Further he was, "[p]ious but practical, he intended the Patrimony of Peter to be a huge charitable fund, at the immediate disposal of the Church for the benefit of the poor — every day twelve paupers shared his table."

Pope John X, who showed signs of acting independently was, "struck down in the Lateran, before his brother's eyes" and later "deposed and imprisoned in the Castle Sant'Angelo, where he was soon afterward smothered to death with pillows."

Although the imperial forces present at the time in Rome helped him maintain his claim for some months, they had to head back to Germany in the autumn before the Alpine passes would be blocked by snow, spelling the end for Pope Victor IV.

We regard this crime as ... abominable and horrible ..." Norwich then asks, "[h]ad Leo ever heard of the existence of Pope Joan, is it likely that he would have laid himself open to the patriarch's obvious retort?"

Of Pope Innocent III (term 1198 – 1215) Norwich writes, "his complete confidence in himself — together with a sense of humor rare in the middle ages — made him patient, simple, and always approachable, genuinely loved by those around him."

Speaking of the Church, Norwich asserts, "[t]o survive with its independence intact, it desperately needed adequate finance, firm administration, and astute diplomacy, and these Alexander was able to provide in full measure, however questionable his means of doing so."

New York Times reviewer Bill Keller states of Norwich, "He keeps things moving at nearly beach-read pace by being selective about where he lingers and by adopting the tone of an enthusiastic tour guide, expert but less than reverent."