{"product_id":"9781442696457","title":"The 'Commentaries' of Pope Pius II (1458-1464) and the Crisis of the Fifteenth-Century Papacy","description":"\u003cp\u003eWritten in the mid-fifteenth century, Pope Pius II’s \u003ci\u003eCommentaries\u003c\/i\u003e are the only known autobiography of a reigning pontiff and a fundamental text in the history of Renaissance humanism.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this book, Emily O’Brien positions Pius’ expansive autobiographical text within that century’s contentious debate over ecclesiastical sovereignty. Presenting the \u003ci\u003eCommentaries\u003c\/i\u003e as Pius’ response to the crisis of authority, legitimacy, and relevance that was engulfing the Renaissance papacy, she shows how the \u003ci\u003eCommentaries\u003c\/i\u003e function as both an aggressive assault on the papal monarchy’s chief opponents and a systematic defense of Pius’s own troubled pontificate and his pre-papal career. Illustrating how the language, imagery, and ideals of secular power inform Pius’ apologetic self-portrait, \u003ci\u003eThe Commentaries of Pope Pius II (1458–1464) and the Crisis of the Fifteenth-Century Papacy\u003c\/i\u003e demonstrates the role that Pius and his writings played in the evolution of the Renaissance papacy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"University of Toronto Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47128439423216,"sku":"9781442696457","price":81.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781442696457_p0.jpg?v=1763825279","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781442696457","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}