Cesare Borgia (13 September 1475 – 12 March 1507) was a general of the Papal States and the son of Pope Alexander VI. From the Spanish House of Borgia, Cesare was a brilliant commander who conquered all those who defied his father. After his father's death in 1503, he became a freelance general and his aid was invited by John III of Navarre in 1507 during the Siege of Viana; he was killed in action.
Biography[]
Rise to Power[]
Borgia as a cardinal
Born to Rodrigo Borgia's mistress Vannozza dei Cattanei, Cesare studied law then became a cardinal when he was only eighteen. Meanwhile, his older brother Juan, Rodrigo's favorite, became the Captain General of the Papal forces. Cesare realized that his life would lead to a dead end; his brother was going to get everything. He knew exactly what to do. His brother had to go.
By 1499 Juan was dead and Cesare had become Captain General, succeeding Domenico Doria. He married a royal French bride (Charlotte of Albret), securing her title and an alliance with King Louis XII of France. With the aid of the King's forces, Cesare marched on Romagna.
Cesare Borgia in France
His ruthless drive for power was unprecedented. When Cesare conquered Faenza he invited the much-beloved Lord of the city, the gallant seventeen-year-old Astorre III Manfredi of Faenza, into his army. Astorre and Cesare really hit it off, but Astorre posed a threat to Cesare: he was Lord of Faenza due to his bloodline. So when Cesare got back to Rome, he had both Astorre and his younger brother drowned by tying rocks to their feet and throwing them in the Tiber.
Cesare also proved to be a brilliant general. He seized the city of Urbino without a fight, through the help of the Pope. The plan was simple: the Pope requested a loan of artillery from the Duke, his supposed ally. Once the Duke had sent the artillery, Urbino was defenseless and Cesare invaded.
Campaigns in the Romagna[]
Borgia as a general, 1499
In 1500, Borgia continued his brilliant campaigns in Tuscany by capturing Monteriggioni with French-supplied cannon and troops, killing condottiero Mario Auditore and taking over the last major stronghold of the Italian Brotherhood of Assassins. Borgia took over with the help of his generals Juan Borgia the Elder, Micheletto Corella, and the Frenchman, Baron Octavian de Valois, who wanted to take over control of Italy for France.
However, his invasion of Romagna was foiled when his assistant Francesco Troche unwisely told his brother Senator Egidio Troche Cesare's plans, which he relayed to the Venetian Ambassador. Francesco was killed by Micheletto, strangled to death like many of his victims, and thrown in the Tiber. Cesare left again for campaigns in Urbino and elsewhere, but when he returned he found out that Juan Borgia and the Baron de Valois were dead at the hands of assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze, the nephew of Mario and an opponent of the House of Borgia.
Losing Control of Rome[]
The Pope is killed
Cesare Borgia returned to his father at the Castello Sant'Angelo in 1503, where he was told of the grim tidings. His father had mistrusted him and poisoned apples that he was to eat, and the plot was only foiled when Lucrezia warned Cesare. A vengeful Cesare forced an apple into his father's mouth, killing him, and he searched for the Apple of Eden (a powerful relic) that his father had hidden at the Saint Peter pavilion.
Borgia headed to the Pavilion, but he was struck by his poison and cringed, tellig his guards to attack as he fled. He abandoned his men several times as Ezio chased him out of the city, and his last stand was outside the castle gates. He ordered his troops to attack, but the last of them were killed, and he noticed Papal troops behind them, and Cesare told Ezio that these were the men of Micheletto, who had come to find him. However, they were the men of Fabio Orsini, who arrested him for murder, betrayal, and incest. He was jailed for years, but managed to escape and lived in poverty.
[]
Borgia fled to Spain to live in exile, and he was invited to become a general of King John III of Navarre, who wanted an experienced general to lead his forces in his war against Louis II de Beaumont of Lerin, who was an ally of the Kingdom of Castile. In 1507 he took part in the Siege of Viana against Beaumont and his army, leading 10,000 troops. Excitedly, he wrote a letter to Lucrezia: "Once the Castle has been pacified, I will regain the support of the French and march back into Rome".
Death[]
Although he had stormed the city and was on the verge of victory, he was encountered by Ezio on the walls of the castle in a final duel. Ezio killed all of the Navarrese attackers sent by Cesare to kill him, and after disarming and defeating him, he knocked him to the floor. Cesare told him that he could not be killed, and that he would have made a better world. Ezio told him that he would leave him in the hands of fate, and let him fall from the castle walls.