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Cesare Borgia

2011-12-12T20:42:51Z

81.105.226.110:

{{Era|Brotherhood|bbook|Ascendance|Templars|Featured}}
{{WPtargets}}
{{WP-REAL}}
{{Quote|Father, do you not see? I control all of this. If I want to live, I live. If I want to take, I take. If I want you to die, you die!|Cesare Borgia to his father, 1503.|Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood}}
{{Character Infobox
|name = Cesare Borgia
|image = Char_cesare.png
|birth = 13 September 1475 or April 1476 [[Rome]], [[Italy]]
|death = 12 March 1507 (aged 30 or 31) [[Viana]], [[Spain]]
|period = [[Renaissance]]
|faction = *[[Templars]]
**[[House of Borgia]]
*[[Papacy]]
|appear = ''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]'' 
''[[Assassin's Creed: Ascendance]]'' ''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]'' ''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (novel)]]'' ''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]'' {{Mo}}
|voice = [[Andreas Apergis]]}}
'''Cesare Borgia''' (1475 or 1476 - 1507) was the son of [[Rodrigo Borgia]] and a nemesis of the [[Assassins|Assassin]] [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Ezio Auditore]]. Like his father, he was a member of the [[Templars|Templar Order]]. Eventually, he became [[Wikipedia:Captain General of the Church|Captain General]] of the [[Papacy|Papal]] armies, though he secretly plotted against his father to take over [[Rome]], and all of [[Italy]] afterwards.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''</ref> Even before his father's death, he claimed the rank of [[Grand Master of the Templar Order]], usurping the title completely when his father eventually died. Although he appeared to be loyal to the Templars, he only desired for the powers of the [[Sixth Apple|the Apple]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood novel">[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (novel)|''Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood'' novel]]</ref>

==Biography==
===Early life===
Cesare Borgia was born in Rome in 1475, to Rodrigo Borgia, the Templar Grand Master of the time, and his long-term mistress [[Vannozza dei Cattanei]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>

At age 18, Cesare became a [[Cardinal]], while his older brother, [[Juan Borgia the Younger|Juan]] (who was also Rodrigo's favorite) became Captain General. Unsatisfied with his life as a Cardinal and jealous of his brother's position and power, he arranged to meet Juan at [[Tiber Island]], where he convinced Juan to spend the night with the [[Courtesans|courtesan]] [[Fiora Cavazza]], who later killed him under Cesare's orders.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Ascendance"/>

He then took his place as Captain General, thereby becoming one of the most powerful men in Italy. Once he had become Captain General of the Papal armies, Cesare surrounded himself with cruel and effective men; [[Ramiro d'Orco]], [[ Oliverotto da Fermo|Oliverotto da Fermo]], and [[Vitellozzo Vitelli]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Ascendance"/>

===Becoming a Templar leader===
In 1496, when his father waged war with the Orsini Family to seize their territory, Cesare joined the battle. Among the enemy's ranks was [[Bartolomeo d'Alviano]], in secret an [[Assassins|Assassin]]. When Bartolomeo's resources were down to three fortresses, Cesare cut off his supplies. Just when victory seemed within reach, [[Fabio Orsini]] arrived with his army and reinforced Bartolomeo, even wounding Cesare in the face.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref>

In 1498, the Assassin [[Perotto Calderon]] and Cesare's sister [[Lucrezia Borgia|Lucrezia]] had formed an intimate relationship, which led to Lucrezia becoming pregnant. However, Cesare had Perotto imprisoned for becoming close to his sister, and took [[Giovanni Borgia|the child]] away from them. Perotto managed to escape and took his son with him, but as he fled, the members of his Brotherhood executed him for having broken the tenets of [[The Creed|their Creed]]. Cesare somehow managed to once again take the child, and decided to raise him as his own, naming the child Giovanni Borgia.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy">''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]''</ref>

===Siege of Monteriggioni===
{{Quote|We've had too much bloodshed. I think a cleansing is in order. So, consider this an invitation from [[House of Borgia|my family]]... to [[House of Auditore|yours]].|Cesare Borgia to Ezio Auditore, just before killing Mario Auditore, 1500.|Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood}}
In January 1500, Cesare led [[Fall of Monteriggioni|an assault]] on [[Monteriggioni]], the headquarters of the Assassins in Italy, in order to eliminate the Auditore family, who were the leaders of the Assassins. Besieging the city, Cesare's forces overwhelmed the fortress defenders and captured the [[Sixth Apple|Apple]], [[Caterina Sforza]], and [[Mario Auditore]], the current [[Grand Master of the Assassin Order]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>

The beaten Assassin walked through the gates of Monteriggioni before collapsing onto the ground, followed by Cesare and his allies; including his sister, Lucrezia, [[Micheletto Corella]], Baron [[Octavian de Valois]], and [[Juan Borgia the Elder|Juan Borgia]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>

[[File:Apple.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Cesare Borgia at Monteriggioni's gates with his sister Lucrezia, holding the Apple of Eden.]]
Cesare sheathed his sword and spoke out to Ezio himself, who had seen the Borgia's entrance and was [[Free-Running|running across the rooftops]] to aid Mario. The Borgia Captain General spoke of how the Pope had told him of the Assassins and Apple. He then turned and grabbed the Baron de Valois' [[Firearms|firearm]] from him, a pistol that Ezio's good friend, [[Leonardo da Vinci]], had been forced to fashion for them. Cesare stated that there had been too much bloodshed on both sides, and that a ''"cleansing was in order."'' Raising the pistol into the air, Cesare "invited" Ezio to come and face him in Rome, and killed Mario with a shot from the firearm.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>

Ezio was then shot down and wounded by a team of [[arquebusiers]], and the battle was won. With Monteriggioni in ruins, Cesare and his army returned to Rome with their prize.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>

===Supressing rebellion===
{{Dialogue|Oliverotto|I never wished you any harm, Cesare. It was entirely Vitellozzo's plan!|Cesare|Ha! Your sacrifice will prove invaluable to me.|Oliverotto pleading to Cesare before being killed by Micheletto, 1500.}}Following the Siege of Monteriggioni, Cesare commanded Ramiro d'Orco, Vitellozzo Vitelli and Oliverotto da Fermo to lead his armies into [[Romagna]] and claim it for their Borgia master. However, all three generals eventually rebelled against Cesare, to which he responded by butchering Ramiro.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Ascendance">''[[Assassin's Creed: Ascendance]]''</ref>

His death panicked both Oliverotto and Vitellozzo, forcing them both to re-enter Cesare's service, after he accepted their every demand to return without consequences for the rebellion. However, with Romagna his, Cesare no longer required their service. Months later, Cesare threw a'' "dinner"'' in Vitellozzo and Oliverotto's honour. Once both generals arrived at the location Cesare given, he spoke out to them, thanking them for handing Romagna to him, but claimed it was time to shed his'' "bloody gloves"''.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Ascendance" />

As several Papal Guards arrived at Cesare's side, they both realized that they entered a ambush, thus they both charged into a fray immediately. Though outnumbered, both Oliverotto and Vitellozzo overpowered them. Cesare then armed himself with a [[crossbow]], and, as a surviving Papal Guard wounded Vitellozzo, Cesare fired the bolt at Oliverotto's chest.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Ascendance" />

Several hours later, both Vitellozzo and Oliverotto regained consciousness, recovering from their wounds. As they woke up, they realized that they were chained back-to-back. In front of them Cesare stood, aside Micheletto Corella. Though Oliverotto blamed Vitellozzo for the conspiracy against him, Cesare ultimately ordered Micheletto to strangle both Viellozzo and Oliverotto back-to-back, claming their ''"sacrifice" ''was invaluable to him.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Ascendance" />

===War in Rome===
{{quote|He is ambitious, ruthless, and cruel beyond imagining. The laws of men mean nothing to him. The powerful Orsini and Colonna families have been brought to kneel at his feet, and the [[Louis XII of France|King of France]] stands at his side.|[[Niccolò Machiavelli]], regarding Cesare Borgia.|Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood}}

By 1500, Cesare had Rome under his iron fist as the commander of the Papal army, though he and his father occasionally disagreed on his choices. He used [[Borgia towers]] and their captains to keep control over the five districts of Rome, as he was often away for extended periods of time to oversee the advancement of his army, in a bid to unite all of Italy under his rule.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>

[[File:Zw-acb-Lucrezia-Cesare.jpg|thumb|250px|Cesare and Lucrezia kiss.]]
During Ezio's infiltration of the [[Castel Sant'Angelo]] in late June 1501, Cesare was seen at the stables conversing with his three generals about their plans, where he told them to play along with his father's ''"tired old men's club,"'' but to remember who they really served. He later shared a romantic moment with his sister, before asking if their father had considered the funds requested by his Banker. He then left the Castel for Romagna.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>

In 1502, Cesare continued to make use of Leonardo da Vinci's intellect, forcing him to design several [[War Machines|war machines]] for his army. However, all of Leonardo's creations were eventually stolen and destroyed by Ezio Auditore, in secret, at Leonardo's own request.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>

In 1503, Cesare attended Juan Borgia's pagan party, where he gave a brief speech on a soon to be united Italy. After Cesare commanded the party to begin, Rodrigo reminded him that they had not agreed to conquer Italy. However, Cesare stated that ''he'' was now in control, although not officially, and simply told his father to enjoy himself. Later that year, he also ordered Micheletto Corella to kill [[Francesco Troche]], whom he believed was a traitor, as well as the actor [[Pietro Rossi]], Lucrezia's secret lover.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>

[[File:3borgia.jpg|250px|thumb|left|Cesare, moments before killing Rodrigo.]]
In August of 1503, Cesare and his father argued over the former's insatiable lust for power. Rodrigo commented that he had given Cesare all he had, yet his son was never satisfied. Cesare demanded that his father give him the Apple of Eden, but Rodrigo refused. At this point, Lucrezia barged in, crying out to her brother that their father was attempting to poison him with the bowl of apples he had left out. An angry Cesare responded by charging Rodrigo and shoving the poisoned apple he had been eating into his mouth. The [[Cantarella|poison]] did its work, and Rodrigo died within seconds. Cesare then demanded the Apple of Eden's whereabouts from Lucrezia, who confessed under much pressure. Ezio beat Cesare to the [[Basilica di San Pietro]], the Apple's location, and retrieved the [[Pieces of Eden|Piece of Eden]] before him.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>

[[File:CesareArrest.jpg|thumb|254px|Cesare being dragged away by Papal guards.]]
Cesare's rule met a downward spiral from there. As a final stab from his father, Cesare had consumed enough of the poison to leave him weak for months. While he recovered, Ezio and the other Assassins used the Apple to dwindle his remaining forces, while the [[Vatican]] meanwhile fully rejected Cesare's request for support, seeing the Borgia's money as "tainted."<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>

Cesare sent Micheletto to retrieve his armies from the battlefield in order to reclaim Rome, however, he was confronted by the highest-ranking Assassins as he awaited his return. As the last of his followers fell, Fabio Orsini arrived with the Papal Guard and a warrant for Cesare's arrest by the order of [[Julius II|Pope Julius II]]. Cesare was taken away, imprisoned, and later exiled to [[Spain]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>

===From Rome to Spain===
Subsequently following his arrest, Cesare was imprisoned in the Castel Sant'Angelo. However, he was able to escape the prison and flee. Though Cesare was later recaptured, Pope Julius II concluded that Cesare needed to be transferred to a more secure prison, and had the Templar moved to the [[Castillo de la Mota]], [[Wikipedia:Aragon|Aragon]], in Spain. Though Ezio had intended to kill Cesare despite his imprisonment, he was unaware of where Cesare had been transferred. He, Machiavelli, and Leonardo began tracking him down, while Micheletto, who had evaded imprisonment and remained loyal to Cesare, planned for his master's escape.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood novel"/>

In 1506, Micheletto bribed a prison guard at the Castillo. Having had rope smuggled in for him, Cesare climbed down from his window and sneaked past the main gate in his stolen guard uniform. Meeting with Micheletto, he was informed that Ezio was currently tracking him, though he said nothing on the matter. Micheletto then told his master that he had made arrangements in [[Valencia]]. With this, Cesare made his escape, and rode to Valencia with Micheletto.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood novel"/>

===Attack on Valencia===
{{Template:Dialogue4|Cesare|I must make a good escape. I'll go to Viana, in Navarre, just across the border. Let them try and recapture me then. I'm not waiting here for Ferdinand's men to come and haul me back to La Mota. My brother-in-law is the king of Navarre and he will surely help me.|Micheletto|I will help you, as I have always helped you. Only let me come with you.|You got me out of La Mota, sure, and you up my hopes. But now look where you have got me!|Master, all my men are dead. I have done what I could.|And failed!|Cesare before bursting into a tirade about Micheletto and killing him, Valencia, 1506.|Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (novel)}}Following his escape, Cesare began to rebuild his forces in Valencia, with men volunteering to enter his service and setting up a large military encampment. Whilst Cesare was raising a small army, he spent most of his time coordinating battle tactics at the [[Lone Wolf Inn]]. Ezio and Machiavelli soon discovered this, however, and were able to destroy the encampment and twelve ships with Leonardo's [[hand-held bomb]]s.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood novel"/>

