Murder of a Medici PrincessMurder of a Medici Princess
Title rated 3.95 out of 5 stars, based on 13 ratings(13 ratings)
Book, 2008
Current format, Book, 2008, , Available .Book, 2008
Current format, Book, 2008, , Available . Offered in 0 more formatsA vast treasure trove of newly discovered and unpublished documents illuminates the brilliant life and tragic death of Isabella de Medici, one of the brightest stars in Renaissance Italy, in this fast-paced narrative that reveals the culpability of her disapproving older brother in her murder by her jealous husband.
Offers a collection of newly discovered and unpublished documents that illuminate the brilliant life and tragic death of Isabella de Medici, one of the brightest stars in Renaissance Italy.
She was a dazzling figure in Medici Florence, one of history's most storied settings. Beautiful, gifted, and ambitious, Isabella de Medici was the doting daughter of a powerful father in who eyes she could do no wrong. She lived her life in a blaze, indulging her passion for art and extravagance, and possessing what no woman of her age could even dream of possessing: her own palace, in which she nurtured artists and sheltered lovers. Forced to marry an Orsini, a prince of Rome, she ignored her husband, living apart from him and refusing to leave Florence. As long as her father, Cosimo I, was breathing, Isabella led an independent existence in the pursuit of pleasure and artistic accomplishment.
Cosimo, however, did not live forever. Upon his death, he was succeeded by Isabella's dour brother Francesco, who regarded his sister's freedoms as a family disgrace. He permitted her increasingly enraged husband to murder her in a remote Medici villa.
Caroline Murphy captures the richness and fragility of Renaissance Florence in her gripping account of Isabella's life and death. To tell the story, Murphy draws on a trove of newly discovered and published documents, ranging from Isabella's own letters, to the loose-tongued dispatches of ambassadors to Florence, to contemporary descriptions of the opulent parties and balls, salons and hunts that marked Isabella's brief existence. Murphy also brings to life the atmosphere of Renaissance Florence, weaving Isabella's beloved city into her story and evoking fully its intellectual and artistic ferment. Palaces and gardens were more than mere places; they were backdrops for intrigue, sites of seduction, and grounds for betrayal.
In Murder of a Medici Princess, Caroline Murphy illuminates the brilliant life and tragic death of Isabella de Medici, one of the brightest stars in the dazzling world of Renaissance Italy, the daughter of Duke Cosimo I, ruler of Florence and Tuscany.
Murphy is a superb storyteller, and her fast-paced narrative captures the intrigue, the scandal, the romantic affairs, and the violence that were commonplace in the Florentine court. She brings to life an extraordinary woman, fluent in five languages, a free-spirited patron of the arts, a
daredevil, a practical joker, and a passionate lover. Isabella, in fact, conducted numerous affairs, including a ten-year relationship with the cousin of her violent and possessive husband. Her permissive lifestyle, however, came to an end upon the death of her father, who was succeeded by her
disapproving older brother Francesco. Considering Isabella's ways to be licentious and a disgrace upon the family, he permitted her increasingly enraged husband to murder her in a remote Medici villa. To tell this dramatic story, Murphy draws on a vast trove of newly discovered and unpublished
documents, ranging from Isabella's own letters, to the loose-tongued dispatches of ambassadors to Florence, to contemporary descriptions of the opulent parties and balls, salons and hunts in which Isabella and her associates participated. Murphy resurrects the exciting atmosphere of Renaissance
Florence, weaving Isabella's beloved city into her story, evoking the intellectual and artistic community that thrived during her time. Palaces and gardens in the city become places of creativity and intrigue, sites of seduction, and grounds for betrayal.
Here then is a narrative of compelling and epic proportions, magnificent and alluring, decadent and ultimately tragic.
Offers a collection of newly discovered and unpublished documents that illuminate the brilliant life and tragic death of Isabella de Medici, one of the brightest stars in Renaissance Italy.
She was a dazzling figure in Medici Florence, one of history's most storied settings. Beautiful, gifted, and ambitious, Isabella de Medici was the doting daughter of a powerful father in who eyes she could do no wrong. She lived her life in a blaze, indulging her passion for art and extravagance, and possessing what no woman of her age could even dream of possessing: her own palace, in which she nurtured artists and sheltered lovers. Forced to marry an Orsini, a prince of Rome, she ignored her husband, living apart from him and refusing to leave Florence. As long as her father, Cosimo I, was breathing, Isabella led an independent existence in the pursuit of pleasure and artistic accomplishment.
Cosimo, however, did not live forever. Upon his death, he was succeeded by Isabella's dour brother Francesco, who regarded his sister's freedoms as a family disgrace. He permitted her increasingly enraged husband to murder her in a remote Medici villa.
Caroline Murphy captures the richness and fragility of Renaissance Florence in her gripping account of Isabella's life and death. To tell the story, Murphy draws on a trove of newly discovered and published documents, ranging from Isabella's own letters, to the loose-tongued dispatches of ambassadors to Florence, to contemporary descriptions of the opulent parties and balls, salons and hunts that marked Isabella's brief existence. Murphy also brings to life the atmosphere of Renaissance Florence, weaving Isabella's beloved city into her story and evoking fully its intellectual and artistic ferment. Palaces and gardens were more than mere places; they were backdrops for intrigue, sites of seduction, and grounds for betrayal.
In Murder of a Medici Princess, Caroline Murphy illuminates the brilliant life and tragic death of Isabella de Medici, one of the brightest stars in the dazzling world of Renaissance Italy, the daughter of Duke Cosimo I, ruler of Florence and Tuscany.
Murphy is a superb storyteller, and her fast-paced narrative captures the intrigue, the scandal, the romantic affairs, and the violence that were commonplace in the Florentine court. She brings to life an extraordinary woman, fluent in five languages, a free-spirited patron of the arts, a
daredevil, a practical joker, and a passionate lover. Isabella, in fact, conducted numerous affairs, including a ten-year relationship with the cousin of her violent and possessive husband. Her permissive lifestyle, however, came to an end upon the death of her father, who was succeeded by her
disapproving older brother Francesco. Considering Isabella's ways to be licentious and a disgrace upon the family, he permitted her increasingly enraged husband to murder her in a remote Medici villa. To tell this dramatic story, Murphy draws on a vast trove of newly discovered and unpublished
documents, ranging from Isabella's own letters, to the loose-tongued dispatches of ambassadors to Florence, to contemporary descriptions of the opulent parties and balls, salons and hunts in which Isabella and her associates participated. Murphy resurrects the exciting atmosphere of Renaissance
Florence, weaving Isabella's beloved city into her story, evoking the intellectual and artistic community that thrived during her time. Palaces and gardens in the city become places of creativity and intrigue, sites of seduction, and grounds for betrayal.
Here then is a narrative of compelling and epic proportions, magnificent and alluring, decadent and ultimately tragic.
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- Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2008.
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