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The Borgias and Their Enemies: 1431-1519
The first major biography of the Borgias in thirty years, Christopher Hibbert's latest history brings the family and the world they lived in 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...more
Hardcover, 336 pages
Published
October 6th 2008
by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
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I picked this up after I started watching the new Showtime series The Borgias, which I find myself really enjoying. I was really curious to see how much dramatic liberty with the historical figures and events were being taken. The only thing I really remembered about the Borgias was a comment from my European history teacher in high school who said that one of them was a Pope, who had an affair with his son and his daughter. There are so many things wrong with that statement, not even taking ...more
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This book should really be called Renaissance Mules and the Fabrics they Carried as the author seems far more interesting in describing in detail how many mules loaded up with how many yards of brocade, silks and cloth of gold schlepped across the Apennines for sundry weddings and festivities. I suppose accurate history does depend on the contemporary documents available and the writers of the Borgias time might be the ones obsessed with fabrics, public parades and the costumes of the 300 page b...more
This book attempts to cover almost 100 years of Renaissance Italian history in 336 pages. Don't expect detail. Still, it does a surprisingly good job. You don't get depth of character. The various atrocities committed primarily by Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia) and his son Cesare are so numerous and covered so quickly that they lack the shock value they rightly deserve. These shortcomings are a consequence merely of the length of the volume. It is well researched, well presented and, rather ...more
There were aspects of this book that I found interesting, but it was simply pockets of the book, not the book as a whole. Hibbert seems to focus on three main aspects of the Borgias that he repeated over and over again: the STDs that they may or may not have had (although I do believe that they did have some), how much stuff cost, and military/politics. While some of these are important, it was basically 90% of what he talked about throughout the book.
Another thing I found that I did...more
Another thing I found that I did...more
As with any well-written and diligently researched history book, one of the first things the reader notices about Christopher Hibbert's 'The Borgias' is the amount of subtle myth-busting that is done. In the course of this work, Hibbert manages to guide us through the lesser known points of early Renaissance Europe whilst simultaneously chipping away at rumour and gossip. Lucrezia Borgia was, so popular history would have us believe, some fully-fledged harlot (she was actually renowned in her ow...more
I was seriously disappointed in this book. Its supposed to be a biography which suggests to me that there should be a vast assortment of sources that give the book credence. There is a list of sources at the end of the book but nowhere in the entire narrative is there a footnote or endnote that links information with the sources. Instead, there are numerous references that state things on the order of "a spectator stated" or a "source noted". We don't know who these sourc...more
Being fascinated by all things Borgia, I picked up this work by renowned historian and biographer, Christopher Hibbert with great eagerness. I won’t say that I was disappointed; histories of the Borgias are too few and far between not to give any one of them the benefit of the doubt. The problem really lies in the book’s brevity, skimming as it does over events and personalities that deserve more detailed consideration, if only to make them comprehensible. Hibbert also wrote an examination of ...more
I have a lot of problems with popular historians:
1. The complete lack of footnotes (?! whose dumb idea was that? it's insulting to the reader!*)
2. The lack of discussion of potential bias in the sources (important part of a historian's job!)
3. The unscholary language i.e. "they were often to be seen romping about just like high-spirited schoolgirls."
But it was quite short and readable. I don't know. I would honestly have rather read something a bit more su...more
1. The complete lack of footnotes (?! whose dumb idea was that? it's insulting to the reader!*)
2. The lack of discussion of potential bias in the sources (important part of a historian's job!)
3. The unscholary language i.e. "they were often to be seen romping about just like high-spirited schoolgirls."
But it was quite short and readable. I don't know. I would honestly have rather read something a bit more su...more
Christopher Hibbert, you are no wordsmith, BUT YOU ARE STILL FABULOUS AND LOVELY AND I WANT TO KISS YOU ON THE MOUTH FOR BEING SO BRILLIANT, IF ONLY FOR THIS:
"Cesare arrived in Ferrara two days later to find her ill with puerperal fever and refusing to allow her doctors to bleed her. Cesare’s company seemed to rally her, and he induced her to give way to the doctors’ advice. ‘We bled Madonna on the right foot,’ one of the doctors reported. ‘It was extremely difficult to do, and ...more
"Cesare arrived in Ferrara two days later to find her ill with puerperal fever and refusing to allow her doctors to bleed her. Cesare’s company seemed to rally her, and he induced her to give way to the doctors’ advice. ‘We bled Madonna on the right foot,’ one of the doctors reported. ‘It was extremely difficult to do, and ...more
Showtime did a dramatic series last year on Pope Alexander VI and his children. I didn't see it, but they could have used this book as a model. The author enjoys describing the more sensational aspects of the Borgias and their personal relations with their enemies (then again, the characters in Renaissance Italy did some pretty sensational things). The book mostly focuses on Alexander and his family, especially Cesare and Lucrezia. The last chapters are a little disappointing, because Cesare ...more
I appreciate that the author of this book went through a lot of effort to make this a straight forward factual portrayal of the Borgias (or as factual as you can get from the Renaissance chroniclers). I think it could have used a few images to illustrate some of the things he was discussing (close ups of the Borgia Apartments for example), and the detailed lists of how many pack horses or mules people had and what treasure was laden upon them could have been cut out (and were happily skimmed by ...more
The Borgias were seriously badass. The Pope is a fairly fat corrupt conniving dude who at least cares for his family very much and at least fixes the city up a bit (fittingly played by Jeremy Irons in the series), but his son Cesare is pretty much a mass-murdering fuckhead (unfittingly portrayed as a good and hot guy in the show - he's supposed to be covered in herpes rash), his daughter is cute and cunning in both versions. The real star is 'master of ceremonies' Johannes Burchard who is forced...more
A good overview of the Borgia family, if not insanely detailed. The book starts even before Rodrigo is named pope and ends with Lucrezia's death, so it covers a lot of history and isn't quite as in depth with everything. It does, however, seem pretty fair and even handed to this family who did enough scandalous things without needing the extra vilifying that's often been done throughout history. The writing could be a bit dry at times but for the most part I found everything was pretty well pres...more
The Borgia family has always held an allure for me since I lived on a street named after them when I was a child. In addition, I was raised a Catholic, so the Popes are intriguing to me, especially those during the period where the church was more of a political entity. When I heard that Showtime was doing a show about this family this spring, I decided now was the time to do some background reading and get the real story about the family.
