Alejandro VI, tirano y audaz - Ep.3 (Los Borgia. Sed de poder)

Sobrino de Calixto III, el segundo papa Borgia se formó en las intrigas religiosas, diplomáticas y militares y llegó a acumular un enorme poder. Protagonizó un pontificado de más de una década, caracterizado tanto por el escándalo y la tiranía como por la audacia administrativa y política, y con su extraña muerte se inició el declive de la dinastía. La leyenda negra de los Borgia fue generosamente alimentada por Calixto III y el resto de parientes coetáneos, pero a la muerte del primer pontífice Borgia aún habría de escribirse un nuevo capítulo en la historia de la dinastía valenciana, salpicado –como no podía ser de otra manera– por el nepotismo, la corrupción y la amoralidad marca de la familia. Sería el protagonizado por Rodrigo Borgia, el papa Alejandro VI. Escucha la historia completa en el podcast. Déjanos tu comentario en Ivoox o Spotify, o escríbenos a [e-mail] Comparte nuestro podcast en tus redes sociales, puedes realizar una valoración de 5 estrellas en Apple Podcast o Spotify. Texto: Henar. L. Senovilla Dirección, locución y producción: Iván Patxi Gómez Gallego Contacto de publicidad en podcast: [e-mail]

Episode Transcript

(00:05):
Great reports of very history presents theBorgia Seth of power nephew of Calixto III,
the second Pope Borgia, trained inreligious, diplomatic and military intrigues and

(00:27):
came to accumulate an enormous power.He starred in a pontificate of more than
a decade, characterized by both scandaland tyranny as well as administrative and political
audacity, and with his strange deathbegan the decline of the dynasty. Another

(00:53):
chapter III, the turn of RodrigoAlejandro VI in the Chair of Pedro,
a text by nar López Zeno Villa. The black legend of Orborgia was generously
fed by Calixto III and the restof the contemporaneous relatives. But at the

(01:17):
death of the first pontiff of Borgia, a new chapter was still to be
written in the history of the Valenciandynasty, dotted how it could not otherwise
be by nepotism, corruption, andfamily morality. It would be starring Rodrigo
Borgia, Pope Alexander VI, prototypeof the noble, rebirth, humanist cult

(01:46):
and devoid of moral, political,unscrupulous and great diplomat concerns. Rodrigo was,
unlike his uncle Alfonso, a derelictman of austere customs, a hedonist
who loved luxury and refinement. Froma very young age, he gave good
evidence of his lack of scruples andunlimited ambition, although it is also true

(02:08):
that he did not distinguish much fromother popes, such as Stephen Seventh,
who unearthed and put to trial thecorpse of his predecessor, the formious pope
Sergio III, who made the Vaticana brothel of luxury or innocence eighth known
for his paedophilia in its bad name. In fact, it is likely that
more than his controversial morale would weighon other factors, such as not being

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Italian or the unexpected strengthening that ledto the Vatican institution, which made him
win numerous enemies. Rodrigo was bornin one thousand four hundred and thirty-

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one in Sativa, in Valencia,in a family of the small local nobility,
formed by Jofre de Borghai Doms andIsabel de Borja, sister of the
future Pope Calixto III. In athousand four hundred and thirty- seven his
father died and the little one movedto Valencia, along with his mother and
brothers, Pedro, Luis, Tecla, Juana and Beatriz, settling in his

(03:13):
uncle' s palace. Bishop Alfonsoof Borja, who was then in Italy
in the entourage of the magnanimous.Thus he was educated with all the facilities
of the youth of the Spanish nobilityof the fifteenth century. He began his
studies in Valencia, but in athousand four hundred and fifty- three,

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his so- called uncle Alfonso,then cardinal and bishop of Valencia, who
resided in Rome, as was said, sent him to study Canon Law at
the University of Bologna, where hereceived his doctorate in one thousand four hundred
and fifty- six, at barelytwenty- five years of age. That
same year he began his brilliant careerunder the cloak of his benefactor uncle chosen
pope as Calixto III. On April20, one thousand and four hundred and

