Alexander VI, originally Rodrigo Borgia 1431-1503
Spanish pope

He was born in J�tiva, Spain, and studied law at Bologna University. The beautiful Giovanna Catanei, known as Vanozza, bore him Cesare Borgia, Lucrezia Borgia, and other children. In 1455 he was made a cardinal by his uncle, Pope Calixtus III (1378-1458, pope from 1455), and in 1492, on the death of Innocent VIII, was elevated to the papal chair, which he had previously secured by flagrant bribery. The long absence of the popes from Italy had weakened their authority and curtailed their revenues. To compensate for this loss, Alexander endeavoured to break the power of the Italian princes, and ruthlessly to appropriate their possessions for the benefit of his own family. He died most likely of fever, but there is some evidence for the tradition that he was accidentally poisoned by wine intended for Cardinal da Corneto, his host. He apportioned the New World between Spain and Portugal and introduced the censorship of books. Under his pontificate Savonarola was executed as a heretic.

Bibliography: Michael de la Bedoyere, The Meddlesome Friar and the Wayward Pope: The Story of the Conflict Between Savonarola and Alexander VI (1958)