Anjou, House of, 50, 53
Anne of Brittany, 147–8, 159, 162,
Aragon, Spain, 17, 66–8 House of, 235
Aranda, Pedro, Bishop of Calahorra, 156
Arezzo, Italy, 249, 253–4
Ascoli, Italy, 37
Astorre III Manfredi, 212, 216–7
Athens, Greece, 14, 51
d’Aubigny, 4th Lord (Bernard Stewart), 220, 223, 225
Aut Caesar aut nihil (‘Either Caesar or nothing’), 180
Avignon, France, 160–61
Baglioni, Gian Paolo, 209, 213, 220, 249, 251, 254, 270–71, 287, 295, 317, 325
‘Banquet of Chestnuts’, 237
Barbo, Cardinal Marco, 69
Barbo, Cardinal Pietro, see Paul II
Barcelona, Spain, 67
Basanello, Italy, 9, 92–3
Bayezid II, Ottoman Sultan 99, 111, 115–6, 223
de Beaumonte, Louis, 2nd Count of Lerin, 335–6
de Beaumonte, Luis, 336
Belgrade, Serbia, 28
Bellonci, Maria, 207, 260, 309, 311
Bembo, Pietro, 307, 309–11, 339–40
Beneimbene, Camillo, 70
Bentivoglio, Ermes, 218, 272, 274
Bentivoglio, Giovanni, 218, 254, 268, 270, 274, 281
Bernardi, Andrea, 185, 261
Bessarion, Cardinal Basilios, 22–3, 45, 47, 60–61, 64, 69
de Bichis, Giovanni, 54
de Bierra, Baron, 283
Bologna, Italy, 35–6, 118, 218, 221,
University of, 27, 35
‘Bonfire of the Vanities’, 123–4,
Borgia family, 6, 12, 17–8, 33–4, 116, 129, 136, 157–8, 341
suspected Jewish ancestry, 157
Borgia, Camilla Lucrezia, 322
Borgia, Cesare, 11, 13, 14, 92, 229
appearance and personality, 104–6, 113, 126–7, 140–41, 150, 152–3, 158, 162–3, 186, 211–2, 238–9, 241–2, 252, 281–2, 324–6
appreciation of the arts, 170
as Duke of Romagna, 266–8, 275–85, 317–20
bullfights, 200–201
depravity/cruelty, 97, 137, 141, 198–9, 207–8, 211, 225, 236–9
early life, 94, 104–5
education, 77
exercise regime, 149–50, 200
relationship with Caterina Sforza, 185–8, 190
relationship with father, 94, 106, 126–7, 139, 149, 171–2, 183, 208, 268–9, 300
relationship with Juan, 130–31, 132, 134–5
relationship with Leonardo da Vinci, 170–71, 251–2, 266–7, 282, 299
relationship with Louis XII, 151–3, 163, 167–8, 172, 177, 253–5, 261–5, 296, 319, 332, 335
relationship with Lucrezia, 129–30, 133, 137–8, 184, 203–4, 207, 209, 238, 285–6
spirituality and piety, 238–9
syphilis, 141, 153, 161, 211–2, 234–5, 241–2, 281–2, 300, 336
wealth, 326–7, 329–30, 335
1475: birth, 71
1490: appointed Bishop of Pamplona, 94, 104–5
1492: appointed Archbishop of Valencia, 94, 105
1493: humiliated at Lucrezia’s wedding, 96; appointed cardinal, 94, 98, 106
1495: taken hostage by Charles VIII, 112; escapes to Spoleto, 112–13; takes revenge on Swiss soldiers, 114
1496: has affair with Sancia of Aragon, 128, 130
1497: appointed papal legate to Naples, 134; suspected of Juan’s murder, 135–6; crowns King Federigo, 139; proposes marriage to Carlotta of Naples, 139–40; contracts syphilis, 141
1498: suspected of murder of Calderon and Pantasilea, 138; master of ceremonies at Lucrezia’s wedding, 144; resigns as cardinal, 149; becomes Duke of Valentinois, 149, 151; travels to French court to marry Carlotta of Naples, 152–3, 158–64
