Ludwig von Pastor

A sadly forgotten historical resource for Catholics is Ludwig von Pastor’s History of the Popes from 1305-1800 in forty volumes.  Von Pastor was a German/Austrian historian of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.  A devout Catholic, he represents the best of careful German historical scholarship in the nineteenth century.  His detailed lives of the popes are neither hagiography nor detraction, but rather history, as factual as he can make it.  He was one of the first historians to have access to the Secret Vatican Archives and his history is based upon documentation which had hitherto not been released to the general public.  Needless to say, none of this is light beach reading.  For those wishing to embark upon this historical ocean I would recommend starting with the lives of better known popes like Julius II, the Pope of Michelangelo, Pius V, the Pope of Lepanto and Pius VI, the Pope who confronted the French Revolution.  I have not read the entire work, but the parts I have read have impressed me with the scholarship and the clear understanding of the manifold historical periods this vast work encompasses.  Parts can be purchased quite cheaply on Kindle.  Go here for internet access to the entire work.  The English translations are adequate and come from several translators.  I heartily recommend the work.