Cardinal De Bokorgia Essay

The Borgia family came from Torre de Canals, which laid in the foothills of the mountains to the Valencia in the kingdom of Aragon. The Borgia’s became landed elitists and were rewarded estates as a reward for the services fighting the Muslim Moors, who ruled Spain during the eighth century. Essentially, the Borgia’s became opportunists and adventurers with an eager ambition to rise above their minor status. Alonso de Borgia, a man who’s greatest success came from when he helped end the Great Schism in Western Europe, in which two rival popes, one in Avignon and the other in Rome, disputed their claims to the papacy in Rome. Alonso was rewarded as the Bishop of Valencia, and was later made into a cardinal. Surprisingly, he led a strict pious and virtuous life, …show more content…
Because he was weak and frail, he spent most of his time in bed. Consequently, when the cardinals met in secret to elect a new pope, the only possible choice was Cardinal de Borgia, for he had a spotless reputation and was not bound to powerful family interests. Reluctantly, to the other cardinals, Pope Calixtus III (also known as Alonso de Borgia) was sickly and feeble, and would not be able to live long. However, whoever thought of this about Calixtus was sadly mistaken, for which in these three years he reigned, he was able to set the stage for the Borgia family to obtain a stronghold onto the Catholic Church, and would prepare the ground for his nephew, Rodrigo Borgia. Calixtus made Rodrigo Vice Chancellor of the Church in 1457, which provided Rodrigo to acquire a considerable amount of wealth. Another nephew, Rodrigo’s brother and Calixtus’ special favorite, Pedro Luis Borgia was created Captain General of the Church, in command of the papal forces. It was only 36 years later and 4 more pope before Rodrigo Borgia came within reach of the Throne of St Peter. This was not a man to follow the saintly path to acclaim papacy. To him, the papacy was nothing more than a business to be exploited for