1499: accompanies Louis XII on trip through Loire Valley, 164–5; Carlotta refuses to marry him, 165; marries Charlotte d’Albret, 167, 168; accompanies Louis XII on campaign against Milan, 168–9; visits Leonardo da Vinci, 170–71; plans campaign in Romagna and the Marches, 170–71; secretly visits Rome, 179; leads papal forces against Romagna, 179–81; siege of Forli, 181–4
1500: returns to Rome with Caterina Sforza, 185–8; appointed captain-general of papal forces, 188–9; birth of daughter Louise, 195; affair with Fiammetta de’ Michaelis, 199; plans second Romagna campaign, 202–3; has Duke of Bisceglie attacked and murdered, 204–8; embarks on second Romagna campaign, 209–10; takes Pesaro, 210; takes Rimini and Cesena, 212; lays siege to Faenza, 213; winters at Cesena, 214
1501: Faenza surrenders, 216–7; appointed Duke of Romagna, 217; negotiates peace treaty with Bologna, 218; marches into Florence, 218–9; lays siege to Piombino, 220; leads combined papal and French force to Naples, 224; takes Capua, 224–5; rewarded for success of Naples campaign, 226; helps negotiate marriage of Lucrezia to Alfonso d’Este, 232; departs Rome with father to inspect fortresses, 234–5; plans third Romagna campaign, 235, 242
1502: sets off on third Romagna campaign, 249; attacks Urbino, 250; meets with representatives of Florence, 250–51; hires Leonardo da Vinci, 252; ransacks Urbino, 252; flees Urbino to meet with Louis XII, 253–5; visits Lucrezia in Ferrara, 255, 260–61; visits court of Louis XII in Milan, 261; leaves Milan, 264–5; visits sick Lucrezia, 265; plans governance for new dukedom in Imola, 266; Leonardo tours dukedom, 266; meetings with father at Camerino, 268–70; returns to Imola, 270; condottieri conspire against him, 270–74; raises troops to fight rebellion, 276–8; makes agreements with conspirators, 280–81; plans attack on Sinigalia, 281–3; French troops depart for Milan, 283; hosts ball in Cesena, 284; de Lorca murdered, 284–5; learns about conspiracy, 285; marches to Sinigalia, 286–7, 289; takes Sinigalia, 289–92; defeats conspirators, 292–4
1503: executes Vitellozzo and Oliverotto, 293–4; executes Orsini brothers, 295; marches to Siena, 296–8; lays siege to Ceri, 299; briefly returns to Rome, 300; Ceri surrenders, 301; returns to Rome to reinforce army, 303; taken ill, 305; reacts to death of father, 314–15; leaves Vatican and heads to Nepi, 318–20; returns to Rome, 321; reappointed as captain-general of papal forces by Julius II, 321, 324; marches to Ostia, 325; arrested and returned to Rome, 325; pope builds case against him, 327–8
1504: under house arrest, 330; promises to surrender Romagna fortresses, 331; travels to Ostia and is released, 331; heads to Naples, 332; imprisoned in Castel Nuovo, 332; surrenders Forli, 333; exiled to Spain, 333; imprisoned in Chinchilla, 333
1505: moved to La Motta, 334–5
1506: escapes from La Motta, 334–5; travels to Navarre, 335
1507: leads Navarese troops, 336; killed in battle, 336
Borgia, Francesco, Bishop of Cosenza, 175