Later, they spied on him from the roof of the Lone Wolf. Cesare blamed Micheletto for the Assassins' attack, and insulted him as a dog, remarking that he should find somewhere to die. During his tirade against Micheletto, Cesare claimed that he would cross the borders and join his brother-in-law, King [[John III of Navarre]] to seek his aid.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood novel"/>

Though Micheletto begged Cesare, and reminded him of his loyal service, Cesare continued to insult him. However, this rebounded on Cesare, as Micheletto, realizing how much his service meant to his ungrateful master, attempted to murder Cesare by strangling him. However, Cesare was able to shove Micheletto away and shoot him in the head, killing him. Ezio and Machiavelli, who had watched the scene unfold, made a noise from above. Cesare, who heard this, fired his rifle and wounded Machiavelli.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood novel"/>

Ezio then took Machiavelli to a [[Doctors|doctor]] instead of attacking Cesare, giving the Templar a chance to escape Valencia and cross the borders to the Kingdom of Navarre.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood novel"/>

===Siege of Viana and death===
[[File:Acbrother_b09_097.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Cesare preparing to fight Ezio in [[Viana]].]]
{{Quote|I will lead mankind into a new world! You cannot kill me! No man can murder me!|Cesare Borgia's last words, 1507.|Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood}}

In March of 1507, Cesare tried to regain his lost honor by commandeering John III's vast army during the [[Siege of Viana|Siege]] of [[Viana]], after which, should he be victorious, he would regain the support of the French. However, unbeknownst to him, Ezio caught wind of Cesare's involvement in the battle and set out for Viana.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>

During the siege, Ezio located and charged Cesare on the battlefield, though Cesare held him back just long enough to dodge his [[Hidden Blade|hidden blade]] and flee. Ezio's pursuit was delayed by several cannonball impacts that stunned him, and incapacitated the other soldiers in the area.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>

[[File:CesareThrown.jpg|thumb|250px|Cesare falling from the walls of Viana's Castle to his death.]]
Ezio soon caught up to him on the outskirts of the castle walls, where Cesare had his soldiers kill a [[Civilians|civilian]] woman, who was crying for him to help her son, who had been injured. Ezio eventually faced Cesare on the walls of [[Viana Castle|Viana's Castle]] and fought against him, with Cesare wielding a sword and a ''pistola''. Though Cesare attacked with speed and skill, while also periodically calling reinforcing troops, Ezio nevertheless defeated him, eventually pinning him to the ground. When Cesare vowed not to die at the hands of man, Ezio declared that he would leave Cesare ''"in the hands of Fate,"'' and threw him off of the castle wall to his death.Cesare died at the age of 32 or 33.

==Legacy==
With Cesare dead the last vestiges of Borgia power were swept away.Remaining Templar's in Italy were left leaderless and the order there crumbled away. The Templar's power did not die with Cesare however ,not four years later would the seasoned Templar leader Manuel Palaiologos and the orders new Grand Master Şhezade Ahmet rise in the east to threaten the Ottoman Empire.

==Personality==
Cesare was born into the Templar Order and, like many of his other siblings, was raised by his father into his personal weapon. However, Cesare was naturally an aggressive and ambitious person, and would do anything - including having his own family or friends murdered - in order to obtain power.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Ascendance"/>

Cesare maintained an incestuous relationship with his sister, Lucrezia Borgia and promised her that she would be his queen when he ruled Italy. As such, he frequently descended into jealous rage due to her many dalliances with other men (whom she would normally woo in order to spite her unfaithful brother). However, in his attempts to discover the location of the Apple, he physically assaulted her, answering her tearful question if he had ever loved her by saying, ''"You are my sister, nothing more."''<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>

Over time, Cesare came to believe that no mortal man could kill him, and that he would lead mankind into a new era; a belief that he held onto until the moment of his death.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood"/>

==Final words==
[[File:Ezio_Cesare.png|thumb|250px|right|Cesare Borgia's final moments.]]
'''Cesare''': ''The throne was mine!''

'''Ezio''': ''Wanting something does not make it your right.''

'''Cesare''': ''What do you know?''

'''Ezio''': ''That a true leader empowers the people he rules.''

'''Cesare''': ''I will lead mankind into a new world!''

'''Ezio''': Che nessuno ricordi il tuo nome. ''(May no one remember your name.)'' Requiescat in pace. ''(Rest in peace.)''

'''Cesare''': ''You cannot kill me. No man can murder me!''

'''Ezio''': ''Then I leave you in the hands of Fate.''

==Trivia==
===Appearance and behavior===
[[File:Cesare Borgia-Brotherhood-1.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Cesare Borgia, in 1503.]]
*In [[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (novel)|the novelization of ''Brotherhood'']], Cesare's face had been apparently deformed by the "New Disease," and he had resorted to wearing a mask. However, in the game, he is never seen with any said deformity or mask.
**Historically, Cesare was infected by the recent outbreak of syphilis and resorted to wearing a mask in public.
*According to the ''Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood'' novel, Cesare excelled at bullfighting. Machiavelli believed he showed such an interest in the sport due to its origins in Spain, and his aggressive nature.
*Historically, Cesare fathered 11 illegitimate children, some of whose mothers remain unknown.

===Combat===
*Despite being shown to be adept with a [[crossbow]] in both ''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]'' and ''[[Assassin's Creed: Ascendance]]'', Cesare never wields the weapon in ''Brotherhood''.
*Since Cesare is immune to executions or deadly counters and will even harm Ezio if he tries to counter-kill, he can only be killed by breaking his defense and attacking repeatedly. Ezio may also shoot him with his [[pistol]].

=== Others===
*His given name "Cesare" is pronounced in Italian as "Cheh-ser-ay." It is the Italian variation of the name Caesar.
*Cesare's comments about bloodshed and the need for "a cleansing" is strikingly similar to the source of [[Abstergo Industries|Abstergo]]'s name, which is Latin for "I cleanse."
*Historically, it is said that Niccolò Machiavelli greatly admired Cesare. However, in ''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]'', while Machiavelli does respect his ability to enforce his will, he also seeks to eliminate Cesare and his [[House of Borgia|family members]] alongside Ezio.
*Cesare has been compared to other Roman Templar rulers. Giovanni Borgia relived the memories of [[Marcus Junius Brutus]] through the [[bleeding effect]] and mistook Cesare for [[Gaius Julius Caesar|Julius Caesar]], attempting to kill Cesare with a knife.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy"/> Ezio Auditore compared Cesare to [[Caligula]], due to the similarities in their high opinions of themselves.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood novel"/>
*When replaying the memory in Viana, after the cutscene in which Ezio drops Cesare from the castle walls, his body can be seen when looking down from the battlements before the memory fades out.
*When talking to Shaun in the Sanctuary, he says that Cesare sent the Pope a letter about the night of his wedding with his French wife and that he had "done the deed eight times".
*Cesare is mentioned in ''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]'' during [[The Prince's Banquet|"The Prince's Banquet"]] where Ezio is disguised as a minstrel and sings about Cesare's death.

==Gallery==

<center><gallery captionalign="left">
Cesare Borgia Artwork.png|Cesare's Concept Art.
ACB Cesare Baron.png|Cesare and [[Octavian de Valois]].
CesareBorgia.jpg|Cesare Borgia in Rome.
ACB Cesare Lucrezia.png|Cesare demanding the location of the Apple of Eden from Lucrezia.
Gallery7.jpg|Cesare's portrait in the Tiber Island hideout.
658px-Cesaregrimaces.jpg|Cesare being protected by Papal Guards from Ezio Auditore.
Assassin's Creed Promotional Poster.jpg|Promotional Poster.
2_AC_B-Rome-Renaissance.png|Cesare and his allies.
3_tfuty.jpg|Cesare and Rodrigo Borgia.
CesareFiora.png|Cesare, watching over his brother's death.
5_ACBorgia_thumb.png|Cesare as seen in the Assassin's Creed Brotherhood trailer.
6_Assassins-Creed-Brotherhood-Ezio-Cesare.jpg|Cesare battles Ezio at the Siege of Viana.
Cesarefaith1.jpg|Cesare is left in the "hands of Fate"
</gallery></center>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{ACBH}}
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[[de:Cesare Borgia]]
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Ascendance Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Assassination Targets]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy Characters]]
[[Category:Templars]]
[[Category:Historical Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (Novel) Characters]]

Rodrigo Borgia

2011-12-12T20:30:58Z

81.105.226.110:

{{Era|AC2|PL|Brotherhood|Renaissance|Bbook|Lineage|Ascendance|Templars}}
{{WPtargets}}
{{WP-REAL|Pope Alexander VI}}
{{quote|He is Rodrigo Borgia, one of the most powerful men in all of Europe, and leader of the [[Templars|Templar Order]].|[[Mario Auditore]]|Assassin's Creed II}}
{{Character Infobox
|name = Rodrigo Borgia
|image = char_rodrigo.png
|imgdesc =
|birth = 1 January 1431 Xàtiva, Valencia, Crown of Aragon
|death = 18 August 1503 [[Rome]], [[Italy]]
|period = [[Renaissance]]
|faction = [[House of Borgia]] [[Templars]] [[Papacy]]
|appear = ''[[Assassin's Creed: Lineage]]'' ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' ''[[Assassin's Creed: Ascendance]]'' ''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]'' ''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]'' ''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]'' {{mo}}
|actor = [[Manuel Tadros]]
|voice = [[Manuel Tadros]]}}
'''Rodrigo Borgia''' (1431 – 1503), born '''Roderic Llançol''', later '''Roderic de Borja i Borja''', was a [[Spain|Spanish]] [[Cardinals|Cardinal]], and the [[Grand Master of the Templar Order|leader]] of the [[Templars|Templar Order]] during the [[Italy|Italian]] [[Renaissance]]. He was the father of [[Juan Borgia the Younger|Juan]], [[Cesare Borgia|Cesare]], [[Lucrezia Borgia|Lucrezia]], and [[Jofré Borgia]], and grandfather to [[Giovanni Borgia]].

Rodrigo was elected as [[Papacy|Pope]] from 1492 to 1503, and was known as '''Alexander VI'''. He was one of the most controversial of the Renaissance Popes, and his surname became synonymous for the corrupt standards of the Papacy in that era.

==Biography==
===Early life===
Roderic Llançol was born at Xàtiva in the Kingdom of Valencia, one of the component states of the Crown of Aragon, now Spain. His parents were Jofré Llançol i Escrivá, and his wife and relative Isabel de Borja. His family name is written Llançol in Valencian and Lanzol in Spanish. After the elevation of Roderic's maternal uncle Alonso de Borja to the Papacy as Calixtus III in 1455, Roderic was adopted into his mother's family name of Borja.<ref name="Wikipedia: Pope Alexander VI">''[[wikipedia:Pope Alexander VI|Wikipedia - Pope Alexander VI]]''</ref>

===As a Cardinal===
Roderic de Borja studied law at Bologna, and was made successively bishop, cardinal and vice-chancellor of the church, all of which were nepotistic appointments characteristic of the age. He served in the Roman Curia under five Popes (his uncle, Pius II, Paul II, Sixtus IV and Innocent VIII) and acquired much administrative experience, influence, and wealth, though not great power.<ref name="Wikipedia: Pope Alexander VI" />

By the time Rodrigo was under Pope Sixtus IV, he had become the Grand Master of the Templar Order. In this position, he aspired to unite all of Italy under the Templar banner. In doing so, he made plans to take down the leaders of Italy's main cities, and place his own men in power.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage">''[[Assassin's Creed: Lineage]]''</ref>

===Assassination of Galeazzo Maria Sforza===
Rodrigo devised a plan to eliminate [[Galeazzo Maria Sforza]], the Duke of Milan, in which [[Giovanni Andrea Lampugnani]], [[Carlo Visconti]] and [[Gerolamo Olgiati]] would kill Sforza on the day of Santo Stefano.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage" />

One night in December of 1476, Rodrigo was on his way to leave [[Florence]] accompanied by several of his men in the dark streets of the city. Suddenly, [[Giovanni Auditore da Firenze|Giovanni Auditore]], a member of the [[Assassins|Assassin Order]], intercepted him. Rodrigo fled immediately as the Assassin battled his men.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage" />

Hidden behind a corner, Rodrigo witnessed Giovanni capture one of his men, who later revealed the planned assassination of Galeazzo Sforza, who was a powerful ally of [[Lorenzo de' Medici]]. Giovanni attempted to prevent this, though he arrived too late to do so. Rodrigo's plan had succeeded, thus he began to devise his next scheme.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage" />

