With the passage of time the name of Borgia has become synonymous with libertinism and nepotism.
In 1456, Rodrigo Borgia’s first steps down this path were taken: aged just twenty-five, his uncle, Pope Calixtus III, elevated him to the cardinalate.
An excellent businessman and a good organiser, Rodrigo served under no less than five Popes in his lifetime, amassing a great deal of wealth, administrative experience, and influence.
He learnt how to bribe and flatter, and, at the Papal Conclave of 1492, Rodrigo was unanimously elected as Innocent VIII’s successor — the Papacy of Alexander VI had begun.
As Pope he continued to court controversy until his dying day, suspected of numerous crimes as well as openly acknowledging his numerous children by numerous mistresses.
Despite a lifetime of iniquities to draw upon, Mathew nevertheless manages to shine some light on another side of a thoroughly bad man: a patron of the arts, encouraging the development of education and planning reforms of the Church.
First published in 1912, Mathew’s classic biography of the Borgia family’s principal member seeks to present an accurate sketch of his life and times.
Arnold H. Mathew (1852-1919) was the founder and first bishop of the Old Catholic Church in the United Kingdom, as well as a noted author on subjects including Sir Tobie Matthew and Pope Gregory VII.
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