Pope Alexander VI
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Education | University of Bologna |
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His Holiness | |
Spoken style | Your Holiness |
Religious style | Holy Father |
Posthumous style | None |
Pope Alexander VI[Note 2] (born Rodrigo de Borja[Note 3]; 1 January 1431 – 18 August 1503) (epithet: Valentinus ("The Valencian")[6] was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 August 1492 until his death in 1503. Born into the prominent Borgia family in Xàtiva in the Kingdom of Valencia under the Crown of Aragon (now Spain), Rodrigo studied law at the University of Bologna. He was ordained deacon and made a cardinal in 1456 after the election of his uncle as Pope Callixtus III, and a year later he became vice-chancellor of the Catholic Church. He proceeded to serve in the Curia under the next four popes, acquiring significant influence and wealth in the process. In 1492, Rodrigo was elected pope, taking the name Alexander VI.
Alexander's
Alexander is one of the most controversial of the
Birth and family
Rodrigo de Borja was born in 1 January 1431, in the town of
Gerard Noel writes that Rodrigo's father was Jofré de Borja y Escrivà, making Rodrigo a Borja from his mother and father's side.
Career
Rodrigo de Borja's career in the Church began in 1445 at the age of 14 when he was appointed sacristan at the Cathedral of Valencia by his influential uncle, Alfons Cardinal de Borja, who had been appointed a cardinal by Pope Eugene IV the previous year.[12] In 1448, Borja became canon at the cathedrals of Valencia, Barcelona, and Segorbe. His uncle, Cardinal de Borja, persuaded Pope Nicholas V to allow young Borja to perform this role in absentia and receive the associated income, so that Borja could travel to Rome.[13] While in Rome, Rodrigo Borgia (as his surname was usually spelled in Italian) studied under Gaspare da Verona, a humanist tutor. He then studied law at Bologna where he graduated, not simply as Doctor of Law, but as "the most eminent and judicious jurisprudent."[14]
The election of his uncle, Alfons Cardinal de Borja, as Pope Callixtus III in 1455 enabled Borgia's appointments to other positions in the Church. These nepotistic appointments were characteristic of the era. Each pope during this period found himself surrounded by the servants and retainers of his predecessors who often owed their loyalty to the family of the pontiff who had appointed them.[15] In 1455, he inherited his uncle's post as bishop of Valencia, and Callixtus appointed him Dean of Santa Maria in Xàtiva. The following year, he was ordained deacon and created cardinal-deacon of San Nicola in Carcere. Rodrigo Borgia's appointment as cardinal only occurred after Callixtus III asked the cardinals in Rome to create three new positions in the College of Cardinals, two for his nephews Rodrigo and Luis Juan de Milà, and one for the Prince Jaime of Portugal.[16]
In 1457, Callixtus III assigned the young Cardinal de Borja (or Borgia in Italian) to go to Ancona as a Papal legate to quell a revolt. Borgia was successful in his mission, and his uncle rewarded him with his appointment as
In the papal election of 1458, Rodrigo Borgia was too young to seek the papacy himself, so he sought to support a cardinal who would maintain him as vice-chancellor. Borgia was one of the deciding votes in the election of Cardinal Piccolomini as Pope Pius II, and the new pope rewarded Borgia not only with maintaining the chancellorship but also with a lucrative abbey benefice and another titular church.[19] In 1460, Pope Pius rebuked Cardinal Borgia for attending a private party which Pius had heard turned into an orgy. Borgia apologized for the incident but denied that there had been an orgy. Pope Pius forgave him, and the true events of the evening remain unknown.[20] In 1462, Rodrigo Borgia had his first son, Pedro Luis, with an unknown mistress. He sent Pedro Luis to grow up in Spain.[21] The following year, Borgia acceded to Pope Pius's call for cardinals to help fund a new crusade. Before embarking to lead the crusade personally, Pope Pius II fell ill and died, so Borgia would need to ensure the election of yet another ally to the papacy to maintain his position as vice-chancellor.
On the first ballot, the conclave of 1464 elected Borgia's friend Pietro Barbo as Pope Paul II. Borgia was in high standing with the new pope and retained his positions, including that of vice-chancellor. Paul II reversed some of his predecessor's reforms that diminished the power of the chancellory. Following the election, Borgia fell ill of the plague but recovered. Borgia had two daughters, Isabella (*1467) and Girolama (*1469), with an unknown mistress. He openly acknowledged all three of his children.[22] Pope Paul II died suddenly in 1471.
While Borgia had acquired the reputation and wealth to mount a bid for the papacy in
Back in Rome, Borgia began his affair with Vannozza dei Cattenei which would yield four children: Cesare in 1475, Giovanni in 1474 or 1476, Lucrezia in 1480, and Gioffre in 1482. In 1476, Pope Sixtus appointed Borgia to be the cardinal-bishop of Porto. In 1480, the pope legitimized Cesare as a favour to Cardinal Borgia, and in 1482, the pope began to appoint the seven-year-old to church positions, demonstrating Borgia's intention to use his influence to promote his children. Contemporaneously, Borgia continued to add to his list of benefices, becoming the wealthiest cardinal by 1483.[27] He also become Dean of the College of Cardinals in that year. In 1484, Pope Sixtus IV died, necessitating another election for Borgia to manipulate to his advantage.
