E. R. ChamberlinBesprekingen

I picked up this book because I thought the title was funny. Having only a vague understanding of the history of the Catholic church (and European politics during the Middle Ages), I got a fair amount out of this book. It's probably not a great work of history, but I found it well written in an elevated-gossip style. Some of these popes were ... pretty bad! (So were some of the non popes.). Another thing I found interesting was that there were periods of years where it's not really clear whose was in charge of the church. One criticism I had was that Stephen VI, who exhumed his predecessor and put him on trial (the Cadaver Synod), wasn't profiled outside a few paragraphs in the introduction.

A short, concise book on the city of Florence (Italy) during the Renaissance. Arguably one of the most fascinating cities on the planet (at least to me), this book covers the time period well. Well written, easily readable, and just plain fascinating. I really enjoyed this book.

Lots and lots of information in this book! Perhaps too much. It comes across as rather dry and academic, not the kind of book one picks up for a casual read. Would be a great asset for assigning chapters to an university class.

Although this is a pretty old publication (1976), it has the classic hallmark of the Great Cities series, giving a thorough and insightful account of the city in its context, covering both the classical age and the modern period. The photographs show their vintage by the generally brown cast and slight fuzziness, but this only adds to their authenticity (no Photoshop here), and the aerial views of the major architectural features are excellent - e.g. the Spanish steps (featured also on the cover), which can only be appreciated in the whole, and not so much from the ground. An altogether delightful book (it loses a star only for its age), well worth the trouble of locating a used copy.

Life in Medieval France by E R Chamberlin is a very good overview and, even with age, is an excellent starting point for anyone wanting to learn more.

I have read several of Chamberlin's books, though none in quite some time, and this slim volume reminded me of what made them worthwhile: wonderful writing and a focused clarity. This is not an academic work, which is neither a positive nor a negative, it is a statement. The rigor and research are present but it is written to inform, engage, and entertain in equal proportion. In some ways, many academic writers could have learned a few things from Chamberlin.

Even with scholarship that has shed light on many aspects of the period this book still serves its purpose well. Because it is an overview it is less affected by changes to how we understand some of the smaller details.

While ideal for those looking to start their journey into medieval history, this is also a wonderful book for those who have drilled so deep into a specific area or theme that they sometimes lose track of the bigger picture and the longer view. This volume helps with that.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

For me, the book provided an excellent opportunity to glance at the other side of papacy, the side which the Roman Catholics do not want to talk about, i.e. the totally secular istitution void of spiritual aspirations (sure, there were other popes as well, especially before the Great Schism of 1054, who worthily wore the mitre of the bishops of Rome). One would only wish that the stress of the book was placed not only on the popes' political and financial escapades. The book simply alludes to the pagan or satanic interests of some of the popes but doesn't go into details.
Also, the book focuses on a handful of popes, while remarking that there were others no less curious than the ones the reader is presented with. All in all, the book is very informative and is a fast read.

Azért olvastam el a könyvet, mert erről a történelmi időszakról valamiért hiányosak az ismereteim. Nem tudom pontosan miért, de valamiért a Frankokról keveset olvastam. Ez egy viszonylag rövid könyv, és bár Nagy Károlyról szó leginkább, röviden bemutatja az előzményeket is, és a birodalom további sorsát is, ideálisnak tűnt a korszak megismeréséhez. A legfőbb gondom a könyvvel, hogy igazából az elolvasása után sem érzem, hogy túl sokat tudnék a frankokról, szerintem ilyen terjedelembe azért több információnak kellene beleférni.

Bevallom, az is erősen meglepett, hogy a szerző szerinte az augsburgi csatában (jóval Nagy Károly után) I. Ottó a hunokat győzte le. Mintha én ezt másként tanultam volna.½

A scintillating look at some of the exemplars of ugliness in medieval Catholicism.

The author focuses on the Theophylacts, Boniface VIII, Urban VI and the Avignon difficulties, Alexander VI, and the Medicis: Leo X and Clement VII.

The stories of simony, corruption, sex, murder, politicking, foreign policy, etc. are told in great detail. The author would seem to tell these stories in order to advance the thesis that the combination of spiritual authority along with the "donation of Constantine" and the Papal States led to the terrible condition of the Papacy and the ultimate divisions manifest in the Reformation.

But it seems really to be just an opportunity to gawk at the immorality of the medieval papacy.

If you thought the Catholic Church was bad already, just read this and you'll realize that the corruption and criminality was built in from the beginning. This is a fascinating tale of seven bad popes, nepotism, murder, lust for money and power, orgies, you name it. Somehow the author seems to maintain some sort of sympathy for the church throughout it all. He shows how the selection of popes was based on nothing more than who could best bribe the selection committee. This book is fascinating, but the reader will benefit from at least a little prior knowledge of history.½

The Borgia family dynasty begun in Spain, arrived in Italy through Church appointments and marriages, and stood to centralize power unifying the Five Powers of Italy between 1450-1575 during the Renaissance. Pope Cesare and Alexander, and their Princes, were among the cruelest and most venal men who have ever lived.

E.R. Chamberlin is a British historian who specializes in European Renaissance history. The author presents the story of murder, lies, hatred, and ruthless thirst for dissembling power which united a fractious Italy, while picturing life in Italy itself. Significantly with figures so monstrous, he also peels off some of the fantasies and myths about Alexander, Lucrezia, and Cesare Borgia.

