Mistress of the Vatican: The True Story of Olimpia Maidalchini: The Secret Female Pope

This book is a fascinating walk through the portal of time back to the days of ancient Rome. It is filled with descriptive passages and insider tidbits about the early workings of the Catholic church and just happens to touch down on the timeframe that a woman named Olimpia Maidalchini lived. The story is built around her life story but this story is so much more than that.As a person who appreciates details, I loved this book. I appreciated the narrative by the author which always lent itself to explanation of customs and the whys and wherefores of the people and their habits, and I grew a new understanding of how the Catholic church became what it is today. I was able to see clearly how some of the traditions loaded with such pomp and circumstance don’t line up with Biblical teaching, but are now understood by me (thanks to this book) since there is great detail given as to why certain things are done certain ways. (Like the wearing of the cardinal hats and robes, for example, was explained how some of the particular designs for those came about.) Even the details of the papal enclave for voting in a new pope were gloriously explained.That Olimpia Maidalchini was a focus of this walk through the ancient times brought me back to a starting point over and over again in this absolutely spectacular romp through this time period. I felt as though I was on a guided tour, kind of a fly on the wall you might say, and was catching all the latest nuances and gossip by just hanging around in the background while holding my head backwards staring at the magnificent ceilings and frescos throughout the architecture in the Roman empire. That I was able to get peeks at individual personalities and watch as they threw fits or stomped their feet to get their way was just a treat; I felt as if I was a “so much better than them” family member “tsking” my way through their bad behaviors. Again, I loved this book.I have to say, that I don’t think Olimpia was the only woman who ever had the Vatican by the tail. I’m pretty sure there were lots of other women (mothers, sisters, lovers or otherwise) who had a lot of influence on the men supposedly running God’s business at the Vatican, I think it was just convenient that there was a lot of documentation recorded that helped to vilify Ms. Maidalchini. She became one of my favorite villians that I loved to hate.So, as a person who loves historical reference….as a person who loves baroque details and the imagery of ancient times, I adored this book. I poured over the stories with unusual patience and care to suck in every detail like a Hoover vacuum sucking up dirt particles: I didn’t just want the top layer of dust, I wanted to be able to sweep the stories clean and walk away knowing I had every bit and piece of detail tucked away in my memory banks.Again, I loved this book and I’ll probably go back and read it again, soon, just in case I missed some detail that will bring clarity to the story I’ve learned of the early church and this woman who dared to bring her demands and expectations to the doorstep of the ultimate Men’s Only Club. Bravo to the author! Bravo to this beautiful piece of writing and all the research that went into it. I loved it!

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.

A little over-the-top in spots, this is forgiveable considering the mastery of the balance of the writing. Brings history to life (and turns it into a bit of a soap opera!). For a true story, it presents itself with more life and entertainment than the usual bio. I recommend this book, it's fun.

A good review of the Vatican's seventeen century, full of salacious details. A first hand confirmation of the shameless behavior of top catholic church members as a whole, then as now.

Olimpia Maidalchini was an extraordenary woman and if she had been a man - she would have been a very famous and respected one!!! But since she's a woman who has been in control of (the womenhating) Vatican, she's been written off. So for this alone, I very much appreicate this book and the work the author had put into writing it. However, I am not very keen on the way Eleonora Harman presents Olimpia. She does it with very little integrity and zero acknowledgement of the incredible person Olimpia was. When I say little integrity, I meant that she constantly refers to gossip (and NOT facts). She constantly puts Olimpia in a negative spotlight through Eleonoars homemade psychoanalysis and unintelligent intepretations and what seems as a poor attemp to "spice up" the story. Comments like: "one can just imagine seniorsex ...". Come on *Sign* Eleonora is doing what so many have done before her when it comes to powerful women in history; focus on slimy rumours and negativity instead of presenting fact in a neutral and authentic way. And that ruins this book! Too bad.The only reason I give this book three stars is:1. as a gratitude for bringing Olimpia into the english speaking world. Olimpia is worth knowing! And since this is the only book in English about Olimpia, I recommend that you read it.2. the writer describes the life of Rome and the vatican of the time extremeley well, and I enjoyed that a lot.

Absolutely riveting. Told everyone about it. Before I lived in Rome for many years and know Viterbo too. I can imagine it all so true. Thoroughly researched, vividly dangerous, their need for riches & power expertly entwined. This book will never leave my library.

interesting, and tells a story not widely known ...