CHRONICLE OF THE POPES

Subtitle: The Reign-By-Reign Record of the Papacy from St. Peter to the Present

Author: Peter Maxwell-Stuart. 248 pg. PB. Illustrated.

Updated and expanded edition. A highly readable popular history and a unique work of reference

Contents include:

Biographical accounts of all the 266 popes, from St Peter to Benedict XVI, giving a history of these fascinating individuals – from saintly pastors to great statesmen and patrons of the arts

Full coverage of the Crusader, Avignon and Borgia popes, as well as the 39 antipopes (rival popes)

Timelines throughout with at-a-glance visual guides to the length and important events of each pope’s reign

Datafiles for every pope listing key information, such as name at birth, early career and family relationships

Extensive quotations from contemporary sources that enrich the narrative

Numerous sidebars and special features ranging from the excavation of St Peter’s tomb to the Catholic rejuvenation of the Counter-Reformation

317 illustrations, 112 in colour, including portraits and busts of the popes, art treasures from the Vatican and detailed maps

Dr P. G. Maxwell-Stuart is a Lecturer in the Department of Modern History at the University of St Andrews, and an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Reformation Studies there. He is the author of many books as well as articles for scholarly journals.