The Borgias
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The name Borgia is synonymous with the corruption, nepotism, and greed that were rife in Renaissance Italy. The powerful, voracious Rodrigo Borgia, better known to history as Pope Alexander VI, was the central figure of the dynasty. Two of his seven papal offspring also rose to power and fame - Lucrezia Borgia, his daughter, whose husband was famously murdered by her brother, and that brother, Cesare, who served as the model for Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince. Notorious for seizing power, wealth, land, and titles through bribery, marriage, and murder, the dynasty's dramatic rise from its Spanish roots to its occupation of the highest position in Renaissance society forms a gripping tale. Erudite, witty, and always insightful, Hibbert removes the layers of myth around the Borgia family and creates a portrait alive with his superb sense of character and place.
Liked The Borgias? Here’s where I’d start.
These suit anyone who liked The Borgias. Sign in and mark a few books for picks shaped around your own taste.
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Virgins of Venice: Broken Vows and Cloistered Lives in the Renaissance Convent Shares history, nonfiction, Italy -
Cesare Borgia: His Life and Times Shares nonfiction, history, Italy -
The Borgias: The Hidden History Shares nonfiction, history, Italy -
April Blood: Florence and the Plot Against the Medici Shares history, nonfiction, Italy
“People who read The Borgias tend to reach for these next.”
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The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance
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The Artist, the Philosopher, and the Warrior: The Intersecting Lives of Da Vinci, Machiavelli, and Borgia and the World They Shaped
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The Deadly Sisterhood: Eight Princesses of the Italian Renaissance
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Fire in the City: Savonarola and the Struggle for Renaissance Florence
