A review by chumpofchance
The Borgias and Their Enemies, 1431-1519 by Christopher Hibbert

2.0

There's not too much to say about this book. It will introduce you to the main players surrounding this family while recounting the main events and rumors that defined their moment in history. There's really nothing in the way of analysis and far too little historical context to understand the larger political dynamics in Europe at this time. I disagree with reviewers who said the author was too credulous - he mentions some of the more salacious rumors, but I didn't get the sense that he believed them, especially those surrounding Lucrezia. I would have appreciated more sources that could have given different perspectives on the events described, and the lack of any maps showing the shifting boundaries of the various Italian polities was a gross oversight that made it difficult for me to understand some of the stakes of the conflicts.

I can't really say whether it is better or worse than other introductory texts that consider the House of Borgia, but you can definitely get through this quickly, and it will do a good enough job providing you with some background if you're interested in consuming some of the TV shows or other media that fictionalizes their lives. I didn't regret the time spent reading it and largely found it fun and jaunty, but it is not a serious work of history by any stretch of the imagination.