===Auditore execution===
[[File:Tadros.jpg|thumb|250px|Rodrigo walking in Rome.]]
Giovanni Auditore learned that Rodrigo's plans would lead him to the city of [[Venice]], after looting a Venetian [[wikipedia:Ducat|ducat]] from Giovanni Lampugnani. Upon traveling there, he intercepted a message from [[Marco Barbarigo|Marco]] and [[Silvio Barbarigo]] to their master, Rodrigo.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage"/>

After [[Uberto Alberti]] and [[Antonio Maffei|Father Maffei]] "failed" to decode the intercepted letter, the [[House of Medici|Medici]] and Uberto sent Giovanni to carry a copied version of the message to [[Rome]], in order to discover who was behind the plot. After arriving in the city, he handed the message to a man. In this manner, the letter was passed through various hands before meeting its final destination: Rodrigo.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage"/>

Rodrigo then left to see [[Sixtus IV|Pope Sixtus IV]] to obtain military support in order to conquer Florence. After gaining Sixtus' favor, Rodrigo headed out of the [[Vaticano District|Vatican]], and into the streets of Rome once more.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage"/>

Giovanni was still on Rodrigo's trail at this point, and followed him all the way into [[Basilica di San Pietro|St. Peter's Basilica]]; however, there, he fell into an ambush set by Rodrigo. Rodrigo tried to offer Giovanni a position among the Templars, but the Assassin refused, stating that Rodrigo would be dead before he could see the Templars' fantasy become a reality.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage"/>

Disappointed, Rodrigo had his men attack Giovanni, but the Assassin routed all of them. Rodrigo, who had been watching from the sidelines, threw a [[Throwing knives|knife]] Giovanni's way, hitting him in the chest. Rodrigo then took the chance to flee the Basilica. Afterwards, he discussed the next step in his plan with his Templar brothers, and all agreed on one thing: to dispose of Giovanni Auditore.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage"/>

[[File:LMS_10_v.png|thumb|left|252px|Rodrigo giving orders to Uberto at the Auditore execution.]]
In order to get rid of Giovanni, Rodrigo conspired with Uberto Alberti and the [[House of Pazzi|Pazzi family]]. After careful planning, the Templars were able to frame Giovanni for the crimes of treason, and had him and two of his sons arrested.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref>

The night before the trial of the [[House of Auditore|Auditore family]], Rodrigo was at Uberto's house. [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Ezio Auditore]], Giovanni's remaining son, came by to give Uberto his father's letters that would prove him innocent. Ezio noticed Rodrigo behind Uberto, but paid no further attention to him. The following morning, Rodrigo attended the judgment and execution of Giovanni, [[Federico Auditore da Firenze|Federico]] and [[Petruccio Auditore da Firenze|Petruccio Auditore]]. Years later, Rodrigo would tell Ezio that his brothers had not needed to die, but that he had them killed anyway to make a point to the Assassins.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

===Pazzi Conspiracy===
{{Quote|Gentlemen. Tomorrow, a new sun rises over Firenze.|Rodrigo encouraging the Pazzi Conspirators.|Assassin's Creed II}}
[[File:Burgerking.png|thumb|250px|Rodrigo discussing the Pazzi Conspiracy.]]
In 1478, Rodrigo conspired to take down the leader of Florence, Lorenzo de' Medici, and his brother [[Giuliano de' Medici|Giuliano]]. Thus, Rodrigo left for Florence again, where he held a meeting with the [[Francesco de' Pazzi]], [[Jacopo de' Pazzi]] and several conspirators in a catacomb under the Basilica of [[Santa Maria Novella]]. As the Pazzi confirmed their plan to Rodrigo, he reminded them to beware of the Assassins, and stated that the next day would be ''"a new dawn" ''for Florence<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

However, Ezio thwarted the Templars' attempted takeover in Florence and killed off the remaining conspirators Rodrigo was arranged to meet with in [[San Gimignano]], where the Pazzi originally intended to request asylum with Rodrigo in either Venice or Rome. However, Jacopo was the only one to arrive at the meeting and claimed that the blame for the failure rested with his nephew, for his impatience, and with [[Emilio Barbarigo]], for supplying the Pazzi troops with sub-standard weaponry. Enraged by Jacopo's sniveling excuses, Rodrigo lectured his subordinate on his failure, then stabbed him in the abdomen, aided by an eager Emilio.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

Ignoring Jacopo's pleas for mercy, Rodrigo stabbed him a second time in the neck with his sword, then called out to Ezio who had tailed Jacopo to the meeting. Grabbed by Borgia guards suddenly, Ezio was brought into Rodrigo's sight. Sarcastically apologizing for killing Jacopo for him, Rodrigo mocked Ezio, saying that he had been doing this for far longer than the [[novice]] Assassin. He then ordered his men to kill him, and left without bothering to ensure the deed was done.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

===Venice Conspiracy===
{{Quote|I feel the need to involve myself more directly. The Pazzi disappointed us in Firenze. I pray you will not do the same.|Rodrigo, about personally attending the meeting.|Assassin's Creed II}}
[[File:BoF 9.png|thumb|left|250px|Rodrigo on the [[Ponte di Rialto]] with the other Templars.]]
Soon after the Florentine attempt failed, Rodrigo returned his attention to conducting his plans for Venice. In 1485, he met with [[Carlo Grimaldi]] and the [[House of Barbarigo|Barbarigo family]] to plan the murder of the current Doge, [[Giovanni Mocenigo]], in order for them to seize control of Venice themselves. During the meeting, Rodrigo chastised the Venetian Templars for making their own plans, rebuking them for their ''"inane prattle"'' as they argued over who would be the new Doge after they took Venice. He then silenced their debates by appointing Marco Barbarigo as the next Doge.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

During this meeting, Marco questioned Rodrigo's presence in Venice, as Ezio was also there, but Rodrigo only replied that he felt he should see out their plans personally, particularly after the failure of the Pazzi conspiracy. Warning the Venetian tyrants of the Assassin that ''"haunts"'' their city, he then made his departure from Venice to Rome, allowing them to carry out his plans.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

While Ezio was [[Hunt in Venice|hunting the Barbarigo]] in Venice, Rodrigo meanwhile tracked down the location of the [[Pieces of Eden|Piece of Eden]] that [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]] had once taken from the Templars in 1191.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

===Shipping the Apple of Eden===
{{Quote|You claim not to be a believer. And yet, here you are... Don't you see him? The Prophet is already here... I AM the Prophet. Now give me the Apple.|Rodrigo upon confronting Ezio.|Assassin's Creed II}}
[[File:Play along 2.png|thumb|250px|Rodrigo and Ezio confront each other in Venice.]]
By 1486, Rodrigo had found out that the Piece of Eden he sought was [[Sixth Apple|the Apple]], which was hidden on [[Cyprus]]. He thus sent a battalion of his men to retrieve it. Two years later, the men returned to [[Arsenale di Venezia|L'Arsenale]] with the artifact, and Rodrigo met with the courier who was to deliver it to him.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

However, prior to this, Ezio had intercepted the delivery and had disguised himself as the carrier of the artifact, in order to kill Rodrigo. Rodrigo had expected the attack, and readied himself to deal with Ezio personally. The two exchanged a brief conversation, in which Rodrigo claimed himself to be the Prophet, who was said to be the only one who could open the fabled [[Vatican Vault|Vault]]. The two then began an intense battle, in which Ezio ultimately emerged as the victor.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

Realizing that he could not defeat Ezio alone, Rodrigo called in a supply of guards to overwhelm him. Suddenly, many of Ezio's allies appeared, all of whom revealed themselves to be Assassins. They held off the guards to allow Ezio to re-challenge Rodrigo, who then escaped from them before Ezio could kill him.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

That same year, Rodrigo found out that the late [[Girolamo Riario]] had created a map marking where all the [[Codex]] pages could be found, thus he hired the [[House of Orsi|Orsi brothers]] to retrieve it from Riario's city of [[Forlì]]. The Orsi discovered that Riario's wife, [[Caterina Sforza]], also had the Apple, and thus laid [[Battle of Forlì|siege]] to the city and took the artifact by force, planning to present it to Rodrigo for an extra pay-off.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

Unfortunately for Rodrigo, Ezio managed to kill both of the Orsi brothers, though the Apple eventually came into the hands of [[Girolamo Savonarola]], a later arch-enemy of Rodrigo.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

===Deceiving Torquemada===
{{Dialogue|Ezio|Rodrigo Borgia is an unbeliever like me, and yet you lavish him with favors.|Torquemada|Borgia is one of three Papal candidates this year. And he is as devoted to God as I am.|Ezio and Torquemada talking about Rodrigo.|Assassin's Creed II: Discovery}}
In 1491, Rodrigo fooled the Spanish Inquisitor General [[Tomás de Torquemada]] into capturing and killing Assassins in Spain. Tomás, who thought Rodrigo was as much as a believer of God as he was, blindly followed his orders.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery">''[[Assassin's Creed II: Discovery]]''</ref>

At around this time, Rodrigo also found out about [[Christoffa Corombo]]'s plans to sail west; however he, knowing of the presence of the [[wikipedia:Americas|Americas]] and the treasures that lay there, wished to stop anyone from finding it before he could. Thus, Rodrigo arranged a meeting with Christoffa in Venice, and lay a trap for him there.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery" />

However, Christoffa's friend, [[Luis de Santángel]], was suspicious of the arrangement, and called for the aid of his fellow Assassin, Ezio. Ezio rushed to Christoffa's aid, successfully rescuing him from an assassin and thwarted Rodrigo's plans.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery" />

===Papal Rule===
{{Quote|The Spaniard, Rodrigo Borgia, has been elected Pope. He rules the Vatican and Rome as the Supreme Pontiff, Alexander VI! [...] The Conclave of Rome has only just ended - this month. The rumour is that Rodrigo simply bought most of the votes. Even [[Ascanio Sforza]], who was the most likely candidate standing against him, voted for him! Four mule-loads of silver was his bribe, they say.|[[Sister Teodora]] talking about Rodrigo becoming Pope.|Assassin's Creed: Renaissance}}
Rodrigo was elected Pope in 1492, and established his power in Rome. Rodrigo's true intent, however, was simply to get into [[Vatican Vault|the Vault that lay under the Vatican]], where he believed God rested.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

In 1494, with the death of Lorenzo de' Medici, and with the power of the Apple he had obtained, Savonarola [[Bonfire of the Vanities|took control]] over Florence. Rodrigo repeatedly sent his men to Florence in the hopes of acquiring the Apple, though he was unsuccessful. In 1498, Savonarola was assassinated by Ezio, causing the Borgia family to fall into a state of chaos upon losing track of the Apple.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy">''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]''</ref>

[[File:IBAL 4.png|thumb|250px|Rodrigo confronted by Ezio.]]
In 1499, Rodrigo was followed into the Vatican by Ezio for yet another assassination attempt. Ezio snuck into the [[Cappella Sistina|Sistine Chapel]], where Rodrigo was holding Mass, and attacked him from above. However, after turning to leave, Ezio witnessed Rodrigo rise from the ground and use his Piece of Eden, [[The Staff|the Papal Staff]], to strike down him and everyone else in the room.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

Rodrigo was surprised to see that Ezio was able to resist the power of his Staff, as Ezio had brought his own Piece of Eden: the Apple that Altaïr had taken from [[Al Mualim]]. Ezio then summoned four clones of himself to assist in his battle against Rodrigo, eventually defeating him.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

However, Rodrigo knocked Ezio aside with the Staff, and snatched the Apple from his hands. He then combined it with the Staff to open up the door to The Vault, and as Ezio tried to stop him, Rodrigo lifted him into the air with the power of the two combined Pieces of Eden.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

[[File:IBAL 9.png|thumb|left|250px|Rodrigo lifting Ezio into the air.]]
As the Assassin hung helpless, Rodrigo stabbed Ezio with a dagger, and left him to die on the floor of the Sistine Chapel. Though injured, Ezio eventually followed Rodrigo to the Vault, and found the Pope furiously pounding upon the door to the inner chambers, which refused to open.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

Ezio then dropped down into the pit where Rodrigo was, and challenged him to one last fist fight, with no more weapons, plots, or decoys. Rodrigo accepted, and the two had one last duel. During the battle, Rodrigo stated that he had never believed in the Bible or in God, and had only become Pope to gain access to the Staff and the Vault, and to unify Italy under Templar rule. Ezio defeated Rodrigo, holding the Pope at blade-point and telling him he was not the Prophet, and had never been.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

Broken by this revelation and accepting defeat, Rodrigo told Ezio to kill him and put an end to it. However, Ezio refused, saying that killing him would not bring back his family. Additionally, the knowledge that he was not the Prophet, as he had believed, was an even sorer blow than anything else that Ezio could have thought of.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

When Rodrigo's son Cesare learned of this, he led a [[Fall of Monteriggioni|siege]] on [[Monteriggioni]], though without Rodrigo's approval, in order to reacquire the Apple of Eden and kill the last of the Assassins. By this time, Rodrigo was reduced to nothing but a figurehead, with Cesare ultimately taking over Rome.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''</ref>

