
Rise and Fall of the Borgias
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Narrated by:
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William Landon
About this listen
Since its rise to the highest ranks of power in Renaissance Europe, the Borgia family has developed a scandalous reputation. While they were indeed ostentatious, calculating, worldly, cruel—and even, occasionally, murderous—listeners may be surprised to find that the Borgias were not terribly different from other powerful and ambitious families of their day. So why has history set them apart as one of the most corrupt and reviled families in history?
In the Rise and Fall of the Borgias, listeners will spend 10 revealing lectures untangling the web of rumors, speculation, and historical embellishment from what is actually known about the infamous Roman family. With Dr. William Landon, listeners will explore the historical context that helped the Borgias make their fortune and better understand how they could be both magnanimous and ruthless, pious and morally suspect.
The story of the Borgias is rich with intrigue, even without the fictional enhancement it has received from the numerous films, novels, and television shows that have been created based on the family’s notoriety. Dr. Landon introduces listeners to the major players and lays bare their machinations to reach the highest offices of church and state. Were their exploits as salacious as listeners have been led to believe? Did they manipulate the papacy for their own gain? Are the rumors of incest, bribery, political assassinations, and other morally questionable behaviors true or the stuff of historical gossip?
As listeners explore these and other rumors surrounding the Borgias, they will pull back the curtain on the historian’s craft and see how the story of this Renaissance dynasty has been shaped over time and how new research and a healthy dose of skepticism has allowed us to get a little closer to the truth—without losing any of the drama.
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Our favorite moments from Rise and Fall of the Borgias
The history of a single family says a lot about the Renaissance!
Facts we all know about the Borgias: They had power. They had Popes. Everything in the Showtime series couldn’t be true. Professor Landon probes why this particular family acquired a reputation for incest, poison, and assassination. Did Rodrigo Borgia (aka Pope Alexander VI) hold orgies in the Vatican, or was he a better-than-average Renaissance pontiff? Was Lucrezia, his daughter—yes, you read that right—a murderous temptress, or merely a woman whose value was to ally her family to other powerful clans through marriage? One overarching question runs through the lectures like silk through brocade: what made the Borgias infamous?

About the Professor
Dr. William Landon is Professor of European History at Northern Kentucky University. He received his MSc and PhD in History, with an emphasis on the life and works of Niccolò Machiavelli, from the University of Edinburgh.
An international authority in the fields of Machiavelli studies, the Renaissance, and the history of ideas, Dr. Landon is also a 2017 recipient of a National Science Foundation Grant. He has published two books: Politics, Patriotism and Language: Niccolò Machiavelli’s "Secular Patria" and the Creation of an Italian National Identity; and Lorenzo di Filippo Strozzi and Niccolò Machiavelli: Patron, Client, and the Pistola fatta per la peste/An Epistle Written Concerning the Plague. He is also the presenter of a 24-lecture series on Machiavelli’s The Prince, produced by The Great Courses. Alongside his professional life as a historian, Dr. Landon is a classically trained painter, sculptor, a pianist, a lover of literature and music, and the co-owner/operator of a small organic farm.
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Informative
- By Red-Haired Ash on 05-02-20
By: Kara Cooney, and others
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Conspiracies & Conspiracy Theories
- What We Should and Shouldn't Believe - and Why
- By: Michael Shermer, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Michael Shermer
- Length: 6 hrs and 30 mins
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The stuff of conspiracy theories makes for great, entertaining stories in movies, books, and television. And there is no shortage of subjects: from who really killed JFK to the truth behind 9/11. And then, there are subjects from alien invasions to the Moon landing was simulated - theories that are truly out of this world, which according to some, is flat. Many of these crazy concepts have jumped off the pages or screens to become so pervasive in our culture that thousands - even millions - subscribe to them as reality.
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No chapter titles!!???
- By Nomad of the World on 09-21-19
By: Michael Shermer, and others
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Medieval Myths & Mysteries
- By: Dorsey Armstrong, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Dorsey Armstrong
- Length: 5 hrs and 6 mins
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The 10 enlightening (and often humorous) lectures of Medieval Myths and Mysteries will show you how far from the “dark” times of legend these centuries were. Uncover the facts about the Knights Templar. Reveal the truth behind the tales of legendary creatures like the Questing Beast and the unicorn. Trace the events of the Black Death and the ways it altered the world in its wake, and much more. With Professor Armstrong, you will dig deep into the ways that later generations reshaped the narrative of the medieval years and perpetuated the myths.
