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A review by themyskira
The Tigress of Forli: Renaissance Italy's Most Courageous and Notorious Countess, Caterina Riario Sforza De' Medici by Elizabeth Lev
4.0
An excellent and compelling biography of a truly fascinating figure. Lev provides a thoughtful and well-researched look at one of the Italian Renaissance's most notorious women, Caterina Riario Sforza.
Caterina's story is fascinating enough on its own -- this is a woman who married three times, two of them in secret and for love rather than politics; who took command of the Castel Sant'Angelo and held the College of Cardinals to ransom while seven months pregnant; who weathered out sieges and stared down armies and earned widespread notoriety before ultimately losing her lands and titles to Cesare Borgia and being forced to weather out a rather brutal period of imprisonment. What I particularly like about Lev's book is that it really humanises Caterina, looking beyond the legends (Caterina did not, in fact, flash her genitals at Ravaldino, nor did she attempt to poison Pope Alexander VI) and exploring the woman behind them -- her passions, her strengths, her failings, her mistakes. The tigress on the ramparts at Ravaldino, screaming down to the men who threaten her children that she can easily bear more sons-- that may be a striking image, but as Lev picks apart legend from fact and delves into the realities of that day, a far more nuanced and powerful story emerges.
Lev engages critically with primary accounts, picking apart the context and motivations that coloured their authors' opinions of Caterina. Her writing is engaging and easy to read as she succeeds in bringing to life the figures of Caterina's day.
For anybody interested in learning more about one of the coolest ladies of Renaissance Italy, I'd absolutely recommend this book. It's a fascinating and very enjoyable read.
Caterina's story is fascinating enough on its own -- this is a woman who married three times, two of them in secret and for love rather than politics; who took command of the Castel Sant'Angelo and held the College of Cardinals to ransom while seven months pregnant; who weathered out sieges and stared down armies and earned widespread notoriety before ultimately losing her lands and titles to Cesare Borgia and being forced to weather out a rather brutal period of imprisonment. What I particularly like about Lev's book is that it really humanises Caterina, looking beyond the legends (Caterina did not, in fact, flash her genitals at Ravaldino, nor did she attempt to poison Pope Alexander VI) and exploring the woman behind them -- her passions, her strengths, her failings, her mistakes. The tigress on the ramparts at Ravaldino, screaming down to the men who threaten her children that she can easily bear more sons-- that may be a striking image, but as Lev picks apart legend from fact and delves into the realities of that day, a far more nuanced and powerful story emerges.
Lev engages critically with primary accounts, picking apart the context and motivations that coloured their authors' opinions of Caterina. Her writing is engaging and easy to read as she succeeds in bringing to life the figures of Caterina's day.
For anybody interested in learning more about one of the coolest ladies of Renaissance Italy, I'd absolutely recommend this book. It's a fascinating and very enjoyable read.