Insights into the sixteenth-century papal court and the lives of cardinals are provided by a collection of papers by a Canadian emeritus professor, best known for his masterly study of the Salviati family, and a monograph by a new English contributor as an independent scholar. The former work is marked by fluent discourse, readily incorporating source details; the latter is jam-packed with detail making it a harder read.

Bendinello di Pasquale Sauli (often called Bandinello), c. 1481–1518, came from the large Genoese clan of merchants and bankers, who are noted collectively for helping finance the papacy in the early sixteenth century. Bendinello himself might be most widely known through Sebastiano del Piombo's multiple portrait (interestingly experimental but aesthetically disappointing), Cardinal Bandinello Sauli and three companions (1516, National Gallery, Washington). Other readers may know him as one of those accused in 1517 of plotting to poison Leo x, and/or one of those prophesied to be the next pope. Helen Hyde is bravely – and with great archival industry (in Rome and Genoa especially), and probably facing huge frustrations from cryptic and tedious entries – attempting to understand the career and personality of a cardinal not from the great ruling, political, families. Unlike for Hurtubise with the Salviati, for Hyde there are virtually no enlightening private papers for Bendinello, his closest brother Stefano and other intimate associates. Bendinello emerges as financier, ambitious churchman, pluralist, massive accumulator of benefices, an intimate in Julius ii's household and out hunting, a considerable spender on his own large household (and we have much detail about benefices for some familiari). Hyde, from tantalising evidence, tries to argue that Bendinello appointed efficient substitutes for his benefices, was involved in leasing agreements, had some spiritual and pastoral care, was an efficient administrator when bishop of Gerace and Oppido, then Albenga. Gerace's church-building benefited from Bendinello or others in his family. Hyde throughout stresses the importance of patronage, for fostering his church career, and for his backing of Genoese in particular. He promoted humanist interests, especially through Greek scholarship, stressing his patronage of Giovanni Maria Cattaneo, his sometime secretary, who translated texts from Greek to Latin. Bendinello proudly backed Paulo Giovio (who with Cattaneo is included in Sebastiano del Piombo's portrait, which receives due attention). His confessor was the notable scholar and Master of the Sacred Palace, Fra Silvestro Mazzolini da Prierio (Prierias), formerly an active inquisitor, and then chief censor. Hyde establishes some connections with budding religious reformers, with Ettore Vernazza and other members of the Divine Love confraternity, with Marcatonio Flaminio (later connected with the best-selling, and condemned, Beneficio di Cristo), and the monastic reformer Gregorio Cortese; but the actual impact on Bendinello and his relatives is not really ascertainable.

Hyde lengthily analyses the complex arguments over whether a real plot existed to kill Leo x – after he interfered in Sienese affairs – by applying poison to the anal fistula afflicting him; whether it was a complete papal fabrication, or a gross illegal manipulation of a minor threat, to eliminate certain powerful cardinals and create more from favourites, and raise money by imposing fines on those tortured into admissions of guilt. While Kate Lowe's recent – and sometimes clearer – contributions have largely backed the papal invention arguments, Helen Hyde suggests that Sauli and other cardinals were aware that Cardinal Alfonso Petrucci and supporters considered poisoning Leo, but were guilty of not alerting the pope, either because they did not take the threat seriously, or happily anticipated Leo's early death. By helping Petrucci with money, Sauli courted accusations. His experience of prison and torture shortened his life, ‘cutting short what could have been a brilliant career’. This claim, and that he was ‘an interesting and strong character’, ‘essentially a decent man’, may be seen as rather special pleading (p. 179), while Helen Hyde valiantly speculates with frustrating, enigmatic, surviving evidence.

Pierre Hurtubise's twelve essays were, with one exception, published in conference proceedings or as articles between 1980 and 1994; some republications involve translation from Italian, some have minor updating and corrections. The first, new, essay here, ‘De la Sémantique à l'histoire: “cour” et “curie” pontificales à l'époque moderne’, valuably highlights problems of what ‘the court’ could mean, with legal, social and political variations; problems which receive detailed documentation in several articles. The overall concerns are the nature and composition of papal and cardinals' courts in the sixteenth century, especially the first half. The courts of Pius iii, Leo x, Paul iii, Julius iii, Cardinals Giovanni and Bernardo Salviati, and Cardinal Alessandro Farnese (in 1563), receive the fullest documentary treatment. Many essays led into, or develop from, Hurtubise's seminal study Une Famille-Témoin: les Salviati (Vatican City 1985). Those unacquainted with this book might early on read essay xi, ‘L'Implantation d'une famille Florentine à Rome au début du xvie siècle: les Salviati’ (1994). Evidence from many account books, as well as the 1526–7 census, is deftly used. We receive insights into the large size of several courts, the degrees of involvement by individuals, the considerable diversity of offices and functions, the social levels within the courts, ‘national’ origins; who counted as ‘familiars’ (some of whom are given interesting profiles), who was fed at court, who received allowances, who was patronised with benefices or cultural support. In several courts Spaniards were favoured, while (as under Leo x), Romans were distrusted; but the Italian language was increasingly favoured, while Hurtubise tantalisingly and cryptically suggests a patois or sabir served the cosmopolitan courts (p. 99). The ‘table’ is revealed through account records as of considerable importance, for health (and maybe obesity!), welfare, image-making, while the diversity of foods and wines is revealed especially in the pioneering essay ix ‘La “Table” d'un cardinal … aspects de la cuisine et de l'hospitalité à Rome au milieu du xvie siècle’, originally 1980, concerning Bernardo Salviati. As in Helen Hyde's book, interesting material is provided about renting and purchasing of palaces for the cardinals and their relatives, shared premises; and about the expansion of the Trastevere area.