Rodrigo Borgia - second Pope of the Spanish family Borgia

The future Pope of Rome Rodrigo Borgia was originally from Aragon. His dynasty became famous due to the fact that she 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 genus Borgia began with the son of one of the kings of Navarre. Already the first carriers of this name were knights who received land allotments after the Muslims were forced south of Valencia. The first domain of Borgia was Xativa (where Rodrigo was born in 1431), and a little later the city of Gandia was bought.

The uncle of the child was Cardinal Alfonso, who later became the Pope of Rome III. This determined the fate of Rodrigo Borgia. He went to build his career in Rome. In 1456 he became Cardinal of the Church.

Moving to Rome

There is no doubt that such an appointment was made possible through family ties. Nevertheless, the young cardinal has established himself as an able organizer and administrator. So 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 got more and more opportunities to become the next pontiff. In addition, over the years Cardinal and Vice Chancellor Rodrigo Borgia has acquired a large amount of money (he led the abbeys), which gave him an additional instrument of influence.

Election of the Pope

Gold was needed for an ambitious cardinal in 1492, when Innocent VIII died. Rodrigo Borgia put forward his candidacy for the throne of St. Peter. He had several competitors. Less than half of the electors voted for the Borgia conclave, which deprived him of the opportunity to become the Pope. Then he began to bribe his rivals and cardinals.

First of all, it touched the influential Bishop of Sforza. He was promised a new post in Erlau, as well as a generous reward. This candidate withdrew from the race for the title and began to campaign for Rodrigo Borgia. The cardinal's biography was exemplary, he for many years effectively coped with the tasks that stood before him in a responsible post. Similarly, other cardinals were bribed. As a result, 14 electors from 23 voted for the Spaniard. Becoming a Pope, he chose the name of Alexander VI.

Foreign policy

However, the new pontiff also had enemies. Their leader was the cardinal of the genus Della Rovere. He openly opposed the new Pope. Alexander was swift to death, and the Church leader fled to neighboring France. At this time there ruled Charles VII of Valois. The monarchs of France over the years have tried to influence the events in the Apennines. This concerned both the secular power of local rulers of small states, and the Catholic throne, to whose flock the subjects of the king belonged.

Della Rovere persuaded Karl that the new Pope does not fit his status at all. The monarch threatened Alexander that he himself would come to Rome and force him to renounce, or even reform, within the Church, which at that time became the bulwark of hypocrisy and domination of priests. Many Christians were indignant at the practice of selling indulgences and leading posts within this organization.

Another important Italian player in the political arena was the Neapolitan kingdom. His rulers wavered from side to side. Finally, Pope Rodrigo Borgia persuaded the ruling Gonzak dynasty there to help him in the struggle against the French, especially since they themselves threatened Naples. In addition, the pontiff secured the support of other Catholic monarchs - the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and the King of Aragon.

Also, Alexander had to abandon the idea of a holy war against the Turkish Sultan, who threatened all of Europe from the east. He had already seized Constantinople, the capital of Byzantium, and now the weak Balkan states could not prevent him from invading the same Italy. The Pope, as the head of all Catholics, could become the leader of resistance to the Muslim onslaught, as did his predecessors during the Crusades. But the conflict with France did not allow him to realize this idea.

Invasion of the French

An armed clash began, which later became known in historiography as the First Italian War. Time has shown that the split peninsula has become the arena of rivalry between neighboring powers (mainly France and the Habsburgs) for several centuries.

But when the Pope of Rome Rodrigo Borgia ruled the Eternal City, the war seemed to be something out of the ordinary. On the side of Valois was the effective Swiss infantry and Piedmont. When the French crossed the Alps, they merged with their Italian allies.

The interventionists managed to reach Naples and even take Rome. However, the campaign showed that the French will not be able to gain a foothold on the hostile peninsula. Therefore, the king signed a peace treaty with his rivals. But it was already late - the disrupted 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 struggle, 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 tools was the distribution of cardinals' hats to loyal people, which allowed him to remain relatively stable in his status until his death.

On Rome and after all across Europe there were unpleasant rumors about the debauchery of the pontiff and his court. It was often said that Rodrigo Alexander Borgia, despite his status, does not shy away from sexual relations and many other actions that are not inherent in the pontiff. His children were like their father. Alexander's favorite son, Juan, was eventually found dead in the Tiber. He was killed because of one of the many conflicts with the influential environment. Plots and intrigues in Rome have become commonplace. Enemies of the Pope died of poisons or "sudden" illnesses.

Alexander VI died in 1503. Behind him remained the glory of one of the most disgruntled governors of St. Peter. Until now, researchers can not come to an unambiguous conclusion, from which he died - from cold and fever or from poison.

Nevertheless, Borgia has earned many praises. Most often they were associated with his patronage in Rome, which became possible due to a large personal income.