Her youngest son would become - like her - a brilliant soldier and a national hero, and the next four generations of her descendants would include two Dukes of Tuscany, a queen of France, and a queen of England.īuy Tigress Of Forli: The Life of Caterina Sforza by Elizabeth Lev from Australia's Online Independent Bookstore, BooksDirect. Remembered as the author of a recipe book that went through more than 100 editions, Caterina was honoured at her death as 'without a doubt the first lady of Italy'.

She was celebrated as a warrior who fearlessly led her own troops into battle, and ruthlessly defended her city-state of Forli, but Caterina was eventually defeated, imprisoned and raped by Cesare Borgia. She was painted by Botticelli, slandered by Machiavelli, and feted by Pope Sixtus IV. In her 46 years she bore eight children and buried three husbands. In finally losing her lands to the Borgia family, she put up a resistance that inspired all of Europe and set the stage for her progeny-including Cosimo de Medici-to follow her example to greatness.Ī rich evocationof the Renaissance, The Tigress of Forlì reveals Caterina Riario Sforza as a brilliant and fearless ruler and a tragic but unbowed figure.Description - Tigress Of Forli: The Life of Caterina Sforza by Elizabeth Lev Between her birth in 1463 as the illegitimate daughter of the Duke of Milan, to her death in 1509 as a member of the powerful Medici family, Caterina Sforza's life crossed the firmament of Italy's High Renaissance like a shooting star. Following her husband’s assassination, she ruled Italy’s crossroads with iron will, martial strength, political savvy-and an icon’s fashion sense. After turbulent years in Rome’s papal court, she moved to the Romagnol province of Forlì. The Tigress Of Forli: Renaissance Italys Most Courageous and Notorious Countess, Caterina Riario Sforza de Medici is written by Elizabeth Lev and published by Mariner Books. Raised in the court of Milan and wed at age ten to the pope’s corrupt nephew, Caterina was ensnared in Italy’s political intrigues early in life.

In this glittering biography, Elizabeth Lev reexamines Caterina's extraordinary life and accomplishments. Title: The Tigress of Forli: Renaissance Italys Most Courageous and Notorious Countess, Caterina Riario Sforza de Medici. The astonishing life of Caterina Sforza, one of the most prominent women of Renaissance Italy, who was a wife, mother, leader, and warrior with enough fierceness to make Machiavelli himself wince.

The tigress of forli