===Later life and death===
{{Quote|You risk upsetting the delicate balance of control we have worked so hard to tighten.|Rodrigo talking about the consequences of his son's actions.|Assassin's Creed II}}
[[File:In And Out2.jpg|thumb|250px|Rodrigo and Cesare talking at the pagan party.]]
Following his defeat in the Vault, Rodrigo had given up on fighting the Assassin Order and instead chose to preserve the balance of power in Rome he had managed to obtain. However, Cesare was eager to take over all of Italy, a plan that Rodrigo did not approve of. As the Captain General of the Papal armies, however, Cesare held control over Rodrigo's military, and was thus able to carry out his plans without his father's consent.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

In 1503, at [[Juan Borgia the Elder|Juan Borgia]]'s [[Incident at the Pagan Party|pagan party]], Rodrigo spoke to Cesare and reprimanded him, only to have his son brush aside his concerns and remind him of who was ''truly'' in charge.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

Later that year, Rodrigo had grown heavily displeased with Cesare's ambition and entitlement, believing his son to be out of control. Fearing Cesare would jeopardize his own balance of power, Rodrigo decided that his best option would be to remove Cesare.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

[[File:Apple.png|thumb|left|250px|Cesare killing his father.]]
To achieve this, he seized the Castel's supply of [[cantarella]] - the same poison that had been used for Doge Mocenigo - and poisoned a few apples for Cesare to unwittingly eat. However, Rodrigo's daughter Lucrezia discovered the presence of the poison, and warned Cesare about it before he could ingest enough to be mortally wounded.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

Enraged, Cesare promptly spat out what he had eaten, before shoving the remaining apple down Rodrigo's throat. Rodrigo perished before Ezio arrived to kill him, but Ezio nevertheless gave Rodrigo his final blessing at last.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

===Legacy ===

During the 21st Century members of the Templar inner circle
thought of Rodrigo Borgia as a debased tyrant instead of a respected Grand Master. Instead of spreading knowledge to enlighten his fellow man and break down the boundaries that keep men divided , Rodrigo used his power and position as Grand master to corrupt the Templar purpose into gaining infinite power by any means, true Templar motives are questionable but they intended to serve the greater good ,Rodrigo however wanted power for the sake of it and saw total domination over all as his prize. The Borgia's leadership over the Order would later be known as "The dark times"
{{-}}

==Personality==
[[File:Rodriog Borgia ACII.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Rodrigo challenging Ezio in the Vatican vault.]]
Initially an ambitious middle-aged man, Rodrigo was intent, as Cesare later would be, on taking Italy in the name of the Templar Order and exterminating the Assassins. After becoming Pope, his obsession not only with conquering Italy but also of realizing what he believed to be his true calling as the Prophet intensified. He actively sought to take the Apple from Savonarola, as demonstrated when he sent battalions of Papal soldiers to Florence to take it.

After his duel with Ezio in the Vault, and the shattering revelation that he was not the Prophet, Rodrigo was reduced to being an empty shell, and instead of continuing to pursue his dreams of infinite power and the extermination of the Assassin Order, he focused on maintaining his monopoly over Rome.

==Final words==
After Ezio's first assassination attempt.

*'''Ezio:''' ''I thought... I thought I was beyond this. But I'm not. I've waited too long, lost too much...'' Requiescat in pace ''(Rest in peace), you bastard.''
*'''Rodrigo:''' ''I don't think so.''
 After Ezio's and Rodrigo's confrontation at the Vault.
*'''Rodrigo:''' ''You can't! You can't! It's MY destiny. MINE! I am the Prophet!''
*'''Ezio:''' ''You never were...''
*'''Rodrigo:''' ''Get it over with then.''
*'''Ezio''': ...''No. Killing you won't bring my family back... I'm done.'' Nulla è reale, tutto è lecito. Requiescat in pace. ''(Nothing is true, everything is permitted. Rest in peace.)''

==Trivia==
[[File:Blason_famille_it_Borgia01_svg.png|thumb|The [[Heraldry|coat of arms]] of the Borgia, which can be seen on Rodrigo's personal guards (who wear black outfits striped with red).]]
*Rodrigo was called "the Spaniard" by the Assassins due his Spanish origins.
* During some of Rodrigo's appearances, a dim red lighting effect can be seen on Rodrigo's hood and upper body, even though there is no source for this light.
* Historically, Alexander VI (Spaniard) ordered the execution of Savonarola, the mad monk of Florence.
* In all of his appearances throughout the games he is seen wearing either a hood or a cap.
*In [[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]], while Ezio is disguised as a ministrel, he sings a song about Rodrigo before and after he became the Pope.

;Combat
*As Ezio enters the Sistine Chapel to assassinate Rodrigo, he is proclaiming the Nicene Creed in Latin to the congregation. Ironically, Borgia later states he does not believe the concept of the Nicene Creed, which confesses the wholeness of the Roman Catholic doctrine.
* It is possible to kill Rodrigo while in the Sistine Chapel if you [[Poison blade|poison]] him. After this, you can wield the Staff of Eden, although you cannot use any of its powers.
* Occasionally, during the fight with Rodrigo in the Sistine Chapel, he can be seen wielding a spear instead of the Staff.
* Although Ezio did not kill Rodrigo, he is listed as dead in the [[Animus]]' Conspirator Web after the player completes the main memories of ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' and re-enters the Animus.

;Papacy
[[File:Papal_Arms_of_Alexander_VI.svg|thumb|Papal coat of arms of Alexander VI, which can be seen on his [[Papal Guard]].]]
* Rodrigo was the first Pope to be elected from a conclave in the Sistine Chapel.
* In Rodrigo's assassination target video, there is a scene with Rodrigo in his Papal robes standing next to his fellow Templars, who are seated at a table. This is impossible, because by the time Rodrigo became Pope, Ezio had killed all the other Templars present. The Pazzi, the Barbarigo and Carlo Grimaldi, for example, are shown at the table.
* In the assassination target video for the Orsi brothers set in 1488, in the [[Battle of Forlì (DLC)|''Battle of Forlì'' DLC]], Rodrigo is again shown in his Papal robes, even though he was elected Pope in 1492.
* Rodrigo appears only a few times in ''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]'' and never becomes aware of Ezio's presence.

;Death
[[File:Rborgia_portrait.jpg|thumb|Rodrigo Borgia's Portrait.]]
* Rodrigo's fate in the novel, ''[[Assassin's Creed: Renaissance]]'', differs from that shown in ''Assassin's Creed II''. In the game, after Ezio defeated and spared him, Borgia was left alone to come to terms with his misery as Ezio entered the Vault. In the novel, however, when Ezio emerged from the Vault, Borgia committed suicide with poison. His last act was to ask Ezio what he saw in the Vault, to which Ezio replied ''"Nothing. No one,"'' leading Borgia to die believing everything he had done in life was for nothing.
**In the [[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (novel)|novelization of ''Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood'']], however, Rodrigo evidently survives this suicide attempt, and Mario Auditore suggested that he had not taken enough poison, or that he had been faking.
* Rodrigo died in 1503 at the age of [[72]].

==Gallery==
<gallery captionalign="center" position="center">
Borgia lineage.jpg|Rodrigo Borgia hiding from Giovanni Auditore in Florence.
Rodrigo Borgia V.png|Rodrigo Borgia, before becoming Pope.
Borgia-Staff.jpg|Rodrigo as Pope Alexander VI wielding the Staff of Eden.
IBAL 9.png|Rodrigo fighting Ezio
IBAL 4.png|Ezio confronts Rodrigo in the Sistine Chapel
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{ACII}}
{{ACIID}}
{{ACBH}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Borgia, Rodrigo}}
[[de:Rodrigo Borgia]]
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Lineage Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Renaissance Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II Assassination Targets]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (Novel) Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Ascendance Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy Characters]]
[[Category:Templars]]
[[Category:Historical Characters]]
[[Category:Popes]]

Rodrigo Borgia

2011-12-12T20:29:24Z

81.105.226.110:

{{Era|AC2|PL|Brotherhood|Renaissance|Bbook|Lineage|Ascendance|Templars}}
{{WPtargets}}
{{WP-REAL|Pope Alexander VI}}
{{quote|He is Rodrigo Borgia, one of the most powerful men in all of Europe, and leader of the [[Templars|Templar Order]].|[[Mario Auditore]]|Assassin's Creed II}}
{{Character Infobox
|name = Rodrigo Borgia
|image = char_rodrigo.png
|imgdesc =
|birth = 1 January 1431 Xàtiva, Valencia, Crown of Aragon
|death = 18 August 1503 [[Rome]], [[Italy]]
|period = [[Renaissance]]
|faction = [[House of Borgia]] [[Templars]] [[Papacy]]
|appear = ''[[Assassin's Creed: Lineage]]'' ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' ''[[Assassin's Creed: Ascendance]]'' ''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]'' ''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]'' ''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]'' {{mo}}
|actor = [[Manuel Tadros]]
|voice = [[Manuel Tadros]]}}
'''Rodrigo Borgia''' (1431 – 1503), born '''Roderic Llançol''', later '''Roderic de Borja i Borja''', was a [[Spain|Spanish]] [[Cardinals|Cardinal]], and the [[Grand Master of the Templar Order|leader]] of the [[Templars|Templar Order]] during the [[Italy|Italian]] [[Renaissance]]. He was the father of [[Juan Borgia the Younger|Juan]], [[Cesare Borgia|Cesare]], [[Lucrezia Borgia|Lucrezia]], and [[Jofré Borgia]], and grandfather to [[Giovanni Borgia]].

Rodrigo was elected as [[Papacy|Pope]] from 1492 to 1503, and was known as '''Alexander VI'''. He was one of the most controversial of the Renaissance Popes, and his surname became synonymous for the corrupt standards of the Papacy in that era.

==Biography==
===Early life===
Roderic Llançol was born at Xàtiva in the Kingdom of Valencia, one of the component states of the Crown of Aragon, now Spain. His parents were Jofré Llançol i Escrivá, and his wife and relative Isabel de Borja. His family name is written Llançol in Valencian and Lanzol in Spanish. After the elevation of Roderic's maternal uncle Alonso de Borja to the Papacy as Calixtus III in 1455, Roderic was adopted into his mother's family name of Borja.<ref name="Wikipedia: Pope Alexander VI">''[[wikipedia:Pope Alexander VI|Wikipedia - Pope Alexander VI]]''</ref>

===As a Cardinal===
Roderic de Borja studied law at Bologna, and was made successively bishop, cardinal and vice-chancellor of the church, all of which were nepotistic appointments characteristic of the age. He served in the Roman Curia under five Popes (his uncle, Pius II, Paul II, Sixtus IV and Innocent VIII) and acquired much administrative experience, influence, and wealth, though not great power.<ref name="Wikipedia: Pope Alexander VI" />

By the time Rodrigo was under Pope Sixtus IV, he had become the Grand Master of the Templar Order. In this position, he aspired to unite all of Italy under the Templar banner. In doing so, he made plans to take down the leaders of Italy's main cities, and place his own men in power.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage">''[[Assassin's Creed: Lineage]]''</ref>

===Assassination of Galeazzo Maria Sforza===
Rodrigo devised a plan to eliminate [[Galeazzo Maria Sforza]], the Duke of Milan, in which [[Giovanni Andrea Lampugnani]], [[Carlo Visconti]] and [[Gerolamo Olgiati]] would kill Sforza on the day of Santo Stefano.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage" />

One night in December of 1476, Rodrigo was on his way to leave [[Florence]] accompanied by several of his men in the dark streets of the city. Suddenly, [[Giovanni Auditore da Firenze|Giovanni Auditore]], a member of the [[Assassins|Assassin Order]], intercepted him. Rodrigo fled immediately as the Assassin battled his men.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage" />

Hidden behind a corner, Rodrigo witnessed Giovanni capture one of his men, who later revealed the planned assassination of Galeazzo Sforza, who was a powerful ally of [[Lorenzo de' Medici]]. Giovanni attempted to prevent this, though he arrived too late to do so. Rodrigo's plan had succeeded, thus he began to devise his next scheme.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage" />

===Auditore execution===
[[File:Tadros.jpg|thumb|250px|Rodrigo walking in Rome.]]
Giovanni Auditore learned that Rodrigo's plans would lead him to the city of [[Venice]], after looting a Venetian [[wikipedia:Ducat|ducat]] from Giovanni Lampugnani. Upon traveling there, he intercepted a message from [[Marco Barbarigo|Marco]] and [[Silvio Barbarigo]] to their master, Rodrigo.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage"/>

After [[Uberto Alberti]] and [[Antonio Maffei|Father Maffei]] "failed" to decode the intercepted letter, the [[House of Medici|Medici]] and Uberto sent Giovanni to carry a copied version of the message to [[Rome]], in order to discover who was behind the plot. After arriving in the city, he handed the message to a man. In this manner, the letter was passed through various hands before meeting its final destination: Rodrigo.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage"/>

