Cesare Borgia

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"Ezio Auditore. Brave of you to stand alone against me, but also quite foolish... Assassin."

―Cesare Borgia, 1503.

Cesare Borgia (13 September 1475 - 12 March 1507) was the son of Rodrigo Borgia and the arch-nemesis of Master Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze. Like his father, he was a Templar; eventually, he became the commander of the Papal army and a leader in the Templar Order.

Biography

Early life

Cesare Borgia was born in Rome in 1475, to Rodrigo Borgia, the Grand Master of the Knights Templar, and his long-term mistress Vannozza dei Cattanei. He was brother to Lucrezia Borgia.

As a Templar

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 Assassin. When Bartolomeo's resources were down to three fortresses, Cesare cut off his supplies. When it looked like victory was near, Carlo Orsini arrived with his army and joined Bartolomeo, even wounding Cesare in the face.

Siege of Monteriggioni

"I know you're there Ezio! The Pope told me about you and your little group of Assassins! "

―Cesare Borgia to Ezio Auditore, 1499.

In 1499, Cesare, who had been brought up in the Templar ways, lead an assault on Monteriggioni, headquarters of the Assassins in Italy in order to eliminate the Master Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze. Besieging the city, Cesare's forces overwhelmed the city's defenders and handed to him Mario Auditore and Caterina Sforza. Standing at the city gates, the Apple of Eden in his hand, Cesare 'invited' Ezio to come to Rome with a shot of his firearm that killed Mario. The battle won and Monteriggioni in ruins, Cesare returned to Rome with his prize.

Later years

After his father's death, Cesare's strenght weakened as the new pope, Pius III, didn't favor Cesare and had him arrested while his troops controlled the conclave Castel Sant'Angelo. Pius III's rule lasted less than a month, though. However, the next pope, Julius II, was an enemy of the Borgia family and Cesare left Rome.

While moving to Romagna to quell a revolt, he was captured by Italian condottiero Gian Paolo Bagnioli, after which all of Cesare's lands were seized and Cesare himself was exiled to Spain in 1504. Imprisoned in the Castle of La Mota, Medina del Campo, he escaped to his brother-in-law, King John III of Navarre, and spent his last years in his service, before being killed during the siege of Viana in 1507.

Trivia

Cesare Borgia, 1503.

• Historically, it is said that Niccolò Machiavelli greatly admired Cesare.
• Cesare Borgia briefly employed Leonardo da Vinci as military architect and engineer between 1502 and 1503. Cesare and Leonardo became intimate instantaneously — Cesare provided Leonardo with an unlimited pass to inspect and direct all planned and undergoing construction in his domain. After Cesare, Leonardo was unsuccessful in finding another patron in Italy.
• Cesare's comments about bloodshed and the need for cleansing may highlight the origin of the name Abstergo being adopted by the Knights Templar, which is Latin for "I cleanse."