ALEXANDER VI, MOST DISSOLUTE OF THE POPES
Rodrigo Borgia, 'nephew' of Calistus III (Pope No 208) became Archbishop of
Valencia in 1456 at the age of 25. He was made cardinal a year later and
Vice-Chancellor a year after. His favourite mistress was the beautiful
Vanozza Catanei but he also dallied with her sister and mother.
At the papal election, Rodrigo faced stiff opposition. One rival cardinal
was backed by the French King with 200,000 ducats and the Republic of Genoa
with 100,000. But Borgia being Vice-Chancellor could offer bigger bribes -
towns, villas, abbeys. A rival, Cardinal Sforza was reportedly silenced with
four mule-loads of silver. Borgia emerged the winner and took the name
Alexander VI. He was 61 and this was the fateful year 1492 - when Columbus
landed in the New World.
THE POPE'S CHILDREN
Borgia had 10 known illegitimate children, including Cesare and Lucrezia by
Vanozza. When he was 58, he was infatuated by a 15-year old beauty, Giulia
Farnese, who had recently married one Orsini. She soon became known as the
Pope’s Whore. The Pope openly acknowledged his children by her - Laura, Juan
and Rodrigo. He made Guilia’s brother cardinal - he became the future Paul
III.
His son Cesare became Archbishop of Valencia and a cardinal a year later.
Daughter Lucrezia married three times. Her father annulled her second
marriage after three years in order to get remarried to Naples royalty.
Cesare is rumoured to have killed his own brother, dumping his body in the
river Tiber.
ALEXANDER VI OFFERS THE NEW WORLD TO SPAIN & PORTUGAL
In 1493, Alexander VI issued a Bull giving Spain and Portugal the right for
“barbarous nations (to) be invaded and brought to the faith”. This European
Vicar of Christ (and many after him) clearly had no regard for the
indigenous people and took it upon himself to divide the New World between
Spain and Portugal.
He reportedly used the first gold brought back from the Americas to decorate
the ceiling of Santa Maria Maggiore (Ref 2).
“Bound by papal edicts, bishops & missionaries became an integral part of a
political project of conquest and exploitation.” (Ref 4)
THE DEATH of ALEXANDER VI
In 1503, the pope mistakenly drank the poisoned wine which he had served
many an eminent personage in the past. His face turned a mulberry colour and
then yellow. The eyes turned red, the lips puffed up and the tongue doubled
up. He started foaming profusely at the mouth and the skin started peeling
off.
Soon the corpse began to blacken and putrefy. Meanwhile, Cesare’s men were
pulling off rings from the fingers, carting off candlesticks, ornaments,
vestments etc before the palace was ransacked. As the body would not fit
into the coffin, it was squeezed in after wrapping with a piece of old
carpet. It was reluctantly allowed to be buried in St Peter’s basilica but
was removed in 1610 and now rests in Spain. Alexander’s son Cesare died
three years later in battle.
REFERENCES
1. The Bad Popes, E Chamberlain (Barnes & Noble, 1993)
2. Vicars of Christ, P de Rosa (Corgi 1994)
3. Popes through the Ages, J Brusher (New Advent 1996)
4. Chronicles of the Popes, P Maxwell-Stuart (Thomas & Hudson, 1997)
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Eddie
