Though Bartolomeo Scala has long intrigued historians, he is a figure whose importance has only recently been appreciated. In Alison Brown's biography Scala emerges as a man of more ability and character than anyone has imagined him to be. We begin to understand why he was employed as chancellor for the almost unrivaled period of thirty-two years. Ms. Brown's study is not only the first extensive treatment of Scala's life but also a significant contribution to our knowledge of Italian Renaissance history and of the contrast between theory and practice in Medicean government.

Originally published in 1979.

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