History UsefulNotes / PopeAlexanderVI

According to Catholic doctrine, priests, and especially Popes, are supposed to be {{Celibate Hero}}es by nature and default. Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia was neither. But what he lacked in holiness and piety, he made up for in [[TheChessmaster cunning and shrewdness]]: After graduating from the University of Bologna with highest honors, he was made a priest (and subsequently a cardinal) by Calixtus III ([[{{Nepotism}} his uncle]]). After Pope Innocent VIII died, he went on a meteoric rise in politics through all manner of bribery and corruption to buy off the entire Council of Cardinals to vote for him, (which was par for the course in that election). He succeeded.

What followed was a spectacle of unholiness: Pope Alexander VI acknowledged all of his children, [[{{Nepotism}} made them the most powerful family of Italy]], had several mistresses ''within the Vatican's walls'', murdered several Italian nobles, bribed others, used his children to gain political advantage, and overall did everything a Pope's not supposed to do.

Historically, Pope Alexander VI also played a role in the colonization of the New World, by passing papal bulls that divided [[UsefulNotes/{{Portugal}} Portuguese]] and [[UsefulNotes/{{Spain}} Spanish]] territorial discoveries and legitimized their conquest of indigenous land and settlements. In 1492, after Jews were expelled from Spain, 9,000 refugees were given permission by Pope Alexander VI to settle in Rome's Jewish quarter. In a period of nasty antisemitism, Pope Alexander VI declared that they were [[PetTheDog "permitted to lead their life, free from interference from Christians, to continue in their own rites, to gain wealth, and to enjoy many other privileges."]] He also allowed the immigration of Jews expelled from Portugal in 1497 and from Provence in 1498. And after complaints of Torquemada's extremist cruelty have reached the pope's ears, he had assigned assistant inquisistors just to keep Torquemada's extremism in check before being forced to retire to a convent.

* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: He was a very shady man, but fiction usually takes this UpToEleven.

Borgia was born to an [[BlueBlood ancient and powerful family of nobles]] from Aragón (which would unite with Castile to form modern UsefulNotes/{{Spain}} when he was 48). At that time, the lands of the Crown of Aragón extended into Italy (including at that time Sardinia, Sicily, and the Kingdom of Naples--i.e. the southern third of the Italian "boot"). As a result, many Aragonese noble houses had relations with and holdings in Italy, and the Borgias were one of them. Young Rodrigo, being a bright lad but not actually a Borgia [[LineageComesFromTheFather in the male line]] (and thus not in line to inherit much) was sent to the University of Bologna (the oldest in Europe, and then considered the best) to study law.

Historically, Pope Alexander VI also played a role in the colonization of the New World, by passing papal bulls that divided [[UsefulNotes/{{Portugal}} Portuguese]] and [[UsefulNotes/{{Spain}} Spanish]] territorial discoveries and legitimized their conquest of indigenous land and settlements. In 1492, after Jews were expelled from Spain, 9,000 refugees were given permission by Pope Alexander VI to settle in Rome's Jewish quarter. In a period of nasty antisemitism, Pope Alexander VI declared that they were [[PetTheDog "permitted to lead their life, free from interference from Christians, to continue in their own rites, to gain wealth, and to enjoy many other privileges."]] He also allowed the immigration of Jews expelled from Portugal in 1497 and from Provence in 1498.

* Several ''Series/HorribleHistories'' sketches talked about him with Jim Howick performing him as a VitoCorleoneExpy.

* Several ''Series/HorribleHistories'' sketches talked about him.

* He is the Grand Master of the Templar Order and BigBad in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'' and part of ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood''. A rather one-note portrayal redeemed by spirited voice-work by Manuel Tadros, [[InkSuitActor after which the character is modelled]]. Tadros also played him in live-action in ''Film/AssassinsCreedLineage''.

