In the history of any human community, including religious ones, there are pages that cannot be turned over without shuddering. Catholics have such a "black historical spot" - the pontificate of Pope Alexander VI, who died on August 18, 1503. He came from the Borgia family, a bloody dynasty whose very name became a household name in Europe …
Borgia is an Italian transcription of the Spanish surname Borja, which belonged to a family of nobles from Aragon who ruled the city of Gandia. There was a legend about their origin from Sancho Ramirez, the illegitimate son of the Navarre king, but it was not documented.
One of the Borja family, the knight Esteban, was a warrior of King Jaime I the Conqueror, and after the monarch successfully expelled the Moors from Valencia, he received the land of Xtiva as a reward, where he settled with his relatives. Later, he also bought out Gandia, which belonged to the Cardona sovereign house. Gradually, the Borja dynasty (in Catalan Borja) becomes one of the most influential aristocratic families in Valencia.
But real fame came to the Borgia in Italy, where the family was represented by two popes - Calixtus III and Alexander VI - and two dozen cardinals. The first of the pontiffs, who bore the name of Alfonso in the world, became famous for his scandalous relationship with his sister Joanna. It is her son who is considered Alexander VI - Rodrigo Borgia.
Perhaps this long-term incest really owed his life to what the Catholics themselves later called "a misfortune for the church" and "Satan's pharmacist." But, be that as it may, legally, Rodrigo was Pope Calixtus III's nephew and, being a man of extraordinary intelligence and abilities, he took advantage of the patronage for a successful career in the Catholic Church.
His education by the standards of that time was quite impressive: first, the young Spaniard studied law at the University of Bologna, then mastered the art of war, and after his uncle's accession to the papal throne, he saw new perspectives in religion.
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At the age of 25, Rodrigo became a cardinal - and although everyone understood that it was not without "blat", they could not deny this young man leadership, eloquence and practicality. The latter is also important: Cardinal Borgia was one of the richest people in his society - and actively used hard currency to achieve his goals.
Many reproached him for his dealings with the Moors and Jews, but that meant nothing: on August 26, 1492, after the death of his uncle, Rodrigo was crowned with a papal tiara under the name of Alexander VI. The further reign of this person is considered by many historians to be the reason for the Reformation. The point is not so much the acquisition and open patronage of his dynasty, as in the terrible debauchery of the pontiff, eager for the fair sex.
Back in Spain, he seduced an elderly lady, whose youngest daughter Rosa Vanozzi also became his mistress. By the time Rodrigo moved to the Vatican, they already had two sons, Giovanni and Cesare, and in 1840 the girl Lucrezia was born. However, the loving Alexander VI did not limit himself to this union: the annals preserved the names of many other concubines of the blasphemer, who also gave him children.
According to rumors, the daughter of Rodrigo Borgia, Lucrezia, was in love with her father and brothers. She actually lived in the papal chambers, tempting thousands of believers. The pontiff's entourage was frankly outraged by the insolence with which the girl interfered in her father's affairs, tried to read his correspondence and even resolve issues of punishment and rewarding cardinals.
Lucrezia Borgia as Saint Beatrice d'Este, portrait of Bartolomeo Veneto.
However, Alexander VI trusted his daughter very much and even appointed her governor of two cities - Spoletto and Foligno, which was simply unthinkable, because only a cardinal could rule them. But Lucrezia did not disappoint her father, thanks to her diplomatic talent, putting an end to Spoletto's enmity with the city of Terni. Nevertheless, public dissatisfaction with both the actions and the very personality of the Borgia pope grew every day.
Having received power, he made acquisitiveness his goal and justified any means by it. The Pope continued the tradition of convening crusades to replenish his treasuries with gold. At the same time, Alexander VI went further than his predecessors: he regularly summoned noble nobles and wealthy priests to agapas, during which his guests "unexpectedly" gave their souls to God, and their wealth passed into the papal hands.
One of the witnesses of these iniquities wrote with horror: “Alexander VI robbed both the living and the dead with feverish greed. The greatest pleasure for him was the contemplation of human blood. Borgia and bloodless methods of murder were widely used, which made him famous throughout the world - as well as the talents of papal chemists who constituted rare poisons for Alexander VI …
Pope Alexander VI.
One of these poisons caused the death of the poisoner himself. In 1503, Alexander VI shared the fate of many of his victims - he dined in a villa with the cardinals and drank wine, after which he felt very bad and died on August 18. His corpse swelled up unusually quickly, and this is a sure sign of exposure to a strong poison. Most likely, by mistake, dad tried a drink prepared by his son for the owner of the villa …
It is not surprising that the priests of St. Peter's Cathedral refused to bury such a pontiff in the church, and Pope Pius III forbade the funeral mass for his soul to be served. After all, Rodrigo Borgia was one of those people about whom I would like to say: "Thank God that I cleaned up" …
