October 5, 2025 • 11 mins
Alexander the Sixth transforms the Vatican into a criminal enterprise run by his murderous children Cesare and Lucrezia. Orgies in the papal apartments, systematic poisoning of enemies, and the sale of church offices turn the throne of Saint Peter into the seat of a Renaissance crime family.
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Unlock an ad-free podcast experience with Caloroga Shark Media! Get all our shows on any player you love, hassle free! For Apple users, hit the banner on your Apple podcasts app. For Spotify or other players, visit caloroga.com/plus. No plug-ins needed!
Subscribe now for exclusive shows like 'Palace Intrigue,' and get bonus content from Deep Crown (our exclusive Palace Insider!) Or get 'Daily Comedy News,' and '5 Good News Stories’ with no commercials! Plans start at $4.99 per month, or save 20% with a yearly plan at $49.99. Join today and help support the show!
We now have Merch! FREE SHIPPING! Check out all the products like T-shirts, mugs, bags, jackets and more with logos and slogans from your favorite shows! Did we mention there’s free shipping? Get 10% off with code NewMerch10 Go to Caloroga.com
Get more info from Caloroga Shark Media and if you have any comments, suggestions, or just want to get in touch our email is info@caloroga.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Calarogu Shark media. In fourteen ninety two, while Columbus sailed
toward America, Rome was about to witness the election of
the most scandalous pope in history. Rodrigo Borgia had systematically
bribed his way onto the throne of Saint Peter, loading
(00:25):
mules with silver and gold to purchase the votes of cardinals.
He would transform the Vatican into a den of corruption
that would shock even the cynical standards of Renaissance Italy.
Pope Alexander the sixth represented the complete moral collapse of
the papal office. This man openly maintained multiple mistresses while
wearing the papal tiara, fathered at least four acknowledged children
(00:48):
during his reign, and conducted the business of the Church
as if it were a family crime syndicate operating from
the heart of Christendom. This is White Smoke, Episode thirty one.
The Borgia Pope, his daughter Lucrezia, became the most notorious
woman in Italy, beautiful and intelligent, but whispered to be
(01:09):
skilled in the art of poison. His son Cessare commanded
armies with ruthless efficiency, eliminating enemies through methods that would
inspire Machiavelli's Treatise on Political Power. These were not hidden
scandals conducted in shadow, but open family enterprises carried out
in full view of European nobility. Today we examine the
(01:31):
reign of Alexander the Sixth, the pope who turned the
Vatican into a criminal enterprise and proved that papal authority
could be completely corrupted by personal ambition and family loyalty.
The Borgias elevated murder to a systematic practice. Dinner invitations
from the papal court became objects of terror, as guests
(01:52):
who opposed Alexander's policies had an alarming tendency to fall, violently, ill,
or simply disappear. Contemporary observers noted that the pope's enemies
possessed a remarkable propensity for sudden death, usually accompanied by
symptoms consistent with arsenic poisoning. When Alexander's own son, Giovanni
(02:12):
was discovered floating in the Tiber River with his throat
cut and nine stab wounds in his body, most observers
assumed Chaseray had eliminated his brother as a political rival.
The papal response was telling Alexander mount briefly then promoted
Chaseray to command of the papal armies. Family loyalty it
seemed extended, even to fratricide when it served bordier interests.
(02:36):
Alexander treated the papacy as his personal treasury, implementing corruption
on an industrial scale. Cardinal's hats were sold to the
highest bidders, with prices carefully calibrated according to the wealth
of dioceses involved. A single consistory in fourteen ninety seven
generated enough revenue to fund major military campaigns, as Alexander
(02:58):
appointed twelve new cards for feast, totaling one hundred twenty
thousand ducats. He partitioned Italian territories among his children like
a feudal inheritance, using papal armies to enforce these family
land grants. Cesare received the Romania region, along with the
title Duke of Valentinois, purchased from the French king for
(03:18):
promises of papal support. Lucrezia was granted dominion over various
papal cities, which she ruled through governors appointed from her
household staff. The Vatican apartments under Alexander's reign hosted entertainments
that scandalized even Renaissance standards of clerical behaviour. Contemporary witnesses
(03:39):
described orgies featuring naked cortissants competing for chestnuts scattered on
the floor, while cardinals and papal officials wagered on the performances.
