Cesare

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Cesare Borgia, 1475-1507

No one ever took the opportunities that a powerful father offered more eagerly than Cesare Borgia.  His father was pope Alexander 6th, and his nepotism would be beyond belief if it were not for the examples of the other renaissance pontiffs.  Made a cardinal at 15, he was so patently unsuited for the role he was allowed to resign following the death of his brother.  He was the first person ever to reject the red hat.  He may or may not have been involved in his brother's murder.  I say " Not Proven".
He still influences history, as Machiavelli used him as the model of the ideal ruler, The Prince.
This guy was busy every day of his short life.



He was a fantastic athlete, a great warrior, and a very able ruler.  He was very cruel on occasion, and tried to kill his sister's husband in front of the pope.  Later he had him strangled, and made no bones about it.  He contracted syphilis, new to Europe, and at that time the disease was horribly virulent.  In spite of frequent attacks, he continued to behead bulls with one stroke and was to die after he attacked twenty armored men all by himself.





Cesare Borgia leaving the Vatican after his fathers death, by Giuseppi Lorenzo Gatteri.  

When his father died after a banquet where two other high ranking churchmen took violently ill, Cesare also fell very seriously sick.  Poison may be indicated.  Although Cesare was prepared for his dad's death, his illness prevented any action that would retrieve his position.  The rest of his life would be spent in prison or combat.




Cesare as a young man by Pinturicchio.





Cesare by Dosso Dossi.





Only known portrait of Lucrezia, Pinturicchio, papal apartments.






Rodrigo de Borgia, Pope Alexander VI.





Juan (Giovanni) Borgia, Duke of Gandia.  He was fished out of the Tiber, multiple stab wounds.





Niccolo Machiavelli, Florentine official and political genius.  Met Cesare and saw in him the savior of Italy.

Well, that's it for today.  My computer froze up for the last two days and I had to put something in.  I hope to improve my artwork and make this site more than historical gossip.  But I will leave you guys with this-

"When dealing with men, either raise them to honor or destroy them completely".




Pretty cool, huh?  And one more, a lagniappe, as it were:





Orson Welles as Cesare, Prince of Foxes, 1949.  I saw this as a kid and still think that Orson did Cesare right!






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