Borgia

Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 28. Chapters: Pope Alexander VI, Cesare Borgia, Lucrezia Borgia, Pope Callixtus III, House of Borgia, Francis Borgia, Gaspar de Borja y Velasco, Pedro Luis de Borja Lanzol de Romaní, Johann Burchard, Charlotte of Albret, The Borgia Bride, Francisco de Borja, Francisco Lloris y de Borja, Juan de Borja Lanzol de Romaní, el mayor, Louise Borgia, Duchess of Valentinois, Giovanni Borgia, Borgia Apartment, Pier Luigi Borgia, The Borgias, Gioffre Borgia, Alessandro Borgia. Excerpt: Pope Alexander VI (Spanish: ), born Roderic Llançol i Borja (Spanish: ; 1 January 1431 - August 1503) was Pope from 1492 until his death on 18 August 1503. He is one of the most controversial of the Renaissance popes, and his italianized surname - Borgia - became a byword for the debased standards of the Papacy of that era, most notoriously the Banquet of Chestnuts in 1501. Rodrigo Llançol was born on January 1, 1431 in the town of Xàtiva in the Kingdom of Valencia - one of the component realms of the Crown of Aragon - in present day Spain. His parents were the Valencian Jofré Llançol i Escrivá (died bef. 24 March 1437) and his wife and relative the Aragonese Isabel de Borja (died 19 October 1468). His family name is written Llançol in Valencian and Lanzol in Spanish. Rodrigo adopted his mother's family name of Borja in 1455 following the elevation to the papacy of his maternal uncle Alonso de Borja as Calixtus III. Rodrigo Borgia studied law at Bologna and, after the election of his uncle as Pope Calixtus III, was ordained deacon and created cardinal (cardinal deacon of San Nicola in Carcere) at the age of twenty-five in 1456, and the following year he was appointed vice-chancellor of the church, nepotistic appointments characteristic of the age; in 1468 he was ordained to the priesthood and in 1471 he was consecrated bishop and appointed Cardinal-Bishop of Albano. Having served in the Roman Curia under five popes --- Pius II, Paul II, Sixtus IV and Innocent VIII --- Rodrigo Borgia acquired considerable administrative experience, influence and wealth. On the death of Pope Innocent VIII on 25 July 1492, the three likely candidates for the Papacy were cardinals Borgia, Ascanio Sforza and Giuliano della Rovere. It was rumoured but not substantiated that Borgia succeeded in buying the largest number of votes and Sforza, in particular, was bribed with four mule-loads of silver. The benefices and offices granted Sforza, moreover, would be worth considerably more than fou