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The Beauty and the Terror: An Alternative History of the Italian Renaissance

The Beauty and the Terror: An Alternative History of the Italian Renaissance

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  • Create Date：2021-10-26 09:54:33
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Catherine Fletcher
  • ISBN：1784707945
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Summary

The Italian Renaissance shaped Western culture - but it was far stranger and darker than many of us realise。 We know the Mona Lisa for her smile， but not that she was married to a slave-trader。 We revere Leonardo da Vinci for his art， but few now appreciate his ingenious designs for weaponry。 We visit Florence to see Michelangelo's David， but hear nothing of the massacre that forced the republic's surrender。 In fact， many of the Renaissance's most celebrated artists and thinkers emerged not during the celebrated 'rebirth' of the fifteenth century but amidst the death and destruction of the sixteenth century。

The Beauty and the Terror is an enrapturing narrative which includes the forgotten women writers， Jewish merchants， mercenaries， prostitutes， farmers and citizens who lived the Renaissance every day。 Brimming with life， it takes us closer than ever before to the reality of this astonishing era， and its meaning for today。

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Reviews

Alexei ，

Excellent book - the history of the late Renaissance without varnish， with all its blood and gore。 Excellent style， dry and witty。 Also， with much attention to contemporary female actors some of whom were rather prominent but are usually neglected with the notorious exception for Lucrezia Borgia。 Too many characters， but they never ask us how to plot history。

Liloh ，

Well written and well researched book about a very fascinating period hence rounding up my rating 3。5 to 4 stars。 However， it took me ages to read and digest it （and also as I had to rely on waiting list at my local library） but In felt like I was going back and forth while reading it。 I still highly recommend it！

Fah Michaud ，

From the blurb， I went into this thinking I was going to get an alternate history that was comprehensive about women writers， Jews， slaves and sex workers in the Renaissance。 However， what I got was a long， frankly not very engaging， history of the papacy and wars in the Italian peninsula at that time。 If I had wanted to read about men in politics in the Renaissance， I think I would not have picked up a book subtitled "An Alternate History of the Renaissance"。 From the blurb， I went into this thinking I was going to get an alternate history that was comprehensive about women writers， Jews， slaves and sex workers in the Renaissance。 However， what I got was a long， frankly not very engaging， history of the papacy and wars in the Italian peninsula at that time。 If I had wanted to read about men in politics in the Renaissance， I think I would not have picked up a book subtitled "An Alternate History of the Renaissance"。 。。。more

Aeryn Lallaboso ，

a good popular overview of the period （as someone who only knew a bit about it）， but very disjointed and hampered by the author's need to repeat the titles & relations of historical figures every time they're introduced as if we've forgotten them immediately and a kind of defensive writing style that reads to me as someone far more used to academic writing than the popular kind。 i think treating this book as a series of interlinked essays （not really on alternative history， because the focus is a good popular overview of the period （as someone who only knew a bit about it）， but very disjointed and hampered by the author's need to repeat the titles & relations of historical figures every time they're introduced as if we've forgotten them immediately and a kind of defensive writing style that reads to me as someone far more used to academic writing than the popular kind。 i think treating this book as a series of interlinked essays （not really on alternative history， because the focus is much too wide for that） helped me get my head round it more。 i plan to read the author's other two books and see how much she's developed from here！ 。。。more

Shell ，

It was hard to rate this book because it's full of facts and obvious that the author has done a huge amount of research。 However， I knew nothing about the Italian Renaissance before picking it up and although I became engaged in small sections。 Most of the time I found it a real slog and there were so many European names of people and places and the relationships between them was so complicated that I was really lost a lot of the time。 I'm sure if I were more scholarly I would have rated the boo It was hard to rate this book because it's full of facts and obvious that the author has done a huge amount of research。 However， I knew nothing about the Italian Renaissance before picking it up and although I became engaged in small sections。 Most of the time I found it a real slog and there were so many European names of people and places and the relationships between them was so complicated that I was really lost a lot of the time。 I'm sure if I were more scholarly I would have rated the book 5 stars， but the author did not manage to make me warm to the period and it felt like a huge effort to get to the end。 I really think a historian would love to read this though。 。。。more

Nisso Bucay ，

Very good and informative This is a very good introduction to the Renaissance in Italy and the impact and interaction of war and culture。 It also covers the wars between Spain and France where Italy was the playground and how small duchies， republics， were affected。It should have included some of the large selection of artwork it mentions as well as a list of characters

Brian Hanson ，

Of course we always knew that 15th and 16th Century Europe was riven with disputes。 The wonder was that the same period produced so much beauty。 Catherine Fletcher thinks we haven't dwelt on the ugly side of the period enough， and so seeks to rub our face in it - giving relatively short shrift to the "Beauty" of her title。 Of course we always knew that 15th and 16th Century Europe was riven with disputes。 The wonder was that the same period produced so much beauty。 Catherine Fletcher thinks we haven't dwelt on the ugly side of the period enough， and so seeks to rub our face in it - giving relatively short shrift to the "Beauty" of her title。 。。。more

Simon ，

I want to think， as well， about the people whose lives often do not feature in the usual narrative。I am going to go out on a limb here: European history is adequately covered。 Relatively。 Yes， in the Anglo world， we don’t learn a lot about 16th century Italy but that’s because you don’t really need to know about 16th century Italy。 There won’t be a test on it at the end of your life。 The role of Italians in financing and actually exploring the New World is interesting， and the revolving door of I want to think， as well， about the people whose lives often do not feature in the usual narrative。I am going to go out on a limb here: European history is adequately covered。 Relatively。 Yes， in the Anglo world， we don’t learn a lot about 16th century Italy but that’s because you don’t really need to know about 16th century Italy。 There won’t be a test on it at the end of your life。 The role of Italians in financing and actually exploring the New World is interesting， and the revolving door of alliances in the Italian Wars is bemusing， but it’s fine if the base of your knowledge of the era extends to knowing the Ninja Turtles had Italian names。 In other words， the reform movements of the period cannot be separated from the wider process of colonisation and empire-building， which influenced too the world of scientific investigation and in the longer term even the everyday diet。 This is me saying you should read this book。 It’s about context。 It’s about portrayals against reality。 It’s about how people both famous and otherwise （admittedly with scanty documentary on the “otherwise”） inhabited their world。 Most importantly， it’s interesting。 I’ve read the The Beauty and the Terror described as “lively” which is a weak way of saying Fletcher is a good writer。 She’s also a good historian， which I guess explains the PhD in it。And by exploring how the people of this world thought about their own media revolution， or considered questions of gender and sexuality， or responded to changing weapons technology， we can better understand our own world too， and the ways in which then as now brilliant cultural innovation can exist。The Beauty and the Terror is good because it is full of explanations for decisions， whether as to root and branch reform of the church， or to poetry written by a courtesan。 Yeah， you can portray it as history written at 30，000 feet but that is my point。 You are never ever going to get all the details of every moment， and you particularly don’t need to know your War of the League of Cambrai from your War of the Holy League。 What The Beauty and the Terror offers is perspective – is history one damn thing after another， or are there reasons for those things happening？The Beauty and the Terror is a book of aha！ moments， which I don’t think there are enough of in history。 Relatively。 。。。more

Laura ，

Overall it increased my knowledge of a subject in which heretofore I had little interest。 The historical/political chapters were hard work however the chapters on arts and the humanities were fascinating and well written。

Peter Burton ，

I enjoyed this book as it was written in an approachable style， covering a number of topics and was quite easy to read so I， as a non specialist，learnt a lot in a little time so long I didn’t bother to learn the myriad of names in so many small states。I enjoyed the way it spread out to cover the New World and the East。Clearly designed to grab the reader and make the story interesting from the word “go”。So well done for that

Rebecca ，

Loved this vast， sprawling history of a time period so often overshadowed by the Tudors。 Horrifying， riveting， deftly weaving a variety of histories （religious; military， cultural; women’s history etc） the whole thing seems so incredibly relevant to understanding the modern day。 Chapters a perfectly brief length and well considered。 Marked down simply because I found it hard to stay on top of all the characters and theatres， and a timeline or ‘who’s who’ would have been helpful。 I wish I’d made Loved this vast， sprawling history of a time period so often overshadowed by the Tudors。 Horrifying， riveting， deftly weaving a variety of histories （religious; military， cultural; women’s history etc） the whole thing seems so incredibly relevant to understanding the modern day。 Chapters a perfectly brief length and well considered。 Marked down simply because I found it hard to stay on top of all the characters and theatres， and a timeline or ‘who’s who’ would have been helpful。 I wish I’d made my own timeline of the popes， or printed a map of Italy at this time early on in my reading of this book。 。。。more

Roger Woods ，

The subtitle of this unusual book encapsulates the volume。 Instead of dealing with the history of the art， architecture and sculpture created during the period of the Italian Renaissance the author concentrates on the political， social and economic context with detours about the interminable wars on the Italian peninsula， the role of women， the part played by mercenary soldiers， the weapons of the time， the fortunes of the Catholic Church and other related topics。 The author packs many facts int The subtitle of this unusual book encapsulates the volume。 Instead of dealing with the history of the art， architecture and sculpture created during the period of the Italian Renaissance the author concentrates on the political， social and economic context with detours about the interminable wars on the Italian peninsula， the role of women， the part played by mercenary soldiers， the weapons of the time， the fortunes of the Catholic Church and other related topics。 The author packs many facts into her paragraphs and the writing is not too heavy and not too light。 I would have preferred more illustrations particularly of those works of art that are referred to in the text。 A very different book than the usual about the Renaissance。 。。。more

Johanna ，

This book has no atmosphere， no interesting vingnettes。 It is a list of European， Middle Eastern wars without any interesting details。 Some information is incorrect - van Eycks Adolfini painting does not have the artist in the mirror but is the Adolfinis from behind， they are not greeting guests it is a portrait of them with wife pregnant with first child， Maronite Christians were/are from Lebanon not Syria。 It is not worth it if you believe it is about the Italian Renaissance - sure the Renaiss This book has no atmosphere， no interesting vingnettes。 It is a list of European， Middle Eastern wars without any interesting details。 Some information is incorrect - van Eycks Adolfini painting does not have the artist in the mirror but is the Adolfinis from behind， they are not greeting guests it is a portrait of them with wife pregnant with first child， Maronite Christians were/are from Lebanon not Syria。 It is not worth it if you believe it is about the Italian Renaissance - sure the Renaissance was 15/16 Century but that is as close as it gets。 This is just a text book on wars during this period， there are definitly better books and better authors。 Not worth the time。 。。。more

Edoardo ，

Interesting overview of Italian Renaissance， able to bring together the beautiful and awful aspects that made that period one of the richest of Italian history。 A lot of less knows characters are brought in the light， which makes this story much vivid and alive than a standard review of few geniuses， presented in isolation。

Siu Hong ，

The book partially succeeded in what the title suggests: it shows how Renaissance Arts and the Italian Wars coexisted。 The writing， however， leans towards academic rather than a more situated， engaging narrative like Tom Holland in the ambitious Dominion。 Thus， I know of the beauty and the terror， but I didn't really feel it when I was reading the book。However， there are surprising delights。 The chapter on women in Renaissance is detailed， with accounts on the aristocracy， courtiers， prostitutes The book partially succeeded in what the title suggests: it shows how Renaissance Arts and the Italian Wars coexisted。 The writing， however， leans towards academic rather than a more situated， engaging narrative like Tom Holland in the ambitious Dominion。 Thus， I know of the beauty and the terror， but I didn't really feel it when I was reading the book。However， there are surprising delights。 The chapter on women in Renaissance is detailed， with accounts on the aristocracy， courtiers， prostitutes and poets。 The chapter on early pornography im context is informative and fair。 。。。more

Calliope100 ，

If you’ve been saddled with the myth that until the 1970’s women did nothing but make babies you might want to read this。

Annie ，

I'm sad that it seems like it took ages for me to read this， it did， but it wasn't the fault of the book （apart from the binding， which meant it didn't lie flat with the remote holding it open， while I knitted）。It is fascinating。It is compelling。It provides a background to the Renaissance， which is often overlooked。There is history of the arts， of war， of women， of Jews， of people of colour。 I'm sad that it seems like it took ages for me to read this， it did， but it wasn't the fault of the book （apart from the binding， which meant it didn't lie flat with the remote holding it open， while I knitted）。It is fascinating。It is compelling。It provides a background to the Renaissance， which is often overlooked。There is history of the arts， of war， of women， of Jews， of people of colour。 。。。more

Jimmy Budge ，

Excellent

Marks54 ，

This is a big sprawling history of the Renaissance in Italy， but from a refreshing perspective。 Histories like this， at a risk of simplifying， are told from one or a few perspectives/levels of analysis。 You can get histories of Renaissance art， military histories， political histories， religious histories， and intellectual histories。 There are even profiles of the life of common and poorer people or of local and trade guilds。 What you have here is a telling of the Renaissance story in its broader This is a big sprawling history of the Renaissance in Italy， but from a refreshing perspective。 Histories like this， at a risk of simplifying， are told from one or a few perspectives/levels of analysis。 You can get histories of Renaissance art， military histories， political histories， religious histories， and intellectual histories。 There are even profiles of the life of common and poorer people or of local and trade guilds。 What you have here is a telling of the Renaissance story in its broader contexts。 Why did it happen when it did？ Was it a homogenous period or were some times more intense than others？ How did the state of Europe affect what happened in Italy （and vice-versa）？ How important were key individuals （Popes and Emperors）？ Most interestingly， how did the different dimensions （military， political， cultural， etc。） affect and interact with each other？ What you see about the Renaissance depends on what is looked at， but how do the different perspectives fit together？ Does the story change if you look at the dimensions together？That is what Professor Fletcher tries to do in this book and it is really engaging。 There is a lot to keep track of， however， and while there are fewer separate stories， the course of the book is still complex。 I have been trying to digest a lot about Renaissance Italy， most recently its political theory。 Fletcher’s book provides all the more factual stories to fill in the details。 I will try to digest this further and will likely raise the rating。 I will more histories were written this way。 。。。more

Simon Dobson ，

An excellent tour through the Renaissance that doesn't steer away from the bits that don;t fit the usual narrative。 Whether I'd agree with the subtitle of "alternative" history I'm less certain: it certainly mentions the role of women and the prevalence of slavery more than other books， and also explores the relationship between Italians and Spaniards in the conquest of the New World in interesting ways， though。 An excellent tour through the Renaissance that doesn't steer away from the bits that don;t fit the usual narrative。 Whether I'd agree with the subtitle of "alternative" history I'm less certain: it certainly mentions the role of women and the prevalence of slavery more than other books， and also explores the relationship between Italians and Spaniards in the conquest of the New World in interesting ways， though。 。。。more

Elizabeth Judd Taylor ，

A good overview of the Italian Renaissance， which takes into account what was happening in the rest of Europe （and of exploration to the Americas） as well。 There is also a nice amount of space devoted to women of the period， and the very real part they played in both politics and the arts。 This book covers a lot of places and events but does so in a way that allows for a bigger picture of the era。 Recommended。

Bram De ，

Not one large connected narrative but rather a collection of anecdotes on art， religious， and political intrigues across Italy in the 16th century。 It nonetheless offers great insight and emphasises how this period shaped the world as we know it。 The lack of a common thread connecting all chapters however makes it difficult to stay engaged though。

Edith ，

3 and 1/2。 I have very much enjoyed two of Catherine Fletcher's previous histories: "The Black Prince of Florence" and "The Divorce of Henry VIII。" Even these books were over-stuffed with her research， and there was a certain amount of repetition， but the subjects were relatively narrow and the historical figures and locales relatively limited。 However， with "The Beauty and the Terror" （a terrible title; it sounds like a bodice-ripper） the canvas is much， much larger， so that the same flaws were 3 and 1/2。 I have very much enjoyed two of Catherine Fletcher's previous histories: "The Black Prince of Florence" and "The Divorce of Henry VIII。" Even these books were over-stuffed with her research， and there was a certain amount of repetition， but the subjects were relatively narrow and the historical figures and locales relatively limited。 However， with "The Beauty and the Terror" （a terrible title; it sounds like a bodice-ripper） the canvas is much， much larger， so that the same flaws were magnified。 I got a quarter of the way though before giving up。 One of the worst things about the book is the lack of a decent map of the Italian peninsula large enough to show the multitudinous city-states， republics， duchies and principalities。 There is a single page map of Europe， in which Italy features so little that the names of the cities had to be coded with little boxes。 It was incredibly frustrating to have a locale mentioned， look in vain in the front of the book to find it， and then have to Google it。 If you have a good working knowledge of Renaissance Italian geography it might not be an issue， but mine is just so-so。Another conspicuous lack is a set of family trees for the major Italian princely and noble families。 I am fair on the Medicis and the Sforzas but beyond that， the families and which cities they held are （and remain） a complete muddle in my head。 I would have found a timeline very helpful。Because of the structure of the book， which causes us to shuttle back and forth in time， there was a fair amount of repetition， which to be fair you might have thought would be helpful， but which in the end I found irritating。 There were numberless little side journeys about people who were quite interesting， but they soon disappeared in the tumble of new faces and new places。The language of the book is clearly pitched at a popular audience， but this is really not a book that is easy for a popular audience to master， at least that is how I feel about it。 Other readers may find it easier to absorb， and there are certainly many interesting passages in the book。 But for myself， I found it largely a jumble of facts and people which the book did not help me organize。 At the very least， read a sample on Kindle first before you buy it。 May work well for a more patient reader。 。。。more

Francis ，

A great history book on Renaissance history arranged into delightful themes。 The paradoxical title gives the book it's central motif， with individual chapters structured around it。 Many things to learn here and a pleasure to read as well。 A great history book on Renaissance history arranged into delightful themes。 The paradoxical title gives the book it's central motif， with individual chapters structured around it。 Many things to learn here and a pleasure to read as well。 。。。more

Ietrio ，

After countless of interviews with the participants to those events， after watching video footage from the security cameras， Fletcher can give you a complete view of the events of those days so that the government can pay him more。

Julia Edgar ，

I particularly enjoyed the social and literary history aspects of this text， especially where the writer dealt with the history of women in the Renaissance。 The consideration of famous writers such as Machiavelli was balanced by introducing Vittoria Colonnade who I didn’t previously know。 It’s extremely strong on the artists of the period and their shifting political affiliations。 Finally， it covers religion well， bringing alive the struggles of Luther with Catholic orthodoxy。 It is extremely de I particularly enjoyed the social and literary history aspects of this text， especially where the writer dealt with the history of women in the Renaissance。 The consideration of famous writers such as Machiavelli was balanced by introducing Vittoria Colonnade who I didn’t previously know。 It’s extremely strong on the artists of the period and their shifting political affiliations。 Finally， it covers religion well， bringing alive the struggles of Luther with Catholic orthodoxy。 It is extremely detailed and covers a huge variety of topics: as always the conflict between Pope and Emperor and the city states but it was also interesting to look at the conquest of Latin America which my medieval history degree （30 years ago） did not cover。 It is also a very beautiful book with some gorgeous plates。 It’s not entirely designed to be an easy read popular history but if you have sufficient framework already for the Renaissance it’s well worth a read。 。。。more

Cathleen Sarti ，

I very much enjoyed reading this book on the Italian Wars， and art and war in Italy， 15th and 16th century。 This is a panoramic study of the well-known Italian Renaissance with the lesser well-known period of warfare in Italy。 Fletcher narrates in short chapters， filled with many details and interesting connections。

Wouter ，

Een vakkundig en goed geschreven overzicht van de belangrijkste gebeurtenissen in de zestiende eeuw - in politiek， religieus en artistiek opzicht。 Fletcher vertelt met vaart en verwerkt de meest recente wetenschap in haar verhaal waarin ook aandacht is voor de donkere kanten van de renaissance， zoals slavernij， uitbuiting en kolonisatie。 Er valt wat af te dingen aan hoe alternatief deze geschiedenis is， want inhoudelijk en in benadering is dit boek vrij traditioneel en hoofdzakelijk een geschied Een vakkundig en goed geschreven overzicht van de belangrijkste gebeurtenissen in de zestiende eeuw - in politiek， religieus en artistiek opzicht。 Fletcher vertelt met vaart en verwerkt de meest recente wetenschap in haar verhaal waarin ook aandacht is voor de donkere kanten van de renaissance， zoals slavernij， uitbuiting en kolonisatie。 Er valt wat af te dingen aan hoe alternatief deze geschiedenis is， want inhoudelijk en in benadering is dit boek vrij traditioneel en hoofdzakelijk een geschiedenis van bovenaf - van belangrijke personen en belangrijke gebeurtenissen， niet vanuit de broeiende onderbuik （magie， hekserij， de verhalen van boeren en handwerkers， etc）。 Daarvoor is L'antirinascimento van Eugenio Battisti uit 1962 nog altijd het go-to boek。 Maar voor een publieksboek is Fletchers The Beauty and the Terror een goed geschreven en mooie update van de huidige overzichtswerken， en meer dan de moeite van het lezen waard！ 。。。more

Siobhan ，

The Beauty and the Terror， subtitled 'an alternative history of the Italian Renaissance'， tells the story of the Renaissance in Italy， from the fifteenth to the later sixteenth century， following the historical narrative of wars， religion， art， trade， and beyond。 Short chapters have specific focuses and Fletcher moves between different topics to follow mostly chronologically the key events and some lesser known context and people。This is a readable introduction to the Italian Renaissance that ra The Beauty and the Terror， subtitled 'an alternative history of the Italian Renaissance'， tells the story of the Renaissance in Italy， from the fifteenth to the later sixteenth century， following the historical narrative of wars， religion， art， trade， and beyond。 Short chapters have specific focuses and Fletcher moves between different topics to follow mostly chronologically the key events and some lesser known context and people。This is a readable introduction to the Italian Renaissance that raises some questions around things like how were Jewish people treated， what role did women play， and how did colonialism and the slave trade relate to the Renaissance in Italy。 However， the idea of it being an 'alternative history' is a stretch， as it seems to cover a lot of the standard content （from my perspective， as someone who doesn't know the period very well）， the key wars and religious conflicts and politics over land and the papacy， and only dedicates chapters or bits of chapters to looking at other， more 'alternative' areas， which probably have a lot of other books about them too。 The book is interesting， but very focused on describing the wars， which makes it ideal for someone looking for an overview of the period in Italy， and how Italy （well， the Italian states at the time） interacted with other countries， but not so much to look for the alternative stories of particular individuals or certain groups。 To present more of an 'alternative history'， it perhaps needed to cut down on some of the detail around more well known events and figures， or to provide in text nods towards texts that do that， so it worked as an introduction to this alternative history。 。。。more

Emma ，

3。5 starsAn interesting enough overview of the Italian Wars and Renaissance， but one that was somewhat marred by a format that ensured frequent repetition and the call to being an 'alternative history' which never seemed to materialise in practice。ARC via Netgalley 3。5 starsAn interesting enough overview of the Italian Wars and Renaissance， but one that was somewhat marred by a format that ensured frequent repetition and the call to being an 'alternative history' which never seemed to materialise in practice。ARC via Netgalley 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Beauty and the Terror: An Alternative History of the Italian Renaissance

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Beauty and the Terror: An Alternative History of the Italian Renaissance&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Beauty and the Terror: An Alternative History of the Italian Renaissance&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0