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Book synopsis

This is the first ever biography of the spectacular life of Alessandro de' Medici, the first Black head of state in modern Western history. Between 1530 and 1537, Alessandro's reign as prince of Florence was as magnificently colourful as it was short. Born to an African maidservant nicknamed the 'Italian Cleopatra', this mixed-race son of controversial lineage was propelled by wars and power-broking to become head of the grandest dynasty of the Italian Renaissance at the age of only nineteen. Betrothed to the daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor, he earned a reputation as a womaniser, tyrant and for lavish and dissolute living. But despite blood rivalries and enormous hostility from Florence's oligarchs, Alessandro succeeded in ruling in the Machiavellian mode until he was assassinated during a late-night assignation by his scheming cousin. From dazzling palaces and Tuscan villas to the treacherous backstreets of Florence and the corridors of papal power, this dramatic biography draws on extensive archival research to overturn our perceptions both of Black history and of the Italian Renaissance.

Book details

Book category Books in English Humanities History Regional & national history

• Full title: Alessandro De' Medici
• Subtitle: The Black Prince of Florence
• Author: Catherine Fletcher
• Language: English
• Binding: Hardback
• Number of pages: 272
• EAN: 9781847922694
• ISBN: 1847922694
• ID: 09481684
• Publisher: The Bodley Head Ltd
• Weight: 653 g
• Dimensions: 240 × 156 × 28 mm
• Date of publishing: 07. April 2016

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