If I were to write the story of my life it would shock the world ,
Caterina Sforza, 1463-1509.
As action packed as as a Game of Thrones novel, the complete life
of one of Italy s most fearless women.
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.
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. 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.
Caterina Sforza bore 8 children, buried 3 husbands, and wrote a
recipe book that has since been through more than 100 editions. Her
youngest child became, like his mother, a brilliant soldier and a
national hero. But not even the determined Caterina could have
planned that her son's direct descendants would include the kings of
France and of England ... Or that she herself would be reborn 600
years later as the kick-ass lead character in the
multimillion-selling videogame Assassin's Creed.
'Warring kingdoms, feuding cousins, corrupt popes and hapless
husbands and lovers. Caterina's tale is as action-packed as "Game
of Thrones".' New York Times. 'A tale of murder, childhood
marriage, revenge, rape, accession to power by a Florentine woman, and a
violent downfall. Lev offers a rich, nuanced portrait of a highly
controversial beauty and military leader' Publishers' Weekly.
Elizabeth Lev is an art historian living in Rome, where she teaches
Baroque and Renaissance Art.
