side, as the author is a stranger to the history of warfare. However, the book reads like a breeze. It’s full to the brim with intrigues, elegant threats, innuendos and cryptography — all the things we love about the Italian Renaissance diplomacy. Interesting that the author is a descendant of one of the main characters and has successfully decoded cryptographic letters to get the full story.

[Leanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a show stopper! Looking back at the infamous Pazzi conspiracy (which for alternative history fanatics like me, could have changed the course of art history had it been successful), the author unlocks the characters behind the plot-- what was the role of the Pope? What other families were involved? Who were the big fish behind the assassins? And he does this using a letter he unexpectedly found while doing research in a private familial library in Urbino. I believe he was a PhD student or postdoc at Yale at the time. The letter was heavily coded. Impossible to read. During the Renaissance, letters had to be coded for privacy in this age of glorious art and very bloody intrigues! Dorothy Dunnet's Niccolo series has a wonderful exploration of these coded letters during the early days of banking in the Renaissance.

Anyway, so it happens that the author was the first to uncode the letter. And he did this by using a code-breaking book one of his own relatives had created 400 years before. Isn't that incredible?

Apparently historians were not as excited as he had hoped. But as he quickly found out when the public became fascinated--including Morgan Library which put on a exhibition around the themes in the book recently. This fascinating is just inherent in how the scholar decoded the letter--that is to say, even if his theory turns out to be false (the theory that the Duke of Urbino was in league with the Pazzi and the Pope), still the story is utterly thrilling.

I absolutely loved reading about the author's ancestor Cicco Simonetta. A Calabrian man from an ordinary and common background, Cicco rose up to serve as an advisor of Galleazzo Sforza. After Galleazzo was murdered, Cicco would stay on as advisor of the widow and the heir, who was too young to rule. In effect Citto was the ruler of Milan for a time, before Ludavico showed up and took over. Citto ended his days in a jail in Pavia--like Boethius-- where he was eventually beheaded.

This is the most compelling part of the story. I think the author should write a work of historical fiction about Citto.

Two big complaints. This book could have benefitted a lot with a much more detailed portrayal of the Duke of Urbino. There is not a lot of detailed information in English about Urbino and its famous Duke and it would have been really helpful to have the information. I had to break down and buy this book to fill in the gaps
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/029...

The title, after all, refers to him.

Also related to this, Piero della Francesca's portrait of the Duke is hinted at again and again (including on the cover). And we are told we will never look at Piero'd painting the same way, and yet the book ends with a fun and very "out there" new interpretation of some pictures by Botticelli, including Flora.

I gave the book 5 stars because I loved it... it is short but sweet. It could have been much expanded--especially relating to the above.

Much time, I guess, and space was needed to retell the context of the Conspiracy. The first time I read about the murders, I found it shockingly violent and that it occurred in the duomo--also shocking.

[Matt McCormick · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Pazzi Conspiracy is a story commonly known to many who have studied Italian Renaissance history. Rival factions vying for political and geographic power attempt to overthrown the Medici in Florence. Vain men have been insulted and, as so often happens, people die. What I especially appreciated in this book was the background discussion of the major political characters important to the late fifteenth century set in the context of the Pazzi plot. We meet so many of the compelling people who populated the Renaissance – Lorenzo The Magnificent, Pope Sixtus IV creator of the Sistine Chapel, Botticelli, Ferrante King of Naples, the Sforza’s of Milan and Montefeltro’s of Urbino.
The machinations of the principal characters combined with some interesting walk-ons by people such as Leonardo Di Vinci not only helps to elucidate the motivations and actions in 1480 Italy but also helps us understand many of the subsequent activities, regime changes and efforts of power politics that would color Italy for another two-hundred years. When Michelangelo was commissioned by the Medici Pope Clement VII to replace the alter wall in the Sistine Chapel with the apocalyptic Last Judgement there was a motivation of revenge behind the commission.
I was particularly struck by the wealth of printed records that exist from this time. Author Marcello Simonetta is an academic, not a mystery writer. He made valuable use of the material extant from the period to piece together another layer to the common story of the plot. Although he stretches a bit in connecting various art to the events of 1478, his assumptions are interesting and intriguing. Stephen Greenblatt (The Swerve) shows through his new historicism how intellectual history can be understood through literature and I believe we can also understand art better when the piece is placed within the context of its times and the human motivations of those that commissioned it, created it and for whom it was meant to be viewed.
This is a fast and pleasant read, easy to digest, and well presented. I recommend it.