Quite possibly the most infamous Pope of Pop Culture, '''Pope Alexander VI''' (1 January 1431 – 18 August 1503), born '''Rodrigo Borgia''', was Pope from 1492 to 1503. His Papacy is considered the height of the Catholic Church's debauchery during UsefulNotes/TheRenaissance. His extravagances helped to trigger it and the Reformation shortly thereafter.

Borgia was born to an [[BlueBlood ancient and powerful family of nobles]] from Aragón (which would unite with Castile to form modern UsefulNotes/{{Spain}} when he was 48). At that time, the lands of the Crown of Aragón extended into Italy (including at that time Sardinia, Sicily, and the Kingdom of Naples--i.e. the southern third of the Italian "boot"). As a result, many Aragonese noble houses had relations with and holdings in Italy, and the Borgias were one of them. Young Rodrigo, being a bright lad but not actually a Borgia [[LineageComesFromTheFather in the male line]] (and thus not in line to inherit much) was sent to Bologna to study law.

Quite possibly the most infamous Pope of Pop Culture, '''Pope Alexander VI''' (1 January 1431 – 18 August 1503), born '''Rodrigo Borgia''', was Pope from 1492 to 1503. His Papacy is considered the height of the Catholic Church's debauchery during UsefulNotes/TheRenaissance, and his extravagances helped to trigger it and the Reformation shortly thereafter.

According to Catholic Doctrine, priests, and especially Popes, are supposed to be {{Celibate Hero}}es by nature and default. Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia was neither. But what he lacked in holiness and piety, he made up for in [[TheChessmaster cunning and shrewdness]]: graduating with the highest honors from a law school and made a priest (and subsequently a cardinal) by Calixtus III ([[{{Nepotism}} his uncle]]). After Pope Innocent VIII died, he went on a meteoric rise in politics through all manner of bribery and corruption to buy off the entire Council of Cardinals to vote for him, (which was par for the course in that election). He succeeded.

Quite possibly the most infamous Pope of Pop Culture, '''Pope Alexander VI''' (1 January 1431 – 18 August 1503), born '''Rodrigo Borgia''', was Pope from 1492 to 1503. His Papacy is considered the height of the Catholic Church's debauchery in the Renaissance, and his extravagances helped to trigger it and the Reformation shortly thereafter.

* A comic book series simply called ''Borgia'' by Jodorowsky and Milo Manara takes [[PornWithPlot a rather sensationalist approach]] to the family's history, going even further than the usual VillainousIncest stories (he sodomizes a rebellious preacher to death on a bed of spikes, for one).

* He is the Grand Master of the Templar Order and BigBad in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'' and part of ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood''. A rather one-note portrayal redeemed by spirited voice-work by Manuel Tadros, [[InkSuitActor after which the character is modelled]]. Tadros also plays him in ''Film/AssassinsCreedLineage''.

* ParentalFavoritism: As in real life, Rodrigo is usually depicted favoring his children by Vanozza over his children from other liaisons, and displays favoritism even within the four, preferring his son Juan over Cesare. On the other hand, Rodrigo is consistently depicted as treating Joffre as The Unfavorite.

* ParentalFavoritism: As in real life, Rodrigo is usually depicted as favoring his son Juan over Cesare.

According to Catholic Doctrine, priests, and especially Popes, are supposed to be {{Celibate Hero}}es by nature and default. Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia [[ReallyGetsAround was]] [[SinisterMinister neither]]. But what he lacked in holiness and piety, he made up for in [[TheChessmaster cunning and shrewdness]]: graduating with the highest honors from a law school and made a priest (and subsequently a cardinal) by Calixtus III ([[{{Nepotism}} his uncle]]). After Pope Innocent VIII died, he went on a meteoric rise in politics through all manner of bribery and corruption to buy off the entire Council of Cardinals to vote for him, (which was par for the course in that election). He succeeded.

** Even as early as the 18th Century historians noted that compared to many of the other corrupt and venal nobles of his generation, he wasn't all that bad. What made everyone see him as such a monster was the fact that none of those other corrupt and venal nobles ever became Pope, and as such he was held to a higher standard.