These events were not secret indulgences, but official papal entertainments
attended by foreign ambassadors and Italian nobility. Alexander's personal conduct
(03:59):
violated every principle of clerical celibacy with systematic thoroughness. His
primary mistress, Julia Farnese, whom romans nicknamed the Bride of
Christ in mocking reference to her relationship with the pope,
lived openly in the Vatican and bore him children while
he held the papal office. When critics complained about this
(04:21):
scandalous arrangement, Alexander appointed Julia's brother Alessandro as cardinal, ensuring
family control over church hierarchy for generations. Contemporary accounts describe
how Alexander would openly fondle Julia during official papal audiences,
treating the sacred Office as if it were his personal
pleasure palace. The theological implications of Alexander's reign were devastating
(04:46):
for papal credibility. This man claimed divine authority to interpret scripture,
issue binding Church law, and determine the eternal fate of
Christian souls. His decisions affected millions of believers across Europe,
yet his personal behaviour demonstrated complete contempt for the moral
standards he allegedly represented. European intellectuals watched Alexander's papacy with
(05:11):
growing horror and disgust. Geronimo Savonarola preached fiery sermons in Florence,
denouncing the monster who occupied the papal throne, comparing Alexander
to the biblical beast of the apocalypse. When Savonarola was
eventually burned as a heretic in fourteen ninety eight, many
observers suspected Borgia influence in his condemnation. Alexander's use of
(05:41):
religious authority for purely temporal objectives corrupted the fundamental nature
of papal power. When he issued bulls of excommunication against
political enemies, he reduced spiritual penalties to diplomatic weapons. When
he declared crusades against Italian city states that opposed his
family's territorial life ambitions, he perverted the concept of holy
(06:02):
war for personal gain. The infamous papal bull into Kitera,
issued in fourteen ninety three to divide the New World
between Spain and Portugal, exemplified Alexander's treatment of spiritual authority
as a commodity to be traded for political advantage. The pope,
who had purchased his office through bribery, now sold his
(06:24):
religious authority to Catholic monarchs in exchange for their support
of Borgia territorial ambitions in Italy. Alexander's papacy demonstrated how
completely the Church had abandoned its founding principles of apostolic
poverty and spiritual service. While European peasants contributed their final
coins to purchase indulgences promising reduced punishment in purgatory, the
(06:47):
pope was using church revenues to fund military campaigns designed
to carve out secular principalities for his children. The contrast
between papal claims and papal behaviour became so starved that
it undermined the credibility of Catholic Christianity itself. Priests across
Europe struggled to explain how their spiritual authority derived from
(07:09):
a pope whose personal conduct violated every commandment he claimed
to represent. The scandal was not merely individual corruption, but
institutional hypocrisy on a scale that threatened the foundations of
religious belief. Yet Alexander's reign also revealed the remarkable resilience
of papal institutional structures. Despite his personal corruption, the basic
(07:32):
administrative functions of the church continued to operate. Bishops were appointed,
churches were built, and the machinery of ecclesiastical governance functioned.
Even under the most debased leadership, The papacy as an
institution proved capable of surviving almost any level of personal
scandal from its occupants. Alexander's systematic exploitation of papal resources
(07:55):
for family advancement created precedents that would influence church politics
for generations. The appointment of relatives to church offices, the
use of spiritual authority for temporal objectives, and the treatment
of papal territories as family inheritance became standard practices that
subsequent popes would struggle to eliminate. The international implications of
(08:17):
Alexander's corruption extended far beyond Italy to affect European diplomatic
relations for decades. His willingness to sell papal support to
the highest bidder made the Church an unreliable partner in
international alliances, while his use of religious authority to legitimize
purely secular territorial claims corrupted the concept of divine sanction
(08:38):
for political action. When Alexander finally died on August eighteen,
fifteen o three, possibly from malaria but suspected by many
of poison, his servants immediately looted the papal apartments while
his corpse decomposed in the August heat. The scene perfectly
symbolized his entire reign, a papacy stripped of dignity, abandoned
(09:01):
by those who had benefited from its corruption, left to
rot in public view. Even in death, Alexander's legacy continued
to poison papal authority. His children's continued pursuit of power
using resources accumulated during his reign, ensured that Borgia influence
would persist long after his death. Cesaret's military campaigns continued
(09:25):
until fifteen oh seven, funded by wealth stolen from the
Church during Alexander's papacy. The psychological impact of Alexander's reign
on Catholic consciousness cannot be overstated. For eleven years, believing
Christians had watched their spiritual father openly violate every principle
of Christian morality while claiming divine authority to guide their
(09:47):
eternal destinies. The cognitive dissonance created by this contradiction would
fuel religious skepticism for centuries. Alexander the sixth proved that
papal claims to spe spiritual authority could become completely divorced
from personal moral qualification. His example demonstrated that the most
(10:08):
sacred office in Christianity could be occupied by someone whose
behaviour was indistinguishable from that of a secular tyrant, pursuing
power through any means necessary. The borgia papacy became a
permanent argument against the doctrine of papal infallibility, providing evidence
that occupants of the papal throne could be systematically corrupt
(10:29):
without any apparent divine intervention to prevent their election or
remove them from office. This theological problem would haunt Catholic
apologists for generations. Yet perhaps Alexander's most lasting contribution to
papal history was negative. He established the standard by which
all subsequent papal corruption would be measured. No matter how
(10:52):
scandal ridden later popes might become, none would match the
systematic degradation of papal authority that characterized the Borgia. The
man who should have been the moral shepherd of Christendom
had become its greatest scandal, transforming the throne of Saint
Peter into a criminal enterprise, and proving that absolute power
could corrupt even the successor of the Apostles when exercised
(11:15):
without moral restraint or institutional accountability. White Smoke is a
production of Calaogua Shark media, portions of which were made
with the help of a narration, but still written and
produced by real podcasters Mark Francis and John McDermott.
