The Life and Times of Rodrigo Borgia

At the Papal Conclave of 1492, Rodrigo was unanimously elected as Pope Alexander VI. As Pope he continued to court controversy until his dying day, suspected of numerous crimes and openly acknowledging his numerous mistresses. Despite a lifetime of iniquities to draw upon, Mathew nevertheless manages to shine some light on another side of a thoroughly bad man: a patron of the arts, encouraging the development of education and planning reforms of the Church. First published in 1912, Mathew’s classic biography of the Borgia family’s principal member seeks to present an accurate sketch of his life and times.