Calixto III, historia de una ambición - Ep.2 (Los Borgia. Sed de poder)

Calixto III, el papa español de nombre Alejandro de Borja, es una de los personajes más importantes de la historia de la cristiandad, y las historias de su ambición desmedida ha llegado hasta nuestros días. Aunque la sombra del ‘gran Borgia’, Alejandro VI, desmesurada colosalmente por la leyenda negra, redujo a su tío y protector al modesto papel de ‘pequeño Borgia’, los hechos muestran su pareja estatura. En su breve pero intenso pontificado –tres años y cuatro meses–, Calixto III canceló definitivamente el Cisma de Occidente, frenó a los turcos en Belgrado, enriqueció al Vaticano, beatificó a Juana de Arco y canonizó a su paisano san Vicente Ferrer, dando cumplimiento a la doble profecía: “Tú serás papa y a mí me harás santo”. 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: Violeta Ché 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 set of power, although the shadow
of the great Borgia, Alexander VI, colossally overstated by the black legend,

(00:26):
reduced his uncle and protector to themodest role of little Borgia. The facts
show his pair stature and in hisbrief but intense Pontificate three years and four
months, Calixto III definitively cancelled theschism of the West, stopped the Turks
in Belgrade, enriched the Vatican,beatified Joan of Arc and canonized her countryman,

(00:48):
St Vincent Ferrer, fulfilling the doubleprophecy. You will be, Dad
and I you will make me,saint, don' t you give ta
ta Calixto III, history of anambition, a text by Violeta che the

(01:19):
disposition of Alfonso de Borja. Greatnessmade it easier for him. His birth
and birthright. Juan Domingo de Borja, his father was lord of the Tower
of Canals, today in the Valencianmunicipality of Canals, which still houses the
remains of the famous wall that madethem immortal. What' s complex is
knowing how it came to the handsof the Bourges. Some sources, such

(01:41):
as Miguel Bacjori, in the Borjasfamily, believe that it is unlikely that,
although Juan Domingo and his first wife, Catalina Doncel, lived in the
tower, it was theirs. Itis true that Catherine was a bridge and
that this marriage was the aunt alliancethat served Juan Domingo on a tray her

(02:02):
social ascent in every way. Buthe wasn' t exactly a gentleman.
He was guard of the castle ofMontesa, subalcaide of the castle of Buñol
and even controller of the steps ofCastile charged that he was honored by Martin
I himself, king of Aragon inone thousand four hundred and four, but

(02:23):
above all of the father of thefuture father. It has transcended a phrase
that would define it forever a bonomalready sativa urator. This was described in
one thousand eight hundred and six byJaime Villanueva, in his literary journey to
the churches of Spain. When referringto him as a urator, many interpreted

(02:46):
that he was little more than apossessor of humble lands, a farmer,
but that was also called land ownerswho were not subject to a feudal lord
and were not necessarily inferior to aknight, but so that John Domingo was
no one and could access a womanlike Catherine and a family like the burja

(03:06):
that was made with the tower inproperty, very probably already from the hands
of Alexander VI himself. But onceJaime I of Aragon conquered Valencia, this
branch of the Borjas settled in thisnew square, leaving Zaragoza. The canals

(03:30):
are born then. But Catherine diedin a thousand three hundred and seventy without
giving her children to Domingo, whichhe more than solved thanks to his second
wife, Francina Jan Sol Bella.This is the famous karagicomedia, an obscene
satire of the 16th century containing onehundred and seventeen copies, where Francina does

(03:52):
not come out very well, becauseshe says it is public and notorious.
In Valencia it is easy to imaginewhat he means by public and that he
has a rapist over the Genoese arapist. It is a lifetime pension according
to Catalan law and we know thatCalixto III fought in Italy. Therefore,
many believe that the satire was goingto the already pope and not so much

(04:15):
to his poor mother, also Valencian, probably from the same sativa, capital
of the coastal region home of theTower. Francina gave Luz Alfonso, the
New Year' s Eve of onethousand three hundred and seventy- eight and