Calarogu Shark media. In fourteen ninety two, while Columbus sailed
toward America, Rome was about to witness the election of
the most scandalous pope in history. Rodrigo Borgia had systematically
bribed his way onto the throne of Saint Peter, loading
(00:25):
mules with silver and gold to purchase the votes of cardinals.
He would transform the Vatican into a den of corruption
that would shock even the cynical standards of Renaissance Italy.
Pope Alexander the sixth represented the complete moral collapse of
the papal office. This man openly maintained multiple mistresses while
wearing the papal tiara, fathered at least four acknowledged children
(00:48):
during his reign, and conducted the business of the Church
as if it were a family crime syndicate operating from
the heart of Christendom. This is White Smoke, Episode thirty one.
The Borgia Pope, his daughter Lucrezia, became the most notorious
woman in Italy, beautiful and intelligent, but whispered to be
(01:09):
skilled in the art of poison. His son Cessare commanded
armies with ruthless efficiency, eliminating enemies through methods that would
inspire Machiavelli's Treatise on Political Power. These were not hidden
scandals conducted in shadow, but open family enterprises carried out
in full view of European nobility. Today we examine the
(01:31):
reign of Alexander the Sixth, the pope who turned the
Vatican into a criminal enterprise and proved that papal authority
could be completely corrupted by personal ambition and family loyalty.
The Borgias elevated murder to a systematic practice. Dinner invitations
from the papal court became objects of terror, as guests
(01:52):
who opposed Alexander's policies had an alarming tendency to fall, violently, ill,
or simply disappear. Contemporary observers noted that the pope's enemies
possessed a remarkable propensity for sudden death, usually accompanied by
symptoms consistent with arsenic poisoning. When Alexander's own son, Giovanni
(02:12):
was discovered floating in the Tiber River with his throat
cut and nine stab wounds in his body, most observers
assumed Chaseray had eliminated his brother as a political rival.
The papal response was telling Alexander mount briefly then promoted
Chaseray to command of the papal armies. Family loyalty it
seemed extended, even to fratricide when it served bordier interests.
(02:36):
Alexander treated the papacy as his personal treasury, implementing corruption
on an industrial scale. Cardinal's hats were sold to the
highest bidders, with prices carefully calibrated according to the wealth
of dioceses involved. A single consistory in fourteen ninety seven
generated enough revenue to fund major military campaigns, as Alexander
(02:58):
appointed twelve new cards for feast, totaling one hundred twenty
thousand ducats. He partitioned Italian territories among his children like
a feudal inheritance, using papal armies to enforce these family
land grants. Cesare received the Romania region, along with the
title Duke of Valentinois, purchased from the French king for
(03:18):
promises of papal support. Lucrezia was granted dominion over various
papal cities, which she ruled through governors appointed from her
household staff. The Vatican apartments under Alexander's reign hosted entertainments
that scandalized even Renaissance standards of clerical behaviour. Contemporary witnesses
(03:39):
described orgies featuring naked cortissants competing for chestnuts scattered on
the floor, while cardinals and papal officials wagered on the performances.