Borgia was wealthy and powerful enough to mount a bid, but he faced competition from Giuliano della Rovere, the late pope's nephew. Della Rovere's faction had the advantage of being incredibly large as Sixtus had appointed many of the cardinals who would participate in the election. Borgia's attempts to gather enough votes included bribery and leveraging his close ties to Naples and Aragon. However, many of the Spanish cardinals were absent from the conclave and della Rovere's faction had an overwhelming advantage. Della Rovere chose to promote Cardinal Cibo as his preferred candidate, and Cibo wrote to the Borgia faction wanting to strike a deal. Once again, Borgia played kingmaker and conceded to Cardinal Cibo who became Pope Innocent VIII.[28] Again, Borgia retained his position of vice-chancellor, successfully holding this position over the course of five papacies and four elections.
In 1485, Pope Innocent VIII nominated Borgia to become the
Appearance and personality
Peter de Roo gives a flattering summary of contemporary descriptions of Alexander, relating him to have been "of a medium complexion, with dark eyes and slightly full lips, of robust health"; in later life, he reports that "his aspect [was declared] to be venerable and far more august than an ordinary human appearance", and that he was "so familiar with
Archbishop of Valencia
When his uncle Alonso de Borja (bishop of Valencia) was elected Pope Callixtus III, he "inherited" the post of bishop of Valencia. Sixteen days before the death of Pope Innocent VIII, he proposed Valencia as a metropolitan see and became the first archbishop of Valencia. When Rodrigo de Borgia was elected pope as Alexander VI following the death of Innocent VIII, his son Cesare Borgia "inherited" the post as second archbishop of Valencia. The third and the fourth archbishops of Valencia were Juan de Borja and Pedro Luis de Borja, grandnephews of Alexander VI.[31]
Election
There was change in the constitution of the College of Cardinals during the course of the 15th century, especially under Sixtus IV and Innocent VIII. Of the 27 cardinals alive in the closing months of the reign of Innocent VIII no fewer than 10 were cardinal-nephews, eight were crown nominees, four were Roman nobles and one other had been given the cardinalate in recompense for his family's service to the Holy See; only four were able career churchmen.[15]
On the death of
The leading candidates in the first ballot were Oliviero Carafa of Sforza's party with nine votes, and Giovanni Michiel and Jorge Costa, both of della Rovere's party with seven votes each. Borgia himself gathered seven votes. However, Borgia convinced Sforza to join with his camp through the promise of being appointed vice-chancellor as well as bribes that included benefices and perhaps four mule-loads of silver. With Sforza now canvassing for votes, Borgia's election was assured. Borgia was elected on 11 August 1492 and assumed the name of Alexander VI (due to confusion about the status of
Early years in office
In contrast to the preceding pontificate, Pope Alexander VI adhered initially to strict administration of justice and orderly government. Before long, though, he began endowing his relatives at the Church's and at his neighbours' expense.
Ferdinand allied himself with Florence, Milan and Venice. He also appealed to Spain for help, but Spain was eager to be on good terms with the papacy to obtain the title to the recently discovered New World. Alexander, in the bull Inter caetera on 4 May 1493, divided the title between Spain and Portugal along a demarcation line. This became the basis of the Treaty of Tordesillas.[37]
French involvement
This section needs additional citations for verification. (April 2014) |
Pope Alexander VI made many alliances to secure his position. He sought help from Charles VIII of France (1483–1498), who was allied to Ludovico "il Moro" Sforza (the Moor, so-called because of his swarthy complexion), the de facto Duke of Milan, who needed French support to legitimise his rule. As King Ferdinand I of Naples was threatening to come to the aid of the rightful duke Gian Galeazzo Sforza, the husband of his granddaughter Isabella, Alexander encouraged the French king in his plan for the conquest of Naples.
But Alexander, always ready to seize opportunities to aggrandize his family, then adopted a double policy. Through the intervention of the Spanish ambassador, he made peace with Naples in July 1493 and cemented the peace by a marriage between his son Gioffre and Doña Sancha, another granddaughter of Ferdinand I.[34] In order to dominate the College of Cardinals more completely, Alexander, in a move that created much scandal, created 12 new cardinals. Among the new cardinals was his own son Cesare, then only 18 years old. Alessandro Farnese (later Pope Paul III), the brother of one of the Pope's mistresses, Giulia Farnese, was also among the newly created cardinals.
On 25 January 1494, Ferdinand I died and was succeeded by his son
Alexander appealed to
French in retreat
This section needs additional citations for verification. (April 2014) |
A reaction against Charles VIII soon set in, for all the European powers were alarmed at his success. On 31 March 1495 the
Charles VIII's belligerence in Italy had made it transparent that the "politics of equilibrium" did nothing but render the country unable to defend itself against a powerful invading force. Italy was shown to be very vulnerable to the predations of the powerful nation-states, France and Spain, that had forged themselves during the previous century. Alexander VI now followed the general tendency of all the princes of the day to crush the great feudatories and establish a centralized despotism. In this manner, he was able to take advantage of the defeat of the French in order to break the power of the Orsini. From that time on, Alexander was able to build himself an effective power base in the Papal States.
Then occurred a major domestic tragedy for the house of Borgia. On 14 June, his son the Duke of Gandia, who was lately created Duke of Benevento and had a questionable lifestyle, disappeared; the next day, his corpse was found in the Tiber.[36] Alexander, overwhelmed with grief, shut himself up in Castel Sant'Angelo. He declared that henceforth the moral reform of the Church would be the sole object of his life. Every effort was made to discover the assassin. No conclusive explanation was ever reached,[39] and it may be that the crime was simply as a result of one of the Duke's sexual liaisons.
