Cesare Borgia

Lore & Background

Cesare Borgia was born in Subiaco, Papal States, in either 1475 or 1476, the illegitimate son of Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia (later Pope Alexander VI) and his Italian mistress Vannozza dei Cattanei. He had three full siblings: Giovanni, Lucrezia, and Gioffre Borgia. His great-uncle Alphonso Borgia had been Pope Callixtus III. Cesare was initially groomed for a Church career, studying law at the Studium Urbis and becoming Bishop of Pamplona and Tudela at age 15, Archbishop of Valencia at 17, and a cardinal at 18. After his brother Giovanni was assassinated in 1497 under mysterious circumstances, Cesare resigned from the cardinalate in 1498 to pursue a military career. Louis XII of France named him Duke of Valentinois, and he was laicised from his diaconal orders in 1499.

Reader's Guide

Cesare Borgia's significance lies in his role as a model for Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince, which drew directly on his methods of state-building and his ruthless consolidation of power. His career was entirely dependent on his father Pope Alexander VI's patronage and his alliance with France. As condottiero for Louis XII, he occupied Milan and Naples during the Italian Wars, while simultaneously carving out a personal state in Romagna and Marche. He deposed local rulers, captured cities such as Imola, Forlì, and Faenza, and was created Duke of Romagna in 1501. His suppression of a conspiracy among his condottieri at Senigallia in 1502, where he had them strangled, was noted as a 'wonderful deceiving.' However, his domain collapsed after his father's death in 1503. Unable to secure the favor of the new Pope Julius II, he was captured in Naples and imprisoned, while his lands were retaken. His legacy is that of a brilliant but dependent ruler whose ambition outlasted his support.

Did You Know?

• Cesare Borgia was made a cardinal at age 18, but resigned in 1498 to become a condottiero.
• He was suspected by contemporaries of murdering his brother Giovanni in 1497.
• He was created Duke of Romagna in May 1501 after conquering several cities.
• His capture of his condottieri at Senigallia in 1502 was described as a 'wonderful deceiving' by historian Paolo Giovio.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"However much Rome may be in the habit of speaking and writing, for my own part, I shall give these libellers a lesson in good manners." — Cesare Borgia "Cesare to his father, Pope Alexander VI, (November, 1501), as quoted by Rafael Sabatini, 'The Life of Cesare Borgia', Chapter XI: The Letter to Silvio Savelli." — Cesare Borgia "Cesare's letter to Lucrezia (July 1502), as quoted by Rafael Sabatini, 'The Life of Cesare Borgia', Chapter XIII: Urbino and Camerino." — Cesare Borgia "A matter which would be easily accomplished, as the best men of that State have already offered themselves to me." — Cesare Borgia