These events were not secret indulgences, but official papal entertainments
attended by foreign ambassadors and Italian nobility. Alexander's personal conduct
(03:59):
violated every principle of clerical celibacy with systematic thoroughness. His
primary mistress, Julia Farnese, whom romans nicknamed the Bride of
Christ in mocking reference to her relationship with the pope,
lived openly in the Vatican and bore him children while
he held the papal office. When critics complained about this
(04:21):
scandalous arrangement, Alexander appointed Julia's brother Alessandro as cardinal, ensuring
family control over church hierarchy for generations. Contemporary accounts describe
how Alexander would openly fondle Julia during official papal audiences,
treating the sacred Office as if it were his personal
pleasure palace. The theological implications of Alexander's reign were devastating
(04:46):
for papal credibility. This man claimed divine authority to interpret scripture,
issue binding Church law, and determine the eternal fate of
Christian souls. His decisions affected millions of believers across Europe,
yet his personal behaviour demonstrated complete contempt for the moral
standards he allegedly represented. European intellectuals watched Alexander's papacy with
(05:11):
growing horror and disgust. Geronimo Savonarola preached fiery sermons in Florence,
denouncing the monster who occupied the papal throne, comparing Alexander
to the biblical beast of the apocalypse. When Savonarola was
eventually burned as a heretic in fourteen ninety eight, many
observers suspected Borgia influence in his condemnation. Alexander's use of
(05:41):
religious authority for purely temporal objectives corrupted the fundamental nature
of papal power. When he issued bulls of excommunication against
political enemies, he reduced spiritual penalties to diplomatic weapons. When
he declared crusades against Italian city states that opposed his
family's territorial life ambitions, he perverted the concept of holy
(06:02):
war for personal gain. The infamous papal bull into Kitera,
issued in fourteen ninety three to divide the New World
between Spain and Portugal, exemplified Alexander's treatment of spiritual authority
as a commodity to be traded for political advantage. The pope,
who had purchased his office through bribery, now sold his
(06:24):
religious authority to Catholic monarchs in exchange for their support
of Borgia territorial ambitions in Italy. Alexander's papacy demonstrated how
completely the Church had abandoned its founding principles of apostolic
poverty and spiritual service. While European peasants contributed their final
coins to purchase indulgences promising reduced punishment in purgatory, the
(06:47):
pope was using church revenues to fund military campaigns designed
to carve out secular principalities for his children. The contrast
between papal claims and papal behaviour became so starved that
it undermined the credibility of Catholic Christianity itself. Priests across
Europe struggled to explain how their spiritual authority derived from
(07:09):
a pope whose personal conduct violated every commandment he claimed
to represent. The scandal was not merely individual corruption, but
institutional hypocrisy on a scale that threatened the foundations of
religious belief. Yet Alexander's reign also revealed the remarkable resilience
of papal institutional structures. Despite his personal corruption, the basic
(07:32):
administrative functions of the church continued to operate. Bishops were appointed,
churches were built, and the machinery of ecclesiastical governance functioned.
Even under the most debased leadership, The papacy as an
institution proved capable of surviving almost any level of personal
scandal from its occupants. Alexander's systematic exploitation of papal resources
(07:55):
for family advancement created precedents that would influence church politics
for generations. The appointment of relatives to church offices, the
use of spiritual authority for temporal objectives, and the treatment
of papal territories as family inheritance became standard practices that
subsequent popes would struggle to eliminate. The international implications of
(08:17):
Alexander's corruption extended far beyond Italy to affect European diplomatic
relations for decades. His willingness to sell papal support to
the highest bidder made the Church an unreliable partner in
international alliances, while his use of religious authority to legitimize
purely secular territorial claims corrupted the concept of divine sanction
(08:38):
for political action. When Alexander finally died on August eighteen,
fifteen o three, possibly from malaria but suspected by many
of poison, his servants immediately looted the papal apartments while
his corpse decomposed in the August heat. The scene perfectly
symbolized his entire reign, a papacy stripped of dignity, abandoned
(09:01):
by those who had benefited from its corruption, left to
rot in public view. Even in death, Alexander's legacy continued
to poison papal authority. His children's continued pursuit of power
using resources accumulated during his reign, ensured that Borgia influence
would persist long after his death. Cesaret's military campaigns continued
(09:25):
until fifteen oh seven, funded by wealth stolen from the
Church during Alexander's papacy. The psychological impact of Alexander's reign
on Catholic consciousness cannot be overstated. For eleven years, believing
Christians had watched their spiritual father openly violate every principle
of Christian morality while claiming divine authority to guide their
(09:47):
eternal destinies. The cognitive dissonance created by this contradiction would
fuel religious skepticism for centuries. Alexander the sixth proved that
papal claims to spe spiritual authority could become completely divorced
from personal moral qualification. His example demonstrated that the most
(10:08):
sacred office in Christianity could be occupied by someone whose
behaviour was indistinguishable from that of a secular tyrant, pursuing
power through any means necessary. The borgia papacy became a
permanent argument against the doctrine of papal infallibility, providing evidence
that occupants of the papal throne could be systematically corrupt
(10:29):
without any apparent divine intervention to prevent their election or
remove them from office. This theological problem would haunt Catholic
apologists for generations. Yet perhaps Alexander's most lasting contribution to
papal history was negative. He established the standard by which
all subsequent papal corruption would be measured. No matter how
(10:52):
scandal ridden later popes might become, none would match the
systematic degradation of papal authority that characterized the Borgia. The
man who should have been the moral shepherd of Christendom
had become its greatest scandal, transforming the throne of Saint
Peter into a criminal enterprise, and proving that absolute power
could corrupt even the successor of the Apostles when exercised
(11:15):
without moral restraint or institutional accountability. White Smoke is a
production of Calaogua Shark media, portions of which were made
with the help of a narration, but still written and
produced by real podcasters Mark Francis and John McDermott.
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