This work leads the reader into one of the most exciting chapter of the history of the papacy. It delineates the behaviour and dilemmas of Rome in the fight against the Turs, in the Thirty Year’s War and in the struggles with the Protestants and the numerous conflicts with the Catholic States. In addition, the book describes in detail the first real example of globalisation, namely the worldwide spread of missions, in addition to providing accounts of the formation of new religious movements, Galileo’s trial and the ordeals of the Institute of Blessed Virgin Mary. Furthermore, the chapter offer insights into the nature of papal nepotism, how the Roman inquisition worked and how the papal court, the Roman Curia and the Papal State were constructed.