Crime
This section's factual accuracy is disputed. (April 2022) |
There is no evidence that the Borgias resorted to poisoning, judicial murder, or extortion to fund their schemes and the defense of the Papal States. The only contemporary accusations of poisoning were from some of their servants, extracted under torture by Alexander's bitter enemy Della Rovere, who succeeded him as Pope Julius II.[40]
Savonarola
The debased state of the curia was a major scandal. Opponents, such as the powerful Florentine friar Girolamo Savonarola, launched invectives against papal corruption and appealed for a general council to confront the papal abuses. Alexander is reported to have been reduced to laughter when Savonarola's denunciations were related to him. Nevertheless, he appointed Sebastian Maggi to investigate the friar, and he responded on 16 October 1495:
We are displeased at the disturbed state of affairs in Florence, the more so in that it owes its origin to your preaching. For you predict the future and publicly declare that you do so by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit when you should be reprehending vice and praising virtue ... Prophecies like these should not be made when your charge is to forward peace and concord. Moreover, these are not the time for such teachings, calculated as they are to produce discord even in times of peace let alone in times of trouble. ... Since, however, we have been most happy to learn from certain cardinals and from your letter that you are ready to submit yourself to the reproofs of the Church, as becomes a Christian and a religious, we are beginning to think that what you have done has not been done with an evil motive, but from a certain simple-mindedness and a zeal, however misguided, for the Lord's vineyard. Our duty, however, prescribes that we order you, under holy obedience, to cease from public and private preaching until you are able to come to our presence, not under armed escort as is your present habit, but safely, quietly and modestly as becomes a religious, or until we make different arrangements. If you obey, as we hope you will, we for the time being suspend the operation of our former Brief so that you may live in peace in accordance with the dictates of your conscience.[41]
The hostility of Savonarola seems to have been political rather than personal, and the friar sent a letter of condolence to the pope on the death of the Duke of Gandia; "Faith, most Holy Father, is the one and true source of peace and consolation... Faith alone brings consolation from a far-off country."[42] But eventually the Florentines tired of the friar's moralising and the Florentine government condemned the reformer to death, executing him on 23 May 1498.[43]
Familial aggrandizement
The prominent Italian families looked down on the Spanish Borgia family, and they resented their power, which they sought for themselves. This is, at least partially, why both Pope Callixtus III and Pope Alexander VI gave powers to family members whom they could trust.[Note 4]
In these circumstances, Alexander, feeling more than ever that he could rely only on his own kin, turned his thoughts to further family aggrandizement. He had annulled Lucrezia's marriage to
Alexander hoped that Louis XII's help would be more profitable to his house than that of Charles VIII had been. In spite of the remonstrances of Spain and of the Sforza, he allied himself with France in January 1499 and was joined by Venice. By autumn Louis XII was in Italy expelling Lodovico Sforza from Milan. With French success seemingly assured, the Pope determined to deal drastically with Romagna, which although nominally under papal rule was divided into a number of practically independent lordships on which Venice, Milan, and Florence cast hungry eyes. Cesare, empowered by the support of the French, began to attack the turbulent cities one by one in his capacity as nominated gonfaloniere (standard bearer) of the church. But the expulsion of the French from Milan and the return of Lodovico Sforza interrupted his conquests, and he returned to Rome early in 1500.
The Jubilee (1500)
In the
Alexander was carried in the sedia gestatoria to St. Peter's. He and his assistants, bearing candles, processed to the holy door, as the choir chanted Psalm 118:19–20.[51] The pope knocked on the door three times, workers moved it from the inside, and everyone then crossed the threshold to enter into a period of penance and reconciliation. Thus, Pope Alexander formalized the rite and began a longstanding tradition that is still in practice. Similar ceremonies were held at the other three basilicas.[49]
Alexander instituted a special rite for the closing of a holy door, as well. On the Feast of the Epiphany in 1501, two cardinals began to seal the holy door with two bricks, one silver and one gold. Sampietrini (basilica workers)[Note 8] completed the seal, placing specially-minted coins and medals inside the wall.[49]
Personal life
Of Alexander's many mistresses, one of his favourites was Vannozza dei Cattanei, born in 1442, and wife of three successive husbands. The connection began in 1470, and she had four children whom the pope openly acknowledged as his own: Cesare (born 1475), Giovanni, afterwards duke of Gandia (commonly known as Juan, born 1474 or 1476), Lucrezia (born 1480), and Gioffre (Goffredo in Italian, born 1481 or 1482). For a period of time, before legitimizing his children after becoming pope, Rodrigo pretended that his four children with Vannozza were his niece and nephews and that they were fathered by Vannozza's husbands.[53] G. J. Meyer has argued that the birth dates of the four in comparison with Alexander's known whereabouts actually preclude him having fathered any of them, and that his "acknowledgement" merely consisted of addressing them as "beloved son / daughter" in correspondence (while applying the same address to, e.g., Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile in the same letter).[3]
Another mistress was the beautiful Giulia Farnese ("Giulia la Bella"), wife of Orsino Orsini. Giulia was mother of Laura Orsini, born in 1492, probably daughter of Alexander. However, he still loved Vannozza and his children by her. Caring for them proved the determining factor of his whole career. He lavished vast sums on them. Vannozza lived in the Palace of a late Cardinal, or in a large, palatial villa. The children lived between their mother's home and the Papal Palace itself.[36]
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Giovanni Borgia, 2nd Duke of Gandia.
