---
product_id: 3451544
title: "The Tigress Of Forli: Renaissance Italy's Most Courageous and Notorious Countess, Caterina Riario Sforza de' Medici – A Biography of Power and Resistance"
price: "€ 26.15"
currency: EUR
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url: https://www.desertcart.ie/products/3451544-the-tigress-of-forli-renaissance-italys-most-courageous-and-notorious
store_origin: IE
region: Ireland
---

# The Tigress Of Forli: Renaissance Italy's Most Courageous and Notorious Countess, Caterina Riario Sforza de' Medici – A Biography of Power and Resistance

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desertcart.com: The Tigress Of Forli: Renaissance Italy's Most Courageous and Notorious Countess, Caterina Riario Sforza de' Medici – A Biography of Power and Resistance: 9780547844169: Lev, Elizabeth: Books

Review: A wonderful book... - This is a story that holds the interest. The political schemes, wars, and assassinations of that era are covered in detail, often with the horror and suspense which medieval cruelty and duplicity invite. As a writer of talent, this author brings the characters to life with an abundance of details which one cannot find elsewhere. Moreover, her use of adjectives is masterful, so precise and evocative that I cannot refrain from complimenting the author on their use. This biographer has chosen a historical episode and a leading character of great interest. Caterina of Forli was certainly courageous and resourceful during the multitudinous and perilous changes of fortune which characterized the Italy of that time. She also proved as devious and unsparing as any of the male rulers, faced as she was by the many enemies of her family. Following the assassination of her beloved second husband, for instance, she destroyed the conspirators and even their families with great cruelty. She will be remembered forever, however, for her defiance of the Borgia pope and his ruthless son Cesare. The author triumphs in telling the story of the assault on the fortress at Forli and the capture of a woman unbowed by the fortunes of war. By contrast, the indifference of her elder sons to her imprisonment and suffering, their cupidity, their ambition for higher positions in the Church while making no effort to help her are both shocking and disgusting. You will not find a more complete recounting of these tragic events than in this history of a valiant woman fighting against all the hardships of medieval Italy. After her capture by the terrible Cesare Borgia, I had to pause often before continuing with this record of the indignities and suffering inflicted on this woman. I recommend this biography to anyone seeking history related in an interesting way. This biographer, moreover, provides an extra benefit by adding to the book a brief account of the career and death of Caterina's youngest son, the great warrior Giovanni dalle Bande Nere.
Review: an amazing woman and amazing history - Ms Lev does incredible research for this tribute to Caterina Sforza. Reading was often a little slow; names so similar and so many characters had this reader re-reading many passages. But the author does a great job bringing life and personality to the Countess. The history of the 15th and early 16th century was brutal, politically motivated by power and money. It would have been a difficult time to be in certain social situations. Families were complex entities, children often being means to enhance dynasties. For history buffs, this is a must read.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #154,134 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #15 in Historical Italy Biographies #77 in Italian History (Books) #375 in Women in History |
| Customer Reviews | 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (1,026) |
| Dimensions  | 5.31 x 0.84 x 8 inches |
| Edition  | Reprint |
| ISBN-10  | 0547844166 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0547844169 |
| Item Weight  | 12 ounces |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 352 pages |
| Publication date  | October 16, 2012 |
| Publisher  | Mariner Books |

## Images

![The Tigress Of Forli: Renaissance Italy's Most Courageous and Notorious Countess, Caterina Riario Sforza de' Medici – A Biography of Power and Resistance - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81-zpK6O92L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A wonderful book...
*by E***N on April 13, 2016*

This is a story that holds the interest. The political schemes, wars, and assassinations of that era are covered in detail, often with the horror and suspense which medieval cruelty and duplicity invite. As a writer of talent, this author brings the characters to life with an abundance of details which one cannot find elsewhere. Moreover, her use of adjectives is masterful, so precise and evocative that I cannot refrain from complimenting the author on their use. This biographer has chosen a historical episode and a leading character of great interest. Caterina of Forli was certainly courageous and resourceful during the multitudinous and perilous changes of fortune which characterized the Italy of that time. She also proved as devious and unsparing as any of the male rulers, faced as she was by the many enemies of her family. Following the assassination of her beloved second husband, for instance, she destroyed the conspirators and even their families with great cruelty. She will be remembered forever, however, for her defiance of the Borgia pope and his ruthless son Cesare. The author triumphs in telling the story of the assault on the fortress at Forli and the capture of a woman unbowed by the fortunes of war. By contrast, the indifference of her elder sons to her imprisonment and suffering, their cupidity, their ambition for higher positions in the Church while making no effort to help her are both shocking and disgusting. You will not find a more complete recounting of these tragic events than in this history of a valiant woman fighting against all the hardships of medieval Italy. After her capture by the terrible Cesare Borgia, I had to pause often before continuing with this record of the indignities and suffering inflicted on this woman. I recommend this biography to anyone seeking history related in an interesting way. This biographer, moreover, provides an extra benefit by adding to the book a brief account of the career and death of Caterina's youngest son, the great warrior Giovanni dalle Bande Nere.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ an amazing woman and amazing history
*by M***E on October 6, 2025*

Ms Lev does incredible research for this tribute to Caterina Sforza. Reading was often a little slow; names so similar and so many characters had this reader re-reading many passages. But the author does a great job bringing life and personality to the Countess. The history of the 15th and early 16th century was brutal, politically motivated by power and money. It would have been a difficult time to be in certain social situations. Families were complex entities, children often being means to enhance dynasties. For history buffs, this is a must read.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent Account !!!!
*by G***2 on November 15, 2012*

"The Tigress of Forli" by Elizabeth Lev. A well written fast moving tale of Caterina Riario Sforza De Medici. The illegitimate daughter of the Galeazzno Maria Sforza Duke of Milan. A noblewoman of the Renaissance in Italy. She was raised in her father's household as was the custom of the day and as well educated as his legitimate children. At an early age she was also trained in military tactics which later in her life proved extremely useful. Girls were often married off at early ages (Caterina was only 10) to forge alliances of family convenience and never argued over the practice of being a pawn in a chess game, even though she did not live directly with her husband for several more years. She eventually was to bare him 6 children. Caterina was a woman of renown beauty, intelligence, courage and fortitude in Renaissance Italy. In an age where women were little more than a husbands possession and didn't hold any large amount of power or have any hope of having any. Caterina managed to gain control of her husband's kingdom after he was assassinated to retain it for her numerous children until they were of age and she ruled for a number of years. Caterina displayed the kind of intelligence, chivalry made her legendary in her day. That most women of the day were not known to possess. Caterina proves to be a wily woman not easily subdued. She married two more times. She appeared to be a woman of extremes on the scales of human frailty from extreme cruelty to empathy beyond ones wildest imagination. She was capable of welding a sword and defending her tiny kingdom from the dreaded Caesare Borgia who had designs on it. He managed to finally capture her, raped repeatedly and was taken to Rome and prison for the next few years. But, she refused to give up her children's claim of their birthright to Borgia. An excellent read with as much adventure as any modern day concocted adventure novel. The type of a woman a lot of we women find admirable because she had a lot of backbone and guts. She proved to be a larger than life person, her children were never able to live up to her image. I enjoy this type of novel so am going to give it the highest marks I can, because it is definitely an excellent book and well written. It reminds me a lot of the 'Angelique' novel's of the 60's written by French authors Sergeanne Golon that I used to read all the time. Except they were fiction where as this is a biography of a real life woman of the Renaissance. But, travels in the same vein and it is the tale of a strong woman with the will of iron, who made the Sforza name proud in her day.

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*Last updated: 2026-03-18*