The Papal Bankers and the Fall of Rome
From The Story of Italy: Rome, Renaissance, and the Birth of Modern Europe — Fexingo History · 5:35
Show by Fexingo
While we’ve explored the Medici and the Bardi, this episode turns to the Curia’s own financial engine: the Camera Apostolica. In the late 15th century, Pope Sixtus IV and his nephew Girolamo Riario didn’t just wield spiritual power; they built a banking system that rivaled Florence’s. We examine how the papacy used ecclesiastical revenues, the sale of indulgences, and the strategic marriage of Lucrezia Borgia to consolidate control over the Romagna region. This isn’t just about piety or politics—it’s about ledgers, debt, and the brutal economics of state-building in Renaissance Italy. We trace the path from the Avignon Papacy’s legacy to the immediate financial pressures that set the stage for the Sack of Rome in 1527, revealing how the Church’s wealth was both its shield and its greatest vulnerability. #CameraApostolica #SixtusIV #GirolamoRiario #LucreziaBorgia #Romagna #PapalStates #RenaissanceFinance #Indulgences #CanonLaw #DellaRovere #Borgia #Serenissima #AvignonPapacy #EcclesiasticalRevenue #Neopotism #ItalianWars #FexingoHistory #History #Podcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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