1475day.year
Cesare Borgia
(1475 - 1507)
Italian cardinal
Italian cardinal
Influential Italian cardinal and nobleman whose life inspired Machiavelli.
Born in 1475 as the illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI, Cesare rose to prominence as a cardinal.
He wielded papal nepotism to govern the Romagna region with both political savvy and military force.
Renowned for his ambition and ruthlessness, he later traded his ecclesiastical office for a ducal title.
His strategies and power plays are famously cited in Machiavelli’s The Prince as a lesson in realpolitik.
He died in 1507 during a military campaign, leaving behind a controversial but enduring legacy.
1475
Cesare Borgia