© Copyright 2021 by Factinate.com. In fact, Cesare’s scheming and naked ambition inspired Machiavelli’s best-known work, The Prince. Following the passing of a pope or any high-ranking official, Romans followed the grand tradition of rioting and pillaging. We’re always looking for your input! During this time period, a life as a Catholic priest was considered to be an excellent career move for young men regardless of their personal piety. On the night in question, they had these women disrobe and pick up chestnuts strewn on the floor. He was later transferred in 1652, and he became bishop of Imola. When Pope Alexander VI finally passed on, it was in a manner befitting his legacy—under mysterious circumstances. These two women had a total of seven children with Borgia, though he likely fathered more with other women less well-known to history. At the meeting, he executed his former trusted commanders. After the election of his uncle Pope Callixtus III, Callixtus made Rodrigo Borgia a cardinal. As more popes rose and fell, Rodrigo amassed more power. Factinate is a fact website that is dedicated to finding and sharing fun facts about science, history, animals, films, people, and much more. Our editors are instructed to fact check thoroughly, including finding at least three references for each fact. Rodrigo Borgia may not have been the only one trying to buy power at the Vatican. When Ferdinand I of Naples sought to make an alliance against Pope Alexander, he successfully approached Florence, Milan, and Venice. However, unlike her sibling, Lucrezia went through three different arranged marriages. In a purported incident in 1501, Pope Alexander VI shocked the Vatican by allowing Lucrezia to take his place in a meeting he could not attend. By late evening, he received his last rites and died shortly thereafter. During a meeting in June of 1500, a strong wind knocked down a chimney over the papal throne, where Alexander VI was seated at the time. During Alexander's reign, critics such as the Florentine monk Girolamo Savonarola began calling for reform and a renewed commitment to Christian values. Lucrezia’s third politically-motivated marriage turned out to be more lasting. The Doctrine of Discovery, 1493 | The Papal Bull "Inter Caetera," issued by Pope Alexander VI on May 4, 1493, played a central role in the Spanish conquest of the New World. Soon, however, he started to bestow lands, power, and wealth to his relatives. How Pope Alexander VI Hosted Orgies, Kept Multiple Mistresses, And Bribed His Way To The Top. This stirred up rumors that it was not a natural illness. For better or worse, Pope Alexander VI shaped the church, the country, and the world during his eleven years in power at the Vatican. However, some historians suspect it was more likely malaria that brought down the Borgia Pope. Mondadori Portfolio via Getty ImagesYoung Lucrezia sitting beside her father, the pope. Who could fail to be horrified by the…terrible, monstrous acts of lechery that are committed openly in his home, with no respect for God or man? By all accounts, he hoped to escape the reminder of the pope he hated. As King Ferdinand I of Naples was threatening to come to the aid of the rightful duke Gian Galeazzo — the husband of his granddaughter Isabella — Alexander VI encouraged the French king in his scheme for the conquest of Naples. Before Boniface VI's brief stint as pope, there was the politically controversial Pope Formosus. Alexander VI bought his way to the top of the Papacy and reigned as the most evil Pope in history. Rodrigo Borgia became a cardinal of the Roman Catholic church and, later (1492), Pope Alexander VI ( see Alexander VI under Alexander [Papacy]). Facing the looming threat that the French would depose him as pope, Alexander opened negotiations with the French king. Despite doubts raised by some Vatican historians, Burchard’s diary remains a valuable resource as a firsthand account of this wild night. He then marched on Naples to wrest power from his once-allies. Father and son also allegedly held a competition, with a prize going to the man who could use the services of the most women that night. Papal master of ceremonies Johann Burchard — who left behind the only account of the pope’s sordid banquet — wrote in his diary: “After dinner the candelabra with the burning candles were taken from the tables and placed on the floor, and chestnuts were strewn around, which the naked courtesans picked up, creeping on hands and knees between the chandeliers, while the Pope, Cesare, and his sister Lucretia looked on. Pope Callixtus III appointed his relatives to positions in the Church, including placing two of his nephews in the cardinalate, including 25-year-old Rodrigo Borgia. Although Catherine's successor Queen Anne Boleyn suffered an infamously dark fate, Aragon's own life was somehow even more tragic. AKA Rodrigo de Borja. The servants reportedly only made these accusations under duress and violence from Pope Julius II, hoping to further drag the reputation of his longtime enemy through the mud. In 1493, when she was 13 years old, she