(04:36):
four daughters later, Elizabeth, Joan, Catherine and Francisca, who all married
nobles, then influenced the papacy agreat future. Of course a great future
for Alfonso, because everything was servedin tray his studies of grammar, Latin

(05:00):
and doctorates in canonical and civil lawin the General Study of Lleida. Here
begins his great moment as a greatjurist, recognized by Martin I and with
the Canonjía of the Cathedral of Lleida, who gives Benedict XIII in one thousand
four hundred eleven, but from hisown mouth we know the fact that his
encounter with the Dominican Vicente Ferrer changedhis life. The preacher predicted that he

(05:29):
would reach the papacy and, onceinstalled in the Pontifical Solium, he would
canonize it and so he raised itto the altars in a thousand four hundred
and fifty- five. It seemsa legend to the geographical, but the
news is contemporary of Calixto himself andis based on his own testimony, Eneas
Silvio Picolomini, which would happen tohim in the pontificate as Pius II.

(05:54):
After narrating in his comments the electionof Calixto III, he says of the
first or Pope Borgia that already severalyears before vacant. Then the Apostolic See
foretold to all his assumption of thepontificate and affirmed that he would certainly be
the future pontiff, though no onebelieved him and everyone thought he was delirious

(06:15):
because of his old age, buthis prediction was true, which said that
he had done so to him.Saint Vincent, a deceased compatriot of his,
who canonized Rodrigo' s career,was meteoric. Meet King Alfonso V
of Aragon, the magnanimous in onethousand four hundred and sixteen, who commissions

(06:38):
him some causes and hands him overto French Martorell, the collector of goods
of the Apostolic Chamber of the Crown. From there he made the leap to
the Royal Chancellery in just two yearsand in one thousand four hundred twenty he
was already a permanent member of theSupreme Royal Council. I was forty-
two years old. He had foughtagainst the schism of the West, which

(06:59):
still flourished in the area and theking was able to thank him by taking
him to Italy with him for awhile, although it took him years to
ascend in the prelature outside the Court. Despite Alfonso' s influence, all
the doors were closed for one reasonor another, until Cardinal Fox appointed him
Bishop of Valencia for his role inthe extinction of the schism. The so

(07:27):
- called anti- paps Benedict XIIIand Clement VIII ended up bowing before the
papacy of Martin and abdicating and leavingthe path to those who were not related
to schism. Alfonso took his longedfor new office very seriously. He commanded

(07:55):
to preach to the clergy, doingso himself and organizing their duties and rules.
He improved the customs prevailing in theadministration of the sacraments that were not
in keeping with the decorum that hedemanded heresy that in his eyes those of
a declared and passionate Dominican represented theFranciscans. She' s been smitten.

(08:16):
He removed Valencia from top to bottom, but his absence in the area,
demanded in the Court constantly to pacifyCastile, passed him a bill and confronted
him against many authorities of the area, until with the conquest of Naples came
his new great opportunity. The Kingcommissioned him to legally organize the new Kingdom

(08:41):
in one thousand four hundred forty-two as President of the Sacred Council,
which meant improving the relationship with PopeEugene IV, who did not get along
well with Alfonso in various assignments betweenone thousand four hundred and thirty- nine
and one thousand four hundred and forty- two led the negotiation with him until
n n n n n n nn n n n t h e.
After the signing of the so-called peace of Terracina, Eugenio IV approved

(09:03):
the inauguration of Alfonso as king ofNaples. The prize was more than succulent.
The cardinal chapeau arrived in May ofone thousand four hundred and forty-
four and did not even have toleave the bishopric of Valencia. It is
fair to clarify that other sources,such as Bartholomew Platina, his first biographer,

(09:24):
consider him austere and unattainable to thestruggles for power within the church said
of the bishopric of Valencia, whowas his only wife. After the death
of Nicholas V Alfonso of Borja,he was elected pope on 8 April of
a thousand four hundred and fifty-five, thanks to the fact that the

(09:46):
vows at the end of the powerfulfamilies Colona and Orsini, who did not
want him on the throne, werenot enough to reject him and took the
name Calixto III. They knew Iwas older and I' d be brief.
The first of his obsessions was,as he himself said, to end

(10:09):
the Mohammedans. Constantinople had fallen intothe hands of Mehmed II in one thousand
four hundred and fifty- three andwere already encircling Europe. His crusade was
thoroughly turned against them. He countedtenths to be able to pay for it,
preached unceasingly, and asked the Christianmonarchs for help. It was in

(10:30):
vain, as they were entertained inother interests. The times of the crusades
were far behind for them, whichhe could not see. The old dad
and the company seemed too expensive,but he didn' t give up.

