{"product_id":"9780679604990","title":"Absolute Monarchs: A History of the Papacy","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNEW YORK TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e BESTSELLER\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e In a chronicle that captures nearly two thousand years of inspiration  and intrigue, John Julius Norwich recounts in riveting detail the  histories of the most significant popes and what they meant politically,  culturally, and socially to Rome and to the world. Norwich presents  such popes as Innocent I, who in the fifth century successfully  negotiated with Alaric the Goth, an invader civil authorities could not  defeat; Leo I, who two decades later tamed (and perhaps paid off) Attila  the Hun; the infamous “pornocracy”—the five libertines who were  descendants or lovers of Marozia, debauched daughter of one of Rome’s  most powerful families; Pope Paul III, “the greatest pontiff of the  sixteenth century,” who reinterpreted the Church’s teaching and  discipline; John XXIII, who in five short years starting in 1958  instituted reforms that led to Vatican II; and Benedict XVI, who is  coping with today’s global priest sex scandal. Epic and compelling, \u003ci\u003eAbsolute Monarchs\u003c\/i\u003e is an enthralling history from “an enchanting and satisfying raconteur” (\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e).","brand":"Random House Publishing Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46430673240305,"sku":"9780679604990","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0674\/5433\/7265\/files\/9780679604990_p0.jpg?v=1765520815","url":"https:\/\/shop.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780679604990","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble","version":"1.0","type":"link"}