Rodrigo Lanzol y de Borja [roˈðɾiÉ£o lanˈθol i ðe ˈβorxa]); 1 January 1431 –
18 August 1503), was Pope from 11 August 1492 until his death. He is one
of the most controversial of the Renaissance popes,
partly because he acknowledged fathering
several children by his mistresses.
several children by his mistresses.
Therefore his Italianized Valencian surname, Borgia,
became a byword for libertinismand nepotism,
which are traditionally considered as characterizing his pontificate. However,
two of Alexander's successors, the also controversial pontiffs Sixtus V and Urban VIII,
described him as one of the most outstanding popes since St. Peter.
Birth and family
Rodrigo Llançol was born on 1 January 1431, in the town of Xativa near
Valencia, one of the component realms of the Crown of Aragon, in what is now
Spain. His parents were Jofré Llançol i Escrivà (died bef. 24 March 1437), and
his Aragonese wife and distant cousin Isabel de Borja y Cavanilles (died 19
October 1468). His family name is written Llançol in Catalan and Lanzol in Castillian
(Spanish). Rodrigo adopted his mother's family name of Borja in 1455 following
the elevation to the papacy of maternal uncle Alonso de Borja (Italianized to
Alfonso Borgia) as Calixtus III.[4]
Alternatively, it has been argued that Rodrigo's father was Jofré de
Borja y Escrivà , making Rodrigo a Borja from his mother and father's side. However, his children were known to be of Llançol paternal lineage. Some
revisionists suggest that the confusion is attributed by attempts to connect
Rodrigo as the father of Giovanni, Cesare and Lucrezia, who were surnamed
Llançol i Borja.
Education
Rodrigo Borgia studied law at Bologna where he graduated, not simply as
Doctor of Law, but as "the most eminent and judicious
jurisprudent".[7] After the election of his uncle as Pope Callixtus III,
he was ordained deacon and created Cardinal-Deacon of San Nicola in Carcere at
the age of twenty-five in 1456. The following year, he was appointed
vice-chancellor of the Holy Roman Church.
Both nepotistic appointments were
characteristic of the age. Each pope during this period inevitably found
himself surrounded by the servants and retainers of his predecessors who often
owed their loyalty to the family of the pontiff who had appointed them.[8] In
1468, he was ordained to the priesthood and, in 1471, he was consecrated bishop
and appointed Cardinal-Bishop of Albano.[1] Having served in the Roman Curia
under five popes – his uncle Calixtus III, Pius II, Paul II, Sixtus IV and
Innocent VIII – Rodrigo Borgia acquired considerable administrative experience,
influence and wealth.
Appearance and
personality
Contemporary accounts suggest that Rodrigo was "handsome, with a
very cheerful countenance and genial bearing. He was gifted with the quality of
being a smooth talker and of choice eloquence. Beautiful women were attracted
to him and excited by him in quite a remarkable way, more strongly than how
'iron is drawn to a magnet'."[10] Rodrigo Borgia was also an intelligent
man with an appreciation for the arts and sciences and an immense amount of
respect for the Church. He was capable and cautious, considered a
"political priest" by some. He was a gifted speaker and great at
conversation. Additionally, he was "so familiar with Holy Writ, that his
speeches were fairly sparkling with well-chosen texts of the Sacred Books
Archbishop of Valencia
When his uncle Alonso de Borja (bishop of Valencia)
was elected Pope Callixtus III, he "inherited" the post of bishop of
Valencia. Sixteen days before the death of Pope Innocent VIII, he proposed Valencia as a metropolitan see and
became the first archbishop of Valencia. When Rodrigo de Borgia was elected
pope as Alexander VI following the death of Innocent VIII, it was the turn of
his sonCesare Borgia to "inherit" the post as
second archbishop of Valencia. The third and the fourth archbishops of Valencia
were Juan de Borja and Pedro Luis de Borja, grand-nephews of Alexander VI.
Translation of the plaque on the side of the Archbishop's Palace of
Valencia:
ALEXANDER VI
The 9th July 1492, the Pope Innocent VIII, at the request of Cardinal Borja and the Catholic Monarchs, raised the Valencian See to the rank of metropolitan, becoming Rodrigo of Borja the first Archbishop of Valencia
1492 - 1503
The 9th July 1492, the Pope Innocent VIII, at the request of Cardinal Borja and the Catholic Monarchs, raised the Valencian See to the rank of metropolitan, becoming Rodrigo of Borja the first Archbishop of Valencia
1492 - 1503
Mistresses and
family
Of Alexander's many mistresses the one for whom passion lasted longest
was Vannozza (Giovanna) dei Cattanei, born in 1442, and wife of three
successive husbands. The connection began in 1470, and she had four children
whom he openly acknowledged as his own: Cesare (born 1475), Giovanni,
afterwards duke of Gandia (commonly known as Juan, born 1476), Lucrezia (born
1480), and Gioffre (Goffredo in Italian, born 1481 or 1482).
For a period of time, before legitimizing his children after becoming
Pope, Rodrigo pretended that his four children with Vannozza were his niece and
nephews and that they were fathered by Vannozza's husbands.[citation needed]
Before his elevation to the papacy, Cardinal Borgia's passion for
Vannozza somewhat diminished, and she subsequently led a very retired life. Her
place in his affections was filled, according to some, by the beautiful Giulia
Farnese ("Giulia la Bella"), wife of an Orsini. However, he still
very dearly loved Vannozza, in a way he considered 'spiritual', and his love
for his children by Vannozza remained as strong as ever and proved, indeed, the
determining factor of his whole career. He lavished vast sums on them and
lauded them with every honor. Vannozza lived in the Palace of a late Cardinal,
or in a large, palatial villa. The children lived between their mother's home
and the Papal Palace itself. The atmosphere of Alexander's household is
typified by the fact that his daughter Lucrezia apparently lived with Giulia at
a point.
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