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Rise and Fall of the Borgias
- Narrated by: William Landon
- Length: 4 hrs and 58 mins
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Rise and Fall of the Borgias
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Publisher's summary
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
- Lecture 1, Chapter 2 from Valencia to Rome the Borja Become the Borgia
- Lecture 3, Chapter 4 Cardinal Borgia Becomes Pope Alexander VI
- Lecture 8, Chapter 9 Cesare Borgia and Niccolò Machiavelli
- Lecture 1, Chapter 2 from Valencia to Rome the Borja Become the Borgia
- Rumors circulate about Cesare Borgia
- Lecture 3, Chapter 4 Cardinal Borgia Becomes Pope Alexander VI
- "Rodrigo badly predicted how the new Pope would act"
- Lecture 8, Chapter 9 Cesare Borgia and Niccolò Machiavelli
- Machiavelli praises Cesare Borgia
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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How did a once faceless bureaucrat, a man whose own wife said he was born under the sign of the vampire, become the idealized face of Russian manhood and its authoritarian leader? Deputy Mayor Putin examines the man behind the myth. We will explore how Putin’s formative years shaped and drove him and how the supporting cast of characters he gathered along the way helped him get to the Kremlin’s inner sanctum.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Interesting
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By: Maeve McQuillan
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The Art of War
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- Narrated by: Aidan Gillen
- Length: 1 hr and 7 mins
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 40,345
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The 13 chapters of The Art of War, each devoted to one aspect of warfare, were compiled by the high-ranking Chinese military general, strategist, and philosopher Sun-Tzu. In spite of its battlefield specificity, The Art of War has found new life in the modern age, with leaders in fields as wide and far-reaching as world politics, human psychology, and corporate strategy finding valuable insight in its timeworn words.
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5 out of 5 stars
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The actual book The Art of War, not a commentary
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By: Sun Tzu
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Fingerprints of the Gods
- The Quest Continues
- By: Graham Hancock
- Narrated by: Graham Hancock
- Length: 18 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 8,538
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 7,554
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Fingerprints of the Gods is the revolutionary rewrite of history that has persuaded millions of listeners throughout the world to change their preconceptions about the history behind modern society. An intellectual detective story, this unique history audiobook directs probing questions at orthodox history, presenting disturbing new evidence that historians have tried - but failed - to explain.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Classic in Historical Mysteries
- By Kelly on 09-05-19
By: Graham Hancock
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Napoleon's Hemorrhoids…And Other Small Events That Changed History
- By: Phil Mason
- Narrated by: LJ Ganser
- Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,088
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 965
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Story4 out of 5 stars 961
Hilarious, fascinating, and a roller coaster of dizzying, historical what-ifs, Napoleon's Hemorrhoids is a potpourri for serious historians and casual history buffs. In one of Phil Mason's many revelations, you'll learn that Communist jets were two minutes away from opening fire on American planes during the Cuban missile crisis, when they had to turn back as they were running out of fuel. You'll discover that before the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon's painful hemorrhoids prevented him from mounting his horse to survey the battlefield.
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3 out of 5 stars
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They just throw the facts too fast
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The Run of His Life
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- Narrated by: Stephen Bel Davies
- Length: 18 hrs and 46 mins
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The definitive account of the O. J. Simpson trial, The Run of His Life is a prodigious feat of reporting that could have been written only by the foremost legal journalist of our time. First published less than a year after the infamous verdict, Jeffrey Toobin's nonfiction masterpiece tells the whole story, from the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman to the ruthless gamesmanship behind the scenes of "the trial of the century".
