The Borgias: Power and Fortune

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Introduction:
The Borgia family have become a byword for evil. Corruption, incest, ruthless megalomania, avarice and vicious cruelty—all have been associated with their name. And yet, paradoxically, this family lived when the Renaissance was coming into its full flowering in Italy. Examples of infamy flourished alongside some of the finest art produced in western history.           This is but one of several paradoxes associated with the Borgia family. For the family which produced corrupt popes, depraved princes and poisoners, would also produce a saint. These paradoxes which so characterize the Borgias have seldom been examined in great detail. Previously history has tended to condemn, or attempt in part to exonerate, this remarkable family. Yet in order to understand the Borgias, much more is needed than evidence for and against. The Borgias must be related to their time, together with the world which enabled them to flourish. Within this context the Renaissance itself takes on a very different a...
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July 03 2023
Author:
Paul Strathern
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Sud666

February 24 2023

The Borgias were a famous (infamous?) family that came to power with the rise of Alonso de Borgia (Borja in their original Spanish spelling) becoming Pope Callixtus III in 1455. But this is not his story. Rather, this is the story of his far more infamous nephew-Rodrigo Borgia (one day to be Pope Alexander VI).<br /><br />A brilliant, but hopelessly corrupt and louche, man, Rodrigo would use the nepotism of his uncle to become Vice-Chancellor to the Pope. From there he would eventually politic (and bribe) his way into becoming the Pope. But his two children, Cesare and Lucrezia, would also morph into diabolical figures in history.<br /><br />Strathern's history is not only entertaining but informative. Showing how many of the oft-hyperbolic stories of Borgia's corruption were often grounded in some measure of true events. From the cruel and despotic behavior of Cesare (who was the basis for Machievelli's "The Prince" and not Lorenzo de Medici, who was its recipient instead), to the more unfairly maligned Lucrezia.<br /><br />A fascinating family, who had designs to recreate a sort of Roman Empire dominated by the Vatican. Full of some fascinating stories and peopled with famous characters from history (Friar Savonarola, the Medicis, King Charles VII, etc) and the fascinating tale of the overweening ambition that fueled their rise to power. Yet, along with his venality, Pope Alexander would become a most prominent Pope that would have lasting effects on the Church well beyond his reign.<br /><br />A great history of an important and fascinating family. <br /><br />

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Theresa Smith

May 12 2021

I’m quite fascinated by 15th and 16th century history, I always have been. I find that the further back I go, the more inclined I am to read non-fiction about the era. Paul Strathern writes with such evocation; this truly was a compelling read. This book is not written in the style of narrative non-fiction; there’s no imagined dialogue or recreated scenes of drama. The Borgias is a history book, written in chronological order, charting the rise and fall of the Borgias family. On the surface, this may seem like a dense (boring) read, but far from it. Paul Strathern recounts the history of this family within the context of the history of Europe at the time. This is what sets this book apart and gives it that readable quality; honestly, it was as engrossing as a novel.<br /><br />The Borgias were indeed corrupt and depraved, villainous and ambitious. I was quite shocked at times, the lengths that were gone to in order to achieve power; even more so when it came to maintaining it. They stole from the Catholic church, used its power structure for their own gain; the corruption was rife. A Pope with nine children, two of which were born during his papal reign; Cardinals who weren’t even ordained as priests; sex scandals; thievery; blackmail; murder. One can’t help but think that this was the starting point for the state of affairs the Catholic church still finds itself dealing with today. As well as a history of the Borgia family, this is also a history of the church to a certain degree; at least, within this time frame with a focus on the papal hierarchy and reigns in the decades either side of that of Pope Alexander VI, aka Rodrigo Borgia. I was gripped whilst reading, both with fascination and horror.<br /><br />This family was not sowing the seeds of their evil in isolation though. They were in fact enabled. The depravity and corruption throughout the ruling families, not just in Italy, but beyond, in France and Spain, was not above reproach. There were some really insane people in power during the 15th century – inbreeding to preserve the bloodlines really coming through in more ways than one. Megalomaniacs on a mission to retain their own powerbase were only all too willing to trade favours with the Borgias; everything was for sale, morality a mere hindrance.<br /><br />I’m definitely going to be reading more from Paul Strathern. His writing style is very much to my taste and the way in which he demonstrates historical context takes his work beyond the biographical. I didn’t just learn about the Borgias from this book, I learnt about Italy, Spain and France during this era, the volatility of their relations, the Catholic church and papal reigns, the Renaissance, military campaigns, and even the Pope’s influence on early exploration and colonisation of the New World. It was fascinating, shocking, but above all, entertaining. The most readable non-fiction I’ve read in a long time.<br /><br />Thanks is extended to Allen &amp; Unwin for providing me with a copy of The Borgias for review.