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Presumed portrait of Lucrezia Borgia (attributed to Dosso Dossi, c. 1519, National Gallery of Victoria[54])
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Gioffre Borgia (1482–1517) Prince of Squillace.
Six other children,
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Ercole II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara
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Francis Borgia, 4th Duke of Gandía
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Luisa de Guzmán, Queen consort of Portugal
Slavery
While the explorers of Spain imposed a form of slavery called "encomienda" on the indigenous peoples they met in the New World,[57] some popes had spoken out against the practice of slavery. In 1435, Pope Eugene IV had issued an attack on slavery in the Canary Islands in his papal bull Sicut dudum, which included the excommunication of all those who engaged in the slave trade with native chiefs there. A form of indentured servitude was allowed, being similar to a peasant's duty to his liege lord in Europe.
In the wake of Columbus's landing in the New World, Pope Alexander was asked by the Spanish monarchy to confirm their ownership of these newly found lands.[58] The bulls issued by Pope Alexander VI: Eximiae devotionis (3 May 1493), Inter caetera (4 May 1493) and Dudum siquidem (23 September 1493), granted rights to Spain with respect to the newly discovered lands in the Americas similar to those Pope Nicholas V had previously conferred on Portugal with the bulls Romanus Pontifex and Dum Diversas.[59][60][61] Morales Padron (1979) concludes that these bulls gave power to enslave the natives.[62] Minnich (2010) asserts that this "slave trade" was permitted to facilitate conversions to Christianity.[60] Other historians and Vatican scholars strongly disagree with these accusations and assert that Alexander never gave his approval to the practice of slavery.[63] Other later popes, such as Pope Paul III in Sublimis Deus (1537), Pope Benedict XIV in Immensa Pastorium (1741), and Pope Gregory XVI in his letter In supremo apostolatus (1839), continued to condemn slavery.
Thornberry (2002) asserts that Inter caetera was applied in the
Last years
A danger now arose in the shape of a conspiracy by the deposed despots, the Orsini, and of some of Cesare's own
The war between France and Spain for the possession of Naples dragged on, and the pope was forever intriguing, ready to ally himself with whichever power promised the most advantageous terms at any moment. He offered to help Louis XII on condition that Sicily be given to Cesare, and then offered to help Spain in exchange for Siena, Pisa and Bologna.
Death
Cesare was preparing for another expedition in August 1503 when, after he and his father had dined with Cardinal Adriano Castellesi on 6 August, they were taken ill with fever a few days later. Cesare, who "lay in bed, his skin peeling and his face suffused to a violet colour"[66] as a consequence of certain drastic measures to save him, eventually recovered; but the aged Pontiff apparently had little chance. Burchard's Diary provides a few details of the pope's final illness and death at age 72:[67]
Saturday, 12 August 1503, the pope fell ill in the morning. After the hour of vespers, between six and seven o'clock a fever appeared and remained permanently. On 15 August thirteen ounces of blood were drawn from him and the
tertian aguesupervened. On Thursday, 17 August, at nine o'clock in the forenoon he took medicine. On Friday, the 18th, between nine and ten o'clock he confessed to the Bishop Gamboa of Carignola, who then read Mass to him. After his Communion he gave the Eucharist to the pope who was sitting in bed. Then he ended the Mass at which were present five cardinals, Serra, Juan and Francesco Borgia, Casanova and Loris. The pope told them that he felt very bad. At the hour of vespers after Gamboa had given him Extreme Unction, he died.
As for his true faults, known only to his confessor, Pope Alexander VI apparently died genuinely repentant.[Note 10] The bishop of Gallipoli, Alexis Celadoni, spoke of the pontiff's contrition during his funeral oration[Note 11] to the electors of Alexander's successor, Pope Pius III:[71][Note 12]
When at last the pope was suffering from a very severe sickness, he spontaneously requested, one after another, each of the last sacraments. He first made a very careful confession of his sins, with a contrite heart, and was affected even to the shedding of tears, I am told; then he received in Communion the most Sacred Body and Extreme Unction was administered to him.
The
Commentaries[
After a short stay, the body was removed from the crypts of St. Peter's and installed in the less well-known Spanish national church of Santa Maria in Monserrato degli Spagnoli.
Legacy
The examples and perspective in this section may not include all significant viewpoints. (April 2022) |
Following the death of Alexander VI, his rival and successor
Catholic apologists of Alexander VI have argued that the behaviors he receives criticism for were not atypical of the period.
Alexander VI had sought reforms of the increasingly irresponsible Curia, putting together a group of his most pious cardinals in order to move the process along. The planned reforms included new rules on the sale of Church property, the limiting of cardinals to one diocese, and stricter moral codes for clergy, though these were not implemented.[Note 15]
Alexander VI was known for his patronage of the arts, and in his days a new architectural era was initiated in Rome with the coming of
In addition to the arts, Alexander VI also encouraged the development of education. In 1495, he issued a papal bull at the request of William Elphinstone, Bishop of Aberdeen, and James IV of Scotland, founding King's College, Aberdeen.[86] King's College now forms an integral element of the University of Aberdeen. Alexander VI also, in 1501, approved the University of Valencia.[87][88]
Alexander VI, whom papal rival and successor
Bohuslav Hasištejnský z Lobkovic, a Bohemian humanist poet (1461–1510), wrote a hostile epitaph on Alexander in Latin:[90]
Epitaphium Alexandri Papae |
Epitaph to Pope Alexander |
Despite Julius II's hostility, the Roman barons and Romagna vicars were never again to be the same problem for the papacy and Julius' successes owe much to the foundations laid by the Borgias.[91] Unlike Julius, Alexander never made war unless absolutely necessary, preferring negotiation and diplomacy.[92]
Alexander Lee argues that the crimes attributed to the Borgias were exaggerated by contemporaries because they were outsiders expanding their holdings at the expense of the Italians, that they were Spaniards when it was felt that Spain had too much control on the Italian peninsula, and that after the death of Alexander the family lost its influence and therefore any incentive for anyone to defend them.[93]
On the other hand, two of Alexander's successors,
See also
- Banquet of Chestnuts
- Birthplace of Pope Alexander VI
- Cardinals created by Alexander VI
- List of popes from the Borgia family
- List of sexually active popes
- Route of the Borgias
- Spanish Empire
References
Notes
This article contains too many or overly lengthy quotations. (September 2017) |
- Pier Luigi (or Pedro Luis), Bernardo, Rodrigo, Giovanni Infans Romanus, and Laura.
