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Mistress of the Vatican: The True Story of Olimpia Maidalchini: The Secret Female Pope
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Average Rating:  out of 7 Reviews
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Price: $25.95
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Sale: $12.00
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Manufacturer: William Morrow
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EAN (European Article Number): 9780061245558
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Number of Items: 1
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Binding: Hardcover
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Author: Eleanor Herman
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Publisher: William Morrow
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Dewey Decimal Number: 945.634
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Publication Date: 2008-08-01
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Reading Level: 464
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Description: "We have just elected a female pope."
—Cardinal Alessandro Bichi, 1644 Today's Roman Catholic Church firmly states that women must be excluded from church leadership positions, but they neglect to mention that for over a decade in the seventeenth century a woman unofficially, but openly, ran the Vatican. Now, Eleanor Herman, author of Sex with the Queen, exposes one of the church's deepest secrets, laying bare facts that have been concealed for 350 years. Beginning in 1644 and for eleven years after, Olimpia Maidalchini, sister-in-law and reputed mistress of the indecisive Pope Innocent X, directed Vatican business, appointed cardinals, negotiated with foreign ambassadors, and helped herself to a heaping portion of the Papal State's treasury. Unlike the ninth century's Pope Joan, whose life is shrouded in mystery, Olimpia's story is documented in thousands of letters, news sheets, and diplomatic dispatches. Knowing of Pope Innocent's absolute dependence on his sister-in-law, Cardinal Alessandro Bichi angrily declared on the day of Innocent's election, "We have just elected a female pope." Mischievous Romans hung banners in churches calling her Pope Olimpia I. Cardinal Sforza Pallavicino bewailed the "monstrous power of a woman in the Vatican." One contemporary wrote that women might as well become priests, since one of them was already pope. Born in modest circumstances, Olimpia was almost forced into a convent at the age of fifteen due to the lack of a dowry. She used deceit to escape, and vowed never to be poor and powerless again. Throughout her life, Olimpia exacted excruciating vengeance on anyone who tried to lock her up or curb her power. But her grisly revenge on the pope who loved her would be reserved for after his death. . . . Seventeenth-century Rome boasted the world's most glorious art and glittering pageants but also suffered from famine, floods, swarms of locusts, and bubonic plague. Olimpia's world was kleptocratic; everyone from the lowliest servant up to the pope's august relatives unblushingly stole as much as they possibly could. Nepotism was rampant, and popes gave away huge sums and principalities to their nephews instead of helping the poor. Dead pontiffs were left naked on the Vatican floor because their servants had pilfered the bed and stripped the corpse. Mistress of the Vatican brings to life not only a woman, and a church, but an entire civilization in all its greatness . . . and all its ignominy.
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Customer Reviews
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Review Summary: A Woman at the Pinnacle of Power |
Date: 2008-11-30 |
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Details: In her biography of Olimpia Maidalchini, Ms. Herman refers to her as "the secret female pope." This is a line meant to provoke and it does its job. Frankly, however, it is a bit of a stretch considering Ms. Herman's own descriptions of Olimpia's exile and near-catastrophic over-reaching. And let's not forget the fact that Olimpia's power was no secret. Still, given the Catholic Church's history of patriarchy and often sinful misogyny, it is wonderful to have reminders of the fact that, throughout its history, women have played important roles and wielded great power in the Church.
In some ways, Olimpia's story is a great one for any age: a young woman defies the odds and works her way up to the pinnacles of power and wealth in her society. The fact that she does so in the Papal States of the seventeenth century when women were often less than second-class citizens is all the more impressive. Of course, Olimpia is no saint--but few were in Rome at the time--and her path to power is paved with the bodies of those who stood in her way, but it is a fascinating story nonetheless.
Nearly forced into a convent by her father, she ends up marrying above her station in her native Viterbo. Soon after, she marries Pamphilio Pamphili, a nobleman of Rome and begins her quest for power there. She ultimately achieves this through her brother-in-law, Gianbattista Pamphili. Likely his mistress, she guides the shy canon into the intrigues of Vatican politics, to a cardinal's hat, and, ultimately, to elevation as Pope Innocent X. Through her vacillating lover, she controls everything from the purse-strings to cardinal appointments. At times, she truly did wield the power of the papacy and people knew it; at least, when she wasn't in disfavor with the pope. Like anyone, she wasn't perfect holding the reins of power and ran into some problems.
Most of her problems came from her own mistakes and Ms. Herman is fair in describing Olimpia's weaknesses. Her greed and vengefulness are on display, though Ms. Herman sometimes seems tolerant of these short-comings. True, these were common failing in Rome at the time and, in some cases, would have been winked at in men. But that doesn't make them right. But it is fair to say that Olimpia generally knew how to play the game well and she couldn't have achieved what she did without being ruthless.
