He was determined to make Rome great and his family even greater. His son, Cesare Borgia, was a bishop at 16 and a cardinal at 18, but he probably murdered his own brother, whose death enabled him to resign from the Church and become papal commander-in-chief, conquering new territories for the family. He was brilliantly talented, tireless and terrifying. His victims were found floating in the Tiber every morning. But to Machiavelli, he was the ideal of the Renaissance prince. Cesare Borgia was the Pope's flamboyant enforcer and henchman. No one was safe in his reign of terror. Corruption, war and assassination were as much part of Rome's renaissance as the exquisite art. And the popes and cardinals were often as debauched as they were priestly. The Borgias shamelessly turned the Vatican into a palace of pleasure. The Pope himself had many lovers and fathered many children. Historian Mary Hollingsworth has been studying an account written by a senior courtier which provides a rather interesting insight into Borgia life at the Vatican.


他决定振兴罗马、兴旺家族。他的儿子恺撒·博尔吉亚16岁成为主教，18岁成为红衣主教。不过他因涉嫌谋杀自己的弟弟而退位让贤之后便成为教皇军统领，为家族南征北讨。他才干出众、精力充沛、残暴冷酷。早晨台伯河里的浮尸告诉人们反对他的下场。然而就马吉雅维利的观点而言，他是文艺复兴时期最理想的王子。凯撒博尔吉亚是教皇权利的执行者和忠实追随者。在他的恐怖统治下无人能够幸免。在文艺复兴时期，罗马以艺术而令人称道，然而这里也却藏污纳垢：贪污腐败、战争和刺杀层出不穷。这里的主教和红衣主教在做僧侣时就生活奢靡。博尔吉亚家族将梵蒂冈变成了“极乐宫”却没有感到丝毫羞愧。教皇本人蓄养了不少姬妾，和他们生了许多孩子。历史学家玛丽霍林斯沃斯正在研究一本手册，这本手册是当年一位重臣所录，他对博尔吉亚家族在梵蒂冈的生活十分关注。