The Pontificate of Clement VII: History, Politics, Culture (Catholic Christendom, 1300-1700) - Hardcover

Reiss, Sheryl E.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0754606805 ISBN 13: 9780754606802

Publisher: Routledge, 2005

Synopsis

The pontificate of Clement VII (Giulio de' Medici) is usually regarded as amongst the most disastrous in history, and the pontiff characterized as timid, vacillating, and avaricious. It was during his years as pope (1523-34) that England broke away from the Catholic Church, and relations with the Holy Roman Emperor deteriorated to such a degree that in 1527 an Imperial army sacked Rome and imprisoned the pontiff. Given these spectacular political and military failures, it is perhaps unsurprising that Clement has often elicited the scorn of historians, rather than balanced and dispassionate analysis. This interdisciplinary volume, the first on the subject, constitutes a major step forward in our understanding of Clement VII's pontificate. Looking beyond Clement's well-known failures, and anachronistic comparisons with more 'successful' popes, it provides a fascinating insight into one of the most pivotal periods of papal and European history. Drawing on long-neglected sources, as rich as they are abundant, the contributors address a wide variety of important aspects of Clement's pontificate, re-assessing his character, familial and personal relations, political strategies, and cultural patronage, as well as exploring broader issues including the impact of the Sack of Rome, and religious renewal and reform in the pre-Tridentine period. Taken together, the essays collected here provide the most expansive and nuanced portrayal yet offered of Clement as pope, patron, and politician. In reconsidering the politics and emphasizing the cultural vitality of the period, the collection provides fresh and much-needed revision to our understanding of Clement VII's pontificate and its critical impact on the history of the papacy and Renaissance Europe.

About this title

About the Author:

Kenneth Gouwens is Associate Professor in the Department of History, University of Connecticut, USA and Sheryl E. Reiss is Senior Research Associate in the Office of the Vice-Provost for Research, Cornell University, USA.

Review:

'This collection of essays [...] is something of a milestone in the study of Clement VII's pontificate.' The Burlington Magazine 'A succinct and useful introduction by the editors reflects a judicious editorial hand, which has given us this valuable collection on the state of the field.' The Historian 'This collection fills a much-needed void in modern scholarship on Clement, his papacy, and Rome under the second Medici pope. The essays gathered here represent the work of some of the best scholars active today in their respective fields. It is a testament to both the quality of these essays as well as to the ground-breaking nature of a number of them that the reader will come away not only with a much more profound understanding of the Clementine era but also with a deep appreciation for the myriad questions that still need to be answered before we can begin to take the full measure of the pontificate of Clement VII.' The Catholic Historical Review

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0754606805
• ISBN 13: 9780754606802
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 520
• Editor: Gouwens Kenneth