History of the Popes from the Close of the Middle Ages

Ludwig Pastor's History of the Popes from the Close of the Middle Ages is a monumental work detailing the lives of popes from the late medieval period. Pastor, a German author and historian, was appointed professor of modern history at the University of Innsbruck in 1887. He was instrumental in convincing Pope Leo XIII to open the Vatican archives to scholars, and he consulted archives across Europe for his research.1

Pastor's history is known for its objective scholarship and frank treatment of challenging periods in the papacy's history, focusing on individual popes rather than the institution itself. The papacy has played a crucial role in Western and world history, with its history divided into five major periods: the early, medieval, Renaissance and Reformation, early modern, and modern papacy. Rome itself has experienced periods of factional struggles, with the papacy often controlled by noble families or influenced by German emperors, and periods of economic dependence on the presence of the papal Curia and pilgrims.1234