The Tigress of Forli: Renaissance Italy`s Most Courageous and Notorious Countess, Caterina Riario Sforza De` Medici, , Lev Elizabeth

A rich, nuanced portrait of a highly controversial beauty and military leader, and her violent albeit glittering Italian Renaissance milieu.--Publishers Weekly A strategist to match Machiavelli; a warrior who stood toe to toe with the Borgias; a wife whose three marriages would end in bloodshed and heartbreak; and a mother determined to maintain her familys honor, Caterina Riario Sforza de Medici was a true Renaissance celebrity, beloved and vilified in equal measure. In this dazzling biography, Elizabeth Lev illuminates her extraordinary life and accomplishments. Raised in the court of Milan and wed at age ten to the popes corrupt nephew, Caterina was ensnared in Italys political intrigues early in life. After turbulent years in Romes papal court, she moved to the Romagnol province of Forl . Following her husbands assassination, she ruled Italys crossroads with iron will, martial strength, political savvy, and an icons fashion sense. In finally losing her lands to the Borgia family, she put up a resistance that inspired all of Europe and set the stage for her progeny--including Cosimo de Medici--to follow her example to greatness.