The Borgia family is the subject of a so-called black legend, a pejorative term that has been used since the Middle Ages to refer to Spain and Spaniards. The Borgias' black legend is one of corruption, abuse of power, orgies, sex and murder. These rumours spread especially during the reign of Pope Alexander VI, a member of the family. Alexander was even referred to as the Antichrist. According to eyewitnesses, when he died Satan prowled the death chamber and a black dog, an envoy of the Devil, ran up and down the aisles of the Vatican. The brutal rule of Pope Alexander and his family led to a kind of demonization of the Borgia family. But it is precisely the lack of scruples, the brewing of poisons, the incest and various cruelties that continue to hold a certain fascination for us.
Alexander VI: Rodrigo Borgia was born in 1431 near Valencia. He studied law in Bologna and, through his uncle Pope Calixtus III, he rose through the church hierarchy. As vice-chancellor of the Holy Roman Catholic church, he became one of the richest men in Europe. As a cardinal he fathered four children who he later legitimised when he became pope. His election to the papacy was funded by the sale of offices, extortion and bribes of all kinds. Through an alliance with Ascanio Sforza he was elected pope on August 11 1492 and named himself from then on Alexander VI, an allusion to Alexander the Great.
Duration: 9.30
