Cesare Borgia
born circa 1475/76, probably in Rome — died 1507, near Viana, Spain.
Like nearly all aspects of Cesare Borgia's life, the date of his birth is a subject of dispute. However, he was of Spaniard descent born in Rome either in 1475 or 1476 to Cardinal Rodrigo de Lanzol y Borgia, soon to become Pope Alexander VI, and his mistress Vannozza dei Cattanei, of whom documents are sparse. The Borgia family originally came from the old Kingdom of Valencia (before it was integrated into the Kingdom of Spain) and rose to prominence during the mid 15th century, when Cesare's great uncle Alonso Borgia (1378–1458), bishop of Valencia, was elected Pope Callixtus III in 1455. Cesare's father, Pope Alexander VI, was the first pope who was openly recognized to have children with a lover.
He was an aggressive and calculating Italian military leader, illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI, and brother of Lucrezia Borgia, Gioffre Borgia and Giovanni Borgia
He was made archbishop of Valencia (1492) and cardinal (1493). After his brother's murder (1497), he took command of the papal armies.
In 1498 he resigned his ecclesiastical offices and married the sister of the king of Navarre, a move calculated to win French support for a campaign to regain control of the Papal States.
Acting in concert with his father, Cesare won a series of military successes in the Papal States (1499 – 1503), gaining a reputation for ruthlessness and assassination; his political astuteness led Niccolò Machiavelli to cite him as an example of the new "Prince."
Cesare's gains proved fruitless, however, when his father died (1503) and the new pope, Julius II, demanded that he give up his lands. He escaped from prison in Spain and died fighting for Navarre in 1507.
He was originally buried in a marble tomb beneath the altar of the Church of Santa Maria in the town with an inscription "Here lies in little earth one who was feared by all, who held peace and war in his hand." In 1537, the Bishop of Calahorra ordered the tomb destroyed and the remains transferred to an unconsecrated site outside the church. In 2007, Fernando Sebastian Aguilar, the Archbishop of Pamplona, allowed the remains to be moved back inside the church on the day before the 500th commemoration of Borgia's death.