The Life and Times of Sixtus the Fifth

This volume reconstructs the tumultuous world surrounding Pope Sixtus V through the lens of rare, unpublished diplomatic correspondence drawn from major European state archives. Jerningham's collection turns official reports, private dispatches, and eyewitness observations into a vivid political panorama-where alliances shift, rival powers maneuver, and every gesture at court carries strategic weight. The result is a fast-moving account of how Sixtus's policies and ambitions reverberated far beyond Rome, shaping relations across Italy and the wider continent. Through the voices of envoys and administrators, readers gain a sharper sense of the tensions, negotiations, and behind-the-scenes pressures that defined Sixtus's reign. The Life and Times of Sixtus the Fifth - from unpublished diplomatic correspondence in the State archives of the of the Vatican, Simancas, Venice, Paris, Vienna, and Florence - Vol. 2 is an unchanged, high-quality reprint of the original edition of 1872.