Rodrigo then left to see [[Sixtus IV|Pope Sixtus IV]] to obtain military support in order to conquer Florence. After gaining Sixtus' favor, Rodrigo headed out of the [[Vaticano District|Vatican]], and into the streets of Rome once more.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage"/>

Giovanni was still on Rodrigo's trail at this point, and followed him all the way into [[Basilica di San Pietro|St. Peter's Basilica]]; however, there, he fell into an ambush set by Rodrigo. Rodrigo tried to offer Giovanni a position among the Templars, but the Assassin refused, stating that Rodrigo would be dead before he could see the Templars' fantasy become a reality.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage"/>

Disappointed, Rodrigo had his men attack Giovanni, but the Assassin routed all of them. Rodrigo, who had been watching from the sidelines, threw a [[Throwing knives|knife]] Giovanni's way, hitting him in the chest. Rodrigo then took the chance to flee the Basilica. Afterwards, he discussed the next step in his plan with his Templar brothers, and all agreed on one thing: to dispose of Giovanni Auditore.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Lineage"/>

[[File:LMS_10_v.png|thumb|left|252px|Rodrigo giving orders to Uberto at the Auditore execution.]]
In order to get rid of Giovanni, Rodrigo conspired with Uberto Alberti and the [[House of Pazzi|Pazzi family]]. After careful planning, the Templars were able to frame Giovanni for the crimes of treason, and had him and two of his sons arrested.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref>

The night before the trial of the [[House of Auditore|Auditore family]], Rodrigo was at Uberto's house. [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Ezio Auditore]], Giovanni's remaining son, came by to give Uberto his father's letters that would prove him innocent. Ezio noticed Rodrigo behind Uberto, but paid no further attention to him. The following morning, Rodrigo attended the judgment and execution of Giovanni, [[Federico Auditore da Firenze|Federico]] and [[Petruccio Auditore da Firenze|Petruccio Auditore]]. Years later, Rodrigo would tell Ezio that his brothers had not needed to die, but that he had them killed anyway to make a point to the Assassins.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II"/>

===Pazzi Conspiracy===
{{Quote|Gentlemen. Tomorrow, a new sun rises over Firenze.|Rodrigo encouraging the Pazzi Conspirators.|Assassin's Creed II}}
[[File:Burgerking.png|thumb|250px|Rodrigo discussing the Pazzi Conspiracy.]]
In 1478, Rodrigo conspired to take down the leader of Florence, Lorenzo de' Medici, and his brother [[Giuliano de' Medici|Giuliano]]. Thus, Rodrigo left for Florence again, where he held a meeting with the [[Francesco de' Pazzi]], [[Jacopo de' Pazzi]] and several conspirators in a catacomb under the Basilica of [[Santa Maria Novella]]. As the Pazzi confirmed their plan to Rodrigo, he reminded them to beware of the Assassins, and stated that the next day would be ''"a new dawn" ''for Florence<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

However, Ezio thwarted the Templars' attempted takeover in Florence and killed off the remaining conspirators Rodrigo was arranged to meet with in [[San Gimignano]], where the Pazzi originally intended to request asylum with Rodrigo in either Venice or Rome. However, Jacopo was the only one to arrive at the meeting and claimed that the blame for the failure rested with his nephew, for his impatience, and with [[Emilio Barbarigo]], for supplying the Pazzi troops with sub-standard weaponry. Enraged by Jacopo's sniveling excuses, Rodrigo lectured his subordinate on his failure, then stabbed him in the abdomen, aided by an eager Emilio.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

Ignoring Jacopo's pleas for mercy, Rodrigo stabbed him a second time in the neck with his sword, then called out to Ezio who had tailed Jacopo to the meeting. Grabbed by Borgia guards suddenly, Ezio was brought into Rodrigo's sight. Sarcastically apologizing for killing Jacopo for him, Rodrigo mocked Ezio, saying that he had been doing this for far longer than the [[novice]] Assassin. He then ordered his men to kill him, and left without bothering to ensure the deed was done.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

===Venice Conspiracy===
{{Quote|I feel the need to involve myself more directly. The Pazzi disappointed us in Firenze. I pray you will not do the same.|Rodrigo, about personally attending the meeting.|Assassin's Creed II}}
[[File:BoF 9.png|thumb|left|250px|Rodrigo on the [[Ponte di Rialto]] with the other Templars.]]
Soon after the Florentine attempt failed, Rodrigo returned his attention to conducting his plans for Venice. In 1485, he met with [[Carlo Grimaldi]] and the [[House of Barbarigo|Barbarigo family]] to plan the murder of the current Doge, [[Giovanni Mocenigo]], in order for them to seize control of Venice themselves. During the meeting, Rodrigo chastised the Venetian Templars for making their own plans, rebuking them for their ''"inane prattle"'' as they argued over who would be the new Doge after they took Venice. He then silenced their debates by appointing Marco Barbarigo as the next Doge.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

During this meeting, Marco questioned Rodrigo's presence in Venice, as Ezio was also there, but Rodrigo only replied that he felt he should see out their plans personally, particularly after the failure of the Pazzi conspiracy. Warning the Venetian tyrants of the Assassin that ''"haunts"'' their city, he then made his departure from Venice to Rome, allowing them to carry out his plans.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

While Ezio was [[Hunt in Venice|hunting the Barbarigo]] in Venice, Rodrigo meanwhile tracked down the location of the [[Pieces of Eden|Piece of Eden]] that [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]] had once taken from the Templars in 1191.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

===Shipping the Apple of Eden===
{{Quote|You claim not to be a believer. And yet, here you are... Don't you see him? The Prophet is already here... I AM the Prophet. Now give me the Apple.|Rodrigo upon confronting Ezio.|Assassin's Creed II}}
[[File:Play along 2.png|thumb|250px|Rodrigo and Ezio confront each other in Venice.]]
By 1486, Rodrigo had found out that the Piece of Eden he sought was [[Sixth Apple|the Apple]], which was hidden on [[Cyprus]]. He thus sent a battalion of his men to retrieve it. Two years later, the men returned to [[Arsenale di Venezia|L'Arsenale]] with the artifact, and Rodrigo met with the courier who was to deliver it to him.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

However, prior to this, Ezio had intercepted the delivery and had disguised himself as the carrier of the artifact, in order to kill Rodrigo. Rodrigo had expected the attack, and readied himself to deal with Ezio personally. The two exchanged a brief conversation, in which Rodrigo claimed himself to be the Prophet, who was said to be the only one who could open the fabled [[Vatican Vault|Vault]]. The two then began an intense battle, in which Ezio ultimately emerged as the victor.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

Realizing that he could not defeat Ezio alone, Rodrigo called in a supply of guards to overwhelm him. Suddenly, many of Ezio's allies appeared, all of whom revealed themselves to be Assassins. They held off the guards to allow Ezio to re-challenge Rodrigo, who then escaped from them before Ezio could kill him.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

That same year, Rodrigo found out that the late [[Girolamo Riario]] had created a map marking where all the [[Codex]] pages could be found, thus he hired the [[House of Orsi|Orsi brothers]] to retrieve it from Riario's city of [[Forlì]]. The Orsi discovered that Riario's wife, [[Caterina Sforza]], also had the Apple, and thus laid [[Battle of Forlì|siege]] to the city and took the artifact by force, planning to present it to Rodrigo for an extra pay-off.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

Unfortunately for Rodrigo, Ezio managed to kill both of the Orsi brothers, though the Apple eventually came into the hands of [[Girolamo Savonarola]], a later arch-enemy of Rodrigo.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

===Deceiving Torquemada===
{{Dialogue|Ezio|Rodrigo Borgia is an unbeliever like me, and yet you lavish him with favors.|Torquemada|Borgia is one of three Papal candidates this year. And he is as devoted to God as I am.|Ezio and Torquemada talking about Rodrigo.|Assassin's Creed II: Discovery}}
In 1491, Rodrigo fooled the Spanish Inquisitor General [[Tomás de Torquemada]] into capturing and killing Assassins in Spain. Tomás, who thought Rodrigo was as much as a believer of God as he was, blindly followed his orders.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery">''[[Assassin's Creed II: Discovery]]''</ref>

At around this time, Rodrigo also found out about [[Christoffa Corombo]]'s plans to sail west; however he, knowing of the presence of the [[wikipedia:Americas|Americas]] and the treasures that lay there, wished to stop anyone from finding it before he could. Thus, Rodrigo arranged a meeting with Christoffa in Venice, and lay a trap for him there.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery" />

However, Christoffa's friend, [[Luis de Santángel]], was suspicious of the arrangement, and called for the aid of his fellow Assassin, Ezio. Ezio rushed to Christoffa's aid, successfully rescuing him from an assassin and thwarted Rodrigo's plans.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery" />

===Papal Rule===
{{Quote|The Spaniard, Rodrigo Borgia, has been elected Pope. He rules the Vatican and Rome as the Supreme Pontiff, Alexander VI! [...] The Conclave of Rome has only just ended - this month. The rumour is that Rodrigo simply bought most of the votes. Even [[Ascanio Sforza]], who was the most likely candidate standing against him, voted for him! Four mule-loads of silver was his bribe, they say.|[[Sister Teodora]] talking about Rodrigo becoming Pope.|Assassin's Creed: Renaissance}}
Rodrigo was elected Pope in 1492, and established his power in Rome. Rodrigo's true intent, however, was simply to get into [[Vatican Vault|the Vault that lay under the Vatican]], where he believed God rested.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

In 1494, with the death of Lorenzo de' Medici, and with the power of the Apple he had obtained, Savonarola [[Bonfire of the Vanities|took control]] over Florence. Rodrigo repeatedly sent his men to Florence in the hopes of acquiring the Apple, though he was unsuccessful. In 1498, Savonarola was assassinated by Ezio, causing the Borgia family to fall into a state of chaos upon losing track of the Apple.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy">''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]''</ref>

[[File:IBAL 4.png|thumb|250px|Rodrigo confronted by Ezio.]]
In 1499, Rodrigo was followed into the Vatican by Ezio for yet another assassination attempt. Ezio snuck into the [[Cappella Sistina|Sistine Chapel]], where Rodrigo was holding Mass, and attacked him from above. However, after turning to leave, Ezio witnessed Rodrigo rise from the ground and use his Piece of Eden, [[The Staff|the Papal Staff]], to strike down him and everyone else in the room.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

Rodrigo was surprised to see that Ezio was able to resist the power of his Staff, as Ezio had brought his own Piece of Eden: the Apple that Altaïr had taken from [[Al Mualim]]. Ezio then summoned four clones of himself to assist in his battle against Rodrigo, eventually defeating him.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

However, Rodrigo knocked Ezio aside with the Staff, and snatched the Apple from his hands. He then combined it with the Staff to open up the door to The Vault, and as Ezio tried to stop him, Rodrigo lifted him into the air with the power of the two combined Pieces of Eden.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

[[File:IBAL 9.png|thumb|left|250px|Rodrigo lifting Ezio into the air.]]
As the Assassin hung helpless, Rodrigo stabbed Ezio with a dagger, and left him to die on the floor of the Sistine Chapel. Though injured, Ezio eventually followed Rodrigo to the Vault, and found the Pope furiously pounding upon the door to the inner chambers, which refused to open.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

Ezio then dropped down into the pit where Rodrigo was, and challenged him to one last fist fight, with no more weapons, plots, or decoys. Rodrigo accepted, and the two had one last duel. During the battle, Rodrigo stated that he had never believed in the Bible or in God, and had only become Pope to gain access to the Staff and the Vault, and to unify Italy under Templar rule. Ezio defeated Rodrigo, holding the Pope at blade-point and telling him he was not the Prophet, and had never been.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

Broken by this revelation and accepting defeat, Rodrigo told Ezio to kill him and put an end to it. However, Ezio refused, saying that killing him would not bring back his family. Additionally, the knowledge that he was not the Prophet, as he had believed, was an even sorer blow than anything else that Ezio could have thought of.<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" />

When Rodrigo's son Cesare learned of this, he led a [[Fall of Monteriggioni|siege]] on [[Monteriggioni]], though without Rodrigo's approval, in order to reacquire the Apple of Eden and kill the last of the Assassins. By this time, Rodrigo was reduced to nothing but a figurehead, with Cesare ultimately taking over Rome.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''</ref>

===Later life and death===
{{Quote|You risk upsetting the delicate balance of control we have worked so hard to tighten.|Rodrigo talking about the consequences of his son's actions.|Assassin's Creed II}}
[[File:In And Out2.jpg|thumb|250px|Rodrigo and Cesare talking at the pagan party.]]
Following his defeat in the Vault, Rodrigo had given up on fighting the Assassin Order and instead chose to preserve the balance of power in Rome he had managed to obtain. However, Cesare was eager to take over all of Italy, a plan that Rodrigo did not approve of. As the Captain General of the Papal armies, however, Cesare held control over Rodrigo's military, and was thus able to carry out his plans without his father's consent.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

In 1503, at [[Juan Borgia the Elder|Juan Borgia]]'s [[Incident at the Pagan Party|pagan party]], Rodrigo spoke to Cesare and reprimanded him, only to have his son brush aside his concerns and remind him of who was ''truly'' in charge.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

Later that year, Rodrigo had grown heavily displeased with Cesare's ambition and entitlement, believing his son to be out of control. Fearing Cesare would jeopardize his own balance of power, Rodrigo decided that his best option would be to remove Cesare.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

[[File:Apple.png|thumb|left|250px|Cesare killing his father.]]
To achieve this, he seized the Castel's supply of [[cantarella]] - the same poison that had been used for Doge Mocenigo - and poisoned a few apples for Cesare to unwittingly eat. However, Rodrigo's daughter Lucrezia discovered the presence of the poison, and warned Cesare about it before he could ingest enough to be mortally wounded.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

Enraged, Cesare promptly spat out what he had eaten, before shoving the remaining apple down Rodrigo's throat. Rodrigo perished before Ezio arrived to kill him, but Ezio nevertheless gave Rodrigo his final blessing at last.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" />

==Personality==
[[File:Rodriog Borgia ACII.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Rodrigo challenging Ezio in the Vatican vault.]]
Initially an ambitious middle-aged man, Rodrigo was intent, as Cesare later would be, on taking Italy in the name of the Templar Order and exterminating the Assassins. After becoming Pope, his obsession not only with conquering Italy but also of realizing what he believed to be his true calling as the Prophet intensified. He actively sought to take the Apple from Savonarola, as demonstrated when he sent battalions of Papal soldiers to Florence to take it.

