Japan's Sengoku Jidai, known as the 'Warring States Period, ' was a time of profound crisis and upheaval, characterized by constant warfare and social unrest. During this turbulent era, the traditionally low-born rural military class of 'bushi' (samurai warriors) rose to power, overthrowing their social superiors in the court and reshaping the landscape of Japan. At the center of this tumultuous age stood three remarkable individuals: Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582), Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598), and Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616). Each of these figures played a unique and pivotal role in the re-unification of Japan during the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries.

This groundbreaking narrative history of the Sengoku era weaves together the epic tales of these three figures for the first time. It provides a comprehensive survey of the Azuchi-Momoyama Period (1568-1600), covering the reigns of both Nobunaga and Hideyoshi, as well as the foundational years of the Tokugawa shogunate (1600-1616). The book delves deep into the pivotal battles fought by each of these three hegemons, from the decisive clash at Okehazama in 1560 to the legendary Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, and the Two Sieges of Osaka Castle in 1614-15.

Moreover, the book examines the political and administrative structures of their rule, shedding light on the role played by western foreigners ('nanban') and the Christian religion in early modern Japanese society. With its broad scope, the story of Japan's three unifiers - dubbed 'the Fool, ' 'the Monkey, ' and 'the Old Badger' - unfolds as a sweeping saga, encompassing acts of unimaginable cruelty alongside tales of great samurai heroism that continue to resonate through the peaceful Edo/Tokugawa period and beyond.

Unveiling the history of one of the most notorious dynasties in papal history, Danny Chaplin, acclaimed author of Sengoku Jidai: Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu: Three Unifiers of Japan, presents a fresh narrative of the Borgia clan. In this new work, Chaplin neither shies away from their gruesome deeds nor attempts to whitewash the legacy of one of history's most infamous papal families.

The Borgias epitomized the quintessential Renaissance phenomenon: a family ascending from relative obscurity in the priesthood to the pinnacle of political and pontifical power in the vibrant Italy of the 1400s. Propelled by the reigns of two popes, Calixtus III and Alexander VI, the family initially held sway as princes of the Church and key players in European clerical politics. From the devout, crusading Pope Calixtus to the corrupt, sensual, and nepotistic Pope Alexander (Rodrigo Borgia), this Spanish lineage from Valencia swiftly emerged as Rome's major power players.

Later, Cesare Borgia, the archetype for Niccolò Machiavelli's Renaissance prince, carved his own path as a secular lord. As Il duco Valentino, he left a trail of conquest and devastation across central Italy. The Borgias brokered alliances with kings, princes, and dukes through coercion and force, seizing Church lands for their own gain. Navigating the delicate balance between the emerging superpowers of France and Spain, they became entangled in the fierce rivalry that unfolded on the Italian Peninsula. Their notorious murders, assassinations, and poisonings have left an indelible mark on European history.

Five centuries later, the names of Rodrigo Borgia, Cesare Borgia, Juan Borgia, and their sister Lucrezia Borgia remain synonymous with the flaws of the Renaissance papal establishment. But is the prevailing judgment on the Borgias entirely accurate or justified? Cinematic in scope, this meticulously researched history revisits their lives and legacy with uncompromising honesty, placing them within the context of late fifteenth-century Italian power dynamics.

In the affluent yet militarily vulnerable city of fifteenth and sixteenth-century Florence, an ambitious family of financiers emerged from modest provincial roots to seize ultimate control of the state through cunning and wealth. The House of Medici's astonishing ascent intertwined closely with Florence's destiny, as their Tuscan mercantile lineage extended its influence to royal dynasties in France, Spain, Austria, and England. Leveraging their patronage of artistic geniuses such as Brunelleschi, Fra Angelico, Botticelli, Donatello, Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo, the Medicis inadvertently ignited the Florentine Renaissance, a cultural renaissance that later swept across Europe and propelled the world out of the Middle Ages.