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4 out of 5 stars
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Fear and Loathing in Los Angeles
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Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
- By: Jack Weatherford
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis, Jack Weatherford
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 19,649
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 16,248
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 16,244
The Mongol army led by Genghis Khan subjugated more lands and people in 25 years than the Romans did in 400. In nearly every country the Mongols conquered, they brought an unprecedented rise in cultural communication, expanded trade, and a blossoming of civilization.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Golden Horde/Platinum Listen
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By: Jack Weatherford
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Deputy Mayor Putin
- By: Maeve McQuillan
- Narrated by: Fiona Shaw, Gwilym Lee
- Length: 3 hrs and 57 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 183
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 176
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Story5 out of 5 stars 176
How did a once faceless bureaucrat, a man whose own wife said he was born under the sign of the vampire, become the idealized face of Russian manhood and its authoritarian leader? Deputy Mayor Putin examines the man behind the myth. We will explore how Putin’s formative years shaped and drove him and how the supporting cast of characters he gathered along the way helped him get to the Kremlin’s inner sanctum.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Interesting
- By T J on 03-02-24
By: Maeve McQuillan
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The Autobiography of Malcolm X
- As Told to Alex Haley
- By: Malcolm X, Alex Haley
- Narrated by: Laurence Fishburne
- Length: 16 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 12,038
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 10,704
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Story5 out of 5 stars 10,644
Experience a bold take on this classic autobiography as it’s performed by Oscar-nominated Laurence Fishburne. In this searing classic autobiography, originally published in 1965, Malcolm X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and Black empowerment activist, tells the extraordinary story of his life and the growth of the Human Rights movement. His fascinating perspective on the lies and limitations of the American dream and the inherent racism in a society that denies its non-White citizens the opportunity to dream, gives extraordinary insight into the most urgent issues of our own time.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Audible Masterpiece
- By Phoenician on 09-10-20
By: Malcolm X, and others
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The Emerald Tablets of Thoth the Atlantean
- By: M. Doreal
- Narrated by: John Marino
- Length: 2 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,315
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,112
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,105
The history of the tablets translated in the following book is strange and beyond the belief of modern scientists. Their antiquity is stupendous, dating back some 36,000 years. The writer is Thoth, an Atlantean Priest-King, who founded a colony in ancient Egypt after the sinking of the mother country. He was the builder of the Great Pyramid of Giza, erroneously attributed to Cheops. In it he incorporated his knowledge of the ancient wisdom and also securely secreted records and instruments of ancient Atlantis.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Excellence...
- By Light Worker on 04-21-18
By: M. Doreal
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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
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 222
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 200
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 199
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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5 out of 5 stars
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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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The Pagan World
- Ancient Religions Before Christianity
- By: Hans-Friedrich Mueller, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Hans-Friedrich Mueller
- Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,346
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,166
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,156
In The Pagan World: Ancient Religions Before Christianity, you will meet the fascinating, ancient polytheistic peoples of the Mediterranean and beyond, their many gods and goddesses, and their public and private worship practices, as you come to appreciate the foundational role religion played in their lives. Professor Hans-Friedrich Mueller, of Union College in Schenectady, New York, makes this ancient world come alive in 24 lectures with captivating stories of intrigue, artifacts, illustrations, and detailed descriptions from primary sources of intriguing personalities.
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5 out of 5 stars
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The Pagan World
- By arnold e andersen md Dr Andersen on 03-28-20
By: Hans-Friedrich Mueller, and others
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Mythology: Mega Collection
- Classic Stories from the Greek, Celtic, Norse, Japanese, Hindu, Chinese, Mesopotamian and Egyptian Mythology
- By: Scott Lewis
- Narrated by: Madison Niederhauser, Oliver Hunt
- Length: 31 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 658
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 574
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Story4 out of 5 stars 574
Do you know how many wives Zeus had? Or how the famous Trojan War was caused by one beautiful lady? Or how Thor got his hammer? Give your imagination a real treat. This Mega Mythology Collection of eight audiobooks is for you....
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4 out of 5 stars
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An interesting set of introductions.
- By Kevin Potter on 05-30-19
By: Scott Lewis
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Queen of Cuba
- An FBI Agent's Insider Account of the Spy Who Evaded Detection for 17 Years
- By: Peter J. Lapp, Kelly Kennedy - contributor
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 6 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 89
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 79
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 79
Ana Montes had spent seventeen years spying for the Cubans. She had been raised in a patriotic Puerto Rican household: Her father, a psychiatrist, was a former colonel in the US Army. Her sister worked as a translator for the FBI and helped break up a ring of Cuban spies in Miami. Her brother was also a loyal FBI agent. Montes impressed her bosses but in secret spent her breaks memorizing top-secret documents before sending them to the Cuban government. Retired FBI agent Peter J. Lapp explains the clues that led their team to catch one of the United States’ most dangerous spies.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Narrator was great
- By Tasha on 01-21-24
By: Peter J. Lapp, and others
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2 out of 5 stars
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Writing the Bible: Origins of the Old Testament
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The Science of Sci-Fi
- From Warp Speed to Interstellar Travel
- By: Erin Macdonald, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Erin Macdonald
- Length: 3 hrs and 59 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 8,134
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7,029
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 7,002
Science fiction allows us to go places we can only dream of seeing - other worlds, distant stars, entirely different galaxies. While not every story is concerned with the hard science behind space travel and other futuristic ventures, fiction can give us amazing insight into what we could be capable of and what we dream of doing. In these 10 lectures, Professor Erin Macdonald interweaves real science and the achievements of the imagination to reveal the truth that underlies our favorite stories and sheds light on what the future may hold.
