Jean De Sismondi: 3 books

When Innocent III. died, vast sums began to pour into the Roman banks. It was evident that the Papacy was for sale to the highest bidder, and that the bidding would run high. One of the competitors, Roderigo Borgia, the nephew of Calixtus III., was a man of great wealth. He expended it lavishly, and...

This is a history of Italy in medieval times, the the creation of the city-states in the wake of the Roman Empire's collapse. 6th century that focuses on the Byzantine Empire and its most famous emperor, Justinian, who attempted to reconquer the former Western Roman Empire. From the preface: "When,...

            In the Middle Ages Italy was occupied by a vast number of political communities, some large, others very small, some self-governing, some under despotic rule. These small states were forever contending with each other, often to the death, for independence, or increase of territory,...