Borgia, Giovanni (Infans Romanus), 175, 229–30, 260–61, 319, 322
birth, 143, 172,
inherits duchy of Nepi, 245
legitimized by Alexander VI, 229
Borgia, Girolama (daughter of Rodrigo), 64, 82, 92
Borgia, Girolamo (son of Cesare),
Borgia, Isabella (daughter of Rodrigo), 64, 92
Borgia, Isabella (mother of Rodrigo), 25, 33, 64, 66
Borgia, Jofrè (father of Rodrigo), 33
Borgia, Jofrè, Prince of Squillace, 115, 259, 319
appearance, 128
bad behaviour, 166
early life, 92, 94, 104
1482: born, 71
1494: marriage to Sancia of Aragon, 95, 98, 104, 128
1496: returns to Rome after French invasion, 127–8
1499: wife flees Rome, 166; sent to Spoletto, 166
1504: greets Cesare in Naples, 332
Borgia, Juan, 2nd Duke of Gandia, 92, 333
appearance and personality, 103–4, 130, 133
early life, 94–5, 103
relationship with Cesare Borgia, 130–31, 132, 134–5, 188
relationship with father, 94, 130–32
1476: birth, 71
1488: becomes Duke of Gandia,
1493: gives Lucrezia away at her wedding, 96; marries Maria Enriquez, 95, 103–4
1496: returns to Rome, 130; sent on campaign against the Orsini, 131–2
1497: defeated by the Orsini, 132; leads papal force against French at Ostia, 132–3; made Duke of Benevento, 134; murdered in Rome, 135–6
Borgia, Juan (great-nephew of Rodrigo), 173, 175, 180
Borgia, Laura (daughter of Rodrigo), 93
Borgia, Louise(daughter of Cesare), 195, 198, 262, 302, 323
Borgia, Lucrezia, 92, 127–30, 340–41
and Infans Romanus, 143, 229–30
appearance and personality, 102, 127, 128–9, 137, 228–9, 236–7, 246–8, 309
early life, 95, 102–3
relationship with Cesare, 129–30, 133, 137–8, 203–4, 207, 209, 236–7, 333
relationship with father, 103, 133, 136–7, 142–3, 160, 174, 184, 207, 210, 227–30, 237 relationship with Pietro Bembo, 310–11
sexual proclivity, 136–8, 143, 184, 229–30, 285–6, 309–11, 339–40
spirituality and piety, 237–8, 339
1480: birth, 71
1493: marries Giovanni Sforza, 95–8, 102–3
1496: returns to Rome after French invasion, 127–8
1497: abandoned by Sforza, 133; has affair with Pedro Calderon, 138; proposed marriage to Alfonso, Duke of Bisceglie, 141; accused of paternal incest, 142; marriage to Sforza annulled, 142; proclamation of virginity, 143
1498: rumoured to have given birth, 143; marries Alfonso, Duke of Bisceglie, 144
1499: abandoned by Duke of Bisceglie, 166; appointed governor of Spoletto, 166–7; reunited with husband at Spoletto, 174; sent to fortress at Nepi, 174; gives birth to Rodrigo, 175
1500: Duke of Bisceglie attacked and murdered, 204–7; returns to Nepi, 207; returns to Rome, 209–10
1501: left in charge of papal matters in Rome, 227–9; plans marriage to Alfonso d’Este, 232–3; proxy marriage takes place in Rome, 242–4
1502: travels to Ferrara, 244–8; wedding takes place, 248; life in Ferrara, 257–9; becomes pregnant, 259; falls ill, 260; visited by Cesare, 260–61; gives birth to stillborn child, 265; Cesare pays short visit, 265
1503: learns of poisoning of Cesare and death of her father, 307–8, 311–12; sends troops to aid Cesare, 319–20