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Interesting, but centered on Britain
- By Ximena on 04-10-20
By: Dorsey Armstrong, and others
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10 Women Who Ruled the Renaissance
- By: Joyce Salisbury, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Joyce Salisbury
- Length: 4 hrs and 59 mins
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The 16th century was a time of immense change across the globe. For many historians, it marks a massive shift in the way the world operated; it is often considered the beginning of modernity. We may regard the 16th century as the time of Shakespeare and the conquistadors, but women also played a powerful role in many of the major events around the world. In 10 Women Who Ruled the Renaissance, you will explore the lives of 10 extraordinary women who exemplified the spirit of the 1500s - an era dominated by adventure, discovery, and cross-cultural exchange.
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Fills Gaps in History
- By Amanda on 01-22-21
By: Joyce Salisbury, and others
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No Calculator? No Problem!
- Mastering Mental Math
- By: Art Benjamin, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Art Benjamin
- Length: 5 hrs and 46 mins
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No Calculator? No Problem! Mastering Mental Math , award-winning professor of mathematics and celebrated “mathemagician” Arthur T. Benjamin delivers 10 fun-filled lessons on how to do math in your head with confidence, accuracy, and speed - sometimes faster than a calculator. By the end of Professor Benjamin’s lessons, you’ll be able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide numbers faster than ever before. And with your newfound skills, you’ll soon find yourself amazing other people and, perhaps more important, yourself.
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Excellent but need PDF
- By Majeed on 10-15-19
By: Art Benjamin, and others
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Sherlock Holmes: Beyond the Elementary
- By: James Krasner, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: James Krasner
- Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins
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Every hero works to soothe the fears of the people during their period in history. Heroes are not only brave, but they’re also able to navigate the convoluted corridors of society, and to see through the respectable pretense of others to detect the evil that lies within. So, who better to take on the foggy, crime-ridden streets and strict social mores of Victorian London than the iconic literary detective Sherlock Holmes? In Sherlock Holmes: Beyond the Elementary, you’ll investigate the history behind Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s whip-smart, charismatic detective.
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Very dry and academic
- By Buretto on 05-29-21
By: James Krasner, and others
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Writing the Bible: Origins of the Old Testament
- By: Martien Halvorson-Taylor, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Martien Halvorson-Taylor
- Length: 5 hrs and 9 mins
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Who wrote Great Expectations? That’s easy: Charles Dickens. Who’s the author of Beloved? Toni Morrison, of course. Now how about the Old Testament? You’d think for a book as widely known, studied, and distributed as the Bible, the question of authorship would have been sorted out by now. But the question is more complex (and fascinating) than it seems. Why? Because asking it is to challenge everything we might assume about the Bible’s identity as a book, about what “writing” and “authorship” really mean, and about how a written text could become sacred.
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What a Great Courses Book Is Meant to Be
- By Gilbert M. Stack on 12-16-21
By: Martien Halvorson-Taylor, and others
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Witchcraft in the Western Tradition
- By: Jennifer McNabb, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Jennifer McNabb
- Length: 5 hrs and 11 mins
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Beginning with the witch hunts of the early 15th century, Professor Jennifer McNabb takes you on an eye-opening exploration of witchcraft and superstition in Witchcraft in the Western Tradition. In these 10 lectures, you will better understand where many of our most indelible images of witchcraft come from and how the religious pursuit of witches across Europe and into the Americas in the early modern period spread fear and violence like a contagion, for generations.
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Interesting, but not great
- By KlaatuBaradaNikto on 01-10-21
By: Jennifer McNabb, and others
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How the Medici Shaped the Renaissance
- By: William Landon, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor William Landon
- Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins
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In How the Medici Shaped the Renaissance, you’ll study the remarkable trajectory of the Medici from the late 14th century to 1737, when the Medici dynasty ended. Across that span of time, you’ll witness the birth of the Italian Renaissance, and the rise of the Medici as an economic powerhouse under founder Giovanni de’ Medici. You’ll learn how the Medici came to dominate Florence and how they played diverse roles in politics, religion, and culture.
