The Popes: A History - Couverture rigide

Norwich, Viscount John Julius

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0701182903 ISBN 13 : 9780701182908

Editeur : Chatto & Windus, 2011

Synopsis

The Popes Well known for his histories of Norman Sicily, Venice, the Byzantine Empire and the Mediterranean, John Julius Norwich has now turned his attention to the oldest continuing institution in the world, tracing the papal line down the centuries from St Peter himself - traditionally (though by no means historically) the first pope. Full description

A propos du livre

Présentation de l'éditeur :

Well known for his histories of Norman Sicily, Venice, the Byzantine Empire and the Mediterranean, John Julius Norwich has now turned his attention to the oldest continuing institution in the world, tracing the papal line down the centuries from St Peter himself - traditionally (though by no means historically) the first pope - to the present Benedict XVI.

Of the 280-odd holders of the supreme office, some have unques­tionably been saints; others have wallowed in unspeakable iniquity. One was said to have been a woman - and an English woman at that - her sex being revealed only when she improvidently gave birth to a baby during a papal procession. Pope Joan never existed (though the Church long believed she did) but many genuine pontiffs were almost as colourful: Formosus, for example, whose murdered corpse was exhumed, clothed in pontifical vestments, propped up on a throne and subjected to trial; or John XII of whom Gibbon wrote: 'his rapes of virgins and widows deterred female pilgrims from visiting the shrine of St Peter lest, in the devout act, they should be violated by his successor.'

Others earned respect, including Leo the Great who protected Rome from the Huns and the Goths, and Gregory the Great who struggled manfully with the emperor for supremacy. After calamitous crusades, and 70-year exile in Avignon, came the larger-than-life pontiffs of the Renassiance - the Borgias and the Medicis ('God has given us the papacy; let us now enjoy it'). Pius VII had to contend with Napoleon, Pius IX to steer the papacy through the storm of the Risorgimento. John Julius Norwich brings the story up-to-date with lively investigations into the anti-semitism of Pius XII, the possible murder of John Paul I and the phenomenon of the Polish John Paul II. From here the glories of the Byznatium to the decay of Rome, from the Albigensian Heresy to sexual misbehaviour within the Church today, the pace never slackens.

John Julius Norwich, an agnostic with no religious axe to grind, has a thrilling and important tale to tell - and in this rich, authoritative book he does it full justice.

Quatrième de couverture :

Praise for John Julius Norwich

'Exhilarating ... a landmark in popular history-telling.' Sunday Telegraph

'Lord Norwich's control of his vast and complex subject matter is masterly. And the subject matter itself is as colourful as history can get.' Economist

'As a historian Lord Norwich knows what matters. As a writer he has a taste for beauty, a love of language and an enchanting wit.' Spectator

'Tells a remarkable tale with boundless zest.' Daily Telegraph

'Norwich is always on the lookout for the small but revealing details ... all of this he recounts in a style that consistently entertains.' New York Times Book Review

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Chatto & Windus
• Date d'édition: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0701182903
• ISBN 13: 9780701182908
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 528