After his duel with Ezio in the Vault, and the shattering revelation that he was not the Prophet, Rodrigo was reduced to being an empty shell, and instead of continuing to pursue his dreams of infinite power and the extermination of the Assassin Order, he focused on maintaining his monopoly over Rome.

===Legacy ===

During the 21st Century members of the Templar inner circle
thought of Rodrigo Borgia as a debased tyrant instead of a respected Grand Master. Instead of spreading knowledge to enlighten his fellow man and break down the boundaries that keep men divided , Rodrigo used his power and position as Grand master to corrupt the Templar purpose into gaining infinite power by any means, true Templar motives are questionable but they intended to serve the greater good ,Rodrigo however wanted power for the sake of it and saw total domination over all as his prize. The Borgia's leadership over the Order would later be known as "The dark times"
{{-}}

==Final words==
After Ezio's first assassination attempt.

*'''Ezio:''' ''I thought... I thought I was beyond this. But I'm not. I've waited too long, lost too much...'' Requiescat in pace ''(Rest in peace), you bastard.''
*'''Rodrigo:''' ''I don't think so.''
 After Ezio's and Rodrigo's confrontation at the Vault.
*'''Rodrigo:''' ''You can't! You can't! It's MY destiny. MINE! I am the Prophet!''
*'''Ezio:''' ''You never were...''
*'''Rodrigo:''' ''Get it over with then.''
*'''Ezio''': ...''No. Killing you won't bring my family back... I'm done.'' Nulla è reale, tutto è lecito. Requiescat in pace. ''(Nothing is true, everything is permitted. Rest in peace.)''

==Trivia==
[[File:Blason_famille_it_Borgia01_svg.png|thumb|The [[Heraldry|coat of arms]] of the Borgia, which can be seen on Rodrigo's personal guards (who wear black outfits striped with red).]]
*Rodrigo was called "the Spaniard" by the Assassins due his Spanish origins.
* During some of Rodrigo's appearances, a dim red lighting effect can be seen on Rodrigo's hood and upper body, even though there is no source for this light.
* Historically, Alexander VI (Spaniard) ordered the execution of Savonarola, the mad monk of Florence.
* In all of his appearances throughout the games he is seen wearing either a hood or a cap.
*In [[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]], while Ezio is disguised as a ministrel, he sings a song about Rodrigo before and after he became the Pope.

;Combat
*As Ezio enters the Sistine Chapel to assassinate Rodrigo, he is proclaiming the Nicene Creed in Latin to the congregation. Ironically, Borgia later states he does not believe the concept of the Nicene Creed, which confesses the wholeness of the Roman Catholic doctrine.
* It is possible to kill Rodrigo while in the Sistine Chapel if you [[Poison blade|poison]] him. After this, you can wield the Staff of Eden, although you cannot use any of its powers.
* Occasionally, during the fight with Rodrigo in the Sistine Chapel, he can be seen wielding a spear instead of the Staff.
* Although Ezio did not kill Rodrigo, he is listed as dead in the [[Animus]]' Conspirator Web after the player completes the main memories of ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' and re-enters the Animus.

;Papacy
[[File:Papal_Arms_of_Alexander_VI.svg|thumb|Papal coat of arms of Alexander VI, which can be seen on his [[Papal Guard]].]]
* Rodrigo was the first Pope to be elected from a conclave in the Sistine Chapel.
* In Rodrigo's assassination target video, there is a scene with Rodrigo in his Papal robes standing next to his fellow Templars, who are seated at a table. This is impossible, because by the time Rodrigo became Pope, Ezio had killed all the other Templars present. The Pazzi, the Barbarigo and Carlo Grimaldi, for example, are shown at the table.
* In the assassination target video for the Orsi brothers set in 1488, in the [[Battle of Forlì (DLC)|''Battle of Forlì'' DLC]], Rodrigo is again shown in his Papal robes, even though he was elected Pope in 1492.
* Rodrigo appears only a few times in ''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]'' and never becomes aware of Ezio's presence.

;Death
[[File:Rborgia_portrait.jpg|thumb|Rodrigo Borgia's Portrait.]]
* Rodrigo's fate in the novel, ''[[Assassin's Creed: Renaissance]]'', differs from that shown in ''Assassin's Creed II''. In the game, after Ezio defeated and spared him, Borgia was left alone to come to terms with his misery as Ezio entered the Vault. In the novel, however, when Ezio emerged from the Vault, Borgia committed suicide with poison. His last act was to ask Ezio what he saw in the Vault, to which Ezio replied ''"Nothing. No one,"'' leading Borgia to die believing everything he had done in life was for nothing.
**In the [[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (novel)|novelization of ''Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood'']], however, Rodrigo evidently survives this suicide attempt, and Mario Auditore suggested that he had not taken enough poison, or that he had been faking.
* Rodrigo died in 1503 at the age of [[72]].

==Gallery==
<gallery captionalign="center" position="center">
Borgia lineage.jpg|Rodrigo Borgia hiding from Giovanni Auditore in Florence.
Rodrigo Borgia V.png|Rodrigo Borgia, before becoming Pope.
Borgia-Staff.jpg|Rodrigo as Pope Alexander VI wielding the Staff of Eden.
IBAL 9.png|Rodrigo fighting Ezio
IBAL 4.png|Ezio confronts Rodrigo in the Sistine Chapel
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{ACII}}
{{ACIID}}
{{ACBH}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Borgia, Rodrigo}}
[[de:Rodrigo Borgia]]
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Lineage Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Renaissance Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II Assassination Targets]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (Novel) Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Ascendance Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy Characters]]
[[Category:Templars]]
[[Category:Historical Characters]]
[[Category:Popes]]

Thread:Master Sima Yi/@comment-81.105.226.110-20111129234211/@comment-81.105.226.110-20111129235718

2011-11-29T23:57:18Z

81.105.226.110: Created page with "Is Ahmet going to be listed as Grand Master on his page?<ac_metadata title=""> </ac_metadata>"

Is Ahmet going to be listed as Grand Master on his page?<ac_metadata title=""> </ac_metadata>

Thread:Master Sima Yi/@comment-81.105.226.110-20111129234211/@comment-81.105.226.110-20111129235355

2011-11-29T23:53:55Z

81.105.226.110: Created page with "Many thanks<ac_metadata title=""> </ac_metadata>"

Many thanks<ac_metadata title=""> </ac_metadata>

Thread:Master Sima Yi/@comment-81.105.226.110-20111129234211/@comment-81.105.226.110-20111129235033

2011-11-29T23:50:33Z

81.105.226.110: Created page with "Well is he technically a Templar Grand master? as all that is stated is he is leading templars in Eastern Europe but in game a few times guards talk about the "grand master " I w..."

Well is he technically a Templar Grand master? as all that is stated is he is leading templars in Eastern Europe but in game a few times guards talk about the "grand master " I would thus assume that he has been given the title.<ac_metadata title=""> </ac_metadata>

Thread:Master Sima Yi/@comment-81.105.226.110-20111129234211

2011-11-29T23:42:11Z

81.105.226.110: Created page with "Hi Master Yi Are we allowed to refer to Ahmet as Grand Master just that the title is banded about alot in game through low level byzantine grunts and as far as I am aware he is..."

Hi Master Yi

Are we allowed to refer to Ahmet as Grand Master just that the title is banded about alot in game through low level byzantine grunts and as far as I am aware he is the mastermind. so logically I would say yes, I know everyone I have spoken to say yer hes is a Templar Grand Master.
<ac_metadata title="Ahmet question"> </ac_metadata>

Ahmet

2011-11-29T23:36:58Z

81.105.226.110:

{{Era|Revelations|Templars}}
{{WP-REAL|Şehzade Ahmet}}
{{Spoilerhd}}
{{Working Revamp|Master Sima Yi}}
{{Character Infobox
|name = Ahmet
|image = Şehzade Ahmet.png
|imgdesc =
|birth = 1465
|death = 1512 Near [[Constantinople]], [[Ottoman Empire]]
|period =
|faction = [[Ottomans]] [[Templars]]
|appear = ''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]''
|voice = [[Tamer Hassan]]
}}
'''Ahmet''' (1465 - 1512) was an [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] prince (''Shehzade'') and the oldest son of [[Bayezid II]]. He was also the elder brother of [[Selim I]] and uncle of [[Suleiman I]] "the Magnificent".

Tired of the feuds that divide men, Ahmet joined the [[Templars|Templar]] ideology, eventually slipping into the position of [[Grand Master of the Templar Order|Grand Master]] of the [[Byzantine Templars]], while simultaneously having been chosen as the heir of his father, the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.

Believing that control over the Ottoman Empire was guaranteed to be in his hands, Ahmet started an expedition to find the [[Masyaf Keys]] needed to open the [[Altaïr's library|library of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]] in [[Masyaf]]. Here, he believed he would find the location of the "[[Grand Temple]]" and intended to use the power hidden there to further the Templar ideology.

==Biography==
===Early life===

===Joining the Byzantine Templars===
In 1509, an [[wikipedia:1509 Istanbul earthquake|earthquake struck Constantinople]], at which point Bayezid had disappeared from Constantinople. In his absence, [[Byzantine Templars]] - remnants of the fallen [[wikipedia:Byzantine Empire|Byzantine Empire]] - were only to easily enter the city, and strived to revive their fallen empire. Led by [[Manuel Palaiologos]], the Byzantine Templars caught the eye of Ahmet, who expressed interest in the Templar ideology.<ref name="ACR">''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]''</ref>

Ahmet, much younger and more charismatic than the elderly Manuel Palaiologos, slowly slipped into the position of [[Grand Master of the Templar Order|leader]] of the Byzantine Templars, with Manuel becoming his second-in-command.<ref name="Encyclopedia">''[[Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia]]''</ref> At the same time, Bayezid and Selim had engaged in a conflict, as Selim was making efforts to gain the Ottoman throne for himself.<ref name="ACR"/>

===Expanding Templar influence===

===Death===

==Gallery==
<gallery captionalign="left">
Ahmet02.jpg|Ahmet and Suleiman I.
Ahmet01.jpg|Ahmet.
selim kills ahmet.JPG|Ahmet is thrown off a cliff by Selim.
ACR Artwork Ahmet.jpg|Artwork
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{ACRevelations}}
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Revelations Characters]]
[[Category:Templars]]
[[Category:Historical Characters]]

Grand Master of the Templar Order

2011-11-29T12:31:26Z

81.105.226.110:

{{Era|AC1|Bloodlines|AC2|Brotherhood|Secret Crusade|Renaissance|Bbook|Templars}}
{{WP-REAL|Grand Masters of the Knights Templar}}
{{Spoilerhd}}
The title of '''Grand Master''' was the highest rank attainable within the [[Templars|Templar Order]] and granted the bearer full control over its members and their operations.

Having previously born a more public face, more Grand Masters of the Templar Order were better known than their [[Assassins|Assassin]] [[Grand Master of the Assassin Order|counterparts]]. As the Templars slipped into the shadows, the identities of the leaders eventually fell from the public consciousness.

