|
|
Article: Money and ambition among the Borgias.(Book Review)
- Article from:
- Catholic New Times
- Article date:
- October 9, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Catholic New Times, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
The Cardinal's Hat by Mary Hollingsworth. New York, The Overlook Press, 2005.275 pp.
This is a brilliant piece of historical detective work uncovering the schemes by which Ippolito d'Este, second son of Lucretia Borgia, became the Archbishop of Milan at the age of nine.
If you believe there is, or at least should be, a link between the position of cardinal and piety, this book is not for you. The Cardinal's Hat, by academic historian Mary Hollingsworth, focuses on the years during which Columbus discovered the new world--while the papacy was suffering through an era of wickedness. The subtitle says it all: Money, Ambition and Everyday Life in the Court ...