Unveiling the history of one of the most notorious dynasties in papal history, Danny Chaplin, acclaimed author of "Sengoku Jidai: Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu: Three Unifiers of Japan," presents a fresh narrative of the Borgia clan. In this new work, Chaplin neither shies away from their gruesome deeds nor attempts to whitewash the legacy of one of history's most infamous papal families.
The Borgias epitomized the quintessential Renaissance phenomenon: a family ascending from relative obscurity in the priesthood to the pinnacle of political and pontifical power in the vibrant Italy of the 1400s. Propelled by the reigns of two popes, Calixtus III and Alexander VI, the family initially held sway as princes of the Church and key players in European clerical politics. From the devout, crusading Pope Calixtus to the corrupt, sensual, and nepotistic Pope Alexander (Rodrigo Borgia), this Spanish lineage from Valencia swiftly emerged as Rome's major power players.
Later, Cesare Borgia, the archetype for Niccolò Machiavelli's Renaissance prince, carved his own path as a secular lord. As "Il duco Valentino," he left a trail of conquest and devastation across central Italy. The Borgias brokered alliances with kings, princes, and dukes through coercion and force, seizing Church lands for their own gain. Navigating the delicate balance between the emerging superpowers of France and Spain, they became entangled in the fierce rivalry that unfolded on the Italian Peninsula. Their notorious murders, assassinations, and poisonings have left an indelible mark on European history.
Five centuries later, the names of Rodrigo Borgia, Cesare Borgia, Juan Borgia, and their sister Lucrezia Borgia remain synonymous with the flaws of the Renaissance papal establishment. But is the prevailing judgment on the Borgias entirely accurate or justified? Cinematic in scope, this meticulously researched history revisits their lives and legacy with uncompromising honesty, placing them within the context of late fifteenth-century Italian power dynamics.
