Cardinal Bendinello Sauli died in disgrace in 1518, implicated, rightly or wrongly, in a conspiracy to assassinate the then Pope, Leo X. This book, based on extensive archival research in Genoa and Rome, traces Sauli's rise and fall, setting one man's life and career against a background of political turmoil and intrigue, and offering new perspectives on the patronal links which bound pope, cardinals and their family and courtiers so closely together. It plots his elevation to ecclesiastical eminence through the efforts of his family who were financiers to the pope; and it examines his apogee as cardinal-patron both of humanists and of some of the leading artists of his day such as Sebastiano del Piombo and Raphael. The plot to murder the pope is also studied in depth; the author examines the surviving evidence relating to the plot and reveals new archival material which supports its existence in the eyes of the law and Sauli's involvement in it. In addition, she explores Sauli's role as a man of the Church and his administration of his benefices.

HELEN HYDE is an independent scholar who studied at the universities of Lancaster and London. Her previous publications include articles on the Sauli family and early sixteenth-century Genoa.