Alexander VI, born as Rodrigo Borgia, was without doubt one of the most powerful and ruthless Popes in the story of the Church, but also one of the great patrons of artist in the Italian Renaissance. His election as succession of Sixtus IV in one of the shortest and most turbulent conclaves in the history of Rome often was cited as example of corruption, but need to be noted who that was usual in Rome for that times, who the election of the then Vice Chancellor Borgia was favoured by many who feared the election of the Venetian Cardinal Marco Balbo (in a moment in which Venice was kept in isolation by the Church and many other Italian states) and who his successor as Vice Chancellor was definitely more corrupted than him.
Still Borgia, who was Aragonese by birth, used often his political power, both as Vice Chancellor (and he was one of the most powerful ever in that role) and as Pope, for favouring his family (he had many recognized illegitimate children before becoming Pope, and he would name one of them Cardinal) but also the interests of Ferdinand II of Aragon (that was noted specially in his concession of a rather scandalous annulment and in his settling of the recently discovered “new world”)
Alexander VI had two well know mistresses (one before and the other during his pontificate) and eight recognized children, four sons and four daughters: the eldest son, Pedro Luis, Duke of Gandia (born in 1458) was not born by either mistresses and would be the beneficiary of the recompenses for the favours made by his father to the King of Aragon: he was the one to inherit the ancestral family lands of Gandia, and was elevated as Duke of Gandia (before that he had needed to buy the duchy from Andres de Cabrera, husband of Beatriz de Bobadilla, Queen Isabella’s greatest friend, but the sum asked was small) and most important he was married to King Ferdinand’s first cousin Maria Enriquez de Luna, whose family was a junior branch of the Trastamaras. After him and two daughters Geronima and Isabella (both born by unknown mothers and married in the Roman aristocracy, who would lead obscure lives), came the children of Rodrigo by Giovanna de‘ Cattanei (better known as Vannozza): Cesare (born in 1475), Giovanni (born in 1476), Lucrezia (born in 1480) and Goffredo (born 1482), who were also the ones who benefitted more from their father’s pontificate. His last widely know child was Laura Borgia, born in 1492, by his most infamous mistress Giulia Farnese, but some attribuite to him also the paternity of Ottaviano (Vannozza’s last shortlived child, who was likely fathered by the second of her three husbands) and of another Giovanni, Infans Romanus, born in 1498 (who was more likely his grandson).
If Pedro Luis of Gandia was the most prominent of Alexander VI’s children at the beginning of his pontificate, that was due exclusively to age, as his half-brothers, who would greatly surpass him in fame, were still too young. Still Pedro was a valorous condottiero and an able commander of the Papal armies, until his decision to transferring definitely in Aragon in 1490, ahead of his wedding to Maria Enriquez, celebrated in 1492, where he would distinguish himself among the military commanders at the orders of Ferdinand II of Aragon. He and Maria were a solid couple, never involved in scandals, and parents of five children, two boys (Fernando and Rodrigo) and three girls (Isabella, Maria and Juana) and their house would be always know for its loyalty to the sovereign of Spain.
Once becoming Pope, Alexander would arrange other advantageous weddings, this time for his children by Vannozza: Cesare, Lucrezia and Goffredo, as Giovanni had been already destinated to the ecclesiastical career.
Cesare was married at 12 years old, at the beginning of 1488 to the 14 years old Maddalena de’ Medici, daughter of Lorenzo “the Magnificent“, the de-facto ruler of Florence. Her mother, Clarice Orsini, belonged to an important family of the Roman aristocracy and her wedding to Cesare was part of an agreement and alliance between their fathers in which she would marry Cesare and bring him a large dowry and a good revenue, while Alexander would give a Cardinalate and some ecclesiastical benefits to Giovanni de’ Medici, Lorenzo’s second son, who would become a close friend of his brother-in-law.
The second son Giovanni (or Juan) was without doubt the most scandalous of the siblings. He was groomed for the Church since he was very young, but would be always lazy in his studies and little interested in anything excluding spending money, exhibiting luxury and women (many in Rome would say who he had all his father’s vices amplified and none of the qualities).
Lucrezia, the only daughter of Vannozza, was since very young renowned for her beauty, piety and culture: she was one of the jewels of Rome and few were surprised when she was married at 14 years old to the 13 years old Alfonso of Aragon, Duke of Bisceglie and Prince of Salerno, illegitimate son of the King of Naples in 1494 for sealing the alliance between their fathers as the Pope had never made mystery of his intentions to arrange a great wedding for Lucrezia, who was likely his favorite child. The wedding of Lucrezia and Alfonso, who would quickly become a great love, was celebrated together with that of their siblings as the 12 years old Goffredo Borgia was married to Alfonso’s full sister, the 16 years old Sancha of Aragon, and made Prince of Squillace by his new father-in-law. If Lucrezia‘s wedding was highly successful and she would be greatly appreciated in Naples, the one of Goffredo and Sancha was a total disaster, with the bride who ignored her still too young husband and was quickly seduced by her dissolute brother-in-law, Cardinal Juan, becoming his mistress with great embarrass of both families.