Quite possibly the most infamous Pope of Pop Culture, '''Pope Alexander VI''' (1 January 1431 – 18 August 1503), born '''Rodrigo Borgia''', was Pope from 1492 to 1503. His Papacy is considered the height of the Catholic Church's debauchery in the Renaissance, and his extravagances helped to trigger it.

* HistoricalBeautyUpdate: Most old portraits of him depict him with a double chin and a SinisterSchnoz. He's been portrayed by the likes of Manuel Tadros and Creator/JeremyIrons, who are far from unattractive.

* HistoricalBeautyUpdate: Most old portraits of him depict him with a double chin and a SinisterSchnoz. He's been portrayed by the likes of Creator/ManuelTadros and Creator/JeremyIrons, who are far from unattractive.

* TheDon: UnbuiltTrope material and probably the ancestor of most examples. Mario Puzo took several metric tons of inspiration from him in writing ''Literature/TheGodfather'' and even wrote his own historical fiction rendition of the Borgia family story. In turn, fictional adaptations tend to play up his shades of "Mafia Don[=/=]Patriarch."

* He is the Grand Master of the Templar Order and BigBad in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'' and part of ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood''. A rather one-note portrayal redeemed by spirited voice-work by Manuel Tadros, [[InkSuitActor after which the character is modelled]].

Historically, Pope Alexander VI also played a role in the colonization of the New World, by passing papal bulls that divided [[UsefulNotes/{{Portugal}} Portuguese]] and [[UsefulNotes/{{Spain}} Spanish]] territorial discoveries and legitimized their conquest of indigenous land and settlements. In 1492, after Jews were expelled from Spain, 9,000 refugees were given permission by Pope Alexander VI to settle in Rome's Jewish quarter. In a period of nasty antisemitism, Pope Alexander VI declared that they were "permitted to lead their life, free from interference from Christians, to continue in their own rites, to gain wealth, and to enjoy many other privileges." He also allowed the immigration of Jews expelled from Portugal in 1497 and from Provence in 1498.

* He is the Grand Master of the Templar Order and BigBad in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'' and part of ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood''. A rather one-note portrayal redeemed by spirited voice-work.

* The BigBad in ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'' and part of ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedBrotherhood'', a rather one-note portrayal redeemed by spirited voice-work.

* A main character in both ''Series/TheBorgias'' (played by Creator/JeremyIrons) and ''Series/{{Borgia}}'', obviously. (Yes, they are different shows.)

-->-- '''Lorenzo de Medici''' upon Alexander VI's coronation.

According to Catholic Doctrine, priests, and especially Popes, are supposed to be {{Celibate Hero}}es by nature and default. Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia [[ReallyGetsAround was]] [[SinisterMinister neither]]. But what he lacked in holiness and piety, he made up for in [[TheChessmaster cunning and shrewdness]]: graduating with the highest honors from a law school and made a priest (and subsequently a cardinal) by Calixtus III ([[{{Nepotism}} his uncle]]). After Pope Innocent VIII died, he went on a meteoric rise in politics through all manner of bribery and corruption to buy off the entire Council of Cardinals to vote for him. He succeeded.

It is said both he and his son Cesare fell ill after a dinner, agonized in pain for some time, and while Cesare recovered, Rodrigo lacked the same luck and, after confessing to a priest, died. Historians differ on whether Pope Alexander VI simply fell ill, was poisoned (and if so, by ''whom''), or if he was a victim of accidental food poisoning. It is said his corpse was a horrifying sight, bloated and deformed, barely fitting into the coffin, and rotting at a very fast pace. He was succeeded by Cardinal Francesco Piccolomini (Pope Pius III, whose pontificate lasted a mere 26 days), followed by Alexander's virulent arch-enemy, Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere (later UsefulNotes/PopeJuliusII).