The Borgias: Power, Scandal, and Corruption in Renaissance Italy (Part1)

Life in Renaissance Italy was anything but easy. Unlike the unified country we know today, the Italian peninsula was fractured into rival kingdoms and city-states. Nobles, monarchs, and church leaders constantly vied for land and power, and the resulting wars brought poverty and suffering to ordinary people.

In this cutthroat world, only the ruthless could rise. Few families illustrate this better than the Borgias—an ambitious clan that climbed from minor nobility to the papacy itself. If you think politics today is corrupt, the story of the Borgias will make modern scandals look tame.

From Spain to Rome

Despite being remembered as an infamous Italian dynasty, the Borgias actually began in Spain. Their original name, de Borja, came from the small town of Borja in the province of Zaragoza. The family served the kings of Aragon, though for centuries they remained relatively unremarkable.

Their fortunes changed only after they moved to Rome, where their rise to power truly began.

Alfonso de Borja Becomes Pope Callixtus III

The family’s first great success came with Alfonso de Borja (1378–1458). Trained in both civil and canon law, Alfonso worked as a legal scholar before entering church service. His skill as a diplomat impressed King Alfonso V of Aragon, who employed him as secretary and envoy to the Vatican.

Alfonso’s reputation as a shrewd yet pious mediator earned him the red hat of a cardinal in 1444. A decade later, despite being in his seventies and suffering from gout, he was elected pope—taking the name Callixtus III.

Callixtus was energetic and determined, launching a costly crusade to retake Constantinople. Yet he also promoted his nephews to powerful positions, angering Romans who saw it as shameless nepotism. When he died in 1458, riots broke out against the Spanish influence he had encouraged.

Rodrigo Borgia: Scandalous Cardinal

One of those nephews was Rodrigo Borgia, a man whose reputation would eclipse even his uncle’s. As a young cardinal, Rodrigo quickly became notorious for his excesses. He was Spanish by birth, which already made him unpopular among Italians, but his personal life caused even greater scandal.

Rodrigo threw lavish orgies, kept multiple mistresses, and fathered several illegitimate children—all while holding the powerful office of Vice-Chancellor of the Church. Even Pope Pius II, once his ally, scolded him after one particularly outrageous party in Siena.

Corruption and Bribery

Rodrigo’s power didn’t just come from charm. He also mastered the art of corruption. As Vice-Chancellor, he turned his position into a money-making machine by selling favors, divorces, and church appointments.

The wealth he accumulated allowed him to buy estates, build luxurious palaces, and strategically support papal candidates who would later reward him with influence and privileges for his family.

The Election of Alexander VI

When Pope Innocent VIII died in 1492, Rodrigo seized his chance. Though viewed as an outsider, he was wealthy enough to buy the papacy outright. Historians agree he bribed cardinals with money, land, and titles—reportedly even paying off his main rival to step aside.

At the age of 61, Rodrigo Borgia became Pope Alexander VI.

Instead of reforming his image, Alexander openly acknowledged his illegitimate children, shocking his contemporaries. Yet despite his scandalous private life, he proved to be a capable administrator who managed the sprawling papal territories more effectively than many of his predecessors.

Scandal in the Apostolic Palace

Alexander’s papacy, however, was never free from controversy. Prostitutes were said to roam the Vatican, and rumors swirled about his decadent banquets. The most infamous account, known as the “Banquet of Chestnuts,” described naked courtesans crawling across the floor to collect chestnuts before an orgy ensued.

While this lurid tale survives only in the diary of papal master of ceremonies Johann Burchard and is debated by historians, it captures the reputation Alexander carried during his reign.

The Affair with Giulia Farnese

Alexander’s most famous mistress was Giulia Farnese, nicknamed La Bella for her extraordinary beauty. Married at a young age into the Orsini family, she quickly became the cardinal’s lover.

When Giulia tried to return to her husband, Rodrigo threatened her with excommunication, ensuring her continued presence at his side. As pope, Alexander elevated her brother, Alessandro Farnese, to the rank of cardinal—a promotion that would eventually pave the way for Alessandro to become Pope Paul III.

Conflict with Savonarola

Not everyone tolerated Alexander’s corruption. In Florence, the fiery Dominican friar Girolamo Savonarola denounced the pope and the moral decay of Italy. His sermons, combined with the French invasion of 1494, electrified the city and earned him enormous influence.

Alexander initially laughed off the accusations but soon excommunicated Savonarola. In 1498, the friar was burned at the stake in Florence—an execution carried out with papal approval.

Legacy of the Borgias

The story of the Borgias did not end with Alexander VI. His children, Cesare and Lucrezia, became notorious figures in their own right, shaping both politics and myth in Renaissance Italy.

From their Spanish origins to their domination of Rome, the Borgias embodied both the brilliance and the corruption of the Renaissance world. Their legacy remains one of the most infamous in church history—where ambition, scandal, and power collided at the heart of Christendom.