Life and death of Cesare Borgia
Cesare (Caesar) Borgia - a Spaniard by birth, lived in Italy at the turn of the XV-XVI centuries, wanted to be called Caesar. And he had reasons for this historical analogy.
He was a contemporary of many great people. Among them are Lorenzo the Magnificent of the Medici House and Niccolo Machiavelli. At the same time, the latter valued him so highly that he reflected his impressions of him in his famous book "The Emperor". And in the service of the Borgia for some time was Leonardo da Vinci himself, as an engineer.
The titles of Cesare Borgia are impressive: Duke of Valance and Romagnola, Prince of Andria and Venafra, Count of Diyos, ruler of Piombino, Camerino, Urbino. His positions are: cardinal, gonfalonier of the papal army (leader of the army), captain-general of the Holy Church.
There were conflicting rumors about Cesar. Magnanimous, generous, charming and - cruel, treacherous, merciless to enemies. On his coat of arms was the motto he had chosen himself: "Aut Caesar aut nihil" - "Caesar or nothing." His bright and very short life fully corresponded to this motto. He died at 32.
Cesare Borgia was born in 1475. He was the son of Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia (the future Pope Alexander VI), which contradicted the laws of the Catholic Church, whose ministers had to observe celibacy - a ban on marriage and childbirth. However, this was the Renaissance era when many broke church rules.
The boy was born by the mistress of Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia, Vannozza dei Cattanei. Her husband, the humble scribe of the papal chancellery, Giorgio della Croce, calmly perceived his wife's novel and did not mind that the children from the cardinal lived in the family. Later, at the age of 56, Rodrigo Borgia left his former mistress and started a new, 16-year-old beauty, Julia Farnese.
The Borgia family dates back to the 11th century, to the royal dynasty of Aragon. In the XIV century, the surname flourished. There were two popes in the family - Calixtus III and Alexander VI - and even one saint, General of the Jesuit Order, Francisco, who lived in the 16th and canonized in the 17th century. At the same time, many Borgia became famous as villains-poisoners. The brothers Cesare Giovanni and Joffre, who participated in political life, gained fame. For many centuries their sister Lucrezia Borgia has been surrounded by a train of terrible myths. True, it is now already clear that she was not just a villain, but also a victim of terrible circumstances.
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It should be noted that Cesare did not have an agonizing bastard complex. In 1480, when he was 5 years old, the powerful Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia got the Pope Sixtus IV to issue a deed of legal descent to Cesare. The boy became the official son of the cardinal.
All his childhood Cesare was showered with a golden rain. From the age of 6 he received income from a monastery in Valencia, where he was registered as a papal notary. You can recall Pushkin's Petrusha Grinev: "Mother was still a belly of me, as I was already enrolled in the Semenovsky regiment as a sergeant …".
When Cesare was 8 years old, he was appointed Probst - Deputy Bishop of the Alba region and at the same time - Treasurer of the Cartagena Church. It was a typical sinecure - a position in which a person is simply listed and received a good income.
Young Cesare differed from his brothers and sisters in that he loved to study. From the age of 15, he studied at the university in Perugia, then in Pisa. He mastered ancient languages, oratory, canon law. The appointments, meanwhile, continued. As a student at the University of Pisa, 17-year-old Cesare became the church's general notary and bishop of Pamplona.
After another promotion, Cesare politely thanked his father - and continued his studies. His dissertation was on canon law and was recognized at the university as one of the best.
1492 - the great event that Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia had long aspired to finally happened - he became Pope Alexander VI. He went down in history as a sinister figure and was especially famous as a poisoner: everyone was afraid of the "white powder of Borgia".
However, it should be recognized that the predecessors of Alexander VI - Sixtus IV and Innocent III - were also far from moral impeccability. The end of the 15th century was marked by a rampant nepotism, or nepotism. It was the norm to place relatives in various “warm places”. Pope Innocent III, who, of course, was supposed to observe the vow of celibacy, had 7 sons, and all of them had excellent positions. It is also the heyday of the indulgence system. For money, the church forgave any sins. All these obvious outrages, which people could not endlessly endure, brought the Reformation closer.
After becoming pope, Rodrigo Borgia made 18-year-old Cesare Archbishop of Valencia. And this is 16 thousand ducats a year. The young man became one of the richest people of his time.
So, the darling of fate: rich, noble, very handsome and endowed with tremendous physical strength. It was rumored that he could appear at the commoners' festival, take part in a wrestling competition and not be the last there. For this he was popular with soldiers and townspeople.
