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E.R. Chamberlin
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The Bad Popes (The Mad, Bad and Ugly of Italian History) Kindle Edition

by E.R. Chamberlin (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 out of 5 stars 657 ratings
A dramatic account of some of the most notorious figures of medieval and Renaissance history who ruled from the Eternal City. It is sure to grip readers of John Julius Norwich, Tom Holland and Peter Ackroyd.

The papal tiara has been worn by a number of infamous men through the course of its history.

Some have been accused of murder, many have had mistresses, while others sold positions in the church to their followers or gave land and wealth to their illegitimate children.

E. R. Chamberlin examines the lives of eight of the most controversial popes to have ruled over the Holy See, from the reign of Pope Stephen VI, who had his predecessor exhumed, put on trial and thrown in the Tiber, in the ninth century, through to Pope Clement VII, the second Medici pope, whose failed international policy led to the Sack of Rome in 1527.

The Bad Popes explains how during these six centuries the papal monarchy rose to its greatest heights, as popes attempted to assert not only their spiritual authority but also their temporal power, only for it to come crashing down.

“A magnificent piece of historic research and description” Los Angeles Times

“A vital and important book” Washington Post

“[Chamberlin] writes well, even elegantly. One fancies echoes now and then of Tacitus and Gibbon … an interesting historical essay” Daily Telegraph

“One is sincerely grateful to Mr Chamberlin for a vivid book” Catholic Herald

“Mr Chamberlin's book strikes me as being as near to the ideal as is reasonably possible: scrupulously fair, meticulously documented and written with style, liveliness and wit” The Bulletin
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  1. Part of series
    The Mad, Bad and Ugly of Italian History
  2. Print length
    370 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
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  5. Publication date
    July 19, 2020
  6. File size
    2.0 MB
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

E. R. Chamberlin is the author of The Bad Popes and Loot!: The Heritage of Plunder.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B087FWTTFF
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sapere Books
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 19, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.0 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 370 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1913518769
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Part of series ‏ : ‎ The Mad, Bad and Ugly of Italian History
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 out of 5 stars 657 ratings

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E.R. Chamberlin

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4.1 out of 5 stars
657 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book very informative, with historical contexts that are very much alive. However, the writing quality receives mixed feedback, with some customers finding it well written while others say it's terribly disorganized. Customers have mixed feelings about the papacy aspect.

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23 customers mention "Interest"23 positive0 negative

Customers find the book interesting and in-depth, with historical contexts that are very much alive and full of details. One customer specifically mentions it is highly recommended for students of Church History.

"...This is the story of papal intrigue, incompetence, nepotism, greed and a host of other failings to which they gave themselves...." Read more

"...All in all, the book is very informative and is a fast read." Read more

"The history of the Popes, AKA The Bishops of Rome, is quite fascinating, and undoubtedly a history that would raise eyebrows with the uninitiated...." Read more

"Interesting and not afraid to expose the corruption of the higher echelons of the 'Holy' Roman Catholic Church...." Read more

19 customers mention "Writing quality"11 positive8 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing quality of the book, with some finding it well written while others report that the writing is terribly disorganized and hard to read.

"...mixing religion and politics is a bad idea. Well done." Read more

"...its act in comparison to what it was doing for centuries, this well-written book reminds us that there is nothing spiritual about that institution." Read more

"...This is the story of papal intrigue, incompetence, nepotism, greed and a host of other failings to which they gave themselves...." Read more

"Very good writing about a very confusing span of history. The Popes were not all highly righteous men. Probably hard for a devout Catholic to read." Read more

4 customers mention "Papacy"0 positive4 negative

Customers have mixed reactions to the book's portrayal of the papacy, with some appreciating its historical perspective while others find it negative.

"...There are, however, some dark corners in the Papal history, and not all past popes (many centuries ago) are good candidates for canonization...." Read more

"...this well-written book reminds us that there is nothing spiritual about that institution." Read more

"...The Popes were not all highly righteous men. Probably hard for a devout Catholic to read." Read more

"...The story belies the notion of papal infallibility. The miracle therein is that the Roman Catholic faith survived these wicked men" Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • da perfesser
    5.0 out of 5 stars NOT an attack on the Catholic Church, but really gives insight into its papal evolution!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    First, and most important to know, this book is not an attack on the Catholic faith as we know it today. There are, however, some dark corners in the Papal history, and not all past popes (many centuries ago) are good candidates for canonization. This is the story of papal intrigue, incompetence, nepotism, greed and a host of other failings to which they gave themselves. It is written well, and well-documented. It is historical fact, not fiction. Any author would have to have an extremely fertile mind to imagine as fiction what history records as fact! It's not a hard read, but there are a lot of Italian names, so you have to keep them all straight to make the story work!
    23 people found this helpful
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  • Sergei Alekseev
    4.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended for students of Church History; well written
    Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2011
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    For me, the book provided an excellent opportunity to glance at the other side of papacy, the side which the Roman Catholics do not want to talk about, i.e. the totally secular istitution void of spiritual aspirations (sure, there were other popes as well, especially before the Great Schism of 1054, who worthily wore the mitre of the bishops of Rome). One would only wish that the stress of the book was placed not only on the popes' political and financial escapades. The book simply alludes to the pagan or satanic interests of some of the popes but doesn't go into details. Also, the book focuses on a handful of popes, while remarking that there were others no less curious than the ones the reader is presented with. All in all, the book is very informative and is a fast read.
    11 people found this helpful
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  • sue
    5.0 out of 5 stars very good
    Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2025
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    really blows the whistle on corruption in the catholic church. helps one to realize that when people are given power and money, everything goes to hell. I am catholic but i have a better understanding about how the church came about and how its still here. mixing religion and politics is a bad idea. Well done.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • MBS
    3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed, Was Expecting More
    Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    The history of the Popes, AKA The Bishops of Rome, is quite fascinating, and undoubtedly a history that would raise eyebrows with the uninitiated. There is a lot of dirt to disclose, dirt that the Catholic Church has never fully owned up to. But this was a tedious read, overly wordy and at times hard to follow. If you like adventurous or sparkling prose, look elsewhere.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Andrew O'Connor
    4.0 out of 5 stars Odd slip
    Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2024
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    I'm not sure why the Dutch Pope Adrian VI is described as being barely able to speak Latin. He was a highly educated theologian, academic (his students included Erasmus) and diplomat, as well as tutor to young Charles V. Odd.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • chcjrbone
    5.0 out of 5 stars Nothing spiritual about the papacy
    Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    The popes covered in this book showed virtually no interest in spiritual matters but a great deal of interest in power, wealth, and carnal pleasures. A term that appears over and over again is simony: the act of buying or selling ecclesiastical preferment, ecclesiastical pardons, or other things regarded as sacred or spiritual. The popes routinely sold membership in the cardinalate as a means of raising cash. In order to maintain a family's position in the College of Cardinals, the pope would sometimes appoint teenage boys from his extended family. During this period, the pope could marry and have children which he then attempted to ensure would succeed him to the pontificate. Some popes had numerous illegitimate children who under normal circumstances would be outcasts, but the pope could issue a decree legitimizing their birth.

