Pope Fights: Caterina Sforza

If Machiavelli gets to pick favorites, then so do I.

SOURCES & Further Reading:
"The Tigress Of Forli: Renaissance Italy's Most Courageous and Notorious Countess, Caterina Riario Sforza de' Medici" by Elizabeth Lev
Great Courses Lecture "Milan Under the Sforza" from "The Italian Renaissance" by Kenneth R. Bartlett

MUSIC
"Scheming Weasel" by Kevin MacLeod
"Back in Venice" by Jesper Kyd from Assassin's Creed 2 OST
"Chocolate Outline", "Slaysenfite", and "Suture Self" from Age of Mythology OST

Our content is intended for teenage audiences and up.

[legomojo]

Family of mercenaries turned noble? Trained in hunting and diplomacy? Dead dad? Caterina’s backstory sounds like a great DND character in the making.

[pauliusbaranauskas]

Fun fact: Caterina Sforza had a niece, Bona Sforza, who was the queen of Poland and grand duchess of Lithuania and can be credited for bringing the Renaissance to the entire region.

[WebofHope]

"Silence, former co-worker" said to the ghost of her dead husband is *such a power move* XD

[ShadowChorus]

There is nothing more simultaneously crushing and gratifying than learning that A) Caterina's famous line about not giving a shit if her kids are in danger because she can always make more is probably a fabrication, but then B) learning that it's that way because Machiavelli of all people had a massive crush on this incredible woman and couldn't help but embellish.

[auroraofclanborealis]

I'm a simple woman; I see Pope Fight, I click

Edit: Machiavelli is very real for that crush

[alexi]

"you're so far out of line you drew a circle" is a dope sentence and I'm stealing it, thanks Blue!

[morganbiddlecom]

This is the most perfect example of OSP's "Use us as a jumping off point" philosophy I have seen to date. This video is so obviously only scratching the barest surface of this woman's life and I am so compelled to go learn more

[brandondavidson]

"later named Caterina d'Medici" This is what we call F O R E S H A D O W I N G

[divergentbean]

Now all I can think about is Ezio Auditore and Machiavelli bonding over how cool Catharina is

[shylockwesker]

Her niece Bona Sforza was a powerhouse in Polish history, as well. That family produced some formidable women.

[elainesinclair]

Add “dommy mommies” to the list of things that lead back to Rome

[The_Calvary]

This is SO weird. The last like, two days, I’ve been rewatching the old pope fights videos for like absolutely no reason. Pope fights returns!! Thank you OSP, I love you

[mothmanenthusiast]

This came out while I was milling about Forlì in Assassin's creed 2

[FuzzyStripetail]

In the immortal words of Spaceballs' Dark Helmet, "Sh*t! I hate it when I get my Sforza twisted."

[Worldbuilder-ok]

Renaissance Dommy Mommy… Welp. Time to pencil that in to my list of “Blue’s Uncomfortably Blistering Historical Hot Takes that Nonetheless are 100% Accurate”

[Charlie_the_Robot-]

Who could ever forget the woman whose one-night stand caused Ezio to lose all his legendary master assassin gear.

[theanimeunderworld]

Why do I feel the need to replay Assassin's Creed Ezio Trilogy???

[mouser]

I fell in love with her (heavily?) fictionalized version in Assassin's Creed, and I'm still so happy to learn so much more about her. I was quite giddy to see this title.

[MichaelNicchetta]

That "tools to make more children" line is interesting as it's also attributed to William Marshall's dad in the 1100s. Maybe it was just a common retort in medieval times when people threatened your kids.

[katszulga]

Whoever named that woman was inspired. Caterina means "pure" so Caterina Sforza = pure strength.