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West European History-Borgias

Introduction

The Borgia Family has come down to the history as the epitome of Papal corruption. Researchers of Italian and religious history has come up with certain prepositions that the Borgias were dissolute and corrupt and they were no worse or better than other noble families of their time (Watchorn, 2008, p.30).

DiscussionBorgia Family as The Epitome Of Papal Corruption

The Papal States was donated by Frankish ruler Pepin and the profit gained from it was invested by the medieval and Renaissance popes to centralize Church and build their enormous political power. The Papal States were in control of Borgia family, during the Renaissance. Rodrigo Borgia, born in Spain in 1431, was the family patriarch. Among his many children, two are well known i.e. Cesare and Lucrezia. Cesare was his favorite son and he was accused of killing his own brother Juan. Around 1502, Cesare robbed the Dukedom of Urbino and stole art treasure worth of approximately 150,000 ducats, includes silver, tapestries, and paintings. Afterwards he tried to build a heredity monarchy in central Italy and Machiavelli considered him as the ideal prince and that's why praised him highly. Cesare also used her sister, Lucrezia, as a wager in marriage game just to increase his power. She was forced to married Giovanni Sforza when she was only thirteen. However, later on the marriage annulled when Alfonso of Aragon appeared as her more appropriate partner. Cesare later on also murdered Alfonso and her sister married the Duke of Ferra. In 1507 Cesare died in a battle (Vess and Jones, 2006, p.266).

Father of Lucrezia and Cesare were become the two popes, Pope Callistus III and Pope Alexander VI, by the Borgia family. Pope Alexander procured highly for his son's power in the church and appointed Cesare as a cardinal in the church. Alexander VI was the epitome of the corruption of the Renaissance papacy. He also divided the new world of Portugal and Spain by issuing a bull and forced a tithe for battles against the Turks (Vess and Jones, 2006, p.266). These activities of Alexander and Cesare aroused immense opposition within the Papal States and other Italian states. Over the sixty years period, from 1470 to 1530, six popes which include Borgia as well, carried the venality and spectacularly calamitous power politics. Their governance didn't answer the cry for reform, they ignored all protests and warnings of revolt and finally ended by tearing apart the unity of Christendom and lose almost half the Papal constituency. It was perhaps the most ensuing hostility and fratricidal war in Western history that brought the epitome of Papal corruption by Borgias.

Greed and ambition of the Borgia Popes behind the Papal apartments of the Vatican and the architecture of Bramante

In Alexander days a new architectural era was initiated in Rome with the coming of Bramante. A family so steeped in vice and crime took pleasure in the most exquisite works of art (www.all-history.org). However, behind these architectures there were ...