[Rachel Goodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Word to the wise: only pick this up if you are highly passionate about the subject matter! Luckily, Renaissance papal conspiracies are right up my alley, and this is a doozy. In a "real-life Da Vinci Code" tale, Simonetta proves that the infamous Pazzi Conspiracy -- the plot to kill Florence's ruling Medici brothers, long thought to have been orchestrated by the rival Pazzi clan -- was in fact a far greater conspiracy, traveling up through the highest echelons of political and religious power in Italy.

Despite an enticing story, I think Simonetta was not entirely successful in presenting a clear argument. A caveat: given that I speak Italian and took university courses in Italy, I think it was easier for me to understand Simonetta's style and point of view. If you are not familiar with the way in which an Italian might speak English, his style and organization will be absolutely infuriating. His history is sometimes chronological, sometimes thematic, and rarely does he construct the story in any type of linear fashion. His sentences are long and clause-heavy (a style that would make sense in Italian but proves to be convoluted in English).

Recommended if you like the concept; stay away if you have no desire to deal with a convoluted history lecture.

[paper0r0ss0 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Il Rinascimento descritto da uno studioso italiano ma con un taglio anglosassone; e in questo caso e' senza dubbio un complimento. Chiarezza espositiva, attenzione alle fonti, capacita' di giocare su piu' piani interpretativi (arte, cultura, politica, sociologia), il tutto unito a una notevole capacita' espositiva e affabulatoria. In definitiva un ottimo saggio su uno degli eventi piu' importanti e famosi del periodo rinascimentale italiano.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Montefeltro Conspiracy provides a new intrepretation of the Pazzi Conspiracy to kill the Medici brothers by reexamining the role of Federico da Montefeltro and his contribution to the plot. As stated at the beginning of the book, historians have acknowledged Montefeltro knew about the assassination, but how heavy a hand did he have in the plot was unknown until now. The author, Simonetta, specializes in Renaiassance ciphers, and he found an encrypted letter by Federico preserved in the Ubaldino Archive in Urbino, Italy. Simonetta managed to break the cipher by applying a book his ancestor Cicco Simonetta wrote, Rules for Extracting Ciphered Letters Without a Sample. This letter is the foundation for the Simonetta's argument, establishing Federico's intent to usurp Florence and give Pope Sixtus IV another region under the Vatican's control.

Unfortunately for Federico and the rest of the scheming characters, the plot was only partially successful. Giuliano was murdered, but Lorenzo lived to exact revenge on most of them. With the exception of Federico, who died of Malaria during a campaign, and Pope Sixtus IV, Lorenzo had most the of conspirators executed. His best revenge is the last point Simonetta hypothesizes, the Sistine Chapel. This was Pope Sixtus's ode to himself, and he hired the best artists at the time to paint the Chapel, including Florence's Botticelli. Simonetta makes the argument that the only reason Botticelli agreed to paint the Chapel was to paint subvert messages refering to the Pazzi Conspiracy, and that Sixtus never knew. Of course, the real kicker came after Lorenzo died, with his son becoming Pope Leo X, and hiring Michelangelo to paint over Pope Sixtus's portrait with The Last Judgment.

I really enjoyed this book. The story is well written, and all the characters are easily distinguishable. Simonetta's argument is thoroughly flushed out, and I am inclined to agree with his conclusion of Federico's involvement. I strongly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Renaissance Italy, for it provides a fresh insight into Italian state's politics and lengths some of these characters will go to in order to get their way.

[Susana Ory · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me ha dado un poco por saco la edición de este ebook, que no distinguía capítulos ni cristo que lo fundó, pero bueno, tras esta resignada queja voy al hilo; aunque es un libro de historia, ojito, que igual pueden considerarse espoilers.

Es una interesante aproximación al asesinato de Giuliano de Médicis (y, de forma relacionada, de Galeazzo Sforza) y las relaciones del duque de Urbino con el papado para quitarse de en medio a Lorenzo. Tiene cosas curiosas este libro, como que el senescal de Milán sea antepasado del autor del libro o la interpretación de la Primavera o del nacimiento de Venus de Botticelli a la luz de los eventos descritos en los diez capítulos anteriores.

No me ha defraudado. Le pongo tres estrellas y no cuatro porque cuando leo en inglés o francés me quedo con la impresión de que algo me he dejado en el tintero y lo pago así.

[Brett Van Gaasbeek · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always been a history nerd and one of my favorite events to read about was the attempted assassination of Lorenzo de Medici of Florence in the 1400s. This book was the product of exhaustive historical investigation by Simonetta and is certainly an academic masterpiece of study and historical puzzle-work. However, the ability to keep the reader engaged in his work is severely lacking. Too much detail into trivial matters causes the eyes to gloss over and attention to the real historical events to wane throughout the work. This is not for a casual read, by any means. The research is unbelievably solid, but the storytelling is pretty rough. I liked "April Blood" more than this book, but that should not cheapen the academic efforts of Simonetta.