- ^ Italian: Alessandro VI, Valencian: Alexandre VI, Spanish: Alejandro VI
- ^ Valencian: Roderic Llançol i de Borja [roðeˈɾiɡ ʎanˈsɔl i ðe ˈbɔɾdʒa]; Spanish: Rodrigo Lanzol y de Borja [roˈðɾiɣo lanˈθol i ðe ˈβoɾxa]
- ^ "The Spaniards had been trying to take back their country from the Moors for almost 800 years. By the middle of the 15th century, this reconquest was almost complete, but Spain was still a hodgepodge of competing principalities and, because of its constant state of warfare, still a very backward country. In Italy, on the other hand, the Renaissance, which had hardly begun in Spain, had reached its high point and the Italians, in general, did not look kindly on a citizen of this backward country being elevated to the highest post in the Church. Remember, too, that the pope at the time, besides his spiritual powers, was a sovereign political power with large areas of the peninsula, nominally, at least, under his control. Italy was, politically, in a worse state than Spain. In the south, Naples was a fief of the pope, but its ruler, King Ferrante, refused to acknowledge the pope's authority. In the north of the peninsula, many small principalities vied for dominance and were often at war with one another, changing alliances as rapidly as opportunity invited. In the Papal States themselves, noble families, such as the Orsini and the Colonna, acted as petty tyrants in the cities and areas which they controlled, grinding down the people and constantly seeking to achieve their independence from their sovereign, the pope. These Roman families even sought to control the Papacy itself. It was probably only because they could not agree on an Italian successor to Nicholas V that the elderly Callistus had been elected; one who, in all probability, would not live long...Callistus III was acknowledged by all as religious and austere, though severely criticized for his largesse to his family. But he was surrounded by enemies both within the Church and among the rulers of Europe. When elected, he did what all leaders do, he surrounded himself with people whom he believed he could trust. A Spaniard in Italy, he was hard-pressed to find such trustworthiness except from members of his own family; hence his patronage of them, though it is not to be denied that it was probably also for personal reasons."[44]
- ^ "As for her reputation, there is absolutely no evidence for the rumors of incest with one or more of her brothers – or indeed with her father – apart from that given by her first husband, Giovanni Sforza, during the divorce proceedings, during which several other baseless accusations were leveled in both directions."[45]
- ^ "The holy year 1500 definitively ushered in the custom of opening a holy door on Christmas Eve and closing it the following year on Christmas Day. Alexander opened the first holy door in St. Peter's Basilica on Christmas Eve, 1499, and papal legates opened the doors in the other three patriarchal basilicas. For this occasion, Pope Alexander had a new opening created in the portico of St. Peter's and commissioned a door, made of marble, 3.5 meters high and 2.2 wide. It lasted until 1618 when another door was installed in the new basilica. The door, in turn, was replaced in 1950 by the bronze door, which is still in use. In a ceremony strikingly similar in many ways to today's ritual opening of a holy door, Alexander was carried in the gestatorial chair to the portico of St. Peter's. He and the members of his retinue, bearing long candles, processed to the holy door, as the choir intoned Psalm 118:19–20: "Open for me the gate of Yahweh, where the upright go in." The pope knocked thrice on the door, it gave way (assisted from within by workers), and everyone then crossed the threshold to enter into a period of penance and reconciliation. Thus, Pope Alexander, a lover of pomp and ceremony, formalized the rite of opening a holy door and began a tradition that continues, with few variations, to this day. Similar rites were held at the other patriarchal basilicas. Alexander was also the first to institute a special rite for the closing of a holy door. On the feast of the Epiphany, 6 January 1501, two cardinals – one with a silver brick and the other with a gold one – symbolically began to seal the holy door. Basilica workers known as sanpietrini completed the task, which included placing small coins and medals, minted during the holy year, inside the wall."[49]
- ^ "[A]ll the clergy of the city were invited to the opening of the [1500] Jubilee. The pope himself performed this ceremony on Christmas Eve, 1499, having taken pains to settle all the details beforehand with his Master of Ceremonies. The ceremonial observed on these occasions was no modern invention, but, as the Bull of Indiction expressly says, was founded on ancient rites and full of symbolic meaning. According to Burchard, the crowd which assisted at these solemnities numbered 200,000 persons. Although this may be an exaggeration, still it is certain that, in spite of the troubles of the times and the insecurity in Rome itself, the numbers attending this Jubilee were very large."[50]
- ^ "The permanent group of skilled workers and artisans, in every trade, who with their assistants take care of St. Peter's Basilica."[52]
- ^ Doubtful, but possible. On a similar claim: "Without any solid evidence Giulia is said to have been the model for Pinturicchio's 'Virgin and Child' surrounded by angels in the Borgia Apartments of the Vatican."[56]