All in all, this is a very well-written book about an amazing woman. Ms. Herman takes us right into the world of Rome in the seventeenth century. My brief description here does not do justice to the intricacy with which Ms. Herman brings things to life. And, in giving us Olimpia's story, she does more: she shows us how the Church of the time actually functioned. Great things were achieved, but these things were often achieved through less than holy methods. Olimpia turns out to be a reflection of her time. She did great and not-so-great things but she stands out because of her gender. Fortunately for us, since it allowed Ms. Herman to write this great book. |
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Review Summary: Fascinating Read if even Only 1/2 the Book is True |
Date: 2008-11-28 |
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Details: Author Herman has written a compelling book about a period that the Vatican would like to forget. Her prose is excellent and the color and her depiction of the times is fascinating. Unfortunately Vatican history is not my specialty, and I am unable to vouch for the accuracy of the author's many statements of fact or supposition.
Even if only one-half of this is true, the graft, corruption, immorality and pettiness of the Pope and cardinals of that age are astounding. One must remember that this was a century after Luther had nailed his ninety-five theses on the door at Wittenburg, and apparently the Vatican had learned little from the protestant reformers. The depiction of Innocent X's election is priceless, with cardinals rushing to vote so they could escape the unhealthy environment. The veneration of relics is almost shocking with various Italian churches boasting of sacred relics like drops of the Virgin Mary's breast milk, the foreskin of Jesus' penis, and his umbilical cord. Yep, this was an age of faith coupled with pedestrian greed and venality, so please excuse me if I voice some skepticism.
The story centers around Olimpia Maidalchini, a brilliant lady who manipulated her brother-in-law into the papacy, then took over and ran the Pope's business for him. This was not the first time a female or females controlled the Papacy, but it was the first time it was so well documented. The author also clearly depicts the Italian and especially Roman dominance of the Papacy in spite of important financial support from the Catholic states of France and Spain. For several of the families in Italy, the Papacy was essentially their family business.
There is much papal history here, including that the Pope was first decreed to be elected only by the cardinals in 1059. Since 1389 all popes have come from the College of Cardinals amid much political maneuvering, and generally elderly men often have been chosen for the potential of short reigns so the position could be passed around to other worthy aspirants. Sounds like a large bureaucratic organization rather than a religious hierarchy, but can an organization of ambitious humans be otherwise?
For seven years Olimpia ruled the Vatican like a queen regent for an indisposed monarch, but she finally overstepped her bounds and lost her power swiftly. She was repudiated from all sides, and six years later went to her grave. Nevertheless, she was a fascinating "grand dame", who's story had to be suppressed later to maintain the dignity of the Church. One wonders how many more Olimpias there have been or are behind the scenes, not only in the Roman Catholic Church, but for any men in powerful positions. One could do worse than to learn from Olimpia's story.
This is not an important book, but one worth reading for those interested in the Middle Ages and the Age of Expansion. |
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Review Summary: A Church Epoch vividly exposed! |
Date: 2008-10-21 |
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Details: "Mistress of the Vatican" is about a period in history in the 17th century. In the days of Pope Innocent X, the Catholic Church found itself dominated by a powerful class of Italians in the city of Rome. In particular, a woman called Olimpia maintained a dominant presence, fostering what she thought was right for herself and the Church. The book explains much about a history that we have frequently heard about but did not have a visible understanding of what was going on.
In reading Herman's historical story, we understand that the Vatican in this part of the 17thcentury, both the Papal States and Europe, were influenced by the powerful Roman culture of the day. Corruption went unnoticed and was not seen as evil. These parts of the book were not pleasant to read, such as enrichment from Church funds while the poor went hungry, and the corrupt selection of cardinals. For me, as a devout catholic, the author portrays the Vatican as an important European ruler, and at the same time, God's physical domain on earth. It clearly exposes the historical context of those years, with the church struggling with the culture of the time, and trying to bind its role as a Church. It clearly exposes both saints and sin and it does it in such a balanced way that we see the Church ending reasonably well. For example, the case with heretics and The Treaty of Westphalia, and how the Church developed the current male priesthood; indeed, the Church may have differently in those early days. The author writes of female priests in the early Church, and that could have been a reality for the church, as early Christians were testing the proper ways to adore a so much revealed God. Another great example is the not-so-saintly selection of saints, while at the same time depicting a visibly flying monk, now the patron saint of aviation!
We can deduct that the advantage that the present day Vatican has over the earlier Papal States, is that we don't need to go back; this human epoch has been produced, the good and bad has been tested and purged. The best out of these days has been preserved in today's Vatican, what's left of the Papal States, an organization that was instrumental in dismantling of communism, among other great positive achievements.