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3 out of 5 stars
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surfing the surface
- By scarlet on 01-13-20
By: Erin Macdonald, and others
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The Mysterious Case of Agatha Christie
- By: Maureen Corrigan, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Maureen Corrigan
- Length: 5 hrs and 43 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 556
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 501
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 496
Meet Agatha Christie, the best-selling novelist in human history. Her writing career spanned six decades, during which time she wrote 66 crime novels, 6 non-crime novels (including romances), and over 150 short stories. Not only was she a phenomenally successful novelist, but she is also the most successful female playwright of all time - her play “The Mousetrap” is the longest-running show in history. As you learn about Christie’s experiences and her storied career, you will better understand how the circumstances of her life shaped her work and vice versa.
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5 out of 5 stars
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So excellent!!!
- By linsyh on 08-24-21
By: Maureen Corrigan, and others
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The Real History of Secret Societies
- By: Professor Richard B. Spence, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Professor Richard B. Spence
- Length: 12 hrs and 21 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,100
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 955
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 952
Welcome to The Real History of Secret Societies, a historical look at the true-life groups which, if you believe the myths, are the unspoken power behind some of the world’s major turning points, from controlling the British crown to holding back the electric car and keeping Martians and Atlantis under wraps. Prepare yourself. In this course brought to you in partnership with HISTORY®, you will be visiting some of history’s deepest rabbit-holes, across centuries and continents, in search of secret societies in all their varieties.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Far more politics than fraternity.
- By Tp on 11-25-19
By: Professor Richard B. Spence, and others
What listeners say about Rise and Fall of the Borgias
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Brian K. Cutshall
- 05-05-23
A brief history of the Borgias
A very compelling history of the Borgia family. It was a great listen and highly recommend it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 11-02-21
Excellent!
One of the most well researched biographies I've read on the Borgias. Well done!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- JL
- 02-18-22
Fascinating historical portrait
This really made me think about the roll of gossip and backbiting in history and today. History is always more complicated than it appears on the surface. These lectures on the Borgias were wonderful and entertaining, neither glossing over, nor glorifying this powerful family. Time and credit well spent.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Bessie Mae
- 01-24-22
Informative
I certainly didn't know the first thing about the Borgia family before listening to these lectures. I learned a great deal about the history, religion, and culture of their lives.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Justin
- 01-27-22
Not too shaggy, I meant shabby.
Good take on this family. I’m craving more information after completing this, which is fitting for a 5 hour course. Now I’ll have to purchase another audible experience…
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- CManz
- 02-17-20
Ripping Renaissance History
I loved every bit of this course. It's real, sink-your-teeth-in history with all the tension and drama of a PBS or STARZ series, delivered by an actual scholar with a perfect voice, and who tells you when he agrees or disagrees with traditional scholarship. Ideal course and well worth my time and credit.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Will Meza
- 06-07-20
suprisingly good.
I have heard several great course books but this one is one of my favorite. very well done and executed.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Chad
- 09-12-21
Pope-pourri
Wow. The Catholic church in the Renaissance was REALLY messed up. Popes of the era were essentially caligulas currying and sharing political favor and giving in (sometimes publicly) to carnal debauchery. And that's without even considering the Inquisition. It's a wonder the churh has followers.
Oh, right, the Borgias. This goes over the history of the family members, what they were accused of, and what they actually did. The key takeaway is that they are far from angels, but also far from the extremes they have been historically accused of. They weren't great people, but they acted quite similarly to their peers.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Roman
- 11-13-21
Excellent
Highly recommended for history lovers. This professor also lectures on Machiavelli and Medici, he is excellent.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Alicia Castro
- 01-30-24
Revealing
The author sorts out the sources used by historians, and traces much of the stories about the Borgias to disinformation spread by their enemies and from those who disliked their Spanish roots. He shows us the Borgias' licentiousness and ruthlessness, but recognizes these things as common in the culture of Italian power at that time - they just did everything more openly and with more enjoyment.
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