1504: petitions for Cesare’s release,
1507: learns of Cesare’s death, 339
1508: gives birth to Ercole, 339
1519: death, 341
Borgia, Pedro Luis, 1st Duke of Gandia, 92, 94–5, 172
early life, 66, 71
1462: birth, 57
1485: betrothed to Maria Enriquez,
1488: death, 94–5
Borgia, Pedro Luis (brother of Rodrigo), 27, 30, 31–2, 34–6, 40–41, 44, 49
Borgia, Rodrigo, see Alexander VI
Borgia, Rodrigo (son of Rodrigo), 304
Borgia-Lanjol, Cardinal Juan, 304
de Borja family, see Borgia family
de Borja, Alonso, see Callixtus III
Borja, Spain, 17
Bossi, Lauro, 190
Botticelli, Sandro, 2, 6, 66, 80
Bracciano, siege of, 131–2
Bradford, Sarah, 102, 105, 185
bullfighting, 200
Buonaccorsi, Biagio, 219
Burchard, Johann, 96–7, 112–3, 130, 135, 138, 149, 158, 173, 177–8, 182, 192, 206, 217, 227–8, 234, 243, 248, 259, 278, 297, 315
Burckhardt, Jacob, 101
Byzantine Empire, 14, 23, 28, 51, 58
Caesar, Julius, 11, 180
Caetani family, 174, 234
Calandrini, Cardinal, Bishop of Bologna, 45–6
Calderon, Pedro (‘Perotto’), 138, 143, 229
Callixtus III, Pope, 9, 17, 23–8, 30, 36–8, 42–3, 157
as Bishop of Valencia, 19–20, 34
as Cardinal, 19–20, 22, 34
as secretary to Alfonso V, 18–19
crusade, 28–31, 34, 40
death, 32, 43–4
early life, 17–18
elected as Pope, 23–4
Camerino, Italy, 249–50, 253, 268
Campo de’ Fiori, Rome, 25
Canale, Carlo, 71
cantarella (poison), 305
Capello, Paolo, 202
Capranica, Cardinal Angelo, 69
Capranica, Cardinal Domenico, 42, 44–5
Capua, Italy, 224–5
Carafa, Cardinal Oliviero, 70
de Cardenas, 334
Carlotta of Naples, 140, 150, 152, 158, 165, 167–8, 168
Carnival (Rome), 64, 186, 242–3, 288, 300
horse races, 64, 242–4
Carvajal, Cardinal Juan, 331, 336
de Casanova, Cardinal Jaime, 315
Castel Nuovo, Naples, 332–3
Castel Sant’Angelo, Rome, 21, 27, 32, 36, 44, 63, 81, 110, 125, 190, 322
Castile, 66–8
Catalans, 23, 27, 31–2, 39, 43, 45, 67, 157
de’ Cattanei, Vanozza, 9, 70–71, 92, 94, 106, 113–14, 134, 198, 318–19
Cem, Sultan, 99, 111, 115–6
de Centelles, Querubí Joan, 102
Cerignola, Battle of, 301
Cesena, Italy, 3, 212, 214, 252, 282, 284–5, 317–8, 320, 325, 330
Charlemagne, 111
Charles VIII, King of France, 9, 11, 100, 123, 125, 146, 147, 158
and crusade, 111, 115–6, 119
appearance, 108
invasion of Italy, 109–21
sexual appetite, 108, 115
Chinchilla, Spain, 333
Chinon, France, 162–4
Cibo, Cardinal Giovanni, see Innocent VIII
Città di Castello, Italy, 317
City states of Italy, 4, 28, 79, 84, 98, 100, 118–19
Civita Castellana, Italy, 234
Civitavecchia, Italy, 32, 44, 48, 110,
Clement VIII, ‘anti-pope’, 19
College of Abbreviators, 59, 61, 63
College of Cardinals, 5, 6, 9, 30, 44, 61–2, 65, 149, 175, 228
Collenuccio, Pandolfo, 210–12
Colonna family, 24, 27, 110, 125–6, 166, 174, 225, 234, 297–8, 317
Colonna, Cardinal Prospero, 47–9
Colonna, Fabrizio, 224–5
Colonna, Prospero, 225, 318–19, 332–3
Columbus, Christopher, 15, 99, 117
conclaves
1455, 22–3
1458, 44–8
1464, 60–1
1471, 64–5
1484, 81
1492, 6–11, 87, 89
September 1503, 316–7, 318, 320
October 1503, 322–3
