Cesare Borgia [ b ] 13 September — 12 March was a Roman Catholic deacon — cardinal and later an Italian condottiero mercenary. After initially entering the Church and becoming a cardinal on his father's election to the papacy, he resigned his diaconal profession after the death of his brother in At the same time, he carved out a state for himself in Central Italy , but he was unable to retain power for long after his father's death.
Like many aspects of Cesare Borgia's life, the date of his birth is a subject of dispute. The Borgia family originally came from the Kingdom of Valencia , and rose to prominence during the midth century. The Italian historian Stefano Infessura writes that Cardinal Borgia falsely claimed Cesare to be the legitimate son of another man—Domenico d'Arignano, the nominal husband of Vannozza dei Cattanei.
More likely, Pope Sixtus IV granted Cesare a release from the necessity of proving his birth in a papal bull of 1 October Cesare was initially groomed for a career in the Roman Catholic Church. In , he had also been appointed bishop of both Castres and Elne. In , he also received the title of abbot of the abbey of Saint-Michel-de-Cuxa. Alexander VI staked the hopes of the Borgia family on Cesare's brother Giovanni , who was made captain-general of the military forces of the papacy.
Giovanni was assassinated in under mysterious circumstances. Several contemporaries suggested that Cesare might have been his killer, [ 7 ] as Giovanni's disappearance could finally open to him a long-awaited military career and also solve the jealousy over Sancha of Aragon , wife of Cesare's younger brother, Gioffre , and mistress of both Cesare and Giovanni.
However, he had no definitive motive, as he was likely to be given a powerful secular position, whether or not his brother lived.