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Not for non history buffs
- By Amazon Customer on 01-06-22
By: William Landon, and others
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The Hidden History of the Boston Tea Party
- By: Adam Jortner, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Adam Jortner
- Length: 2 hrs and 56 mins
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The history of the Boston Tea Party is a hidden one. Why? Since it was a clandestine operation, all sorts of rumors and legends grew up around the event—many collected decades after the American Revolution had ended. At its core, however, the night of December 16, 1773, when colonials dumped tea from British ships into Boston Harbor, was more than a fight over tea and taxes. It was a struggle over the very nature of democracy and self-governance.
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How nuanced this event actually was
- By Cody T. on 12-17-23
By: Adam Jortner, and others
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Generals and Geniuses: A History of the Manhattan Project
- By: Edward G. Lengel, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Edward G. Lengel
- Length: 4 hrs and 46 mins
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In 10 riveting episodes that feel like a fast-paced thriller, acclaimed World War II historian Edward G. Lengel’s Generals and Geniuses: A History of the Manhattan Project brings the origin of the atomic bomb - and the scientific minds behind it - to vivid life. Did the Manhattan Project, and the remarkable weapon it produced, save millions of lives at the expense of the tens of thousands who died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki? And was there any way to prevent this technology from unleashing the horrors that still hang over us today?
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Excellent lecture
- By AmazonTop on 09-28-20
By: Edward G. Lengel, and others
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The Life and Times of Prince Albert
- By: Patrick Allitt, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Patrick Allitt
- Length: 4 hrs and 28 mins
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In 10 lectures, award-winning historian Patrick N. Allitt transports listeners to England in the 1840s and 1850s. During those two decades, Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, became one of the most influential people in the country and remains a figure of fascination even today. In fact, the British royal family as we know it wouldn't exist without the private and public actions of this detached, impartial, and upright political figure.
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A Master Storyteller
- By tru britty on 04-18-20
By: Patrick Allitt, and others
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The Culture of Knighthood in Medieval Romance
- By: Larissa (Kat) Tracy, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Larissa Tracy
- Length: 2 hrs and 19 mins
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In The Culture of Knighthood and Medieval Romance, join scholar of medieval literature Larissa Tracy for a fascinating dive into the deeper context of narratives about knights and their world. Her Audible Original takes you through the evolution of knighthood and courtly literature, dispelling prevalent myths about chivalry and romance with an eye to revealing just how textured and complex these ideas actually were.
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A course on Sir Lancelot lacks a lot.
- By Patrick Mullane on 12-20-23
By: Larissa (Kat) Tracy, and others
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Ben Franklin’s Lessons in Life
- By: Mark Canada, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Mark Canada
- Length: 4 hrs and 27 mins
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How did a young tradesman in early 18th-century Philadelphia with no money, no connections, and no formal education end up as a leading scientist, an inventor, a master diplomat - and even a Founding Father of the United States of America? He used the same resource we have inside ourselves: a capacity for self-improvement.
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No actually titled
- By MPM on 08-20-21
By: Mark Canada, and others
A brief history of the Borgias
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Excellent!
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Fascinating historical portrait
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Informative
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Not too shaggy, I meant shabby.
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Normally, I don’t bother to write reviews, but this book was just lovely. Here goes!
As background, over the past few years I have been voraciously streaming historical series on Amazon and Netflix. Among those, the two relatively recent series on the Borgia family were probably my favorite. But, they left me wondering, in real life, were the Borgia really that terrible? So when I saw this new Borgia series on Audible I took a chance and bought it.
Wow, I’m glad that I did. It’s all there – intrigue, murder, sex, religion and the Renaissance. But the narrator, who also authored this series, used good history and common sense to challenge some of the most scandalous things associated with the Borgia Pope and his family. I’m not going to give away the details. Check it out for yourself. You’ll be glad that you did.
BTW, the narrator’s voice is smooth and deep (check on the samples... you'll see what I mean). I loved it.
A remarkable history of a maligned family
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An excellent objective insight into the Borgias
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The topic of the Borgia family was fascinating and not something I knew much about. Professor Landon did a great job evaluating the historical sources and explaining to the listener why he made the judgments he did.
Solid audible original great course
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It admirably gives deep context to this notable family’s presence on the world stage.
By doing so, it shows the deep connections to significant historical events and powerful families and rulers.
Illuminating Borgia family biography
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While this family was very, very, very corrupt (just like the other powerful families of the time) I like how Landon explained what was known to be a fact and what could be concluded to be a vicious rumor that their enemies started. Those rumors have become the Borgia family legacy we know today.
I was fascinated for 4 hours and I wonder if I had know this years ago if I would have liked the show better.
I was hooked for all the lectures.
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