Analyzes the relationship between Pius XI and the notorious Italian dictator, tracing how after coming into power in the same year they forged covert ties to one another to consolidate power and pursue political goals.

"Edda Mussolini was the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini’s oldest and favorite child. At 19, she was married to Count Galleazzo Ciano, Il Duce’s Minister for Foreign Affairs during the 1930s, the most turbulent decade in Italy’s fascist history. In the years preceding World War II, Edda ruled over Italy’s aristocratic families and the cultured and middle classes while selling Fascism on the international stage. How a young woman wielded such...

The changeling: Beatrice-Joanna is betrothed to one man, but loves another. She hires her father's servant to kill her betrothed, but is then horrified at what she has done. The apple cart: The king must match wits with an unruly mistress and a cabinet wanting a constitutional monarchy. Caesar and Claretta: The story of Mussolini and his lover, Claretta Petacci on their last night together. The philanthropist: A circle of friends talks of unimportant...