Absolute Monarchs by John Julius Norwich

A History of the Papacy

A brisk, anecdotal history of the Roman papacy that follows successive pontiffs from the early Church to the modern era, showing how spiritual authority became entwined with temporal power through politics, warfare, patronage and reform; it offers vivid portraits of saints and scoundrels, dramatic episodes of corruption and moral courage, and explains how personalities, ambition and historical forces shaped both the Church’s institutions and Europe’s history.

Purchase from Bookshop.org