Mistress Of The Vatican Lp: The True Story Of Olimpia Maidalchini [Large Print] [Paperback]

 

 

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Olimpia Maidalchini was one of those rare people who would have stood out no matter what century she was born into. She had guts, ruthlessness and a sharp brain.

So it only made her more striking -- and more reviled -- that she was born in an age when women were rarely in charge of their own destinies. And in "Mistress of the Vatican: The True Story of Olimpia Maidalchini, The Secret Female Pope," Eleanor Herman paints a vivid, rich often funny portrait of Olimpia's rise to prominent in the rapidly changing world of seventeenth-century Europe.

Olimpia's life was thrown into turmoil when her father tried to force her into a nunnery, so he wouldn't have to pay for a dowry. But she quickly lashed back, bringing disgrace both to her dad and to the priest who also tried to convince her.

Not that the resulting scandal kept her from marrying twice, first to the wealthiest boy in her town and then to a stuffy nobleman. But her brother-in-law Gianbattista is who really captured Olimpia's interest, since he appreciated her intellect and abilities. Her advice and influence were used to make him an envoy, a cardinal -- and finally getting him elected to the papal throne.

But Olimpia soon discovered that getting Gianbattista (now called Pope Innocent X) into the papacy was only the beginnings of their troubles. Younger rivals, a wastrel papal nephew, heretics, famine and a war with France's Cardinal Mazarin all came to trouble the woman who practically ran the Vatican -- especially when Innocent X started developing a mind of his own.

Eleanor Herman has explored the lives of a lot of noblemen, noblewomen, kings and queens throughout "Sex With Kings" and "Sex With the Queen." "Mistress of the Vatican" is a very different book in some ways -- it charts only one woman's life, from her humble beginnings in a small town to a position of power behind the papal throne, and over political dealings and machinations that spanned Europe.

But as with her prior work, Herman's writing manages to be both breezy and detailed. Her tone is that of a friendly teacher livening up a lecture with funny stories of Olimpia's -- such as an irascible duke bursting into the papal bedroom to rave at a presumably sleeping pope about his annoying nephew. But she also fills the pages with the fragrances, sounds and sights of post-Renaissance Rome -- elegant palaces and villas filled with exquisite art, dim mildewed churches, and the horrendously hot and sticky conclave.

And as important as Olimpia's own story are the stories that surround her. Herman gives detailed background information on everybody of import that Olimpia encountered -- political rivals the Barberinis, glitzy artists, her rotund and grasping son-in-law -- and interweaves the story with background on rituals, customs (such as ransacking the house of a new pope), and half-forgotten disasters of the day.

But Olimpia herself is the beating heart of this book. She could be pretty nasty at times -- she was vengeful, grasping, and accused a priest unjustly of sexually abusing her -- but it's impossible not to admire her guts and powerful personality, especially in an age when women were seen as chattel. She pushed her way to the top via brains and a far-seeing mind. It's impossible not to admire her spirit and sheer force of will.

Forget the fictional Pope Joan. "Mistress of the Vatican: The True Story of Olimpia Maidalchini" is not only historically accurate but a ripping good read.

Olimpia Maidalchini was one of those rare people who would have stood out no matter what century she was born into. She had guts, ruthlessness and a sharp brain.

So it only made her more striking -- and more reviled -- that she was born in an age when women were rarely in charge of their own destinies. And in "Mistress of the Vatican: The True Story of Olimpia Maidalchini, The Secret Female Pope," Eleanor Herman paints a vivid, rich often funny portrait of Olimpia's rise to prominent in the rapidly changing world of seventeenth-century Europe.

Olimpia's life was thrown into turmoil when her father tried to force her into a nunnery, so he wouldn't have to pay for a dowry. But she quickly lashed back, bringing disgrace both to her dad and to the priest who also tried to convince her.

Not that the resulting scandal kept her from marrying twice, first to the wealthiest boy in her town and then to a stuffy nobleman. But her brother-in-law Gianbattista is who really captured Olimpia's interest, since he appreciated her intellect and abilities. Her advice and influence were used to make him an envoy, a cardinal -- and finally getting him elected to the papal throne.

But Olimpia soon discovered that getting Gianbattista (now called Pope Innocent X) into the papacy was only the beginnings of their troubles. Younger rivals, a wastrel papal nephew, heretics, famine and a war with France's Cardinal Mazarin all came to trouble the woman who practically ran the Vatican -- especially when Innocent X started developing a mind of his own.

Eleanor Herman has explored the lives of a lot of noblemen, noblewomen, kings and queens throughout "Sex With Kings" and "Sex With the Queen." "Mistress of the Vatican" is a very different book in some ways -- it charts only one woman's life, from her humble beginnings in a small town to a position of power behind the papal throne, and over political dealings and machinations that spanned Europe.

But as with her prior work, Herman's writing manages to be both breezy and detailed. Her tone is that of a friendly teacher livening up a lecture with funny stories of Olimpia's -- such as an irascible duke bursting into the papal bedroom to rave at a presumably sleeping pope about his annoying nephew. But she also fills the pages with the fragrances, sounds and sights of post-Renaissance Rome -- elegant palaces and villas filled with exquisite art, dim mildewed churches, and the horrendously hot and sticky conclave.

And as important as Olimpia's own story are the stories that surround her. Herman gives detailed background information on everybody of import that Olimpia encountered -- political rivals the Barberinis, glitzy artists, her rotund and grasping son-in-law -- and interweaves the story with background on rituals, customs (such as ransacking the house of a new pope), and half-forgotten disasters of the day.

But Olimpia herself is the beating heart of this book. She could be pretty nasty at times -- she was vengeful, grasping, and accused a priest unjustly of sexually abusing her -- but it's impossible not to admire her guts and powerful personality, especially in an age when women were seen as chattel. She pushed her way to the top via brains and a far-seeing mind. It's impossible not to admire her spirit and sheer force of will.

Forget the fictional Pope Joan. "Mistress of the Vatican: The True Story of Olimpia Maidalchini" is not only historically accurate but a ripping good read.

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