Book Review: "The Borgias" by Paul Strathern

I completely forgot I had this on my phone and well, it was a good thing I remembered because I could only have it for free until the 16th of September. I started reading it in the morning of the 24th of August and finished it in the next few days whilst also trying to finish another book that I had difficulty getting through (I wasn't liking this other book so much). Anyways, a nonfiction book about The Borgias was something I definitely needed during this difficult time. I hope you enjoy reading about it as much as I enjoyed reading it.

The book introduces the Borgias as a relatively obscure Spanish family from Valencia in the 1400s. Their fortunes changed with Alfonso de Borgia, a skilled lawyer and churchman, who maneuvered his way up the ecclesiastical ladder and eventually became Pope Calixtus III (1455–1458). His short reign was rather unremarkable but laid the foundation for the family’s Roman power, appointing relatives to top positions and demonstrating that even outsiders from Spain could dominate the Italian landscape. I'm not going to lie, even though it is meticulous and calculated, you have to respect the hustle.

Calixtus’s nephew, Rodrigo Borgia, was made a cardinal at only 25 years' old and quickly established himself as one of the wealthiest and most politically savvy men in Rome - again, another hustler on the scene even though it may have not been well intentioned. Charming, ruthless, and indulgent, Rodrigo built a reputation for both administrative brilliance and scandalous appetites. He openly kept mistresses (unusual even in this era) and fathered several children; he then intended to use them as pawns in his vision for the future of the family. The Medici are pretty ruthless, but I will have to say these guys are perhaps more violent.

After decades of careful networking, Rodrigo finally achieved his life’s ambition: he was elected pope, taking the name Alexander VI (of course, after Alexander the Great, not Saint Alexander). Strathern analyses the alleged bribery and vote-buying that secured his seat, emphasising the absolute spectacle of corruption. Yet Alexander was more than a schemer: he had a keen political mind and a laser focus on consolidating power for his children. Honestly, I think that this is what this era was all about - just consolidating power. It was so interesting to read about this guy just rising up and then taking on naming himself after Alexander the Great. I mean if that doesn't tell you something about this family then I don't know what will.

In 1497, Juan’s (Rodrigo's son's) body was found floating in the Tiber, riddled with stab wounds. Strathern looks at how the murder became one of Rome’s great mysteries. How suspicions fell on jealous husbands, rival families, and even his own kin. Many historians (and Strathern himself) suggest that Cesare (another son) planned Juan’s killing, seeing his brother as incompetent and a barrier to his own rise. This event cemented Cesare as the true power behind the Borgias’ future. And of course, everyone who knows about the Borgias has heard of Cesare Borgia.

Renouncing his cardinalship, Cesare reinvented himself as a condottiere (mercenary commander) and politician. With the support of his father and French King Louis XII, he launched military campaigns across the Romagna, brutally subjugating cities, carving out areas for himself. The author portrays Cesare as a terrifying visionary: admired by one of my favourite political writers, Machiavelli (who based much of The Prince on him) yet feared as a man who combined charisma, cruelty, and brilliance. I mean, if there's anyone who is more Machiavellian (except Henry VIII) then please tell me.

By the early 1500s, the Borgias controlled vast amounts of central Italy, and Alexander VI had turned the papacy into a hereditary monarchy. The author show us: Cesare’s triumphant military parades, Alexander’s sumptuous banquets, and the infamous Banquet of Chestnuts, a scandalous orgy rumoured to have taken place in the Vatican itself. Still, their dominance terrified Italy’s great powers, uniting enemies against them. There are great amounts of rumours and propaganda whispers about the Borgias and I guess we will never know if what happened in the Vatican is actually true (I don't even think I want to know).

All in all, as we move on to the fall of the Borgias, we learn about the sudden death of Alexander VI from malaria, the descent of Cesare Borgia and much more. I thought this book was a fascinating read and yes, I will be reading more of these classic immersive pieces of Renaissance nonfiction history so watch out for them.