Cesare Borgia: His Life and Times - Softcover

Bradford, Sarah

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1842124528 ISBN 13: 9781842124529

Publisher: Phoenix, 2001

Synopsis

Almost five centuries have passed since Cesare Borgia¿s death, yet his reputation still casts a sinister shadow. He stands accused of treachery, cruelty, rape, incest and, especially, murder ¿ assassination by poison, the deadly white powder concealed in the jewelled ring, or by the midnight band of bravos lurking in the alleys of Renaissance Rome. Yet the real Cesare Borgia was a fascinating figure in the mould of the great Shakespearean hero. During the brief space of time in which he occupied the stage he shocked and stunned his contemporaries by the loftiness of his ambitions, the boldness and daring of their execution. His rise to fame was meteoric. Born the illegitimate son of a Spanish Cardinal who became Pope Alexander VI, he was, by his 27th year, the most hated, feared and envied man of his day, flattered and courted by the rulers of France, Spain and the Empire, admired by Machiavelli who immortalised him in The Prince. At 31 he was dead, having failed to achieve his ambition of a great Italian State. In Sarah Bradford¿s brilliant biography, Cesare¿s life and struggles assume the proportion of Greek tragedy.

About this title

Book Description:

An illuminating biography of a man whose name has long been synonymous with evil.

About the Author:

Sarah Bradford was born in 1938 and educated at St Mary¿s Convent, Shaftesbury, Dorset, and Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, where she went after winning a state scholarship. She travelled extensively in Italy, Spain and France in the course of her researches on Cesare Borgia. Her latest book is a study of Jackie Onassis (2000).

About this edition

• Publisher: Phoenix
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 1842124528
• ISBN 13: 9781842124529
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336