==History==
===Middle Ages===
During the [[Quest for the Chalice]], [[Basilisk]] was the Grand Master of their Order. In 1190, Basilisk kidnapped [[Adha]], the woman who was also known as the Chalice, and because of that made him the main target of the Assassin, [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]], who had the task of retrieving her. Altaïr killed him during a duel on his ship.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles" />

[[Robert de Sable]] entered the order of the Knights Templar and reigned as their "Grand Master" during 1190. During his reign, he sought the [[Pieces of Eden]], particularly the [[Sixth Apple|Apple of Eden]]. After having lost the apple, he launched an attack to [[Masyaf]], the stronghold of the Assassins. During the [[Battle of Arsuf]], he was killed by his rival, Altaïr.<ref name="Assassin's Creed" />

After the death of Robert, [[Armand Bouchart]] took the title of Grand Master. He and the Templars retreated to [[Cyprus]] after Robert's death. But Altaïr pursued him and in the [[Templar Archive]], they fought each other. Altaïr won the fight, and the Templars lost another leader, resulting themselves to go underground.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines" />

===Renaissance===
Some time in the 15th century, [[Rodrigo Borgia]] had become the Grand Master of the Templar Order by the time he was under [[Pope Sixtus IV]]. In this position, he aspired to unite all of [[Italy]] under the Templar banner. In doing so, he made plans to take down the leaders of Italy's main cities, and place his own men in power. But he was defeated by the Assassin [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]] during the [[Confrontation at the Vatican]].<ref name="Assassin's Creed II" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery" />

In 1500, [[Cesare Borgia]], the son of Rodrigo, became ''de facto'' Grand Master since Rodrigo gave up on fighting the Assassins because of the events that happened in [[Vatican]]. Cesare was eager to unite all of Italy, the same goal Rodrigo had. The only one standing in his way to achieve his goals were the Assassins, particularly Ezio Auditore. In 1503, Cesare became ''de jure'' Grand Master of the Order. Cesare and Ezio had a [[Siege of Viana|final battle]] at [[Viana]]. They fought each other at the castle but Ezio overpowered him. He was thrown off from the castle wall to his death.<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" /><ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood novel" />

Around 1510 - 1512 the Ottoman Prince Ahmet lead remnants of the templar order in eastern Europe after the order in the west was expelled from Italy. While he refered to himself as the orders "mastermind" his followers refered to him as Grand Master even the rightful byzantine heir Manuel Palaiologos ( a seasoned member of the order whom had also served the borgia during his stay in Rome) had to default to Ahmet's judgement. In a rare move for leaders of the templar order Ahmet reached out to his assassin counterpart Ezio Auditore to form an alliance to create a new world order together. The assassin Mentor rejected this idea and after a brief confrontation in the city Ahmet fled but was aprehended by his brother Selim , with Ahmets treachery clear to see Selim strangled his brother before throwing down a deep ravine to his death.

==Known Grand Masters==
===Europe===
<gallery position="center" widths="168" captionalign="center" bordersize="medium">
Wiki_noimage.jpg|[[Sylvester II]]<ref name="Encyclopedia">''[[Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia]]''</ref> (? - ?)
Hugh de Payns.jpg|[[Hugh de Payns]]<ref>[http://assassinscreed.wikia.com/wiki/File:AC_Timeline.jpg ''AC'' Timeline]</ref> (1118-1136)
Basilisk.jpg|[[Basilisk]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles">''[[Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles]]''</ref> (? - 1190)
Rober_de_Sable_v2.png|[[Robert de Sable]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed">''[[Assassin's Creed]]''</ref> (1190 - 1191)
Armand Bouchart.jpg|[[Armand Bouchart]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines">''[[Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines]]''</ref> (1191)
Wiki_noimage.jpg|[[Jacques de Molay]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy">''[[Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy]]''</ref> (1292 - 1312)
Char rodrigo.png|[[Rodrigo Borgia]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed II">''[[Assassin's Creed II]]''</ref><ref name="Assassin's Creed II: Discovery">''[[Assassin's Creed II: Discovery]]''</ref><ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''</ref> (? - 1503)
Char cesare.png|[[Cesare Borgia]]<ref name="Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood novel">[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (novel)|''Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood'' novel]]</ref> (1500 - 1507) {{c|de facto}} (1503 - 1507) {{c|de jure}}
</gallery>

==Notes and references==
{{Reflist}}
[[Category:Templar Order]]

Manuel Palaiologos

2011-11-24T18:30:44Z

81.105.226.110:

{{Era|Revelations|Templars}}
{{WP-REAL}}
{{Character Infobox
|name =
|image = Manuel_Palaeologos.png
|imgdesc =
|birth = 1455
|death = 1512
|period =
|faction = [[Byzantines]] [[Templars]]
|appear = ''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]''
|voice =
}}

'''Manuel Palaiologos''' (1455 – 1512) was an heir to the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] throne at the time of the collapse of the Byzantines. Following its breakdown, he surrendered his claim to the throne in exchange for a comfortable life as an [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] subject.

==Biography==
===Early life===
Manuel was born in 1455, two years after the [[wikipedia:Fall of Constantinople|Fall of Constantinople]], as an heir to the Byzantine throne. He lived with his family in Morea, but they fled in 1460 to Corfu. The family later travelled to [[Rome]], where his father, [[wikipedia:Thomas Palaiologos|Thomas Palaiologos]], was recognized as the Byzantine Emperor.<ref name="Wikipedia">[[wikipedia:Manuel Palaiologos|Manuel Palaiologos]]</ref>
===Templar Connection===
Manuel and his brother later developed a relationship with the Templar Grand Master Rodrigo Borgia in the hopes of becoming one of Rodrigos pawns in furthering templar ambitions abroad and with the correct resources, even restoring control over the throne of Constantinople. Sadly however this came to nothing when Rodrigo lost interest in any kind of eastern uprising against the Ottomans.

===Life in Constantinople===
Under Sultan [[Bayezid II]]'s rule, Manuel returned to [[Constantinople]], where he received a pension in exchange for his rights to the Byzantine throne. Here he had two sons, Loannes and Andreas, and lived a luxurious life. <ref name="Wikipedia"/><ref name="GameInformer">''[http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2011/05/17/the-characters-of-assassin-s-creed-revelations.aspx?PostPageIndex=2 ''GameInformer'': The Characters Of Assassin's Creed Revelations]</ref>

In 1511, surviving members of the Byzantine Empire, who were secretly [[Templars]], aimed to remove the Ottomans from power and resurrect their empire. It was unclear to the [[Assassins|Assassin Order]] whether or not Palaiologos was siding with the Templars, and thus the [[Grand Master of the Assassin Order|Grand Master]] of the Assassins, [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]], tasked himself with finding out about Manuel's true allegiance.<ref name="GameInformer"/>

===Work in Cappadocia and death===
Ezio discovered Manuel was working for the Templars in [[Cappadocia]], and went to the underground city to locate the Templar. While in Cappadocia, Ezio discovered that the Templars had an army stationed there, and that Manuel's lieutenant, [[Shahkulu]], was torturing Ottoman spies. Ezio assassinated Shahkulu, and then chased after Manuel who fled and called for his [[guards]]. However, Ezio caught Manuel later and the two fought, with Ezio eventually killing Manuel.

In his final words, Manuel expressed his desire to be Byzantine emperor, and said he had devised many plans for the position. Ezio responded by saying that his empire was already dead and that Manuel's desire was only a dream. However, Manuel believed that his dream was also that of the Templars dream, which was of universal order and peace. Manuel gave the Assassin the [[Keys of Altaïr|key]] he held to [[Altaïr's library]], but advised Ezio he could be killed before he even open the secret library.

==Gallery==
<gallery captionalign="left">
EzioManuel.jpg|Manuel being hunted by [[Ezio Auditore]].
ACR playing cards Manuel.jpeg|A playing card.
Manuel Palaiologos and Tarik Barleti.jpg|Manuel and Tarik Barleti
Ezio confront Manuel.png|Ezio about to fight Manuel over a Masyaf Key.
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{ACR}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Palaiologos, Manuel}}
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Revelations Characters]]
[[Category:Templars]]
[[Category:Historical Characters]]

Louis XII of France

2011-05-09T19:15:30Z

81.105.226.110:

{{Stub}}
{{WP-REAL}} [[File:Louis-xii.jpg|thumb|Louis XII.]]
'''Louis XII''' (27 June 1462 – 1 January 1515), often known as the "''Father of the People''", was king of [[wikipedia:France|France]] and the sole monarch from the Valois-Orléans branch of the House of Valois. He reigned from 1498 to 1515 and pursued a very active foreign policy

It is suspected however that his royal court was merely a templar playground where various branches of the order would converse. It was here that the Borgia family allied themselves with the king to ensure the military support of the french army and the loyalty of the templar Octavian.
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Historical Characters]]

Rodrigo Borgia

2010-11-20T01:15:50Z

81.105.226.110: /* Trivia */

{{Era|AC2|Templars|Ren}}
{{WPtargets}}
{{revamp}}
{{sourceless}}
{{WP-REAL|Pope Alexander VI}}
{{Character Infobox
|name = Rodrigo Borgia
|image = Zw-rodrigoborgia.png
|imgdesc = Rodrigo Borgia's database picture.
|birth = 1 January 1431 Xàtiva, Valencia, Crown of Aragon
|death = 18 August 1503 [[Rome]], [[Italy]]
|period = Italian [[Renaissance]] (15th Century)
|faction = [[House of Borgia]] [[Templars]] [[Papacy]]
|appear = ''[[Assassin's Creed: Lineage]]'' ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' ''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''
|actor = [[Manuel Tadros]]
|voice = [[Manuel Tadros]]
}}
{{quote|He is Rodrigo Borgia: one of the most powerful men in all of Europe, and leader of the Templar Order.|[[Mario Auditore]]|Assassin's Creed II}}
'''Rodrigo Borgia''' (1 January 1431 – 18 August 1503), born '''Roderic Llançol''', later '''Roderic de Borja i Borja''', was the leader of the [[Templars]] during the [[Renaissance]] in [[Italy]]. He was elected [[wikipedia:Pope|Pope]] from 1492 to 1503 as '''[[wikipedia:Pope Alexander VI|Alexander VI]]'''. His enemies called him "'''The Spaniard'''" (due to his [[Spain|Spanish]] origins) while his Templar followers called him "'''Maestro'''" ("Master" in Italian and "teacher" in Spanish). He was one of the most controversial of the Renaissance popes, and his surname (Italicized as ''[[wikipedia:Borgia|Borgia]]'') became a byword for the debased standards of the papacy of that era. He is the main antagonist of ''[[Assassin's Creed II]]'' and returns in ''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]'', though not as the main antagonist.

==Biography==
[[File:Borgia lineage.jpg|thumb|left|Rodrigo Borgia hiding from Giovanni Auditore in Florence.]]
The [[Medici]] were the ruling family in [[Florence]]. But a conspiracy was being plotted in a attempt to overthrow the powerful [[Lorenzo de' Medici]], and Rodrigo Borgia was at the center of it. One night in 1476, Borgia was on his way to leave Florence with few of his men in the dark streets of the city. Suddenly, [[Giovanni Auditore da Firenze|Giovanni Auditore]], an [[Assassins|Assassin]], intercepted him. Borgia fled immediately as the Assassin battled his men. Hidden behind a corner, he saw Giovanni capture one of his men. The prisoner revealed the plotted assassination of [[Galeazzo Maria Sforza]], Duke of Milan and a powerful ally of Lorenzo de' Medici, to Giovanni. Giovanni quickly went to stop the attempt, but arrived too late. Rodrigo and his accomplices' plan had succeeded and Borgia began planning the next move.

Deducing the origin of the Duke of Milan's murderers by looting a [[wikipedia:Ducat|Ducat]] from one of them, Giovanni headed to [[Venice]]. There, he intercepted a message from [[Marco Barbarigo|Marco]] and [[Silvio Barbarigo]] to their master, Rodrigo. After having decoded the letter by [[Uberto Alberti]] and [[Antonio Maffei|Father Maffei]], Giovanni carried the copied message to [[Rome]], in order to discover who is behind the plots. Once arrived in the city, he gave the message to a man. By tailing this one, it appears that the letter travels in various hands before arriving in its final destination: Rodrigo's. Rodrigo headed next to see Pope Sixtus IV to obtain a military support in order to conquer Florence.

The night before the trial of the [[House of Auditore|Auditore family]], Rodrigo was at Uberto's house. [[Ezio Auditore]], one of the sons of Giovanni Auditore, came by to give Uberto his father's letters which would prove him not guilty. Ezio noticed a hooded man (Rodrigo) behind Uberto, but paid no further notice to him. The following morning, Rodrigo attended the judgment of Giovanni and two of his sons. Years later, he would state that Ezio's brothers did not need to die, but he had them killed anyway to make a point to the assassins and to Ezio. Two years later, Rodrigo went to a meeting with the [[Pazzi]] family in [[San Gimignano]] and with the Templars in a catacomb under the Basilica of [[Santa Maria Novella]]. There he reminded them to beware the assassins, and stated that the next day would be "a new dawn for Florence".