- ^ "[T]here is every reason to believe," writes the Dublin Review, that Pope Alexander VI died "in sentiments of piety and devotion."[68]
- ^ The historical value of Bishop Celadoni's funeral oration is said to be immense: "On 16 Sept 1503 Burchardus records in his diary that Alexius Celadenus or Celadonius, bishop of Gallipoli, delivered a discourse to the cardinals about to enter into conclave for the election of a successor to Pope Alexander VI. Et fuit tediosa et longa oratio. Burchardus's most recent editor, Thuasne, states that this oration exists in manuscript in the Bibliothèque Nationale ... He omits to observe that, granting that the discourse may have been too long for the cardinals, the longer the better for us, inasmuch as it contains an account of Pope Alexander of almost unique value, not merely as the judgment of a contemporary, but as delivered in public before an audience of contemporaries whose station in the church had brought them into almost daily intercourse with the deceased pope, and before whom any serious misrepresentation would have been impossible ..."[69][70]
- ^ Latin text: "Dum graviter aegrotaret, factorum conscientia punctus contrito dolentique animo ad lachrymas ut audio fusus, sacrosanctum communionis corpus sua sponte, dilutis prius diligentissima confessione peccatis, petierit, et alia sacramenta ..."[72]
- ^ "Throughout the Middle Ages a 'tradition' or 'custom' involving pillaging was attached to the death and election of high-ranking prelates."[73] And as early as 633, "the Fourth Council of Toledo condemned the violence of the interregnum."[74] Nor were the Romans alone guilty of such misbehavior. In the eleventh century, Peter Damian, writing to the clergy and people of Osimo, sharply reproved the "perverse and wholly detestable practice of certain people, who at the death of the bishop break in like enemies and rob his house, like thieves make off with his belongings, set fire to the homes on his estate, and with fierce and savage barbarity cut down his grape vines and orchards".[75]
- ^ "In consequence of the simultaneous illness of both the Pope and his son, and the rapid decomposition of the body, which, considering the heat of the weather, was perfectly natural, the cry of poison was raised at once; but on 19 August the Mantuan Envoy writes that there was no sort of ground for supposing this."[77]
- ^ "As part of his proposed new reforms, Alexander now nominated a commission of six of the most pious cardinals, and less than two months later a draft Bull of Reformation had been prepared. The pope was banned from selling benefices and from transferring Church property to laypersons. As for the cardinals, who were to be drawn from all the nations, none should possess more than one bishopric; their households were limited to eighty people and thirty horses; they were banned from hunting, theaters, carnivals, and tournaments; and their funeral expenses were not to exceed 1,500 ducats. The lesser clergy were similarly reined in: they must refuse all bribes and put away their concubines."[84]
Citations
- ^ See inscription on 5 Ducat piece File:Roma, alessandro VI, 5 ducati, 1492-1503.jpg "Alexander VI Pontifex Maximus Borgia Valentinus" ("The Valencian", his epithet indicating his birth in Xàtiva in the Kingdom of Valencia under the Crown of Aragon (now Spain),
- ^ a b "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Pope Alexander VI". www.newadvent.org.
- ^ ISBN 978-0345526922.
- ^ Hibbert (2008)[page needed]
- ISBN 978-1-108-01509-7.
- ^ See inscription on 5 Ducat piece File:Roma, alessandro VI, 5 ducati, 1492-1503.jpg "Alexander VI Pontifex Maximus Borgia Valentinus" ("The Valencian", his epithet indicating his birth in Xàtiva in the Kingdom of Valencia under the Crown of Aragon (now Spain),
- ^ Weckman-Muñoz, Luis."The Alexandrine Bulls of 1493" in First Images of America: The Impact of the New World on the Old. Edited by Fredi Chiappelli. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press 1976, pp. 201–210.
- ^ Batllori, Miguel, S.J. "The Papal Division of the World and its Consequences" in First Images of America: The Impact of the New World on the Old. Edited by Fredi Chiappelli. pp. 211–220.
- ISBN 978-0-385-53412-3.
- ISBN 9780136120513 p. 189. [1]
- ^ Noel (2006) [page needed]
- )
- ^ Hollingsworth 2014, pp. 17–19
- ^ a b Monsignor Peter de Roo (1924), Material for a History of Pope Alexander VI, His Relatives and His Time, (5 vols.), Bruges, Desclée, De Brouwer, volume 2, p. 29. [2] "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) volumes 1–5 - ^ a b c "The Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church – Papal elections – XV Century".
- ^ Hollingsworth 2014, p. 36
- ^ Hollingsworth 2014, p. 43
- ^ Hollingsworth 2014, p. 45
- ^ Hollingsworth 2014, p. 55
- ^ Hollingsworth 2014, p. 60
- ^ Hollingsworth 2014, p. 65
- ^ Hollingsworth 2014, p. 81
- ^ Hollingsworth 2014, p. 82
- ^ Hollingsworth 2014, p. 85
- ^ Hollingsworth 2014, p. 95
- ^ Hollingsworth 2014, p. 87
- ^ Hollingsworth 2014, p. 100
- ^ Hollingsworth 2014, p. 106
- ^ Hollingsworth 2014, p. 111
- ^ Hollingsworth 2014, p. 114
- ^ Gaetano Moroni, Dizionario di Erudizione Storico-Ecclesiastica da S. Pietro sino ai nostri giorni, vol. 6, p. 50 (in Italian)
- ^ de Rossa (1989), p. 144
- ^ Mallett (1981), pp. 123–126
- ^ a b c Johann Burchard, Diaries 1483–1492 (translation: A.H. Matthew, London, 1910)
- ^ Hollingsworth 2014, p. 126
- ^ a b c d e Villari (1911)
- ISBN 9028601589– via Google Books.
