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The House of Borgia

Christopher Hibbert

The first major biography of the Borgias in thirty years, by best-selling historian Christopher Hibbert.

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.

Praise for Christopher Hibbert:

‘A pearl of biographers’ New Statesman

‘Perhaps the most gifted popular historian we have’ The Times Educational Supplement

Sales points

First major biography of the Borgias in decades.,Author of the international bestselling The Rise and Fall of the House of Medici.,Guaranteed to receive major broadsheet reivew coverage and to be a strong Christmas seller.,This was Christopher Hibbert's final book before he died.

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Cover of The House of Borgia by Christopher Hibbert

Constable
Hardback
Royal, 336 pp
Published 24^th Sep 2009
ISBN: 9781849010696
Markets: UK & Commonwealth
RRP £18.99

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Reviews

"Hibbert captures quite brilliantly the extravagance and immorality at the heart of the papal empire on the eve of the Reformation."
Good Book Guide

"For anyone who likes Christmas stuffed with bribery, murder and lashings of nepotism."
Time Out

"Few could have told the story better ... pacy, uncluttered and an eye for resonant detail. Sparkling."
Tribune Magazine

"Verve and vitality."
The Sunday Times

"A coherent and colourful historical record of the Borgias."
Literary Review

"Hibbert tells a good story."
Times Literary Supplement