Pope Alexander VI

Roderic de Borja y Llançol, known by the Italianized name Rodrigo Borgia, was born around 1431 in Xàtiva, a town in the Kingdom of Valencia under the Crown of Aragon (modern-day Spain). He came from the influential Borja family. His father was Jofré Borja y Llançol i Escrivà, who died before 24 March 1437, and his mother was Isabel de Borja y Cavanilles, an Aragonese noblewoman and distant cousin who died on 19 October 1468. He had a younger brother named Pedro. His family name appears as Borja y Llançol in Valencian and Lanzol in Castilian. When his uncle Alonso de Borja became Pope Callixtus III in 1455, the family name was Italianized to Borgia. A cousin, Luis de Milà y de Borja, also became a cardinal.

At age 14, in 1445, Roderic began his church career when his uncle, Cardinal Alfons de Borja, secured him the position of sacristan at the Cathedral of Valencia. By 1448, he was a canon at the cathedrals of Valencia, Barcelona, and Segorbe, allowed to hold these roles in absentia and collect the income so he could travel to Rome. In Rome, he studied under the humanist tutor Gaspare da Verona before attending the University of Bologna, where he earned a doctorate in law, described as "the most eminent and judicious jurisprudent." After his uncle became pope in 1455, Roderic inherited the post of bishop of Valencia and was appointed Dean of Santa Maria in Xàtiva. The following year, he was ordained a deacon and made a cardinal-deacon of San Nicola in Carcere. In 1457, he successfully quelled a revolt in Ancona as a papal legate, and was rewarded with the powerful and lucrative position of vice-chancellor of the Holy Roman Church, a post he held for 35 years. Later that year, he temporarily filled in as captain-general of the papal army when his older brother Pedro Luis fell ill.

Contemporary descriptions of Alexander VI portray him as having a medium complexion, dark eyes, slightly full lips, and robust health. In later life, his appearance was considered venerable and far more august than an ordinary human’s, and he was said to be so familiar with Holy Scripture that his speeches sparkled with well-chosen biblical texts. He served in the Roman Curia under four successive popes, amassing significant influence and wealth. In 1492, he was elected pope, taking the name Alexander VI.

As pope, Alexander issued papal bulls in 1493 that confirmed or reconfirmed Spanish crown rights in the New World following Christopher Columbus’s 1492 discoveries. During the second Italian war, he supported his son Cesare Borgia as a condottiero for the French king. His foreign policy aimed to secure the most advantageous terms for his family. Alexander is one of the most controversial Renaissance popes, partly because he acknowledged fathering several children with his mistresses. Consequently, his Italianized surname, Borgia, became synonymous with libertinism and nepotism, traits traditionally associated with his pontificate. He died on 18 August 1503.