Customer Reviews

Chronicle of the Popes: The Reign-by-Reign Record of the Papacy over 2000 Years

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I am a History Major in college and one of my area's of interest is the Middle Ages (400AD-1500AD). Of course this means that to study the time of the Middle Ages, one must study Papal History as well. I find that this book is essential in researching not only the history of the Papacy but also the Emperors who were allies and enemies of individual Popes.

This reference is easy to follow, outstanding timeline references, great drawings, paintings and pictures, but MOST OF ALL it has the brief history of each Pope since St. Peter and also significant achievements of each Pope as well. It also tells about other significant events around the world during the history of the Catholic Church as well. Without this reference book (I consider it a tool) I would be at a definite disadvantage.

This book is a MUST have for Medieval-Church Historians as well as those who are Medieval History Buffs as well.

The illustrations in this book are wonderful, but the descriptions are not very detailed, and the book does not give references. For example, it is said that a particular pope was highly critisized, but it doesn't say by whom or what was the pope's response -- if any -- to that criticism. (Nor does it cite any documents that critisize him.) It accuses another pope of "extensive" nepotism, without mentioning which members of his family he gave jobs to or even how many people the author means by "extensive" and again no references are given. I did not find the "rose colored glasses" nor apologist approach that another reviewer mentioned, but the lack of references made this book of limited, and questionable, value.

With the passing of Pope John Paul II and the subsequent election of Benedict XVI last month, this 1997 book officially becomes a little out of date (always inevitable when dealing with a living lineage). Nonetheless, the book will give readers with little knowledge of the papacy the basic story behind how it arrived at its current state (those who already have knowledge of the papacy and its history will likely learn nothing new).

It's a dizzying journey, and doubtless much had to be left out to fit the entire 2,000 year journey into one volume (two volumes may have been more appropriate). Still, those not seeking details and the nitty gritty of the papacy can come to a cursory appreciation of the office's history and evolution since its founding during the late Roman Empire.

After a 2-4 page preface (not a lot of background) the book leaps into history beginning with St. Peter in the 1st century AD. What follows is far too complex to summarize (which this 240-page book proves more than anything). However, the basic high-level progression of the papacy from St. Peter, to shadowy and difficult beginnings up to the 15th century, to international secular superpower (complete with corruption) through the 18th century, to a humbled return to spiritual leadership of the world's largest church in the 20th century, can be adumbrated. Readers will see most of the highlights of the history, but likely come away with little understanding of the office itself.

To be fair, the papacy heartily challenges any attempt at summarization. Being the world's longest running office, it touches the Roman Empire, medieval Europe, countless wars, innumerable countries and peoples, Charlemange, the crusades, the Reformation, the Renaissance, the French Revolution, Napolean, two World Wars, and the modern industrialized world. Any short summary of this lineage is bound to leave out countless details. As an introduction to the basic history of the papacy, this book succeeds fairly well. As an introduction to the office itself, however, it does not fare so well. As long as readers go into this book with the expectation that it's almost purely history, the disappointment shouldn't be too harsh. The book will whet the interest of anyone with a shred of curiosity about this enormous institution. Other books will have to fill in the details, ultimately. To take some examples: why popes traditionally take a new name upon election isn't really even discussed. The section on Gregory I will likely leave readers wondering why he's called "Gregory the Great". The section on Alexander VI includes more details on Savanarola than the pope himself. The infamous "cadaver synod" of Stephen VI in the 9th century receives a very brief treatment. The "Pope Joan" hoax gets mentioned but with almost no detail whatsoever. The terms "Vatican I" and "Vatican II" are not used anywhere in the book (the longer "First Vatican Council" and "Second Vatican Council" are used instead).

On the up side, numerous pictures from all eras pervade nearly every page of the book. The copious pictures alone make the book worthwhile. Sidenotes shed some light on special subjects (e.g., the alleged discovery of the bones of St. Peter, the Carolingian Empire, the crusades, the Fransiscans and Dominicans, the former papal palace at Avignon, the Reformation, the Counter-Reformation, the building of the current St. Peter's Basilica, the formation of Vatican City, etc.).

In the end, expect brevity from this book and expect to come out of it with numerous questions. But also expect to have a basic understanding of the history of the world's oldest extant office of authority. Those with little or no knowledge will find a great starting point here.

Frankly, I was disappointed with this book. On the plus side, the illustrations are numerous and fascinating. The book is a treasury of portraits, maps, and timelines. The text is another matter. Throughout, the author adopts the role of papal apologist far more often than the role of objective historian. For those who would like their papal history without the rose-colored glasses, I would recommend McBrien's, "Lives of the Popes", De Rosa's, "Vicars of Christ", and J.N.D. Kelly's, "Oxford Dictionary of Popes".