- ISBN 0-582-21232-4.
- ^ Mallett (1981), pp. 162–166
- ^ Mallett (1981), p. 236
- ^ de la Bédoyère (1958), pp. 154–155
- ^ de la Bédoyère (1958), p. 24
- ^ de la Bédoyère (1958), passim [page needed]
- ^ J.B. Darcy, What you don't know about the Borgia Pope: Alexander VI (1492–1503).
- ^ Norwich (2011), p. 272
- ^ See inscription on 5 Ducat piece File:Roma, alessandro VI, 5 ducati, 1492-1503.jpg "Alexander VI Pontifex Maximus Borgia Valentinus" ("The Valencian", his epithet indicating his birth in Xàtiva in the Kingdom of Valencia under the Crown of Aragon (now Spain)
- ISBN 0-553-21227-3.
- ISBN 84-7681-443-7.
- ^ ISBN 9780883971406, pp. 158–159.
- ^ "How awful was Catholic life under those immoral Renaissance Popes!". Rorate Caeli. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
- ^ Psalm 118:19–20
- ^ "Dictionary: Sampietrini". Catholic Culture. Retrieved 25 March 2014.
- ^ Darcy, J.B. "What You Don't Know About the Borgia Pope: Alexander VI (1492–1503).(FEATURE ARTICLE)(Biography)." Catholic Insight 19.8 (2011): n. pag. Print.
- ^ "NGV Solves Mystery of Renaissance Portrait" (26 November 2008), NGV. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- ^ Williams (2004), p. 70
- ^ de la Bédoyère (1958), p. 94
- ^ "Encomienda or Slavery? The Spanish Crown's Choice of Labor Organization in Sixteenth-Century Spanish America." (PDF). Latin American Studies.
- ^ Stogre (1992), pp. 69–70
- ^ Raiswell, p. 469
- ^ a b Minnich (2010), p. 281
- ^ Rivera (1992), pp. 25–28
- ^ cited by Rivera (1992), p. 28
- ^ Patrick Madrid, "Pope Fiction"
- ^ a b Thornberry (2002), p. 65
- ^ Rivera (1992), p. 37
- ISBN 9780141390758, p. 179. [3]
- ^ Johann Burchard, 1921, Pope Alexander VI and His Court: Extracts from the Latin Diary of Johannes Burchardus, F. L. Glaser, tr., N.L. Brown, New York, p. 179. [4]
- ^ Nicholas Patrick Wiseman, ed., 1858, The Dublin Review, London, Thomas Richardson & Son, vol. 45, p. 351. [5]
- ^ "A Contemporary Oration on Pope Alexander VI", The English Historical Review, 1892, vol. 7, p. 318.
- ^ See also The Oration of Alexis Celadoni, in The Ideal Renaissance Pope: Funeral Oratory from the Papal Court, John M. MacManamon, S.J., Archivum Historiae Pontificiae, 1976, Vol. 14. pp. 54ff.
- ^ Peter de Roo, 1924, Material for a History of Pope Alexander VI, vol. 5, p. 89, note. 112. [6] (Word frequency and page number of specific words and phrases for all 5 vols. at HathiTrust) [7]
- ^ Alexis Celadoni (Alexius Celadonius, Celadeni, 1451–1517), Bishop of Gallipoli, Italy (1494–1508), Alexii Celadeni Episcopi Gallipolitani Oratio ad sacrum cardinalium senatum ingressurum ad novum pontificem eligendum, Publisher: Rome: Johann Besicken, 1503. [8]
- ISBN 9789004165601, Introduction, p. 1. [9]
- ^ Bertelli (2001), p. 41
- ISBN 9780813207070, p. 61. [10]
- ^ a b Cawthorne (1996), p. 218
- ^ "Ludwig von Pastor, History of the Popes, Vol. 6, p. 135". 1899.
- ^ Norwich (2011), p. 273
- ^ Sabatini, Rafael (1914). The Life of Cesare Borgia: Of France, Duke of Valentinois and Romagna, Prince of Andria and Venafri, Count of Dyois, Lord of Piombino, Camerino, and Urbino, Gonfalonier and Captain-general of Holy Church: a History and Some Criticisms. New York: John Lane. pp. 407.
per la mala condictione de aere.
- ^ Gregorovius, Ferdinand (1900). History of the City of Rome in the Middle Ages. Vol. 7, part 2. Translated by Hamilton, Annie. London: G. Bell & sons. p. 519.
- ^ Paintings of a Pope. Publisher: The Catholic Dormitory.
- ^ a b Cawthorne (1996), p. 219
- ^ The Catholic Encyclopedia: an international work of reference on the constitution, doctrine, discipline, and history of the Catholic Church. Vol. 1. Knights of Columbus Catholic Truth Committee. 1907. p. 294.
- ^ Norwich (2011), pp. 268–269
- ^ "Ludwig von Pastor, History of the Popes, Vol. 5, p. 124". 1899.