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Helen Carolan

August 12 2019

This is not the first book I've started about the Borgias, but it's the only one I've finished and enjoyed.While there's nothing new in it ,Strathern clearly enjoys his subject and this comes across. No boring long windedness but the story told in an interesting way. As he says how much of the gossip and rumour is true. Yes the Borgias were not saints but they existed in a time when many were much worse.An enjoyable read about an interesting family and an interesting time in history.

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Sarah

June 15 2020

<a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="http://www.bookwormblues.net/2020/06/15/review-the-borgias-power-and-depravity-in-renaissance-italy-paul-strathern/">http://www.bookwormblues.net/2020/06/...</a><br /><br />I’m a big fan of reading about depravity. I get a huge kick out of seeing how weird powerful people are/were, and seriously, what better place to really examine that dynamic than with the infamous Borgia family? <br /><br />Honestly, there isn’t much that is new here. The Borgias have been studied and endlessly written about since Cesere was killing his way across Europe, and the 60 year old Pope Alexander VI was enjoying time with his teenaged mistress. That being said, if you enjoy reading about really uh… unforgettable people, you really can’t go wrong with this family, regardless if you’re already well-versed in all things Borgia, or if you’re new to this family and all its drama. <br /><br />Paul Strathern is a Somerset Maugham Prize-Winning novelist, who has a particular interest in history. His writing, in this book, showcases his talent as an author. At times, this book reads more like a novel than the nonfiction biography of a family. It was incredibly immersive and very easy to just sit back and enjoy. And, while I do say in the previous paragraph that there isn’t a whole lot new here, it is, perhaps, Strathern’s particular focus on this family that presents a lot of the events in a new light. <br /><br />The book starts out with a bit of family history, discussing the town of Borja, in Spain, the family hails from, and what took them from that region, to Italy. Furthermore, there is some elaboration given as to the popes of the time, and how the Borgia family, specifically Rodrigo, managed to insinuate himself in the heart of the Catholic Church. Now, let me be clear here. I basically know next to nothing about Catholicism. I’ve been to a boatload of cathedrals in Europe, and I know the pope is a dude in Rome who wears impressive hats, but that’s seriously just about it, so this part of the book really intrigued me (and the vignettes of previous popes was also one of the most interesting and memorable parts of the book). I guess I’d never really paid much attention to the popes Rodrigo served before he became Alexander VI.<br /><br />Specifically, I had no idea how the depravity so many associate with Alexander VI was, by no means, unique to him. At the time, the handful of popes before him seemed no better or worse than he was. Nepotism, in fact, seems like something the popes in that day and age really specialized in. So, why then did the Borgias carry such infamy regarding debauchery while the others did not? <br /><br />In my mind, a lot of it had to do with politics. Alexander VI had a driving desire to unite all of the papal states and have them ruled over by one hereditary Borgia prince. As you can imagine, a lot of people didn’t like that. Furthermore, the family was (gasp) Catalan, and not actually Italian, and that was a Very Big Deal to a lot of important people at that time. When Cesere was born, his name literally meant “Prince-in-Waiting” which really highlights the desire for a dynasty that Rodrigo was after. <br /><br />Cesare was notorious in the realm. Bloodthirsty and conniving, he was absolutely ruthless and was rumored to have orchestrated the murder of his own brother. Furthermore, it was Cesare who was rumored to have an illicit affair with his own sister. While Strathern doesn’t really waste