    Did you know that due to the utter ineptness of Pope Clement VII, Rome was sacked by the Catholic emperor Charles in 1527? The pillaging and rape ended only when the numerous dead bodies brought on the plague, which affected inhabitant and invader alike. In addition, the utter destruction of the country resulted in famine, and looters, laden with gold, were starving. They eventually left Rome to find food.

    It's not hard to understand the appeal of Lutheranism after reading about the wild debauchery that was going on in Rome at that time.

    Although the modern-day Catholic Church, still one of the richest institutions around, has cleaned up its act in comparison to what it was doing for centuries, this well-written book reminds us that there is nothing spiritual about that institution.
    27 people found this helpful
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  • Robert E. Griffin
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good History
    Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2020
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    Very good writing about a very confusing span of history. The Popes were not all highly righteous men. Probably hard for a devout Catholic to read.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting
    Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2023
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    Interesting and not afraid to expose the corruption of
    the higher echelons of the 'Holy' Roman Catholic Church. It is a wonder that church is still extant today. Perhaps it does represent God's wishes for mankind to have survived such venal leaders.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Deirdre E Siegel
    5.0 out of 5 stars Perspective
    Reviewed in Australia on December 6, 2023
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    This is a book from the learned ER Chamberlain, whose knowledge of the big players in the Italian Renaissance including the Popes of ill repute behaving like humans in an arena of wealth and privilege without rules of engagement. :-)
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  • Philip Meers
    5.0 out of 5 stars Came to an end too quickly
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 19, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    A thoroughly enjoyable book. It is well written, fairly well researched (though as someone familiar with the topic, I spotted several errors, or rather omissions, probably to ease the flow of the narrative), and it covers a lot of history.

    When I reached the last page it was a case of "oh, that's a shame". I was enjoying it so much I'd have liked more.

    If you are interested in the Papacy, you will still find snippets that you may no know. Even so it's well worth reading.

    If you are new to the topic, then there is a huge amount to fascinate you.

    Highly recommended.
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  • M. Schweiger
    5.0 out of 5 stars Most entertaining
    Reviewed in Germany on September 19, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    Not every pope was a saint - that's the bottom line of E. R. Chamberlin's narrative `Bad Popes' in which he describes the (many) vices and (few) virtues of an eclectic choice of Christ's vicars on earth.

    The book starts with the stories of the pernicious family of the Theophylacts, Theodora and her daughter (senatrix) Marozia as well as pope John XII (955 - 963) who struggled with Otto of Saxony, Gregory of Tusculum opposing Otto III and two of his sons and one of his grandsons later successively appointed popes, culminating in Benedict the IX selling the papacy to his uncle Giovanni Gratiano (Gregory VI).

    The narrative continues with Benedict Gaetani's (Boniface VIII, 1294 - 1303) intriguing way of disposing of his (hermit) predecessor Celestine V and indefatigable striving for worldly possessions and with Bartolomeo Prignano's (Urban VI, 1378 - 1389) struggle against counter-pope Clement VII.

    The highlight of `Bad Popes' are certainly the Renaissance popes: the splendid and prodigal Rodrigo Borgia (Alexander VI, 1492 - 1503) purchasing the votes of the cardinals and not shying away from any deeds or misdeeds to further his dynasty and family, Giovanni de' Medici (Leo X, 1513 - 1521), a worthy successor of Alexander VI, whose shameless sale of indulgences made Martin Luther post his 95 theses and the politically inept and pusillanimous Giuglio de' Medici (Clement VII, 1523 - 1534) who so often changes his allegiances between Francis I of France and Charles V of Spain that Rome got sacked by German landsknechts in 1527.

    Highly entertaining!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Roy Bainton
    4.0 out of 5 stars Distilled Roguery
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 21, 2017
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    The bad popes of history are scattered throughout Vatican history (and there were some real stinkers) so the great thing about Chamberlain's book is that he gathers these hypocrites and villains together. For a fuller picture, you would need John Julius Norwich's 'The Popes', but 'The Bad Popes' is a well-written distillation of all the rogues and includes a good overview of that grubby Vatican period known suitable as 'The Pornocracy'. A good read and indispensable if you're prepared to be magnanimous in your acceptance of Papal history.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Kla
    4.0 out of 5 stars Fun review of the "bad" popes.
    Reviewed in Australia on July 28, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Some of the bad ones were good in their way.
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