(03:59):
fifty- five, no doubt,Rodrigo made the most of the three years
of pontificate of his relative. InFebruary of one thousand and four hundred and
fifty- six he appointed him Cardinalin May. The following year, in
a thousand four hundred and fifty-seven Cardinal deacon of Saint Nicholas Carcere,

(04:21):
governor of the Marca de Ancona,commissioner of the Pontifical Troops and bishop of
Gerona, and in a thousand fourhundred and fifty- eight titular bishop of
Valencia and cardinal deacon of Saint Maryin Via Lata. Also, from one
thousand four hundred and fifty- sevenhe was Vice Chancellor of the Curia,

(04:41):
with Palace on the way to IbnKibeki, the second most powerful and influential
position in the Vatican. During thetriennium of Calixto III, Rodrigo' s
titles grew at the same speed ashis sphere of influence from that long list
of positions, the most valuable forhis interests, no doubt, was that

(05:04):
of Vice- Chancellor of the Churchof Rome, which he would continue to
perform after the death of his uncle. In the conclave celebrated to choose a
new Pope, Rodrigo succeeded, thanksto his maneuvers, in electing Eneas Silvio
Picolomini, proclaimed pontiff with the nameof Pius II. He rewarded him with

(05:25):
the confirmation of his position as ViceChancellor of the Church. How later would
his successors, Paul II, sixth, fourth, and eighth Innocence. From
that position of power, Rodrigo successfullymanaged the most important Vatican issues, as

(05:47):
he was skilled and very efficient,such as public relations, administrator and strategist.
His appointment as pope, however,was not immediately upon the death of
his uncle, but he waited thirty- four very long years. Four popes,

(06:12):
for they would succeed Calixto III beforeRodrigo became supreme pontiff, an eternal
lapse that, of course, hetook advantage of to continue accumulating titles and,
with them, influence and due favors. Thanks to his talent, his
intelligence and his negotiating skills, Rodrigopermanently maintained his influence in the Roman curia

(06:34):
and managed to be the man ofconfidence also of the following popes, Paul
II, sixth, fourth and eighthinnocence, the first substitute for Calixto III.
How we saw was the Cardinal EneasSilvio Picolomini Pius II, elected in

(06:57):
one thousand four hundred fifty- eightat the death of his price asor,
Rodrigo Borgia participated in his election assaid Chancellor of Rome who was and to
Pius II he owed his appointment asCardinal Protodeacon in one thousand four hundred sixty
- three, the highest cardinalial rank. One year later, in a thousand
four hundred and sixty- four,Pius II died and the conclave was called

(07:21):
again. In him was elected thecardinal priest of Saint Mark, Pietro Barbo,
who assumed the investiture under the nameof Paul II. During this papacy,
Rodrigo Borgia was appointed bishop of Urgeland Copríncipe of Andorra. At the

(07:45):
end of the pontificate he was forcedto cede his post as Cardinal protodeacon and
the two deacons, but he maintainedthe dignity of Cardinal and she must have
participated in the next papal election heldin one thousand four hundred and seventy-

(08:09):
one, to appoint Sixth Fourth Francescode la Robere who in turn granted him
the titles of Cardinal, Bishop ofAlbano and Porto Santa Rufina and Dean of
the College of Cardinals. The deathof the sixth quarter resulted in a new
conclave, in which was named themore than controversial Innocent VIII, who appointed

(08:30):
Rodrigo Bishop of Mallorca and promoted himArchbishop of Valencia when he created the archdiocese
in this city. This Pope diedin a thousand four hundred and ninety-
two and the Assembly, in whichRodrigo Borgia would be elected, was finally

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opened to the death of Innocent VIII. It took place in Rome, a
conclave that was marked by a dynamicsimilar to that which led to the election
of his uncle Calixto III. Thirty- seven years earlier. Strong rivalries among
the most powerful Italian families prevented themfrom reaching an agreement on who should occupy
the Papal Solio. Rodrigo Borgia,who was the richest cardinal of the sacred

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College and also the most ambitious,saw his opportunity, using expensive bribes such
as the granting of titles of churches, abbeys and monasteries to other cardinals.
Those who are eligible as pope wereplaced among the preferred ones. Twenty-

