Pope Alexander VI: Encyclopedia II - Pope Alexander VI - Education and election

Pope Alexander VI - Education and election

He studied law at Bologna and after his uncle's election he was created successively bishop, cardinal and vice-chancellor of the church, an act of nepotism characteristic of the age. He served in the Curia under five popes and acquired much administrative experience, influence and wealth, although no great power; he was economical in his habits; on occasion he displayed great splendour and lived in a fine palace. His manners were agreeable and his appearance fascinating, but, like many other prelates of the day, his morals were far from blameless, his two dominant passions being greed of gold and love of women, and he was devoted to the children his mistresses bore him.

An excellent example of the extreme levels of corruption and immorality then present in the papacy was the Banquet of Chestnuts, an episode famous in the history of pornography. Although ecclesiastical corruption was then at its height, his riotous mode of life called down upon him a mild reprimand from Pope Pius II, who succeeded Calixtus III in 1458. On the death of Pope Innocent VIII, the three likely candidates for the Holy See were Cardinals Borgia, Ascanio Sforza and Giuliano della Rovere. According to rumour, Borgia by his great wealth succeeded in buying the largest number of votes, including that of Sforza, though there is no substantial proof of simony. To his intense joy he was elected on August 11, 1492, assuming the name of Alexander VI.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Education and election", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki