Review by Alisha Service, 11
Exaggerations blended with the truth as gossip whirled around the renaissance era House of Borgia. English historian and biographer, Christopher Hibbert, unveils the truths and falsifications intertwined with the perceived identity of the Borgia in, The Borgia and their Enemies. He grants the reader the power to decide whether the line’s legacy is well earned or merely a consequence of anti-Borgia propaganda. Hibbert documents the Borja’s selfish motivations, but he does not fail to include the vices of others in power during the same time, stressing that corruption was common amongst all with authority and influence. The introduction of the Borgia into the narrative implies an honest beginning that soon fell victim to the corrosive nature of power. In pursuit of a dynasty, the Borgia committed to nepotism and simony. Wealth secured Rodrigo Borgia’s papacy just as it aided many more in their political and religious accensions to power. Hibbert ensures the flaws and corruption of the family are explained, but balances it by addressing their accomplishments; from Roderigo extending papal authority to Cesare’s conquest of Romagna serving as Machiavelli’s model ruler in The Prince.
Hibbert makes the case that Borgia were not only victims of their own greed but also vulnerable to the bitterness of their enemies. They maintained Spanish culture in the foreign land they governed magnifying their unpopularity, seeing as the relations between the Italians and Spanish were stiff. Suspicious deaths and the Italian public’s overall disdain for the Spanish family facilitated the duration and spread of the most insidious rumors of incest and poison-riddled murder. Even in the title of the book, the Borgia’s enemies are listed alongside the Borgia themselves because the representation of the house is often distorted by the lies of their conspirators.
While fulfilling its purpose of addressing the legitimate and fabricated elements of the Borgia’s History, Hibbert’s narrative manages to remain unbiased in its presentation. The layout of information is easily digestible, but it occasionally suffers from oversimplification for the sake of maintaining a brisk pace. The diversity in sources and perspectives more than makes up for the brevity.