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three cardinals constituted the College of Cardinals. In a thousand four hundred and ninety
- two, but only four wereeligible to succeed Innocent. Octavo, the
Milanese Ascanio strives to yield easily whenhe receives from Borgia four mules loaded with
silver or n o n g time, Lorenzo Cibo, nephew of the deceased,
the Neapolitan Juliano de la Robere protectedfrom the French king and Rodrigo Borgia,

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the only non- Italian, aremarkable handicap for the post. But
after intense negotiations in which he promisedall kinds of favors and privileges and had
to use part of his fortune tobuy votes, becoming a pope cost Rodrigo

(10:30):
Borgia hundreds of thousands of educated gold, dozens of titles and many preventatives.
He obtained the support of enough cardinalsand the four main Italian families, the
Medici the Esforza, the Orsini andthe Colonna, who considered the Vatican one

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more property and who knew it waskey to the control of the Italic Peninsula
and much of Europe. Although thebribes could not be shown nun ns,
the truth is that the influential cardinaland candidate Esforza, not having Corum to
be elected, decided to support Borgiato secure the Vice- Chancellery of Rome,
and thus Rodrigo was elected by sucha narrow margin that he even had

(11:15):
to vote for himself. At theage of sixty- one he became Alexander
VI. He chose the name becauseof his admiration for the conqueror Alexander the
Great. It was proclaimed on August11, 1994, ninety- two,

(11:39):
a key year for history began thuseleven years of scandals over its licentious life
known throughout Rome and its nepotism.Continuing with his uncle' s tradition,
he used his power to position hismany children well. It is also known

(12:00):
eight n during the conclave and thepapacy was the intellectual author or at least
unmovable observer of several deaths at thehands of mercenaries hired by his relatives to
maintain control over territories and social andpolitical sectors. Alexander tried to subdue half

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of Italy to the authority of theHoly CD and wanted to turn it into
a hereditary monarchy that would allow himto retain power in the hands of his
family indefinitely. But his was alsoa papacy of historical milestones, such as
support for the discovery of the newworld, the unification of the Papal States

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under a single centralized administration, theUnion of Christianity after the great schism of
the West or the economic recovery ofRome. If something was desired, Alexander

(13:09):
saw that his family would dominate allof Italy, for which he had not
only climbed to the papal solium,but was willing to establish alliances that were
necessary and with whomever was necessary.Naturally, for this purpose he used two
of the most important resources of thetime in measuring the marriages and appointments of
his children. Rodrigo promoted the marriageof his daughter Lucrecia, one of the

(13:41):
four offspring born of his lover,Vano Chacatanei, first with Giovanniesforza then with
Alfonso of Aragon and finally with Alfonsoof this three of the most powerful families
in Europe. Time put his sonCaesar at the head of an independent principality
to further increase the power of theBorgia in Italy. On the other hand,

(14:03):
he elevated his son, Juan Duquede Gandía, to the commander-
in- chief of the Pontifical Forcesin order to secure the military control of
Rome and, finally, his sonJofre. He married him initially to the
illegitimate daughter of Alfonso II of Naplesand later to Maria of Milan of Aragon.
The status quo in Italy was guaranteedall over the borders of the Italic

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Peninsula due to its Valencian origins.Alexander VI took the crown of Aragon as
his most powerful ally and benefited itin the process of distributing the lands of
the New World, a company hesupported in seamlessly. In addition, he
gave the Spanish kings the title ofCatholic kings, thus attributing them to possible
conflicts. As a sort of internationalarbiter, he was also able to understand

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with the Kingdom of Naples, territoryclaimed both by the Spanish Crown and by
the French, despite some initial frictionsduring the First Italian War, conflict that
the Pontiff used to expand his powergrossly way, the Kingdom of Naples had
ceased to be French to become partof the Crown of Aragon. On the
death of Ferdinand I of Naples,illegitimate son of Alfonso V of Aragon,

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in a thousand four hundred and ninety- four, the King of France,
Charles VIII, claimed some distant rightsto the Neapolitan throne and requested to be
invested. Alexander VI refused and monarchGalo did not hesitate to enter Italy with
his army. Aware that by forcehe would not win, Pope Borgia met

