Cesare Borgia

Cesare Borgia (c. 1475–1507) was an Italian nobleman, papal military leader, and Duke of Valentinois who sought to establish a state in central Italy.

Pope Alexander VI: Rodrigo Borgia, pope from 1492 to 1503 and Cesare Borgia’s father. His papacy supplied the authority and resources behind Cesare’s rise.
Papal States: Territories in central Italy governed by the pope as a temporal ruler. Cesare’s conquests targeted lands within and around this papal domain.
Niccolò Machiavelli: A Florentine diplomat and political writer who observed Cesare Borgia during missions to his court. Machiavelli’s account helped make Cesare a lasting example in political thought.
The Prince: A political treatise by Niccolò Machiavelli, written in the early sixteenth century and published in 1532. Machiavelli presents Cesare as a case in acquiring and losing political power.
House of Borgia: A Spanish-origin noble family that rose to prominence in Renaissance Italy. Cesare’s ambitions were inseparable from his family’s ascent in Rome.
Romagna: A region of northeastern Italy whose cities Cesare Borgia conquered for Pope Alexander VI. It became the core territory of Cesare’s short-lived dominion.
Louis XII of France: King of France from 1498 to 1515, whose support aided Cesare Borgia’s rise. French backing helped Cesare secure his title and pursue campaigns in Italy.
Revolt of the Condottieri: A 1502 conspiracy by Cesare Borgia’s commanders against his expanding authority. The revolt exposed how quickly his coalition could turn against him.
Renaissance Italy: The culturally vibrant and politically fragmented Italian peninsula from the fourteenth to sixteenth centuries. Its competing states created opportunities for Cesare’s territorial campaign.
Duchy of Valentinois: A French duchy whose title was granted to Cesare Borgia in 1498. The title reflected French patronage and gave Cesare his familiar epithet.

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