After Ezio thwarted the Templars in Florence, Rodrigo was to meet with the remaining conspirators in Tuscany. The Pazzi were going to ask for asylum with Rodrigo in either Venice or Rome. But before the meeting could even commence, most of the conspirators were killed by Ezio, one by one. Only [[Jacopo de' Pazzi]] actually made it to the meeting alive. There Jacopo claimed that the blame rested with his nephew, Francesco, for his impatience and with [[Emilio Barbarigo]] for supplying the Pazzi troops with sub-standard weaponry. Enraged by Jacopo's sniveling excuses, Rodrigo lectured his subordinate on his failure, then stabbed him, aided by an all-too-eager Barbarigo. Ignoring Jacopo's pleas for mercy, Rodrigo stabbed him in the neck, then called out Ezio who had tailed Jacopo to the meeting. Sarcastically apologizing for killing Ezio's target for him, Rodrigo mocked Ezio; saying that he had been doing "this" for far longer than the novice Assassin. He ordered his men to kill Ezio and left without bothering to make sure the deed was done. He might have guessed that Ezio would escape, and chose not to stick around for it.

Borgia was later found in Venice, planning with [[Carlo Grimaldi]] and the Barbarigos to murder the current Doge, [[Giovanni Mocenigo]], so that one of them can replace him and take control of Venice. He chastised the Barbarigos for making their own plans and arguing over who would be the new Doge after they took Venice. He appointed Marco Barbarigo as the next Doge, and then left them to carry out his plans. While Ezio was hunting the Barbarigo's in Venice, Rodrigo was tracking the location of the [[Piece of Eden]] which [[Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad]] once took from the Templars. He sent ships to [[Cyprus]] in order to claim it from the Archives where Altaïr sealed it away before his death. He appeared in Venice to lay claim to the Piece of Eden; but then [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Ezio]], disguised as the carrier of the artifact, attempted to kill him. Rodrigo was prepared for the attack, and told his men to stand down so that he could deal with Ezio personally (if the player missed the timing to kill them). The two began an intense battle, with Ezio emerging as the victor. Realizing he could not defeat Ezio alone, Borgia called in a supply of guards to overwhelm Ezio. Suddenly, many of Ezio's allies appeared, revealing themselves to be assassins. They held off the guards to allow Ezio to re-challenge Borgia, who then escaped from them before Ezio could kill him.

Rodrigo found out that [[Caterina Sforza]]'s late husband had made a map of where all the codex pages were, so he hired the [[Orsi Brothers]] to retrieve it. The Orsi's found out that Caterina had the Apple, so they took it, planning to present it to Rodrigo for an extra pay off. Unfortunately for him, Ezio managed to kill both of the Orsi brothers, though the Apple eventually came into the hands of [[Girolamo Savonarola]], an arch-enemy of Rodrigo.

With the Apple, Savonarola took control over Florence after Lorenzo's death. Rodrigo repeatedly kept sending his men to Florence in the hopes of acquiring the Apple.

In the following years, Rodrigo fooled the Spanish Inquisitor General [[Tomas Torquemada]] into capturing and killing Assassins in [[Spain]]. Tomas, who thought Rodrigo was as much as a believer of God as he was, blindly followed his orders. He also found out about [[Christoffa Corombo]]'s plans to sail west. Rodrigo knew of the presence of the [[wikipedia:Americas|Americas]] and the treasures that lay there, and did not want anybody to find it before he would. Therefore he arranged a meeting with Christoffa in Venice. Christoffa's friend [[Luis Santangel]], in secret an Assassin, suspected a trap and called for the aid of Ezio. Ezio successfully rescued Christoffa, and eventually Christoffa did set sail west.

Rodrigo offered his daughter [[Lucrezia Borgia]] to Caterina Sforza's son [[Ottaviano Riario]]. Rodrigo figured that with a son-in-law like Ottaviano, he could control the regions of Forlì and Imola. Caterina declined the offer, as she knew of his plans and that Lucrezia 'never stayed married for long'. This enraged Rodrigo, and his son [[Cesare Borgia]] began an assault on [[Forlì]].

Borgia was elected Pope in 1492 and established his power in Rome. Borgia's true intent however, was just to get in the Vault that lays under the Vatican, where, he believed, God rested.

[[File:Borgia.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Pope Alexander VI, with the Staff of Eden.]]
In 1499, he was chased by Ezio, who tried to assassinate him. Ezio snuck into the Vatican and seemingly assassinated Borgia without being seen inside the Sistine Chapel. After Ezio finished speaking with Borgia he left only to see him rise from the ground and use his Piece of Eden, [[The Staff|the Papal Staff]], to strike down Ezio and everyone else in the room. However, he was surprised to see that Ezio was able to resist the power of his staff, Ezio brought out his own Piece of Eden: [[First Apple|The Apple]] that Altaïr took from [[Al Mualim]]. Ezio then summoned four clones of himself to assist him in his battle against Borgia, eventually defeating him. But Borgia tripped Ezio with the Staff, and snatched the Apple from his hands, and combined it with the Staff to open up the door to The Vault, which had been underneath Rome the whole time. Ezio tried to stop him, but he was lifted into the air by Borgia, unable to resist two combined Pieces of Eden.

Borgia stabbed Ezio with a dagger and left him to die on the floor of the [[Capella Sistina|Sistine Chapel]] before escaping into the Vault. Though injured, Ezio eventually made his way to the Vault, with Borgia furiously pounding the door

[[File:Rodrigo_Borgia.jpg|thumb|Portait of Rodrigo Borgia (as Pope Alexander VI).]]

to the inner chambers. Ezio dropped down into the pit where Borgia was, and challenged him to one last fist fight, with no more weapons, no more plots, and no more decoys. Borgia accepted and the two had one last battle. During the battle, Borgia stated that he never believed in the Bible or in God, and only became Pope to get the Staff and access to the Vault, wanting to unify Italy under the Templar's rule. Ezio defeated Borgia, holding the Pope at blade-point and telling him he was not the Prophet: he never had been.

Broken by this revelation and accepting defeat, Borgia told Ezio to kill him and put an end to it. However, Ezio refused, saying that killing Borgia would not bring back his family. Besides, the knowledge that he was not the Prophet, as he had believed, was an even sorer blow than anything else that Ezio could have thought of. When his son Cesare learned of this he led a Siege on Monteriggioni to reaquire the Apple of Eden and kill the last of the Assassins.

In Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Ezio goes to Castel Sant'Angel to assassinate Rodrigo and Cesare, however the former is not there and the latter leaves before Ezio can kill him. Later on, at Juan Borgia's pagan party, Rodrigo speaks to Cesare and checks him when he speaks out. In DNA Sequence 8: The Borgia, Rodrigo poisons an apple and Cesare eats it. However, Lucrezia Borgia, Cesare's sister and Rodrigo's daughter, finds out about the poison and tips Cesare off before he can swallow the chunk he is chewing. He spits it out, then shoves the apple down Rodrigo's throat. Rodrigo dies before Ezio arrives, but Ezio closes his eyes and says "Requiescat in Pace". Cesare escapes with a small bit of poison in him, which is enough to make him ill, but not to kill him.

=="Final Words"==
(First assassination attempt by Ezio)

'''Ezio:''' ''I thought...I thought I was beyond this. But I'm not. I've waited too long, lost too much... Requiescat in pace (Rest in peace), you bastard!''

'''Rodrigo:''' ''I don't think so!''

(Second "death scene" with Rodrigo)

'''Rodrigo:''' ''You can't!! You can't!! It's MY destiny!! MINE!!! I am the prophet!!''

'''Ezio:''' ''You never were.''

'''Rodrigo:''' ''Get it over with then...''

'''Ezio''': ...''No. Killing you won't bring my family back... I'm done. ''Nulla è reale, tutto è lecito. Requiescat in pace.'' (Nothing is true, everything is permitted. Rest in peace.)''

==Trivia==
[[File:Blason_famille_it_Borgia01_svg.png|thumb|Coat of arms of the Borgia. Can be seen on Borgia's personal guards (in black with red stripe outfit) with slightly different colors.]]
*As Ezio enters the Sistine Chapel to assassinate Borgia, he is proclaiming the Nicene Creed in Latin to the congregation. It is ironic that he is assassinated as he proclaims this, as the Nicene Creed confesses the wholeness of the Christian doctrine, in which Borgia later states in the final battle that he does not believe.
* Although Ezio did not kill Borgia, he is listed as dead in the Animus' Conspirator Web after the player completes the game and re-enters the Animus. This may be due to Ezio simply listing off Rodrigo as a target.
* While it is known that Rodrigo would go on to have the most debauched, bloody papacy in human history, what occurs between him and Ezio is completely unknown, as Rodrigo dies of a fever 4 years later in 1503, leaving ample time to wage a sizable campaign against the Assassins himself. Some of this is elaborated on in ''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]'', which will likely depict his final fate.
* Throughout the entire game, Rodrigo is always wearing something that covers his head, where not once is he without a hat or a hood. He does appear without head coverings in ''[[Assassin's Creed: Lineage]]'', however.
* In a scene in ''Assassin’s Creed: Lineage'', he can be seen with an apple, which is perhaps a hint at the apple he later attempts to gain, aswell as the poisoned apple which leads to his death in Brotherhood.
* Rodrigo's cloak from before he becomes Pope resembles Al Mualim's robe from ''Assassin's Creed''. Rodrigo also shares a trait with Al Mualim, as they both keep their hoods up throughout most of their respective games.
* Rodrigo is the only assassination target Ezio has had to fight repeatedly, as well as one of only two that he spared (the other being [[Tomas Torquemada]]). He is also the most formidable fighter in-game.
* It is possible to kill Rodrigo while in the Sistine Chapel if you poison him. After this you can wield the Staff of Eden, although unfortunately, you cannot use any of its powers.
* Rodrigo's fate differs in the novel, [[Assassin's Creed: Renaissance|''Assassin's Creed: Renaissance'']] to that shown in the game. In the game, after Ezio defeats and spares him, Borgia is left alone to come to terms with his misery as Ezio enters the Vault. He is not seen again, and it is presumed that he still lives. In the novel, however, when Ezio emerges from the Vault, Borgia commits suicide with poison. His last act is to ask Ezio what he saw in the Vault, to which Ezio replies ''"Nothing. No one,"'' leading Borgia to die believing everything he had done in life was for nothing. However, this should not be considered canon, due to the fact that Rodrigo appears alive in ''Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood''.
* In Rodrigo's assassination target video, there is a scene with Rodrigo in his Papal robes standing next to his fellow Templars, who are seated at a table. This is impossible, because by the time Rodrigo became Pope, Ezio had killed all the other Templars in the game. The Pazzi, the Barbarigos and Carlo Grimaldi, for example, are shown at the table.
* Rodrigo had numerous children: Cesare, Lucrezia, Giovanni, and Gioffre from his mistress Vannozza dei Cattanei, a daughter, Laura, from his mistress Giulia Farnese, and an unknown number of children from other mistresses.
* He was the first pope to be elected from a conclave in the Sistine Chapel.
* Sometimes, during the fight with Rodrigo, he can be seen wielding a spear instead of the Staff.
* Rodrigo told Ezio during their fight in Venice that he didn't have to kill Ezio's brothers, he did it only to prove a point.
* He is an ancestor of virtually all royal families in Europe through his children Lucrezia and Juan.
* It is mentioned in'' Brotherhood'' that Rodrigo had crafted all his children, even Lucrezia, into deadly weapons, showing his manipulative personalty.
* Rodrigo's relationship with his son, Cesare, is somewhat strange as Cesare was far too power-hungry for Rodrigo to tolerate and Rodrigo sometimes disagreed with his son's actions. Once he made his son angry enough to actually attack him and shout ''"If I want to take I take, if I want you to die you die"!''
* From the ''Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood'' Launch trailer many fans have rumored that Cesare might kill Rodrigo. This rumor was then confirmed when, in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Cesare kills Rodrigo with a poisoned apple (which in turn was meant to be used to kill Cesare)

==Gallery==
[[Video:Assassin's Creed 2 - Targets: Rodrigo Borgia 3/9|thumb|400px|left|Database entry.]]
<gallery widths="120" captionalign="left">
Rodrigolineage.png|Rodrigo in ''Assassin's Creed: Lineage''.
Borgia ingame ac2.jpg|Rodrigo Borgia as he appears in ''Assassin's Creed II''.
Borgia image.jpg|Borgia as pope with the staff
tadros.jpg|Rodrigo Borgia in Assassins Creed: Lineage
char_rodrigo.png|Rodrigo Borgia as he appears in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
</gallery>

{{ACII}}
{{ACIIDiscovery}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Borgia, Rodrigo}}
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Lineage Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II Assassination Targets]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed II: Discovery Characters]]
[[Category:Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Characters]]
[[Category:Templars]]
[[Category:Historical Characters]]