Download PDF The Tigress of Forli: Renaissance Italy's Most Courageous and Notorious Countess, Caterina Riario Sforza de' Medici, by Elizabeth Lev
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The Tigress of Forli: Renaissance Italy's Most Courageous and Notorious Countess, Caterina Riario Sforza de' Medici, by Elizabeth Lev
Download PDF The Tigress of Forli: Renaissance Italy's Most Courageous and Notorious Countess, Caterina Riario Sforza de' Medici, by Elizabeth Lev
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Review
An engrossing biography of one of Renaissance Italy’s most accomplished powerbrokers. Few people were better able to navigate the sea of shifting alliances and internecine squabbles that characterized 15th-century Italy than Caterina Sforza (1463–1509). All the more remarkable is that she was able to do it in an era when all of her rivals were men. Widowed by three husbands—two of them assassinated before her eyes—Sforza ruled over the province of Forlì as regent for her young son Ottaviano, and was reviled, admired and feared in equal measure by popes, foreign powers and her own subjects alike. Lev (Art History/Duquesne Univ.) deftly explores the psychological strains endured by the Countess, from her first marriage to a diffident and cowardly nephew of Pope Sixtus IV, to the murder of her beloved second husband and the merciless vengeance she took upon the conspirators, to her heroic and single-handed defense of her city from the Venetians and her ultimate imprisonment in the dungeons of Cesare Borgia. The author writes with a light touch and an eye for the pageantry and drama of the time—her subject was known as one of the best-dressed women in Italy—while colorfully recounting weighty affairs of state. In one memorable scene, Sforza gains the upper hand negotiating a military alliance with a young Machiavelli: "While Machiavelli had thought the seduction of Catarina was complete, she made it clear that the courtship was only beginning. Stung by his misreading of the situation, he showed his shock and hurt through both his words and gestures, betraying his inexperience. Only later would Machiavelli learn to conceal his true thoughts behind a mask of wit and irony."An inspiring tale of the courage and fortitude of an enigmatic and indomitable woman."--Kirkus Reviews
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"A rich, nuanced portrait of a highly controversial beauty and military leader, and her violent albeit glittering Italian Renaissance milieu."--"Publishers Weekly" A strategist to match Machiavelli; a warrior who stood toe to toe with the Borgias; a wife whose three marriages would end in bloodshed and heartbreak; and a mother determined to maintain her family's honor, Caterina Riario Sforza de' Medici was a true Renaissance celebrity, beloved and vilified in equal measure. In this dazzling biography, Elizabeth Lev illuminates her extraordinary life and accomplishments. Raised in the court of Milan and wed at age ten to the pope's corrupt nephew, Caterina was ensnared in Italy's political intrigues early in life. After turbulent years in Rome's papal court, she moved to the Romagnol province of Forli. Following her husband's assassination, she ruled Italy's crossroads with iron will, martial strength, political savvy, and an icon's fashion sense. In finally losing her lands to the Borgia family, she put up a resistance that inspired all of Europe and set the stage for her progeny--including Cosimo de' Medici--to follow her example to greatness. A rich evocation of Renaissance life, "The Tigress of Forli" reveals Caterina Riario Sforza as a brilliant and fearless ruler, and a tragic but unbowed figure.