time on this claim (largely, I think, because he doesn’t think much of it), he does acknowledge that the family—Rodrigo, Cesare, Lucretia—were very, very close and had different views of intimacy that may have raised eyebrows and set people talking. Furthermore, apparently Cesare and Lucretia had a bit of jealousy regarding each other and their intimacies with other people, probably just fueling the fires of that particular rumor. <br /><br />The other child, outside of Cesare, that everyone will associate with the Borgias is Lucretia, the beautiful and favorite daughter of Alexander VI. She was incredibly loyal to her family, and to the vision her father had for a united Italy, and spent most of her life in and out of marriages with families who would support her father’s vision for Italy, and her family’s ultimate goals. Smart, and crafty, she had her fingers in plenty of pies, and also seemed to be either loved or hated, as did most of her family. Her storied life, however, is quite impressive, considering the fact that she was a woman in the 1400’s, she seemed to test a lot of the roles for women at the time, and redefine exactly what women in power should be, and were, capable of.<br /><br />The son that perhaps doesn’t get much limelight is Juan (there are other sons aside from Juan and Cesare as well, but really is it these three children that define the Borgias), who was murdered early on. Juan is not a son that ever gets spoken about much, likely because there just wasn’t a whole lot of time in the dynastic manipulations for him to get spoken about. What interested me about Juan, however, was how much his father loved him. I did not previously know of the sibling rivalry between Juan and Cesare, nor did I know that Juan’s death nearly destroyed Alexander VI, as he refused to eat and drink for several days, as he mourned the loss of his favorite child. <br /><br />(Side note: Cesare and his syphilis got me googling how syphilis was treated back in the 1400’s, when it first appeared in Europe, and I can never unsee that.)<br /><br />Love them or hate them, the Borgia family is fascinating to read about. Machiavelli wrote The Prince based largely on Cesare Borgia’s life. Lucretia is still one of the most storied women out there. Juan, the favorite and fallen son is a tragic story that has been told time and again through the hands of playwriters and other authors. Alexander VI had his eyes set on dynasty, and spent his time as pope trying to not only seize those goals, but trying to promote the growth and development of the Catholic Church as a whole (despite the fact that he wasn’t terribly religious). While he may have been a letch, he also was instrumental in the Renaissance and was tolerable (more than many others) toward Jews, and other minority groups. He focused a lot on poverty, and he threw some incredible parties that are still talked about to this day. <br /><br />This is, perhaps, the strength of this book. There isn’t a whole lot new under the sun about the Borgia family, but Strathern does a great job at focusing on their juxtapositions. They were focused on empire, would do absolutely anything to further their family’s cause, and yet they were instrumental in the spread of the Renaissance. Alexander had a soft spot for the downtrodden. They helped a lot of people who had been looked over by many others in power. <br /><br />If you do not know a whole lot about this period, this is a great place to start. And even if you are quite familiar with this particular story, I do think Strathern’s focus in this book might cast some events in a new, interesting light. There is a lot here, from family feuds, to jealousies, to battles, to land grabs, the questionable treatment of prisoners, and so much more. The Borgias defined the times in which they lived, with all their ruthless power grabs, and their softer, often overlooked side as well. Love them or hate them, you can’t really get more dramatic than this. I think the author put it perfectly: “all one can state—dispassionately—is that they were often better than they appeared…and…on occasion they could be far worse.”

