**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.
**In this glittering biography, Elizabeth Lev reexamines Caterina's
extraordinary life and accomplishments.
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. After turbulent years in Rome's papal court, she moved to the
Romagnol province of Forlì. Following her husband's assassination, she
ruled Italy's crossroads with iron will, martial strength, political
savvy--and an icon's fashion sense. 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.
A rich evocation of the Renaissance, The Tigress of Forlì reveals
Caterina Riario Sforza as a brilliant and fearless ruler and a tragic
but unbowed figure.