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Product details
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Mariner Books; First edition (October 16, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0547844166
ISBN-13: 978-0547844169
Product Dimensions:
5.3 x 0.9 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review:
4.5 out of 5 stars
166 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#116,055 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
This is a story that holds the interest. The political schemes, wars, and assassinations of that era are covered in detail, often with the horror and suspense which medieval cruelty and duplicity invite. As a writer of talent, this author brings the characters to life with an abundance of details which one cannot find elsewhere. Moreover, her use of adjectives is masterful, so precise and evocative that I cannot refrain from complimenting the author on their use.This biographer has chosen a historical episode and a leading character of great interest. Caterina of Forli was certainly courageous and resourceful during the multitudinous and perilous changes of fortune which characterized the Italy of that time. She also proved as devious and unsparing as any of the male rulers, faced as she was by the many enemies of her family. Following the assassination of her beloved second husband, for instance, she destroyed the conspirators and even their families with great cruelty.She will be remembered forever, however, for her defiance of the Borgia pope and his ruthless son Cesare. The author triumphs in telling the story of the assault on the fortress at Forli and the capture of a woman unbowed by the fortunes of war. By contrast, the indifference of her elder sons to her imprisonment and suffering, their cupidity, their ambition for higher positions in the Church while making no effort to help her are both shocking and disgusting.You will not find a more complete recounting of these tragic events than in this history of a valiant woman fighting against all the hardships of medieval Italy. After her capture by the terrible Cesare Borgia, I had to pause often before continuing with this record of the indignities and suffering inflicted on this woman.I recommend this biography to anyone seeking history related in an interesting way.This biographer, moreover, provides an extra benefit by adding to the book a brief account of the career and death of Caterina's youngest son, the great warrior Giovanni dalle Bande Nere.
I have always loved and been fascinated by powerful women, both in history and in fiction. I'm especially fascinated by these sorts of women who lived in eras where their lives were highly circumscribed. As the saying goes "well behaved women seldom make history". It's a shame because history is filled with great women of strength, resilience and resourcefulness and their names need to be better known.To be honest, I actually came across the amazing and wily Catarina Sforza while watching Showtime's 'The Borgias' (my guilty Jeremy Irons pleasure). As I watched this powerful reddish-gold haired virago lift her skirts and taunt the army of Cesare Borgia by pointing at her genitals and telling him that she could make more sons (a story that was highly embellished by Machiavelli who was NOT a fan of hers), I thought, this woman's real story has GOT to be pretty darn interesting and fact actually pales in comparison to fiction. She was, even to her detractors, a remarkable woman who literally went toe to toe with the incredibly dangerous Borgia clan alone.Catarina Riario Sforza de Medici was in short, one hell of a woman. Elegant, cultured, literate, a fighter, a huntress, a tactician, a healer, a mother and a very beautiful and forceful woman. She often stood alone, fighting for her family's legacy and her right to exist in a Renaissance Italy which alliances shifted on the winds and death was a mere heartbeat away. She could also be very stubborn and make serious errors in judgment. Be that as it may, Catarina took control of her life in ways that were quite rare for that time period. Far from perfect, she was a woman determined to be in charge of her destiny.
Excellent historical account of a woman born before her time. It is written in a very readable style and it was hard for me to put down. I selected this for a book club reading and selfishly, I wanted to read something prior to a planned extensive trip to Italy. My desire, after reading “Leonardoâ€, was to find a book about women in that period to get some perspective on women’s roles in that time. This was a wonderful choice and while she is perhaps not typical of the time, her story was well worth reading. I love how Elizabeth Lev humanized Catarina—she did not sugar coat her flaws and mistakes, nor did she dwell too much on her victories. The result was the feeling of reading about a REAL woman and not a lionized historical myth. Our book club read “Leonardo†prior to this selection and we all could criticized that piece by saying that although the book was informative and readable, it did nothing to humanize a great man. This account of this historical figure gave well documented and referenced historical accounts, but also made you realize you were learning about a real person—-not some myth. Our trip to Italy, after reading this book, warranted a stop in Imola and Forli, to further explore the life of this incredible woman.
Excellent book. I will use it as a text book for a class I am teaching about the Italian Renaissance. I think one of the merits of the author is that she writes an historically rich biography with a very good narrative. She is able to unravel the complex context of 15th century Italian politics with clarity and order, highlighting the continuously changing alliances that produced (and maintained?)the balance of power during the last decades of the century. The challenge posed by this genre is to please both the informed reader, who is looking for historically precise detail, and the lay reader who will get lost in those details. In my opinion, Lev was able to balance historical precision and narrative's necessities fairly well. As an historian, I referred to her footnotes often in order to understand her sources and judge her historical trustworthiness. Some details were simply too 'intimate' for me to buy their authenticity. In the end, it is thanks to artistic and historical license that the best stories come to life, making history enjoyable for all!
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