Borgia, Cesare, << BAWR juh, CHEH zah reh >> (1475?-1507), was an Italian political leader and a cruel, ambitious man. His ruthlessness attracted the attention of Niccolò Machiavelli, a major Italian political thinker and writer. Machiavelli, in his famous book, The Prince (written in 1513 and published in 1532), praised Cesare as the model of a clever, unscrupulous ruler who would do anything to keep power.
Cesare was born in Subiaco, near Rome, Italy. He was the son of Rodrigo Borgia, a Spanish nobleman who later became Pope Alexander VI. After Rodrigo became pope in 1492, Cesare was made an archbishop and later a cardinal. In 1498, Cesare gave up his religious career for a military one. He took advantage of his father’s power and conquered several towns in central Italy. Cesare created a small state out of these towns. One time, when his enemies began to plot against him, he captured them by pretending to be friendly and then had them murdered. He also had his sister Lucrezia’s husband killed for political reasons. Cesare’s reign ended when his father died in 1503. Cesare’s state collapsed, and he fled. He later became a professional soldier. Cesare died in battle in what is now Spain, on March 12, 1507.