Cesare dreamed not at all about new church positions and income, but about military glory. However, in the Borgia family, a military career was intended for the eldest son. And the eldest son of Alexander VI was Juan, or Giovanni in Italian. He got the post of gonfalonier (commander-in-chief of the papal army). Evil tongues said that he was far from military affairs: it was not he who won the battle, but his officers, and he himself very beautifully and solemnly entered Rome. However, it may have been just gossip.
The second son of the Borgia needed to devote himself to a church career. But Cesare could not forget the motto of his idol Julius Caesar “Veni, vidi, vici” - “I came, I saw, I conquered”. He is used to getting things done at any cost.
1494 - the so-called Italian Wars began. What caused them? Italy at the end of the 15th century is a mosaic of small city-states, separate feudal principalities. The territory is rich, bright, with a high culture. Quite a big temptation for strong neighbors: the north is France, the west is Spain and the east is the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation. And the popes were haunted by the idea of the unification of Italy under their rule.
Alexander VI maneuvered. When the king of France Charles VIII advanced with an army to Italy, with the main goal of the Kingdom of Naples, the pope decided to let it pass through his possessions to the south. And so that they would believe him, not be afraid that he would strike the French army in the rear, he gave his son Cesare hostage. When the political situation changed, the young man fled romantically, disguised as a groom.
The wars lasted for several years with varying success. Giovanni did not shine as a general. And in 1497 he was killed under mysterious circumstances. It is only known that a masked man came to one of the feasts behind him. Giovanni willingly went with him - and disappeared. After a certain fisherman saw how at night the horsemen threw the body into the Tiber. And in the river, in fact, they found the body of the slaughtered Giovanni Borgia. In the same year, Cesare relieved himself of the rank of cardinal in order to lead the army of the Pope.
1499 - Caesar Borgia arrived in France, to Louis XII, who succeeded the deceased Charles VIII. Caesar was instructed to bring the papal permission for divorce, which was very important for Louis. But the meeting also had major political goals. The young king had hopes that France would cease to be so hostile to Italy and the danger from the north would decrease.
Borgia beautifully furnished his entry into Paris. On the streets were 24 white mules laden with gifts for the king. Nearby, servants were leading by the bridle 16 purebred horses in silver harness. There were rumors that Cesare Borgia's horse was shod with gold. The people even hoped that one of the golden horseshoes would remain on the pavement. Cesare himself wore a chain mail of thin gold leaves and a gold ducal chain with diamond adornments, although he still had to receive the title of duke from the hands of the French king.
I managed to make an impression. Louis XII promised friendship to the Pope. True, it did not last long. The Italian wars ended only in 1559 with the famous Cato-Cambresian Peace, which recorded the advantage in Italy of Spain, not France.
But so far, Cesare Borgia received military support from the King of France - 2,000 horsemen and 6,000 infantrymen - to maintain order in the Papal States and conquer the Romagna region. This was the first goal of Alexander VI - to create a strong nucleus in the center of Italy, so that later it could be unified under the auspices of the papacy.
In addition, Cesare found in France a bride, the sister of the King of Navarre, Charlotte d'Albret. A magnificent wedding took place. The young couple spent several months together. They had a daughter, Louise Borgia. After Caesar's departure, Charlotte never saw him again, but she always kept a fond memory of him.
And he returned to Rome, to his dream - to create a strong Italian state on the basis of the papacy. In the battles of 1499, he showed valuable leadership qualities, and above all swiftness. His army, one after another, captured the cities in Romagna. Those who surrendered voluntarily, the Borgia forbade robbing.
At this time, he invited Leonardo da Vinci, an artist and scientist of great fame, to his service as chief engineer. At the same time, Niccolo Machiavelli arrived at the Borgia court as the ambassador of Florence. Cesare impressed him as a strong, forward-looking, purposeful person who really wants to unite Italy. Machiavelli was hurt to see how the wondrous ark of a unique culture perishes due to political disunity. After they spent about two months in constant communication, the great thinker became convinced that Italy needed a man like Borgia.
Machiavelli wrote: “And I do not know the best course of action that the new sovereign, who took the throne by succession, could have chosen. In those cases when his events did not bring success, the reason was not the mistakes made by the duke, but his unhappy fate. Why is the fate of Cesare Borgia called unhappy? This became clear a little later.
As a result, military successes led to the fact that by 1502 the surrounding rulers began to fear him. Those who led Milan, Florence and smaller cities were wary of the fact that he would eventually subjugate everyone. Therefore, a conspiracy was organized led by Giovanni Bentivolvo. But the conspirators were betrayed by traitors.
