Princes of the Renaissance

Written by Mary Hollingsworth

Narrated by Karen Cass

A beautifully illustrated history of the Renaissance told through the lives of its most influential patrons.

From the late Middle Ages, the independent Italian city-states were taken over by powerful families who installed themselves as dynastic rulers. Inspired by the humanists, the princes of 15th- and 16th-century Italy immersed themselves in the culture of antiquity, commissioning palaces, villas and churches inspired by the architecture of ancient Rome, and offering patronage to artists and writers.

Many of thse princes were related by blood or marriage, creating a web of alliances that held society together but whose tensions sometimes threatened to tear it apart; thus were their lives dominated as much by the waging of war as the nurture of the artistic talent.

In a narrative that is as rigorous and closely researched as it is accessible and informative, Mary Hollingsworth sets the princes' aesthetic achievements in the context of the volatile, ever-shifting politics of a tumultuous period of history.

• Language: English
• Publisher: W. F. Howes Ltd
• Release date: Feb 4, 2021
• ISBN: 9781800242609

Mary Hollingsworth

Mary Hollingsworth is a scholar of the Italian Renaissance. She is the author of The Cardinal's Hat; The Borgias: History's Most Notorious Dynasty; and The Family Medici: The Hidden History of the Medici Dynasty. She divides her time between Italy and England.

Reviews for Princes of the Renaissance

[Eva Matijevic · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent. Well, to be honest, I wasn’t the biggest fan of jumping chronology employed here but, thanks to the amazing writing and and good narrator, you get used to it pretty quickly. I would say this is one of the historical works everyone should read at least once - it’s perfect for both your trips to Italy and as a break from you daily activities.