I had never read any books by Christopher Hibbert...more
I had never read any books by Christopher Hibbert...more
It's always fun to find a diamond in the clearance books section, especially hardcovers. If I'd had to pay full price for this book, I probably would not have bought it, but for $5 - sure why not.
This was a quite engrossing history of the rise and fall of the Borgia family - one of Italy's most powerful families during the early years of the Italian Renaissance. I found this book shortly after the series premiere of "Warehouse 13", so my interest in Lucrezia Borgia was alr...more
This was a quite engrossing history of the rise and fall of the Borgia family - one of Italy's most powerful families during the early years of the Italian Renaissance. I found this book shortly after the series premiere of "Warehouse 13", so my interest in Lucrezia Borgia was alr...more
To date the best (as in clearest) book on the Borgias that I've read. The various family ties can be confusing at times, as are the political ones. Anyway, what a crew! Rodrigo Borgia, who would become Pope Alexander VI, was pretty much a gangster. Even worse, his son Cesare (who probably killed his own brother), who would become the subject of Machiavelli's The Prince. Torure, murder, rape, mass murder of conquered towns, theft, graft, general corruption, cheating at horse racing, overdressing...more
Overall, this book was a good time; the Borgias provide lots of drama in an already-volatile 15th-century Europe, and I was entertained. Hibbert struggles a bit with the problem that plagues all pop history writers looking to cover vast topics: Should one keep things concise and readable, at the risk of providing a jumpy, disjointed narrative, or should one flesh out enough details to keep things flowing nicely, and run the risk of becoming dry and ponderous? Hibbert seems to fall into the fo...more
Great subject matter handled a little too matter-of-factly.
Full of colorful characters, fascinating intrigue and skull-duggery, and the selection of events and pacing are both fine. I just felt, as a popular history, this could have been more lively and interesting; perhaps more interpretation or specualtion on the Borgia figures would have brought them them more to life.
Full of colorful characters, fascinating intrigue and skull-duggery, and the selection of events and pacing are both fine. I just felt, as a popular history, this could have been more lively and interesting; perhaps more interpretation or specualtion on the Borgia figures would have brought them them more to life.
When I heard Showtime will be doing a series on the Borgias like they did with the Tudors, I was very excited and decided to read up on them in preparation. I had briefly read about Rodrigo Borgia in a book called "A Treasury of Royal Scandals" but it was only a short entry and said little to nothing about his children. "The Borgias and Their Enemies" seemed to get the best ratings and reviews so I went with it.
I found it a little dry in places, mostly the militar...more
I found it a little dry in places, mostly the militar...more
While waiting for the Showtime series to begin, do a little research on the legendary, powerful and corrupt Borgias. Things are not the same in the behavior or fatherhood of the Popes in the modern-day church.
This nonfic book was okay. In some places, however, it reads as a mere recital of lists and events. I have a feeling there are better Borgia nonfics out there, and I’m going to read them — after taking a Borgia break ;-) It’s possible that one reason this nonfic book numbed me was my Borgia overdose.
The Borgias? Not the nicest people. But this is a fascinating, very readable history. It somewhat boggles the mind how complicated the political and military dealings were *and* how far one could move up in the world during that time. The Borgias totally would have eaten Rupert Murdoch for lunch.
The only false notes are where Hibbert brings in info that isn't super relevant but there are primary sources that he can't resist quoting.
Also: the stuff Machiavelli writes about Ce...more
The only false notes are where Hibbert brings in info that isn't super relevant but there are primary sources that he can't resist quoting.
Also: the stuff Machiavelli writes about Ce...more
Overall an enjoyable, although grotesque and revolting, read and a good introduction. Footnotes would have been beneficial. A major takeaway for me was the lesson to avoid contracting syphilis at all costs.
Terse but serviceable. Excellent for a starter course; look to a different volume for the main meat.
An enjoyable introduction, which is what I was looking for. I would have liked footnotes, but didn't feel that the book was in any way spurious or poorly researched.
The writing style is conversational without being chatty, and very fair to its subjects.
The writing style is conversational without being chatty, and very fair to its subjects.
Decent enough general history of Rodrigo and kids. A good companion to Hibbert's history of the Medici.
Kind of boring, really. I was hoping for a juicier read.
Good read, blood, intrigue and more.
Definitely scandalous...
Ali
marked it as to-read
New Yorker 12.22.08
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Christopher Hibbert, MC, FRSL, FRGS (5 March 1924 - 21 December 2008) was an English writer, historian and biographer. He has been called "a pearl of biographers" (New Statesman), was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the author of many books, including Disraeli, Edward VII, George IV, The Rise and Fall of the House of Medici, and Cavaliers and Roundheads.
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