Herman exposes this story very vividly in what appears a well balanced story of the progress of both civilization and the Church. We have inherited from Olimpia a wide range of legacies from beautiful architectural monuments, to the need to eliminate nepotism from within the Church.
The marvel about this story is that it deals with the Church -the oldest continuously run organization in the history of mankind - and so far, Olimpia Maidalchini has been the only woman capable of influencing the political and organizational structure of its higher inner sanctum. It never dealt with the sacramental aspect of the Church. I think the author has written a more profound book than she thought. I don't think much has been compromised, but lively revealed.
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Review Summary: 3 stars for entertainment value, 0 stars for actual scholarly research |
Date: 2008-10-01 |
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Details: While entertaining and at times salacious, if you're looking for an in-depth, scholarly biography along the lines of Antonia Fraser, keep looking elsewhere.
All in all, I enjoyed reading about a now-forgotten woman who turned Rome and the Catholic Church on its ear with her ambition and greed. The author points out how this woman essentially ran the Vatican for extended periods of time for her brother-in-law, Pope Innocent X. Having schemed to place him on the papal throne, she continued to scheme and intrigue with cardinals, ambassadors, and royalty. All of this was acceptable at the time (bribery and coercion were the norm), but only if you were a man.
That said, this work is far from intellectual and relies too heavily on phrases such as "we can imagine" and "we can picture". This type of speculation runs rampant through the book, as do lengthy fiction-like tangents where the author asks us to imagine scenes in the Vatican and palaces of Rome.
I enjoyed the read, but took much of it with a grain of salt. If you like your biography heavy on opinion and guesswork, this is one for you. If like me, however, you prefer your biography to be well-researched, factual, and lacking in ridiculous exposition about the subject's motivations and the imaginings of the author, then it would be best to look elsewhere. |
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Review Summary: A woman of power |
Date: 2008-09-21 |
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Details: Olimpia Maidalchini was one of those rare people who would have stood out no matter what century she was born into. She had guts, ruthlessness and a sharp brain.
So it only made her more striking -- and more reviled -- that she was born in an age when women were rarely in charge of their own destinies. And in "Mistress of the Vatican: The True Story of Olimpia Maidalchini, The Secret Female Pope," Eleanor Herman paints a vivid, rich often funny portrait of Olimpia's rise to prominent in the rapidly changing world of seventeenth-century Europe.
Olimpia's life was thrown into turmoil when her father tried to force her into a nunnery, so he wouldn't have to pay for a dowry. But she quickly lashed back, bringing disgrace both to her dad and to the priest who also tried to convince her.
Not that the resulting scandal kept her from marrying twice, first to the wealthiest boy in her town and then to a stuffy nobleman. But her brother-in-law Gianbattista is who really captured Olimpia's interest, since he appreciated her intellect and abilities. Her advice and influence were used to make him an envoy, a cardinal -- and finally getting him elected to the papal throne.
But Olimpia soon discovered that getting Gianbattista (now called Pope Innocent X) into the papacy was only the beginnings of their troubles. Younger rivals, a wastrel papal nephew, heretics, famine and a war with France's Cardinal Mazarin all came to trouble the woman who practically ran the Vatican -- especially when Innocent X started developing a mind of his own.
Eleanor Herman has explored the lives of a lot of noblemen, noblewomen, kings and queens throughout "Sex With Kings" and "Sex With the Queen." "Mistress of the Vatican" is a very different book in some ways -- it charts only one woman's life, from her humble beginnings in a small town to a position of power behind the papal throne, and over political dealings and machinations that spanned Europe.
But as with her prior work, Herman's writing manages to be both breezy and detailed. Her tone is that of a friendly teacher livening up a lecture with funny stories of Olimpia's -- such as an irascible duke bursting into the papal bedroom to rave at a presumably sleeping pope about his annoying nephew. But she also fills the pages with the fragrances, sounds and sights of post-Renaissance Rome -- elegant palaces and villas filled with exquisite art, dim mildewed churches, and the horrendously hot and sticky conclave.
And as important as Olimpia's own story are the stories that surround her. Herman gives detailed background information on everybody of import that Olimpia encountered -- political rivals the Barberinis, glitzy artists, her rotund and grasping son-in-law -- and interweaves the story with background on rituals, customs (such as ransacking the house of a new pope), and half-forgotten disasters of the day.
But Olimpia herself is the beating heart of this book. She could be pretty nasty at times -- she was vengeful, grasping, and accused a priest unjustly of sexually abusing her -- but it's impossible not to admire her guts and powerful personality, especially in an age when women were seen as chattel. She pushed her way to the top via brains and a far-seeing mind. It's impossible not to admire her spirit and sheer force of will.
Forget the fictional Pope Joan. "Mistress of the Vatican: The True Story of Olimpia Maidalchini" is not only historically accurate but a ripping good read. |
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