consistory, 9, 42
Constantinople, Turkey, 22, 25, 28, 30
de’ Conti, Sigismondo, 85–6
conversos, 155
Copernicus, Nicolaus, 35
da Córdoba, Gonsalvo, 132, 133, 215, 226, 301, 328, 332, 334
da Corella, Miguel, 203, 206–7, 209, 246, 273–4, 276, 287–8, 291, 293, 315, 318–9, 325, 327, 329–30
Cornero, Cardinal Marco, 197
da Corneto, Cardinal Adriano, 304–5, 314
Corte Vecchio, Italy, 170
Cosenza, Bishop of, 175
da Costa, Cardinal Jorge, 227–8
courtesans, 198–9
Curia, 30, 31, 38, 44, 49
Da Vinci, Leonardo, 2, 80, 84, 258
employed by Cesare, 170–71, 251–3, 266–7, 279–80, 282, 293, 299–300
employed by Ludovico Sforza, 164, 170, 192
Dante Alighieri, 35, 310
Della Rovere family, 65, 93, 281,
Della Rovere, Cardinal Francesco, see Sixtus IV
Della Rovere, Cardinal Giuliano, 4–7, 9–11, 73–4, 80–82, 86–7, 100, 106, 108, 111–2, 160–62, 169, 197, 254, 320–23
as Pope Julius II, 323–5, 327–33, 335, 340
Della Rovere, Francesco (ruler of Sinigalia), 281, 287, 323
Della Rovere, Giovanni, 73
Diaz, Bartholomew, 99
Domesday Book, 280
Eleanora of Naples, Duchess of Ferrara, 258–9, 308
England, 28
Enrique IV, King of Castile, 68
Enriquez, Maria, 94–5, 103, 130,
Erasmus of Amsterdam, 35
Ercole I d’Este, Duke of Ferrara, 230–32, 235–6, 242, 244, 247, 257–8, 265, 308–9, 312, 319, 333
Ercole II d’Este, Duke of Ferrara, 339
d’Este, Alfonso, 230–2, 247–8, 257, 260, 311–2, 319, 340–41
d’Este, Cardinal Ippolito, 307
d’Este, Ferrante, 245
d’Este, Isabella, Marquesa of Mantua, 258–9, 262, 308, 340
d’Este, Niccolò Maria, Bishop of Adria, 242
d’Este, Sigismund, 245
d’Estouteville, Guillaume, Cardinal of Rouen, 8, 45–7, 54, 64, 75, 80
de Estúñiga, Lope, 310
Eugenius IV, Pope, 19, 21, 22, 61
Faenza, Italy, 196, 318
siege of, 212–3, 217
Farnese, Angelo, 93
Farnese, Cardinal Alessandro, 93,
Farnese, Giulia, 9, 91–4, 96, 110, 127, 129, 143, 172–3, 229
Federigo, King of Naples, 134, 139–40, 150, 152, 165, 173, 223, 225–6
Ferdinand II, King of Aragon, 15, 66–8, 70, 95, 100, 114, 132, 147, 332–4
Ferdinand, Duke of Calabria, 226
da Fermo, Oliverotto, see Oliverotto
Ferrante I, King of Naples, 4, 9–10, 12, 20, 29, 32, 50, 53, 58, 73–5, 78, 79, 83, 95, 98, 101, 104, 107–8
Ferrantino II, King of Naples, 114–5, 134
Ferrara, Italy, 84, 118, 210–11, 231–2, 244–8, 255, 257–60, 308–9, 339–40
First Italian War (1494–98), 108–21
Florence, 2, 3, 4, 12, 14, 21, 22, 76–8, 83–4, 101, 109, 123–4, 192, 221,
and First Italian War, 109, 118
and Savonarola, 144–7
and Second Italian War, 215–6
and second Romagna campaign, 218–21
and third Romagna campaign, 248–50
Signoria, 220–21
de Foix, Mademoiselle, 231
Forli, Italy, 180–81, 190, 214, 332–3
Fornovo, Battle of, 121, 148
Fortini, Pietro, 198
Fossombrone, Italy, 273
Fracastro, Girolamo, 117
France, 28, 50, 100, 109–10, 133, 147–8, 150, 165, 167, 173, 177, 196–7, 216
Gaeta, Italy, 328
siege of, 302–3, 317
Galen, 80
Genoa, Italy, 9, 84, 177, 264, 329–30, 335
Ghirlandaio, Domenico, 6, 80
Giovio, Paolo, 241, 295, 305
Giustinian, 283, 300–301, 321, 326,