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| Depiction of the Borgias in the BBC drama series
As scholars of history, we are taught that it is essential not only to take in the significant events in a period of time, but to also look at these events in the context of that period. If we fail to do this, we are subject to the limitations of a single point of view and we are thus unable to create a holistic and accurate picture of the time period. A famous example of this is the depiction of the House of Borgia, a prominent ecclesial and political family in Renaissance Italy. The Borgias have been popularized as scandalous, salacious, and corrupt through, not only historical texts, but also through dramatized television shows. By closely examining the so called “misdeeds” of this family in the context of 16th-17th century Italy, many would be surprised to find that these misdeeds are not all that abnormal, or even unacceptable for the given time period.
During this time in the Italian Renaissance church and state were one of the same. To have papal power was to have political influence. It is as a result of this concentration of power, that many powerful and wealthy families vied for papal authority, the Borgias being one of them. The family’s founder, Alfons de Borja, later Pope Callixtus III, rose to power as a law scholar and brilliant political figure in Valencia, Spain. Through his rise to power he was sent to Naples as a cardinal and later to the Vatican as the newly elected pope. During his time in the papacy he was accused of nepotism when he promoted his nephew Rodrigo to cardinal, who later became Pope Alexander VI in 1492. Early historians and recent media depictions have displayed this act as heinously corrupt and immoral. However, during this era, nepotism was not at all uncommon for those in power. Many of the popes and cardinals promoted friends and family members in the hopes to attain more political and spiritual influence. Alfons de Borja has also been depicted as highly sexually active, even keeping a few mistresses. Again, for men in power, especially popes and cardinals, having a sexually active lifestyle and keeping many lovers was not seen as abnormal in the slightest. Many of Borgia’s contemporaries kept multiple mistresses, were patrons of brothels, and often times also had homosexual relationships.
The second prominent figure stemming from the House of Borgia was Alfons’s second eldest son, Cesare Borgia. Initially committed to the papacy, Cesare abandoned his cardinal status to take on the military responsibilities of his late elder brother, Juan. Cesare is depicted as a cruel, bloodthirsty, and ambitious figure in history. This is partly true, but not uncommon for his time. The Borgia family, being Spanish foreigners, were not tied to the lands of Italy as the other powerful families of Italy; Sforza, Farnese, Machiavelli, and Medici. Thus, when the Borgias rose to power, and especially at the time of the Alexander and Callixtus’s papal reign, the family had to secure the same wealth and land shares as their contemporaries. This meant fighting with other powerful houses over territory and influence. When Cesare’s elder brother died, the responsibility of securing the family’s wealth fell to him. Cesare was often behind many deaths, particularly many of the assassinations occurring in Italy’s main cities. Cesare’s actions as a military leader and member of a powerful family were not abnormal for someone trying to build an empire or fiefdom in a short amount of time. What could be construed as cruelty, was simply Cesare securing and maintaining his family’s finances and influence, as many of the powerful families of Italy did, often in the same manner.
A third, and wildly represented member of the Borgia family was Alfons’s daughter Lucrezia. Lucrezia was painted as a whore and murderer in histories of the time. But being part of one of Italy’s most powerful families, she was well-educated, highly cultured, and proved to be a formidable politician and businesswoman. Lucrezia’s three marriages, two of which ended in divorce, were all arranged to gain political influence for her family. Many historians today, are beginning to see Lucrezia in a more benevolent light, viewing her as a victim of many of her family’s political schemes. Lucrezia was famed for poisoning her family’s political enemies, and was thus given the title of murderer. Similar to her brother Cesare, Lucrezia’s criticized actions were all conducted to gain influence for her family. Marrying for political gain was not uncommon for the time, and for that matter, neither was murder.
If what the Borgias did to gain political prowess was not at all uncommon or far-fetched for the era, why was this family so slandered and misrepresented in history? Scholars attribute the family’s negative depiction to two things; their Spanish origin and their failure to become as powerful as other houses. Many Italians viewed the papacy, and political influence it came with, as a purely Italian privilege. The fact that the Borgias hailed from Spain, gave way to criticism of their conquest of power. Italians viewed the Borgias as a foreign power trying to gain a foothold in their lands and take away wealth from the citizens of Italy. This xenophobic outlook, coupled with the fact that the Borgias just did not gain the same political influence as other powerful houses, lead to their misrepresentation. The Borgias did not have the same long-standing political tradition in Italy, as the Farneses or the Medicis, for instance, and as a result were less feared and revered. Although, depicting the Borgias as savage icons of greed and lust provide wonderful drama for television shows, many scholars are revealing the truth by creating a holistic representation of the era. What the Borgia’s did to rise to power and maintain influence was what every other powerful family of the Renaissance did. By taking a step back, and examining the facts in context, we are able to take away the smoke screen that popular media and previous histories have placed on the true story and thus gain a more accurate and complete knowledge.
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Monday, October 5, 2015
The Borgias: How Infamous Are They Really?
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