(10:50):
He only confronted them in Hungary,which was already besieged, took money from
under the stones, pawned jewels andgot a double land attack and by sea
only helped by some ships of thecrown of Aragon, less than the promised
ones. At last he rose witha key victory, that of the Battle
of Belgrade, at the hands ofa local hero, Juan Juniadi, in

(11:15):
July of one thousand and four hundredand fifty- six. To celebrate it
he established the feast of the Lord' s transfiguration on August 6. But
his joy did not last long.Despite its success, the European leaders,
for the most part, did notsupport it. He soon understood why the

(11:35):
key was in Italy. The firststone on the way was his great friend,
King Alfonso, the magnanimous. Therest of the powers of the Italic

(11:56):
Peninsula knew of their friendship. Ifhe did not distance himself from him,
he would not raise believe in hisuprightness and objectivity, but would think that
Naples would be favored. Alfonso didn' t take it well. They were
confronted by the handing over of ecclesiasticalsites in Zaragoza, Barcelona and Gerona,
by the bishopric of Valencia, whichCalixto III wanted for his nephew Rodrigo and

(12:18):
the king for his, Juan deAragón, for the ships expected and not
granted against the Turk and for theattack of Alfonso on Genoa. Only the
marriage alliances of the Crown of Aragonwith the hard- working lords of Milan
freed him from a counterattack of theItalic League united under Calixto. In order

(12:41):
to complete the confrontation, the kingasked for the divorce of Queen Mary of
Castile, his wife, which thePope, of course, denied him by
sending him the message of the samelover of Alfonso Lucrecia of the year,
a beauty of the time and thewar broke out. The father delayed adre

(13:03):
from the succession of Ferrante, illegitimateson of Alfonso, as king of Naples,
wanted him under direct control of Rome. Alfonso threatened to depose him.
He did the same. He senthis nephew, Pedro Luis de Borja,
to take Naples to the death ofAlfonso in June of one thousand four hundred

(13:24):
and fifty- eight. Nothing new. His nepotism was already legendary, but
he mismeasured his forces. Milan disagreedand Calixto III ended up giving up,
losing a lot of energy along theway and we threw out an uncultivated or

(13:54):
ill- membered question. Alfonso deBorja was not the enemy of the arts.
As many believe, his formation wasno more, although he was very
basic as a humanist. Some ofthese celebrated in his time, such as
Francesco Filelfo, vilified him because hewithdrew the funds allocated to them by Pope
Nicholas Quinto to dedicate them to hiscrusade. Others defended him as their protégé

(14:15):
Lorenzo Valla, pioneer in historical andphilosophical criticism, came to extract from some
codex the precious metals to pawn them, but he never removed from his agenda
the care of monuments of Rome.His apparent austerity, again, confirmed by
his first biographer, seems sustained byhis anti- Otoman obsession with all the

(14:37):
money against the Turk. Thus,the expenses of the Papal Court were greatly
moderated and never stained with the licentiouslife that has characterized other popes and their
nephew, except for some voices thatattribute to him the fatherhood of Francesc de
Borja Cardenal, who died in 1, 500 eleven. The rumors were born

(15:03):
years later, already in the courseof the papacy of Alexander VI, whose
fame bequeathed to all his own,even though they preceded him. The reality
is that Alfonso Borgia was praised inlife for rigorous, especially for his treatment
of Joan of Arc. It wasan unexpected volcano in his passionate old age,

(15:28):
hard and death surprised him. InRome he refused to leave the city
desolate by plague. On the 6thof August of one thousand four hundred and
fifty- eight, precisely the dayof the transfiguration of the lord he had
established. He would have seen itas a sign of God' s conformity.

(15:54):
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