The book closes with an account of often-disputed and apparently suicidal death by combat which ended Cesare's life, and the initial burial and subsequent disinterment and effacement of his remains. Lucrezia died in 1518 in childbirth shortly before her 40th year. Many of her lovers and relations were already drifting into legend, with her, as she died. To his horror, she begged for Pope Leo X's blessing before she bled out in her bed.

A compendium of sordid medieval fables and debauched grandiosity that could have been the inspiration for Frederick Rolfe’s megalomaniacal alter-ego Hadrian the Seventh. The contrivers of cruel fortune in Greek tragedy or Shakespeare have nothing on the bad popes—some of whom were contemporaries, and subjects, of Petrarch, Dante, and Machiavelli. Even the virtues of a man like Clement VII, writes Chamberlin, were more disastrous than the vices of other men.

Chamberlin’s prose style is well-suited to the material: he recounts episodes of papal avarice, depravity, and self-aggrandizement with a keen detachment and a dry, sardonic wit. Chamberlin’s historiography is also commendable: he carefully situates the authors of the extant source material in relevant proximity to events, and is appropriately skeptical toward accounts by aggrieved enemies and dynastic partisans. It is trivial to note that truth is stranger than fiction, unless the writing is as good as it is here.

The interment of the bones of an early Christian martyr in a pagan cemetery on Vatican Hill and the collusion of Carolingian kings and Roman bishops in the bogus sacralizing of the Donation of Constantine set the stage for the blend of mysticism, mythology, and materialism that came to be embodied by the occupant of the chair of St. Peter. No one can be shocked by the corruption and depravity of those in positions of power within religious institutions, but we can be entertained (as long as the stories are of long-ago, and well told). A few highlights:

Gregory II’s rejection of Byzantine iconoclasm in 726 triggered a war so frightful and bloody that for six years thereafter the inhabitants of the Po valley abstained from eating the fish of the river for fear of involuntary cannibalism.

In an episode known as the Synod horrenda, Pope Stephen VII put on “trial” the corpse of his immediate predecessor Formosus, which was propped on a throne in sacerdotal robes, cursed, found guilty, stripped, hacked away from the three fingers of benediction on the right hand, and finally tossed in the Tiber.

The military campaign of Charles V of Spain against Clement VII was backed by the bottomless coffers of Europe’s greatest banking house, the Fuggers.

In these pages, popes lie, steal, cheat, fornicate, torture, and die grisly deaths. But, writes Chamberlin, the spiritual capacity of each remained unaffected by his temporal activities since, according to Church teachings, “the waters of divine grace continued to pass through him unaffected by the possible foulness of the conduit.”

Chamberlin ends with the sack of Rome in May 1527, at the hands of the enemies of the last Medici pope, and just before the power and fury of the Church was renewed by the Counter-Reformation and the Inquisition. And we all know how that turned out.

Surprisingly- this book was witty and totally engaging. To steal another's review- Sex, sin, greed, a bit of the 'ol ultra-violence, and that's just before 1400! Biggest lesson learned? Politicians have been corrupt since time began. What was most interesting to me was the discussions around the great schism and why the medieval popes were just so naughty. Hint- In these times the throne of St. Peter was also linked to the secular "throne" of Rome and the papal states. Hence, conflict of interests bred some very bad popes indeed.½

Given it's age (1969) I am not sure how readily available this book would be, but it is a short , very readable biography of Cesare Borgia. At only 84 pages , it tells a lively story of Cesare's conquest of various Italian city states.

This book focuses on bad popes from the middle ages, and there were some hilariously bad popes in that period. The story is interesting and engaging, even if the commentary is a bit dry in places. However, given this is a factual well references history book, it is surprisingly readable. I enjoyed it.

http://www.stillhq.com/book/Russell_Chamberlin/The_Bad_Popes.html½

Like reading a sleaze magazine covering several centuries. I loved it! Also great inspiration and details for my own writing.

Este es un libro histórico, documentado por referencias (autores) que tuvieron acceso a la biblioteca Vaticana. Centrado en siete papas (entre ellas una papisa no reconocida por la Iglesia Catolica), no deja de ser un libro árido y técnico. Aun así, el autor ingles logra enganchar al lector con descripciones, relatos e intrigas que sucedieron (suceden) en cualquier estructura de poder. Uno de los puntos favorables es su posición neutral, sin emitir casi ningún juicio de valor. De entre los libros que he leído, este es el que me ha dejado mas claro la participación de la enigmática familia catalana de los Borgia en el papado.

Another random book from the charity shop and another bargain.
This is history as a story of key individuals, and seems a little dated as such, but it is both entertaining and informative (though I nearly discarded it as overly-flowery after the first two paragraphs - I recommend you persist, it gets better).
As the title suggests it is about "bad" popes, from the founding of the church to the renaissance. Along the way it highlights a number of terrible vices (both personal and professional) in several holders of the office, as well as debunking some others (there never was a "Pope Joan" for example, although reformation protestants loved the story).
I enjoyed this, and if you like history, it may well be worth a look.½

Sex, sin, greed, a bit of the 'ol ultra-violence, and that's just before 1400! Read The Bad Popes and learn of historical figures such as Marozia and her sister Theodora, the Roman women whom Pope Joan is most likely based upon (created as political satire). In the opening chapters of The Bad Popes Russel Chamberlin traces similarities to the Joan story and the real life Theophylact ladies, it is a deliciously scandalous story. Case in point: their rivals invented the lovely term "Pornocracy", a political system dominated by prostitutes (it was fashionable at that time, as it often is in ours, to label powerful women with such epithets). I love these nasty little tales, they remind me how tumultuous and earthy historical study can be.½