[Margot · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining and accessible focused look on previously unknown connections and details around the conspiracy to assassinate the Medici brothers in the late 1400s.. researched and investigated by the author historian himself, with many passages from source letters. I enjoyed reading details of the Duke of Urbino, an important figure of the italian renaissance and of my homeland and region. I read the book in italian so cannot speak to the English version, which i believe was the original.

[Mary Z · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly short and a pretty good read.. interesting details of the Pazzi conspiracy and the relationship between the Sforza’s and Count Montefeltro.. in some spots the writing was a bit confusing.. I may have enjoyed it more because I just finished a very detailed bio of Lorenzo d’Medici.. I also enjoyed the authors suggestions about the hidden meaning of Botticelli’s La Primavera..

[Gregory Mele · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing new look at the Pazi conspiracy. The author is setting out to exonerate one of his own ancestors, but his scholarship is sound and while I would argue he does not "prove" his case, he certainly at least makes it a viable theory.

[Magda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written and -researched, and while the writing style was on the drier side, this book was interesting. I particularly liked the short chapter on Boticelli and how the author explored possible representations related to the Montefeltro events in his paintings.

[David Boix · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soy un enamorado del período renacentista, de la ciudad de Florencia y de su historia. Éste trabajo de Marcello Simonetta me ha encantado, una obra imprescindible y fiable de los acontecimientos que precedieron y que conllevaron a la trama contra la familia Médici.

[Lion87mb · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intriguing portrait of Federico da Montefeltro, a must read before or also after visiting the beautiful Urbino.
The story is rather comprehensive, giving the basis to understand the key characters of the conspiracy and the game of powers in the Renaissance.

[— lucrecia — · Rating 5 out of 5]

just exquisite. this is now the most annotated book on my bookshelf. i can't recommend it enough. if you're interested in the Medici family or italian renaissance in general, this one is a must. simonetta's research skills are admirable.

[Ross Dorianycc · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Medici sono vendicativi o molto fortunati? Decisamente entrambe le cose, si amano per questo.
Saggio interessantissimo e pieno di chicche storiche su quelli che sono stati i personaggi della congiura dei Pazzi.

[Barbara Ab · Rating 4 out of 5]

E’ un saggio e rimane un pò pesante come lettura a volte. Ricco di foto di dipinti dell’epoca che fa piacere guardare così da identificare i personaggi. Interessante e ben scritto senza dubbio.

[Rob Craven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Niche, a bit quirky, but I loved it.

[Patricio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, a “Game of thrones” but real and historic

[Randy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short, readable account of the so-called Pazzi conspiracy to kill Lorenzo de Medici and his brother, and to change the balance of power in the Italian peninsula.

The author, Marcello Simonetta, argues that the Duke of Urbino, Federico Montefeltro, was more heavily involved in the plot than previously thought. Simonetta bases his argument on a Montefeltro letter he found and then decoded.

Because the Duke of Urbino has long been suspected of being a part of the conspiracy, Mr. Simonetta’s discovery, and therefore his book, is certainly not groundbreaking; but his book is an open window into the shifting, and often delicate, power struggle between the Italian states (and the pope), and into the personalities of the men who shaped Renaissance history: Lorenzo de Medici and Federico Montefeltro.

To bring these characters to life, the author republishes some of their letters; so we see first-hand their dilemmas and motivations.

The book also serves as a reminder that on one side of the Italian Renaissance is great art, great human achievement, but on the other side, are dark plots, conspiracies, power struggles and vendettas; so in a sense, the book offers a view of mankind as being divided between black and white.

Or maybe the book’s perspective is that often there is no division between black and white, and that instead, much of the human experience is colored gray.

(As I read, this book I couldn't help but see the origins of Machiavelli’s political philosophy.)

It’s quite remarkable, IMHO, that Lorenzo, through it all, retained many of his Renaissance ideals, so to me he is a symbol of a man having to overcome external obstacles and yet remain true to himself.

Or is he? The author briefly mentions that Lorenzo became a more repressive politician, but Mr. Simonetta doesn’t explore how the assassination may have changed him.

(The most interesting history, I believe, is where we see how events change characters for better or worse.)

Also, I find this book lacking in that it tells only part of the Pazzi conspiracy: the roles and motivations of the Pazzis are hardly mentioned. Finally, Mr. Simonetta doesn’t offer a unique or deep theory on the causes and forces of history, but then again, most historical authors don’t.

Overall, this is an entertaining, well-written book that shines a somewhat narrow light on the history of Fifteenth century Italy.

