Nepotism in Rome, or, The History of the Pope's Nephews

Leti, Gregorio, 1630-1701Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.0

Word count: 518K words
Chapters: 52

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Il nipotismo di Roma, or, The History of the Popes Nephews by Gregorio LetiAuthor: Leti, Gregorio, 1630-1701,Language: English, Class: BX: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Christianity: Churches, Church movements, Release Date: Jan 17, 2017

Editor's review

Written by the 17th-century Italian author Gregorio Leti, Il nipotismo di Roma, or, The History of the Popes Nephews is an important historical source for the study of how power operated at the papal court and of family politics. The word "nipotismo" in the title refers directly to the practice of popes appointing their nephews to control affairs of the Curia, and Leti, writing as both eyewitness and critic, analyzes how this system affected the finances, diplomacy, and appointments of the Roman Curia. The English translation retains syntactic traces of early modern English and requires some patience, but its value as a historical source and its narrative tension more than compensate for the linguistic barrier. Its portrayal of rent-seeking power and nepotism offers a useful reference point for understanding early modern European political life. It is suitable as supplementary reading for the history of the Church, Italian history, or the history of political institutions, and for readers interested in Baroque Rome who wish to consult it in specialized research. Because the book was written long ago, some of its arguments reflect the author's personal stance, and it is advisable to read it alongside later scholarship.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Scholars and graduate students studying church history and early modern European political institutions
Readers interested in Italian Baroque society and the inner workings of the papal court
Students of political science seeking primary-source perspectives on nepotism as a political case
Readers with sufficient English proficiency who are willing to engage with early modern English texts

Not a good fit for

General readers expecting light popular narrative and lacking historical background
Readers with little experience in English reading who are unaccustomed to early modern English syntax
Beginners seeking a systematic general history rather than a specialized primary source

Reading tips

Begin with the introduction or table of contents to clarify the basic outline of the papal nephew system before turning to the main text.
Keep a notebook to record recurring names and family relationships so as to sort out factional networks.
Read alongside general histories of 16th- and 17th-century Italian politics to balance the author's personal bias.
When encountering obscure curial titles, pass over them at first and look them up after finishing the chapter, so as not to interrupt the flow.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What does "nipotismo" in the title mean?

The word comes from Italian and refers to the practice of popes favoring their nephews by giving them key curial offices and wealth. Leti uses it as his title to discuss systematically how this system manifested itself in the Roman Curia and what consequences it had.

Is this book an English original or a translation?

According to the available information, this is an English-language text, in English, released in electronic form by Project Gutenberg. The original author is the 17th-century Italian Leti, and readers are dealing with a translation into early modern English.

Can I read this book without a background in church history?

You can, but you will need to do some extra preparation. The book involves many curial titles, families, and diplomatic events, and without background knowledge it is easy to get lost. It is advisable to read a brief history of the early modern papacy first, then turn to this book.

What should I keep in mind when reading the electronic edition?

This is a public-domain e-book, laid out mainly as plain text, and its notes and index may be less convenient than in a print copy. It is advisable to use reading software that supports search and bookmarks, so that you can check names and events repeatedly.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Leti, Gregorio, 1630-1701 Author

Gregorio Leti (1630–1701) is an author whose biographical details are relatively limited in publicly available sources; his name is often associated with seventeenth-century Italian and European political and historical writing. The library holds one work by him, Il nipotismo di Roma, or, The History of the Popes Nephews, which is enough to show his thematic focus: the Roman Curia and the role of the pope's relatives—the so-called "nephews"—in ecclesiastical politics. The book uses historical narrative as its framework and carries a clear argumentative and critical tone, writing in a direct manner and revealing abuses in the exercise of power through specific figures and events. Writing of this kind was controversial in early modern Europe and has led his works to be regarded as material for understanding inner Curial relations and political criticism. Because public information is limited, a full account of his life and writings remains to be further examined; readers can chiefly come to know his authorial orientation and influence through this work.