The future Pope Rodrigo Borgia was originally from Aragon. His dynasty became famous due to the fact that it gave the world several rulers of the city of Gandia, as well as a dozen high dignitaries of the Catholic Church.
A family
Family tradition said that the family of Borgia began from the son of one of the kings of Navarra. Even the first bearers of this family name were knights who received land allotments after the Muslims were forced to the south of Valencia. The first domain of Borgia was Khativa (where Rodrigo was born in 1431), and a little later the city of Gandia was bought.
The uncle of the child turned out to be Cardinal Alfonso, who later became Pope Calixtus III. This determined the fate of Rodrigo Borgia. He went to build his career in Rome. In 1456, he became a cardinal of the Church.
Relocation to Rome
There is no doubt that such an appointment was made possible through family ties. Nevertheless, the young cardinal has established himself as a skilled organizer and administrator. Therefore, he soon became vice chancellor. His talents made the minister of the Church a popular figure in the Eternal City. Therefore, with each new Pope, he received more and more opportunities to become the next pontiff. In addition, over the years of staying, Cardinal and Vice Chancellor Rodrigo Borgia acquired a lot of money (he led the abbeys), which gave him an additional tool of influence.
Pope Election
The ambitious cardinal needed gold in 1492 when Innocent VIII passed away. Rodrigo Borgia announced his candidacy for the throne of St. Peter. He had several competitors. In the conclave, less than half of the electors voted for Borgia, which deprived him of the opportunity to become the Pope. Then he began to bribe his rivals and cardinals.
This primarily affected the influential bishop of Sforza. He was promised a new post in Earlau, as well as a generous reward. This candidate withdrew from the race for the title and began campaigning for Rodrigo Borgia. The cardinal’s biography was exemplary, for many years he effectively coped with the tasks that stood before him in a responsible post. Other cardinals were bribed in the same way. As a result, 14 of the 23 electors voted for the Spaniard. After becoming Pope, he chose the name of Alexander VI.
Foreign policy
However, the new pontiff had enemies. Their leader was a cardinal from the clan Della Rover. He openly opposed the new Pope. Alexander was quick to reprisal, and the leader of the Church fled to neighboring France. At this time, Charles VII of Valois ruled there. The monarchs of France for many years tried to influence what is happening on the Apennines. This concerned both the secular authority of the local rulers of small states and the Catholic throne, to whose flock belonged the subjects of the king.
Della Rovere convinced Carl that the new Pope did not at all correspond to his status. The monarch threatened Alexander that he would come to Rome and force him to renounce or at least carry out a reform within the Church, which at that time had become a bastion of hypocrisy and the dominance of priests. Many Christians were outraged by the practice of selling indulgences and leadership positions within this organization.
Another important Italian player in the political arena was the Kingdom of Naples. Its rulers hesitated from side to side. Finally, Pope Rodrigo Borgia convinced the ruling dynasty of Gonzak to help him in the fight against the French, especially since they themselves threatened Naples. In addition, the pontiff enlisted the support of other Catholic monarchs - the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Aragon.
Alexander also had to abandon the idea of a holy war against the Turkish Sultan, who threatened all of Europe from the east. He had already captured Constantinople - the capital of Byzantium, and now the weak Balkan states could not stop him from invading the same Italy. The Pope, as the head of all Catholics, could become a leader of resistance to the Muslim onslaught, as his predecessors did during the Crusades. But the conflict with France did not allow him to realize this idea.
French invasion
An armed clash began, which later became known in historiography as the First Italian War. Time has shown that the split peninsula has become an arena of rivalry between neighboring powers (mainly France and the Habsburgs) for several centuries.
But when Pope Rodrigo Borgia ruled in the Eternal City, the war seemed out of the ordinary. On the side of Valois was the effective Swiss infantry and Piedmont. When the French crossed the Alps, they teamed up with their Italian allies.
The interventionists managed to reach Naples and even occupy Rome. However, the campaign showed that the French would not be able to gain a foothold on a hostile peninsula. Therefore, the king signed a peace treaty with his rivals. But it was too late - the disturbed balance of power in Italy led to the emergence of numerous local wars between city-states. The Pope always tried to stay away from this battle, making profit from the conflicts of neighbors.
Lifestyle
The active foreign policy of the Pope did not prevent him from engaging in internal affairs. In them, he thoroughly studied the art of intrigue. One of his favorite instruments was the distribution of hats of cardinals to people loyal to him, which allowed him to remain relatively stable in his status until his death.
Unpleasant rumors circulated around Rome and throughout Europe about the licentiousness of the pontiff and his court. It was often said that Rodrigo Alexander Borgia, in spite of his status, does not shy away from sexual relations and many other deeds inherent in the pontiff. His children were like their father. The beloved son of Alexander Juan was eventually found dead in the Tiber. He was killed due to one of the many conflicts with an influential environment. Conspiracies and intrigues in Rome have become commonplace. Pope’s enemies were dying from poisons or “sudden” illnesses.
Alexander VI passed away in 1503. Behind him remained the glory of one of the most promiscuous governors of St. Peter. Until now, researchers can not come to an unequivocal conclusion about what he died from - from a cold and a fever or from poison.
Nevertheless, Borgia has earned numerous praises. Most often, they were associated with his philanthropic activities in Rome, which became possible due to large personal incomes.