[Gerald Sinstadt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two five star reviews can be found: one from an avowed enthusiast for Italian Renaissance history, the other ditto together with a link to the author's own books on the subject. This reader is of more eclectic tastes; in the past they have happily embraced Brunelleschi's Dome and Tim Parks' eminently readable Medici Money. The Montefeltro Conspiracy was hard work by comparison.

The author is a descendant of one of those involved in 15th Century Italy; it was his diligence that cracked the code in which important letters were written (as was the custom then). Replica pages from the original leave no doubt about the challenge. On that basis alone five stars would be understandable.

However, for this layman there was a problem of too much information. The author seems hard pressed to omit anything relevant, however tangential. And even then cannot resist allowing imagination to work. For example, "Perhaps Federico took a deep breath and paused before resuming his dictation. He may have looked at the painted panel on his left ..." Note: 'Perhaps' and 'may have' - but these are no barrier to a digression about the subject of the painted panel and on into the relationship between astrology and politics. The reader, trying to keep track of the main thread of the narrative, may struggle.

One notes at the beginning five pages of "Major historical characters in order of appearance" and wonders if this was not the result of a suggestion by an editor who had become somewhat overwhelmed by a large and complex cast.

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and a wondrous uncovering of a secret encoded document over 500 years old.

Beautiful b/w art of the period throughout the book. Written by a Renaissance scholar and the bibliography is
gold. The glossary of characters in the foreword is very much needed as Italy in the 15th century was a cast of characters as larger than a Shakespeare play.

If you are going to read the book, do yourself a favor. Sketch a map of Italy, then under the cities of
Florence, Milan, Urbino, Rome, Naples, Calabria, Genoa,Siena.....then use the Glossary to put the name of the person who controlled the city or region. It will make the reading so much easier.

You would do well to learn the regions of Italy too....for example the Piedmont area.
I spent more time looking at a map, then going back to the glossary to understand who held sway over the city/region and had to reread chapters to make sure I understood.

Think of enlightened and diabolical /Popes/Mercenaries/Machiavelli types and you will get the gist of the book. If you enjoyed the Borgias TV show, you might enjoy this book.

Most will give up keeping up with the names but if you patiently sketch out the names and their area of control, I think you will love this book for it is so intriguing.

[DoctorM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad history of the political background to what became the Pazzi Conspiracy against the Medici, and one that fleshes out the longstanding suspicion that the Pope and the Duke of Urbino were the figures underwriting the plot. Simonetta goes beyond the account in Lauro Martines' "April Blood" to show that the intra-Florence rivalry of the Pazzi and the Medici had become tied to larger Italian issues. Simonetta has found and deciphered previously unknown letters from the duke of Urbino and his agents and informants, and makes a convincing case for the good duke as the man behind the attack on Lorenzo and Giuliano de Medici. Simonetta could have devoted more time to demonstrating how he decoded the letters (using a cryptography guide written by one of his own ancestors, the chief minister in Milan during the 1470s) and explaining more about the nature of Renaissance diplomacy and coded writings, and he could have explained more of the long-term diplomatic issues here (the so-called Pazzi Wars in the aftermath of the failed coup in Florence are a prelude to the French invasion of the 1490s), but "The Montefeltro Conspiracy" is a well-done small book.

[Andrew Trask · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author has an interesting thesis, and backs it up with a heck of a lot of solid primary source evidence. His discussion on the Pazzi conspiracy (or, as he would call it, "the Montefeltro conspiracy") goes wider than most accounts, trying to answer who was really directing the attempt on Lorenzo de Medici's life. As a result, he spends more time on rulers in Urbino and Milan than Florence and Rome. The prose and the structure are both clear. I wouldn't recommend this to the casual reader (it assumes too much familiarity with the underlying events), but if you've already read the accounts in Christopher Hibbert's House of Medici or Lauro Martines's April Blood, then this is the perfect opportunity to take a deeper dive.

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is obviously a well-researched and well done book. I give it three stars because I had trouble retaining the sheer density of information. The subject is interesting -- the story of the conspiracy to assassinate the Medici in 15th century Italy. However I had trouble keeping track of all the Dukes, Popes, artists, etc. involved. It is not for light reading, it takes concentration to keep all the characters straight. The author does provide a very helpful cast of characters. Although I am hard pressed to recall detail, my appreciation for the Italian settings of some of Shakespeare's plays, particularily Romeo and Juliet and The Tempest is deepened.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone who has ever wanted to know the inside story behind one of histories most famous conspiracy - this is a great read as told by a descendant of one of the major players involved in the conspiracy itself.
I will admit that without some prior knowledge of this historical event, you can get a bit lost trying to figure out who's who. Also the author tends to go on a bit about some extraneous information that doesn't really move the story along. So, for those who didn't enjoy history class you may not enjoy this book.
But for those who love a good conspiracy this is a great read and one that is based on a lot of historical research.