Under Alexander VI. the taste for theatrical representations made great progress. Plays, for the most part of an extremely objectionable character, were a prominent feature in all court festivities, and also in the Carnival amusements, in which Alexander took a great interest. In 1502 the Pope had the Menaechmi performed in his own apartments.
- ^ "King's College: About". University of Aberdeen. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
- ^ "History of the UV". www.uv.es.
- ^ "La Nau Building – Foundation of the Estudi General".
- ^ Carroll (2002), pp. 363–364
- ^ Bohuslav Hasištejnský z Lobkovic: Carmina selecta, Praha 1996, p.14
- ^ Mallett (1981), p. 265
- ^ Mallett (1981), passim [page needed]
- ^ "Lee, Alexander. "Were the Borgias Really So Bad?", History Today, 1 October 2013".
- ^ Mallett (1981), p. 9
Bibliography
- de la Bédoyère, Michael (1958). The Meddlesome Friar and the Wayward Pope. London: Collins.
- Bertelli, Sergio (2001). The King's Body: Sacred Rituals of Power in Medieval and Early Modern Europe. Pennsylvania State University Press. ISBN 978-0-271-02102-7.
- ISBN 978-0-395-77927-9.
- Cawthorne, Nigel (1996). Sex Lives of the Popes. Prion.
- Hibbert, Christopher (2008). The Borgias and Their Enemies. Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-15-101033-2.
- Minnich, Nelson H. (2010). "The Catholic Church and the pastoral care of black Africans in Renaissance Italy". In Earle, T. F.; Lowe, K. J. P. (eds.). Black Africans in Renaissance Europe. Cambridge University Press. pp. 280–300. ISBN 978-0-521-17660-6.
- Mallett, M. (1981) [1969]. The Borgias (Granada ed.).
- Meyer, G. J. (2013). The Borgias: the Hidden History. Random House. ISBN 978-0-345-52693-9.
- Noel, Gerard (2006). The Renaissance Popes. Robinson. ISBN 978-1-84529-343-7.
- ISBN 978-1-4000-6715-2.
- Reston, James (2006). Dogs of God: Columbus, the Inquisition, and the Defeat of the Moors. New York: Anchor Books. ISBN 978-1-4000-3191-7.
- Rivera, Luis N. (1992). A Violent Evangelism: the Political and Religious Conquest of the Americas. Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press. ISBN 978-0-664-25367-7.
- de Rossa, Peter (1989). Vicars of Christ: the Dark Side of the Papacy. Corgi.
- Stogre, Michael (1992). That the world may believe: the development of Papal social thought on aboriginal rights. Médiaspaul. ISBN 978-2-89039-549-7.
- Thornberry, Patrick (2002). Indigenous peoples and human rights. Manchester University Press. ISBN 978-0-7190-3794-8.
- Tuchman, Barbara (1984). The March of Folly. Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 978-0-394-52777-2.
- Villari, Luigi (1911). Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. . In
- Williams, George L. (2004). Papal Genealogy: the Families and Descendants of the Popes. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-2071-1.
Further reading
- Batllori, Miguel, S.J. "The Papal Division of the World and its Consequences" in First Images of America: The Impact of the New World on the Old. Edited by Fredi Chiappelli. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press 1976, pp. 211–220.
- Burchard, John. Diaries 1483–1492 (translation: A.H. Matthew, London, 1910)
- Burkle-Young, Francis A., "The election of Pope Alexander VI (1492)", in Miranda, Salvador. Cardinals of the Holy Roman Church
- Eamon Duffy, Saints & Sinners: A History of the Popes (Yale Nota Bene, 2002)
- Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th edition.
- The Historical Encyclopedia of World slavery, Editor Junius P. Rodriguez, ABC-CLIO, 1997, ISBN 978-0-87436-885-7
- Loughlin, James Francis (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).
- Pastor, Ludwig von (1902). The History of the Popes, from the close of the Middle Ages, third edition, Volume V Saint Louis: B. Herder 1902.
- Pastor, Ludwig von. The History of the Popes, from the close of the Middle Ages, second edition, Volume VI Saint Louis: B. Herder 1902.
- Weckman-Muñoz, Luis. "The Alexandrine Bulls of 1493" in First Images of America: The Impact of the New World on the Old. Edited by Fredi Chiappelli. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press 1976, pp. 201–210.
- Diario Borja Borgia (in Spanish)
- 1494: How a Family Feud in Medieval Spain Divided the world in Half Archived 4 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish)
- Thirty-Two Years with Alexander VI, The Catholic Historical Review, vol. 8, no. 1, April 1922, pp. 55–58.Thirty-Two Years with Alexander VI The Catholic Historical Review
- Grandes de España, tomo cuarto Archived 1 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish)
- Una rama subsistente del linaje Borja en América española, por Jaime de Salazar y Acha, Académico de Número de la Real Academia Matritense de Heráldica y Genealogía (in Spanish)
- Boletín de la Real Academia Matritense de Heráldica y Genealogía (in Spanish)
External links
- Francisco Fernández de Bethencourt – Historia Genealógica y Heráldica Española, Casa Real y Archived 1 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish)
- Literature by and about Pope Alexander VI in the German National Library catalogue
- "bishop/bdeborjar". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney.
- "Alexander VI." in the Ecumenical Lexicon of Saints
- Duque de Gandía at the Wayback Machine (archived 18 January 2012) (in Spanish)
- Works by Pope Alexander VI at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)