Following her husband’s assassination, she ruled Italy’s crossroads with iron will, martial strength, political savvy, and an icon’s fashion sense. After turbulent years in Rome’s papal court, she moved to the Romagnol province of Forlì.
Raised in the court of Milan and wed at age ten to the pope’s corrupt nephew, Caterina was ensnared in Italy’s political intrigues early in life. In this dazzling biography, Elizabeth Lev illuminates her extraordinary life and accomplishments. Or that she herself would be reborn 600 years later as the kick-ass lead character in the multimillion-selling videogame Assassin's Creed.“In this insightful, fascinating portrayal, Elizabeth Lev brings Caterina Sforza and her times very much to life.”-Kathleen Turner, actress and author of Send Yourself RosesĪ 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 family’s honor, Caterina Riario Sforza de’ Medici was a true Renaissance celebrity, beloved and vilified in equal measure. But not even the determined Caterina could have planned that her son's direct descendants would include the kings of France and of England. Her youngest child became, like his mother, a brilliant soldier and a national hero. Caterina Sforza bore 8 children, buried 3 husbands, and wrote a recipe book that has since been through more than 100 editions. While defending her fortress city-state of Forli, she was prepared to sacrifice her children rather than surrender – yet she was eventually defeated, imprisoned and raped by a Borgia. She was painted by Botticelli, feted by Pope Sixtus IV, slandered by Macchiavelli and celebrated as a warrior who led her own troops fearlessly into battle. Between her birth in 1463 as the illegitimate daughter of the Duke of Milan, and her death in 1509 as a member of the powerful Medici family, the life of Caterina Sforza crossed the firmament of Renaissance Italy like a shooting star. As action packed as as a Game of Thrones novel, the complete life of one of Italy's most fearless women. If I were to write the story of my life it would shock the world', Caterina Sforza, 1463-1509.
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