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Peg - The History Shelf

August 18 2019

Renaissance Italy possessed its fair share of knaves, knights, and holy hucksters. But perhaps no other fame and fortune-seeking family of the late 15th and early 16th centuries so embodied the creativity and decadence of the age as the Borgias. Paul Strathern, a polymath author of prize-winning fiction and several works of history, brings his narrative verve to bear on this notorious family in The Borgias. For the uninitiated, it is a fantastic introduction to the Spanish family who came within a whisker of achieving a chokehold over the Italian peninsula in the early 1500s. <br /><br />Strathern is a Somerset Maugham Prize-winning novelist with several history titles under his belt focusing on the era and the people he captures so vividly in The Borgias. His most recent book, The Medici: Power, Money, and Ambition in the Italian Renaissance and an earlier title, The Artist, the Philosopher, and the Warrior: Da Vinci, Machiavelli, and Borgia and the World They Shaped, are a perfect launch pad into a deeper and more detailed study of the Borgia family and their place within the Renaissance. <br /><br />The Borgia family hailed from the Spanish town of Borja in the Kingdom of Aragon, about 150 miles west of Barcelona, and came to prominence with the election of Cardinal Alfonso Borgia as pope in 1455. Taking the papal name of Callixtus III, he was the first Spanish pope of the Roman Catholic Church and felt the resentment of the xenophobic aristocratic families who ruled the city states of Italy during this time, such as the Orsini and the Colonna. The epithet of “Catalan” would be used again for the second Borgia to ascend the papal throne, Rodrigo Borgia, Callixtus III’s nephew. <br /><br />Nepotism was rife in Rome and Callixtus III did all in his power to further the fortunes of his family. He appointed Rodrigo as cardinal in 1455. It was a testament to Rodrigo’s political acumen, savvy, and trustworthiness that, the following year, his uncle made him Vice-Chancellor of the Church at the age of 26. As Strathern points out, “this was one of the most prestigious posts … but it was also one of the most powerful.” At this heady young age, Rodrigo was put in charge of the day-to-day affairs of the papal government, the Curia. It would be his position for the next four popes who followed Callixtus III and provided Cardinal Rodrigo decades of invaluable experience in the art of power and politicking, all of which eventually led to the highest ring on his climb to power: his election as Pope Alexander VI in 1492. <br /><br />By all accounts, Rodrigo was not a pious or theologically minded man. Nor were the men who preceded him in the papal line. Indeed, some of the most entertaining passages in the book are Strathern’s chiaroscuro-like portraits of Pius II, Paul II, Sixtus IV, and Innocent VIII. All were saddled with issues rampant in Renaissance Italy: a plethora of illegitimate and unclaimed children, sexual excesses and debauchery, and a penchant for corruption. Indeed, the venal quest for virtù e fortuna (coined by Machiavelli), or power and luck, were the two animating forces for many of 15th century popes, but it would be an emblematic motto for Alexander VI and his progeny. <br /><br />Most of the book details Alexander VI’s plans to bring the more independent Italian city-states under papal authority and to claim the Romagna as part of the Papal Territory. It’s also a portrait of a semi-dysfunctional family in the ways Alexander VI used his children as tools—and wielded as weapons—to achieve his legendary goals. The choice of “Alexander” as a papal name gave away Rodrigo Borgia’s “fantastic ambitions” as pope. He desired a “united Italy: a return to the glories of Ancient Rome, ruled over by a hereditary Borgia ‘Prince.’” When his favorite mistress, Vanozza de Cattanei, delivered a second son in 1475, he was christened Cesare. It was an apt name for the “prince-in-waiting,” in whose future success in war and politics Alexander VI placed so much hope. Alexander VI’s bold plans for Italy and the Borgia name ended just shy of the mark, but the impact the Borgias made on Renaissance Italy was attested to by their contemporaries, as well as posterity. Machiavelli, Da Vinci, and others rubbed shoulders with Cesare and came to appreciate the virtù e fortuna he embodied. Indeed, Machiavelli’s The Prince takes many lessons from Cesare’s life as a model for how to be an effective and feared leader.<br /><br />Alexander VI’s other notorious child was his beloved and beautiful daughter, Lucrezia. She was the apple of her father’s eye, strong-willed, capable, and rabidly loyal to her family. The close attachments the Borgias held for one another, specifically among Alexander VI and Cesare for Lucrezia, set many tongues wagging in the hot, dusty streets and alleys of Italy. Strathern doesn’t waste ink exploring these seamier claims. Rather, he believes the rumors of Borgia incest (father-daughter and brother-sister) were most likely exaggerations based on a distrust of the “Catalan” clan among envious aristocratic Italian families. While it is true the Borgias had a more libertine and naturalistic view of sex, the author doesn’t believe it should always lead to the most salacious conclusions. In the case of Cesare and Lucrezia, he does concede the rumors of incest may spring from a kernel of truth based upon their noted affection and jealousy but is not conclusive evidence there was ever a sexual component to their mutual devotion. After all, both pursued their separate love interests, were married (Lucrezia many times), and had romantic affairs of various intensity. It remains likely these rumors will continue to titillate and cause debate among Borgia historians for years to come, but Strathern is admirably quiet and leaves it to the reader to draw their own conclusions.<br /><br />For those new to the history of Renaissance Italy, and the Borgias in particular, Strathern’s book is a perfectly paced and highly readable telling of one ambitious and ruthless family. Seen within the overarching history of internecine disputes, land grabs, and power plays among the squabbling city-states and aristocratic families of 15th and 16th century Italy, the Borgias may be distinct—but they are a distinction without much of a difference. As Strathern puts it, “all one can state—dispassionately—is that they were often better than they appeared … and … on occasion they could be far worse.” The Borgias knew how to “go big or go home” in their gamble for power, and this delightful read delivers a payoff for the reader—if not for the Borgias.

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Kasia

April 21 2023

Impeccably researched and easy to navigate history of Borgia family.

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talia ♡

August 19 2022

bad news: my library hold ran out :(<br /><br />good news: i'm not slumping anymore!<br /><br />p.s. i really, really, <i>really</i> f*cking love the borgias. WHAT a crazy-ass, conniving, manipulative family &lt;3<br /><br />----------<br /><br />in a terrible reading slump and still deciding to crack open a 400 page nonfiction book about the family that endlessly terrorized and fascinates? it's more likely than you think.

