The Popes
A History
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The Popes
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Narrated by:
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Michael Jayston
About this listen
Well known for his histories of Norman Sicily, Venice, the Byzantine Empire and the Mediterranean, John Julius Norwich has now turned his attention to the oldest continuing institution in the world, tracing the papal line down the centuries from St Peter himself – traditionally (though by no means historically) the first pope – to the present Benedict XVI. Of the 280-odd holders of the supreme office, some have unquestionably been saints; others have wallowed in unspeakable iniquity. One was said to have been a woman – and an English woman at that – her sex being revealed only when she improvidently gave birth to a baby during a papal procession. Pope Joan never existed (though the Church long believed she did) but many genuine pontiffs were almost as colourful: Formosus, for example, whose murdered corpse was exhumed, clothed in pontifical vestments, propped up on a throne and subjected to trial; or John XII of whom Gibbon wrote: 'his rapes of virgins and widows deterred female pilgrims from visiting the shrine of St Peter lest, in the devout act, they should be violated by his successor.’
Others earned respect, including Leo the Great who protected Rome from the Huns and the Goths, and Gregory the Great who struggled manfully with the emperor for supremacy. After calamitous crusades, and 70-year exile in Avignon, came the larger-than-life pontiffs of the Renassiance – the Borgias and the Medicis ('God has given us the papacy; let us now enjoy it'). Pius VII had to contend with Napoleon, Pius IX to steer the papacy through the storm of the Risorgimento. John Julius Norwich brings the story up-to-date with lively investigations into the anti-semitism of Pius XII, the possible murder of John Paul I and the phenomenon of the Polish John Paul II. From here the glories of the Byznatium to the decay of Rome, from the Albigensian Heresy to sexual misbehaviour within the Church today, the pace never slackens. John Julius Norwich, an agnostic with no religious axe to grind, has a thrilling and important tale to tell – and in this rich, authoritative book he does it full justice.
©2011 John Julius Norwich (P)2011 Random House Audio GoListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about The Popes
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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
- Mary Carnegie
- 04-03-16
Lively, impartial and learned.
Keep listening to this book every so often. E Duffy's history is duller, of which I only have paper version (tiny print) once is enough.
The history of the papacy is the history of Europe for better or worse. It's a rattling good yarn, just that it's not "fake news". JJ Norwich had no fear of excommunication-under previous management- so could present an unbiased assessment.
2000 years interpreted pretty well...
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Alison
- 28-10-12
You couldn't make this stuff up
What a mad, BONKERS epic story - no wait, it's all true! Such a thorough-going, painstaking super-long book, which, if you submitted it as a novel or screen play would be laughed out of the office. Wittily written, beautifully read. In fact, in the hands of another reader, it might have dragged a bit but MJ is masterful and brings it to life. It is quite hypnotising in fact
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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
- Mr.
- 20-02-14
Enormously entertaining.
This is a cracking piece of work, which balances research, deep background knowledge and erudition with an enormous sense of fun. Anyone familiar with John Julius Norwich will not be surprised by his love of language and the skill with which he deploys it; no more will they be surprised by his arch and witty perspective. Notwithstanding this, The Popes is hugely informative, and Norwich never ducks a controversy, especially in the era from Popes Pius the IXth to XIIth. Splendidly read by Michael Jayston, with great pace, clarity, vigour and wit. If you fancy a cackle at two thousand years of perfidy, while still being touched by surprising piety and goodness and learning a lot, have a listen.
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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
- William Hayes
- 18-06-16
A great summary of a long and complicated subject
I really enjoyed this, it was a great summary of what is a long and complicated history.
The author is open and honest with his biases which helps when reading history and in many ways attempts to be fair to even the worst of the Popes.
The book is a bit of a victim of timing in that it does not include the surprising end to Benedict's pontificate and Francis's ascension but that's hardly the writer's fault.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- iris
- 19-07-11
Preposterous Popes
Not only is this book packed full of authoritative knowledge and research but it also contains many humourous and outrageous passages of Papal misbehaviour and very 'un Christianlike' conduct. It is a book you can dip into or listen to straight through. Personally I began with the middle of the book and I am now discovering the beginning of the book. This is history made enjoyable and a book you can listen to over and over again.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- M. Rijnbeek
- 23-12-12
an endless series of facts
Too much information crammed into these audio books. I guess that is inevitable with so many popes. A book focusing on a particular shorter period in history would work better for me.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Zoe
- 07-04-13
Fascinating
I'm not religious but I find Christian mythology and ecclesiastical history interesting. The papacy has been involved with many important events over the last 2000 years so this book gives a fascinating viewpoint on European history. Well researched and narrated.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- R
- 12-04-13
Fascinating but not enough depth
I enjoyed the stories of the early popes and the way that the development of the papacy as we know it was portrayed. Against the background of various corruptions and perversions the good people in the church begin to hone their understanding of the place of the church in upholding and protecting the faith. It is necessarily brief in some cases but there is enough information to keep the listener engaged as the history unfolds. It is a book for a specialist listener rather than a casual one.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- Christine
- 03-06-12
Too many names!
While much of this book was interesting, I had trouble following all the Popes, Kings and Emperors because of their repetitive and interchangeable names! Not the fault of the author, just my ability to concentrate.
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1 person 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
- Manish
- 31-03-18
The Popes
Brilliant and fascinating. A sweep of history for almost 2000 years. An update would be good reason: Benedict's retirement and the election of Pope Francis.
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3 people found this helpful