The papacy is one of the more interesting offices in the world - in essence the oldest democracy in the world. The pope, in spite of the notion that he is appointed by God, is elected by bishops, and as the book reveals, often with less-than-holy intentions. The biggest asset for this book is the illustrations of the popes, with the art reflecting the evolution of the religion and the European Renaissance. But the book is really more of a timeline of the office, rather than biographies of the indivdual pontiffs. Often, entire reigns are lumped together as a general trend in the papacy, and some popes earn no more than a quick mention of their ascention. Granted, many of them deserve no more, but for those curious as to the individual stories behind each Father, this book will come up lacking. Even some of the more sordid and disgraceful popes, like John XII or Alexander IV, are taken in stride in this chronicle, where the reader probably would have appreciated a bit more detail on the story. The history of the Throne of Peter is one of the more intriguing tales in European history, and to have them reported in this sterile manner doesn't do justice for those fascinated by the men under the mitres. But for those who want to see a general progresion of the office and its evolution from humble beginnings to corrupt demagogue to modern and politically inactive spiritual leader, this book is a good tool. Plus, in a genre and with a topic that is rarely the subject of unbiased scrutany, it has value in its objective portrayal of bizarre and often sacriligous history of the Holy See.

For most of us, irrespective of our religious orientation, the Papacy is a religious institution the responsibility for which was purportedly handed from Jesus to his disciple Peter and from him to his successors unto modern times. While it cannot be denied that the Church has had a pervasive influence through time and space, the Chronicle of the Popes by P. G. Maxwell-Stuart makes it abundantly clear that the Roman Catholic Church and its head were much more than mere relgious bystanders in world history. For much of its existance the Papacy was a temporal power subject to the political realities of its times, the luck, stengths and weaknesses of the individuals serving in the role of Pope, and the machinations of the other powers around it with agendas of their own. Setting aside the religious aspect of the institution, Chronicle of the Popes reads like the history of a small kingdom struggling to exist in the face of fierce competition, international intrigue and vast social changes.

Maxwell-Stuart discusses the excesses of some of the Popes, their attempts to advance the causes of members of their own families, the furtherence of the interests of illegitimate children, the sale of church offices and indulgences, and the repression of other religious points of view. He discusses the bravery of early leaders who persisted in their pursuit of their religious beliefs despite the personal danger in which this placed them, and the efforts of church leaders to define the institution as a religious construct in times as rapidly changing as our own. It becomes apparent that the Church underwent changes in orientation, stressing temporal over spiritual or the reverese, as political circumstances dictated the need. In fact one might almost compare this to the invisble hand that directs supply and demand economics. Though from a strictly religious standpoint it often failed to meet the expectations of its purported founders, the Papacy served a mediating political influence on the behaviors of the world powers around it and contributed to the evolution of the world in which we presently live. Given that it outlived most of the political entities that it encountered throughout it's history, one might almost say it provided a critical element of stability that permitted that evolution.

The author, Peter Maxwell-Stuart, has served as Head of both the History Department and the Classics Faculty at Chesterton College, Cambridge, and his present work reflects this orientation; he does not appear to have any pet religious orientation to advance. Like any good historian he approaches his subject as a study of a political and social institution and one of considerable longevity.

The book is beautifully illustrated with reproductions of early art and architecture, which make the personalities of the various Popes and their world setting clearer for the reader. Charts recording the known data regarding each church leader summarize the pertinate information in a manner that clarifies the text well.

This is a truely readable book and one which I will pass on to a friend with similar interests.

This is a very concise book on a topic that can be somewhat tedious. The book is excellent in conveying critical information relating to popes without going to the details of each pope's biography. It has plenty of useful illustrations that help place the causes, consequences, and context of the reign of each pope.

The book is mostly oriented to the lay audience so those readers looking for full information will be disapointed.

I have four titles in this series. I often come across the names of popes in connection with art and history and wanted a comprehensive survey. This book provides this. It is spoilt by some unnecessary and partisan comments by the author.

This book was a bit of a disappointment in that it was shorter than I expected. However the art is beautfiul the biographies are intriguing, and all the extra information they have included in tersm of myths about the papacy, church history, and various other insersts was really interesting.

Excellent work with lots of b/w and color illustrations throughout. It's not just of interest to Catholics as the papacy had such an influence on history generally. Thus we read of how Protestantism was encouraged by the excesses seen in the church of the time (but how Catholicism fought back through the Counter-Reformation). There are pages on different religious houses, on important names like Thomas Aquinas, on the Crusades, the Avignon papacy and of course details on each pope (real name, nationality, dates etc). Very interesting