married the Lord of Pesaro, Giovanni Sforza, but it didn’t last long. Wikimedia Commons Pope Alexander VI’s outrageous indiscretions during the Renaissance have made him a notorious figure in the church’s history to this day. His power-play succeeded, making Rodrigo an ally to the new pope. During his time as a cardinal, Rodrigo took part in wild and lascivious parties. After Alexander successfully navigated the French invasion, Cesare escaped captivity and returned to Rome. If anyone in the family was dispatching husbands and rivals, it was probably not Lucrezia. Another rumor claimed the Borgias created their mystery compound by sprinkling arsenic on the entrails of pigs. In fact, he was the second of three Borgias to lead the Catholic Church. Now in office, Pope Alexander VI used his influence to grow the Borgia family’s power and wealth — and his own. Arsenic was a well-known and effective method of silencing one’s enemies at the time. The infamous Borgias were Spanish nobles who attained power and wealth in Spain and across the Italian peninsula during the Renaissance by securing high-ranking civic and ecclesiastical offices. The Pope. However, even cardinals who could normally be swayed shook their heads at the French interfering with Vatican matters. Lucrezia may not have been the mother at all, and the child could have been from Pope Alexander’s relationship with an unknown woman. The Pope even officially reprimanded Rodrigo for his behavior. The Borgias hired 50 concubines for the event. He sought help from Charles VIII of France(1483–1498), who was allied to Ludovico il Moro Sforza, the de facto ruler of Milan who needed French support to legitimize his regime. Many of his offspring became allies in his political ambitions as they grew up. Borgia, however, courted controversy by openly acknowledging that he fathered seven children between them, and historians believe he likely had other illegitimate children whose names have been lost to history. 2. Pope Alexander VI was far from the only scandalous Borgia. As Spaniards, they were subject to the influence of anti-Spanish propaganda following Spain’s involvement in the affairs of Northern Italy. Lucrezia’s close relationship with her father, and her habit of standing in for him when he was unable to attend to papal affairs, gave her easy access to the food and drink of his foes. Now that you’ve learned about the scandalous life of Pope Alexander VI, read about the mysterious death of Pope John Paul I and find out whether Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis really did have a heart-to-heart as portrayed in The Two Popes. The patriarch of the long-maligned family was Pope Alexander VI, who used the power of the Vatican to further the ambitions and wealth of his own family. The effects on his body were so gruesome that his attendants deemed the remains unfit to display publicly. Alexander VI, given name Rodrigo Borgia, Roman Catholic Pope from 1492 until his death, is the most memorable of the corrupt and secular popes of the Renaissance. Perhaps most notoriously, some of that corruption may have involved incest. While Rodrigo was still the most junior cardinal at the Vatican, Pope Callixtus III passed, and the cardinals had to elect a new pope. Talk about trying to have your cake and eat it too. Pope Alexander VI was far from the only church official to indulge in relationships the church frowned upon. I knew that she was going to take it badly, but I had no idea about the insane lengths she would go to just to get revenge and mess with my life. He appointed 10 of his relatives to the College of Cardinals, including his 18-year-old son Cesare and the younger brother of his mistress, Alessandro Farnese, who later became pope himself. Thanks for your help! The latter was born in Xàtiva (Játiva), near Valencia, but spent most of his life in Italy and tends to be known as Rodrigo Borgia the Italian version of his name. Birthplace: Játiva, Spain Location of death: Rome, Italy Cause of death: unspecified Remains: Buried, . Calixtus made him a cardinal in 1456. Known for his appetite for bloodshed, Cesare was even widely believed to have been behind the murder of his own brother Giovanni, though some historians now believe Giovanni may have been killed by a jealous lover. Born into nobility, Rodrigo Borgia was set on the path to power long before he became Pope Alexander VI. By the end of the year, Charles VIII’s forces had reached Rome, alongside French-aligned cardinals and Alexander’s rival Giuliano della Rovere. In 1502, tired of serving Cesare, a handful of his commanders staged a rebellion. The Borgias were a Spanish family trying to play games of power throughout Italy, which may have been another downfall of their reputation. It was reportedly an all-night orgy that saw the pope, his son, and some of their inner circle enjoy the services of 50 prostitutes at once and make a competition out of it. Rodrigo Borgia had two famous mistresses: Vannozza dei Cattanei and Giulia Farnese, both married noblewomen. 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