Cesare Borgia

Duke of Romagna and former Catholic cardinal

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Lived 1475–1507, aged 32Italy

Italy Historical Figures

Wikipedia
54 languages
Cross-language footprint
Era
1475–1507
Aged 32
Awards
2
recognised works

Summary

Updated 2026-06-08

The pope's son who quit the Church to become a warlord — and in doing so, gave Machiavelli the blueprint for *The Prince*.

Biography

About

Cesare Borgia was the illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI, installed as a cardinal when his father took the papacy. After his brother's death in 1498, he resigned his Church position and reinvented himself as a condottiero. Around 1500 he fought for King Louis XII of France, occupying Milan and Naples during the Italian Wars while carving out his own state in Central Italy. His father's death cut the run short — he couldn't hold power without that papal backing. But Niccolò Machiavelli had been watching, and Borgia's ruthless, calculated reach for control became the major inspiration for *Th…

Voice

In their own words

Sourced, dated quotes from Cesare Borgia

Cesare Borgia

saidDec 1502

Without any sign of alteration.

— Cesare, in reply to Machiavelli, on not having a reputation similar to that of other lords (December 1502) as quoted by Rafael Sabatini,

Cesare Borgia

saidDec 1502

This is what I wanted to tell Monsignor di Volterra [Soderini] when he came to Urbino, but I could not entrust him with the secret.

— Cesare to Machiavelli, after telling him why he ordered his men to attack the soldiers of Vitelli and Orsini (December 1502) as quoted by

Cesare Borgia

saidOct 1502

[I] had not forgotten the way to reconquer it [Urbino].

— Cesare to Machiavelli, after the loss of Urbino (October 1502), as quoted by Rafael Sabatini, 'The Life of Cesare Borgia', Chapter XV:

Cesare Borgia

saidOct 1502

The constellations this year seem unfavourable to rebels.

— Cesare to Machiavelli (October 1502), as quoted by Rafael Sabatini, 'The Life of Cesare Borgia', Chapter XV: Machiavelli's Legation

Cesare Borgia

saidOct 1502

Diet of bankrupts... To-day, Messer Paolo is to visit me, and to-morrow there will be the cardinal; and thus they think to befool me, at their pleasure.

— Cesare to Machiavelli about his contempt for the Orsini (October 1502), as quoted by Rafael Sabatini, 'The Life of Cesare Borgia', Chapter

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