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lauraღ

June 15 2023

3.5 stars. Whew, what a trip. The Borgias are one of those historical families I know about via cultural osmosis, because how could you not, but there was so much about their entire deal that I had nooooo idea about, starting from the fact that this Pope was fucking and killing his way across Italy. I'm not particularly religious and I don't care about blasphemy, but I guess some of the sensibilities from my Catholic school girl roots must have stuck, because I was like clutching my pearls. BRO YOU'RE THE POPE. Obviously there's still a lot wrong with some parts of the church even today, so it's not like church scandals are an anomaly, but some of this stuff beggars belief.<br /><br />Haha, anyway, it was interesting. A little dense with a lot of names and places to remember, and I haven't read about historical Italy since secondary school, so there were lots of things that I had to take time to absorb and understand, especially when it came to all the politicking between the countries. It's hard to believe some of this stuff when you judge it by a metric of what you think a pope would do (even a corrupt one) and what people in their positions would have been able to get away with. But it's credible enough. I doubt he could have actually succeeded in creating a papal dynasty (because surely the opposition would have ben too great?) but it's fascinating to think about the terrible possibilities. Listened to the audiobook as read by Julian Elfer, which was a bit dry for all this drama, but still good. Very interesting account; I almost want to read one that goes into more detail, especially about Lucrezia, and the other kids who weren't his faves.

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Charles Inglin

October 01 2019

Cross "Game of Thrones" with "The Godfather" and you have the Borgias. This book is an excellent counterpoint to G.J. Meyers' "The Borgias: The Hidden History." Where Meyers casts a slightly more favorable light on the Borgias, who he maintains were smeared by their successors, notably Pope Julius II who was a mortal enemy of Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia). In Meyers interpretation, the Borgias were about average for a period where everyone played dirty. He also casts doubt on the generally accepted idea that Juan, Cesare and Lucrezia and the other children were Alexander VI's illegitimate children. Strathern goes with the conventional story. Yes, the famous Borgia offspring where his, along with several more. After working as the papal chancellor, the most powerful post in the Vatican below the pope, for many years Rodrigo Borgia engineered his election as pope through a liberal amount of bribery. He appointed his son Juan (or Giovanni) as Gonfaloniere (commander of the papal military forces). His elder son Cesare had already been made a cardinal in his teens while his daughter Lucrezia was married off, in the first of three marriages, in an alliance with the powerful Sforza family. The youngest son, Jofre, was married off to the illegitimate granddaughter of King Ferrante of Naples, Sancia, in another political alliance. Jofre? Sancia? One wonders if George R.R. Martin studied the Borgias, because the following years were a military / diplomatic chess game worthy of "Game of Thrones," as Alexander VI worked to reestablish control over the Papal States and solidify his position. In the meantime, Cesare murdered his brother Juan, who was too much of a loose cannon and incompetent military commander, resigned his cardinal's hat and took over as gonfaloniere, had his sister Lucrezia's second husband strangled, became a French duke thanks to the king of France, and went on a series of campaigns, backed by papal money, to turn the Romagna into his personal dukedom. Pope Alexander VI demonstrated a remarkable acquisitive streak, gathering in money wherever and whenever he could, including voiding the will of a wealthy deceased cardinal and taking everything he left behind for the Vatican treasury. Another aging, wealthy cardinal was helped along with a bit of poison. Strathern hypothesizes that Alexander VU's plan was to unify Italy under control of the Papacy, and possibly even recreate the Roman Empire under papal control, as well as to turn the papacy into an hereditary position belonging to the Borgia. In the end, it all fell apart quickly when Alexander died, possibly as a result of malaria. Without the power of the Papacy behind him Cesare was vulnerable to the many enemies he'd made. His dukedom in the Romagna was dismembered, his valuable seized, and in a bit of double dealing and broken promises of the sort Cesare had engaged in, he found himself a prisoner, shipped off to his ancestral Spain, by Pope Julius II. A great story well told.

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Anne Morgan

July 28 2019

"The Borgias" focuses nominally on 4 members of the Borgia family: Pope Callixtus III, Pope Alexander VI, Cesare Borgia, and Lucrezia Borgia. Pope Alexander VI and his son Cesare however, are the center of the book. A decent history for someone who knows nothing about the Borgia family but the vague rumors that cling to them even today, "The Borgias" is not a particularly groundbreaking or interesting history. It's overall focus is the military conquests and power games of Alexander VI and Cesare, with only minor nods to the larger world around them in which to place events in context. The writing is highly repetitive and the author seems to think that his readers need constant reminders of events or people. The phrases "as we have seen" or "as we shall see" show up annoyingly on nearly every page while we are reminded of Alexander and Cesare's relationship in every sentence. Strathern seems to rarely analyze sources or give his opinion of what was going on, what plots were being hatched, or what aspects of the Borgia reputation were fantasy made up by enemies versus reality- or based in reality. Instead we get basic ideas of what was happening, where troops were marching, and who married when and where. Overall, a history I found less inspiring and insightful than I had hoped, and often difficult to remain interested in.<br /><br />I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review