This sweeping new narrative history of the Medici spans the pivotal period from 1360 to 1537, tracing the family's meteoric rise from the humble origins of Giovanni di Bicci to the patriarch Cosimo de' Medici, known as the 'Pater Patriae, ' and his struggles against Rinaldo degli Albizzi. It follows the succession of Cosimo's son Piero 'the Gouty, ' his grandson Lorenzo 'il Magnifico, ' and the golden age of Renaissance Florence under the patronage of the Medici. Key events, such as the treacherous Pazzi Conspiracy, the family's expulsion and exile from Florence under Piero 'the Unfortunate, ' and their subsequent restoration to power under the deeply flawed Medici popes Leo X and Clement VII, are vividly recounted. The narrative climaxes with the brutal assassination of Duke Alessandro de' Medici and the rise of Cosimo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany, who solidified Medici hegemony over Florence for the next 168 years.

Examining the family's ascent and the strategies employed to wield and sustain absolute political power, this saga is placed within the broader context of Renaissance Italian city-states and the turbulent Italian Wars of 1494-1559. The narrative also delves into the lives of illustrious Renaissance figures such as Francesco Sforza, Girolamo Savonarola, Cesare Borgia, Niccolò Machiavelli, Francesco Guicciardini, Baldassare Castiglione, Pietro Aretino, Francis I, and Emperor Charles V. Notorious Renaissance popes, including Sixtus IV, Pius II, Paul II, Alexander VI, Julius II, and Paul III, play prominent roles in this gripping narrative. Danny Chaplin presents a rich and captivating tapestry of secular, ecclesiastical, artistic, and humanist figures associated with the remarkable Medici family.

Known as The Scourge of Princes by some and labeled a rogue and scoundrel by others, Pietro Aretino, a sixteenth-century figure, emerges in this new biography as a multifaceted character. He was a poet, satirist, journalist, publicist, propagandist, art critic, social climber, lothario, pornographer, and blackmailer of Kings, Popes, and Emperors. Aretino's astonishing life journey began as the penniless son of a cobbler and a town harlot, but he quickly rose to captivate Pope Leo X, provoke Pope Adrian VI with his acerbic pasquinades, and befriend Pope Clement VII.

Knighted by the Knights of Rhodes, bestowed with a pension (and a golden necklace of lying tongues) by the King of France, and granted the privilege of riding alongside Emperor Charles V, Pietro Aretino defied the constraints of his humble origins. As a self-made man, he arguably became the first modern celebrity. Aretino's friendship with the renowned Venetian artist Titian further solidified his status. His scandalous Lustful Sonnets rocked Rome, his audacity extended to teaching Michelangelo the nuances of painting, and his bestselling collections of candid Letters offer a vivid portrayal of sixteenth-century Venetian life.

This biography presents an engaging portrait of a man who navigated turbulent times with resilience, depicting Aretino not only as a poet and lover but also as a survivor amidst the challenges of his era.

Known as The Scourge of Princes by some and labeled a rogue and scoundrel by others, Pietro Aretino, a sixteenth-century figure, emerges in this new biography as a multifaceted character. He was a poet, satirist, journalist, publicist, propagandist, art critic, social climber, lothario, pornographer, and blackmailer of Kings, Popes, and Emperors. Aretino's astonishing life journey began as the penniless son of a cobbler and a town harlot, but he quickly rose to captivate Pope Leo X, provoke Pope Adrian VI with his acerbic pasquinades, and befriend Pope Clement VII.

Knighted by the Knights of Rhodes, bestowed with a pension (and a golden necklace of lying tongues) by the King of France, and granted the privilege of riding alongside Emperor Charles V, Pietro Aretino defied the constraints of his humble origins. As a self-made man, he arguably became the first modern celebrity. Aretino's friendship with the renowned Venetian artist Titian further solidified his status. His scandalous Lustful Sonnets rocked Rome, his audacity extended to teaching Michelangelo the nuances of painting, and his bestselling collections of candid Letters offer a vivid portrayal of sixteenth-century Venetian life.

This biography presents an engaging portrait of a man who navigated turbulent times with resilience, depicting Aretino not only as a poet and lover but also as a survivor amidst the challenges of his era.