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with the French king and handled himwith so much. It is true that
the monarch eventually recognized him as thechief figure of the church and expressed loyalty
to him. What Charles VIII didnot imagine is that the Valencian was encouraging
Italian Francophobia and coalitioning against him Ferrara, Venice, Mantua, Milan and the

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Hispanic crown. Barely cornered by all, he managed to return to battered France,
while Alexander VI was aiming for anew victory, despite the fact that

(16:33):
in foreign policy it was where AlexanderVI, diplomat and nephew of diplomats,
felt more comfortable. There were nota few household and religious milestones that he
also achieved during his pontificate. Itenacted a number of legal measures, including
the establishment of a supreme court composedof four leading jurisprudential doctors or the establishment

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of rules to prevent judicial abuses inthe lower courts. The finances of the
Church and the Romans were also improvedthrough a novel source of funding for religious
tourism. The Jubilee of 1,500 drew to Rome some 200, 000

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pilgrims an unusual date for the timeto welcome them The Pope modernized the city
and improved citizen security and justice,greatly decimated by the prevailing corruption and pillage.
Another good sign of his audacity wasto consolidate the papal authority and unity

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of Christendom after the great schism ofthe West. During his papacy he expanded
like never before the confines of theVatican territory and imposed a centralized administration for
it, as most of the PapalStates were only nominally controlled by the Vatican,
but in practice they were captain oftannates by small territorial princes. With

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the help of his son John inthe first place and Caesar later, he
went round one by one to allof them to build a unique political and
religious Vatican government. The Pope appointedCaesar Captain General in March of 1,

(18:23):
500 and the following year created forhim the Duchy of Romagna, which united
the territories conquered in a great lordship, divided into provinces with a chief governor
respectful of communal autonomy. Four monthslater he united other lands with the creation
of the ducats of Sermoneta and Neppi, assigned to Rodrigo de Borja and Aragón,

(18:45):
son of Lucrecia, and Juan deBorja, legitimized as his son for
the government of the new territories.The pontiff used relatives and relatives appointed cardinals
in September of 1, 500.Without a doubt, to that unique command

(19:06):
he sought contributed the fact of increasingthe size of the College of Cardinals with
thirteen new cardinals, all allies andrelatives, among whom were Jaime Serra,
Juan de Vera, Francisco de Borjaand his son César, whom he wanted
to convert into a new pontiff.All these conquests, together with his agitated

(19:34):
sexual life and relaxed morality, madeAlexander VI no stranger to scandals. Like
we said. Both he and hisson Caesar used the power of the Papacy
as a personal weapon, toppled princesand principalities, used Lucrecia for their policy
of marriage alliances, either unscrupulously eliminatedtheir family rivals or did not kill their

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enemies, Daga or Bneno and confrontedthe king of Spain, Ferdinand the Catholic,
and of France, Charles VIII,the first invader of Italy in a
thousand four hundred and ninety- four, but in a sort of poetic justice,
the same intrigues that Alexander VI usedto gain his power turned against him.

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On August 6, 500, three, on a hot night, Alexander
and Caesar attended a banquet the countryresidence of Cardinal Adriano da Cornetto, who
had been personal secretary to Pope Borgia. A few days later, many of
the diners fell seriously ill, includingthe father and son. Caesar' s

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youth allowed him to survive, althoughhe was ill for a long time,
but the Pope failed. After aweek in bed with violent attacks of fever
and after having confessed and received theextreme anointing, Alexander VI died at seventy
- two on August 18. Beforethis event, the Borgia were at the

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height of their power. The Pope' s health and Caesar' s strength
only predicted greater successes than the twowho fell mortally touched at the same time
that night. It is certainly verysuspicious and that is why there are several
theories about the death of the Pope. He could drink to malaria or a

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hypothesis poisoning that quickly spread through Rome. It is not easy to value a
personality as complex as that of PopeBorgia, because his life is surrounded by
a halo of legend that does notfacilitate the historical judgment every analysis of Alexander
VI, that does not contemplate atriple aspect. Your position as high pontiff.

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The Italian politics of his time andhis family interests will be partial and
false. What is true is thathis death began the unstoppable decline of the
dynasty. Or thank you so muchfor listening to great stories of great history.

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