Cesare went to negotiations with the exposed conspirators, achieved repentance, promised them forgiveness, and after the capture of another city, right during the holiday, he gave the order to execute all the ringleaders. At the same time, in Rome, Alexander VI arrested opposition cardinals, and many of them began to die mysteriously. It is estimated that more than 20 cardinals have died during his eleven-year reign. This is where the talk about the mysterious "white powder of Borgia", about a ring with a poisoned thorn and a murderous shaking of the hand comes from.
It seemed that the Borgia triumphed: the conspiracy was exposed, the instigators were executed, the dissatisfied die surprisingly on time. Cesare became the de facto ruler of all of Northern and Central Italy, part of Spain and part of France. It was something like an empire, fragile, but giving real income.
But thunder struck. The events of August 1503 can be called a "poisoned poisoner." Alexander VI and Caesar Borgia fell ill. The diagnosis in those days was almost always the same - fever. It is significant only that the father and son fell ill after a joint dinner. On a warm August evening, they dined in the garden, inspired by their victories. Not only have all the most important Italian regions submitted to them, a few more efforts, new agreements with the French and Spaniards - and you can go south, and the prospect of a unified Italy becomes more and more real.
A few days after the August supper in 1503, Pope Alexander VI died. Cesare, seriously ill, locked himself in the Castle of the Angel in Rome. He told Niccolo Machiavelli that he had a plan for the eventual death of his father. The task is to preserve the papal throne for the Borgia family and continue the unification of Italy. Everything was provided for them, except for their own illness.
The election of a new pope took place without the active participation of Cesare. The throne was taken by the loyal Borgia Pius III. But he was a dad for only 27 days. And he died, probably also from "fever". Moreover, his poisoner was definitely not Cesare, for whom it was unprofitable.
The place of the unexpectedly deceased Pius III was taken by the one who had long hated the Borgia - Cardinal Giuliano della Rover. He became Pope Julius II. It was this dad in armor who went out on the battlefield. Under him, the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican was painted. Disgruntled Michelangelo fled from him to Bologna - and Julius followed him. An extraordinary, strong person.
The arrival of Julius II meant the end of the fate of Cesare Borgia. The new pope immediately declared him a usurper and ordered his arrest. But Borgia broke free from arrest and fled south to Naples. There he was betrayed and arrested again, despite a letter of protection from the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella.
1504 - Cesare was sent to Spain, to the gloomy castle of Villanueva del Grao. He was there for almost two years and fled again. A rope was tied to the battlement of the wall, along which the prisoner went down, where faithful people were waiting for him. The rope was a little short; the servant who descended before him fell and was badly smashed. Cesare, also hitting, half-dead, was dragged to the horse, and he was still able to gallop away.
Here is what a contemporary, Jerónimo Zurita, wrote: “The liberation of Cesare hit the Pope like a bolt from the blue. The Duke was the only person capable of stirring up and uplifting all of Italy even on his own. The very mention of his name at once disturbed the peace in the church state and neighboring countries, because he enjoyed the ardent love of many people: not only soldiers, but also commoners. Not a single tyrant, except for Julius Caesar, had such popularity."
But where was he to run? From a darling of fate, he turned into an outcast. He wrote to Louis XII. As his vassal, Cesare had two large ducal holdings in France. And there was a wife who, oddly enough, still treated him well.
Louis's answer was: "All possessions: the Duchy of Valentino and others, have been returned to the rule of the French king, since you, Cesare, are a traitor, you betrayed me with the Spanish crown." Of course, it was a political game. The road to France was closed.
1507 Caesar fled to Navarre, where his wife's brother, King Jean, ruled. This small kingdom on the Iberian border between France and Spain, was a vassal of France, but sought independence.
The Borgia was well received, as King Jean needed a skilled general. Cesare found himself, as it were, in a puppet state, at the head of a puppet army. True, military assistance came from Maximilian, the Holy Roman Emperor of the German nation, interested in Navarre being more independent, and France not strengthening.
Cesare tried to restore order in Navarra, which was torn apart by civil strife. He undertook to quickly suppress the action of the Navarran nobility in Viana. Everyone thought he could do it. But the impossible happened - he died in the first battle.
The collision was almost accidental. Noticing the separatists, Caesar jumped on his horse and rushed after. The German army was in no hurry after him. It is possible that it was bribed. He actually found himself alone against a detachment of enemies and died, astonishing everyone with his courage and receiving, according to legend, 25 fatal wounds. It was almost suicide.
Cesare Borgia was buried in the Church of Santa Maria de Viana, not far from the place of death. He did not find peace even after death. 200 years later, the Bishop of Calahorra, who was in those places, found out whose grave it was, and, remembering the Borgia poisoners, ordered to remove the "unholy remains" from the church.
Where they are now is unknown.
Natalia Basovskaya