Rodrigo Borgia

"He is Rodrigo Borgia, one of the most powerful men in all of Europe, and leader of the Templar Order."

―Mario Auditore

Rodrigo Borgia (1 January 1431 – 18 August 1503), born Roderic Llançol, later Roderic de Borja i Borja, was a Spanish Cardinal, and the leader of the Templar Order during the Italian Renaissance.

Rodrigo was elected as 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 y 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.

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.

Conspiracies

Rodrigo Borgia hiding from Giovanni Auditore in Florence.

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.

Milan

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.

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, a member of the Assassin Order, intercepted him. Rodrigo fled immediately as the Assassin battled his men.

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.

Giovanni Auditore

Rodrigo walking in Rome.

Giovanni Auditore learned that Rodrigo's plans would lead him to the city of Venice, after looting a Venetian ducat from Giovanni Lampugnani. Upon traveling there, he intercepted a message from Marco and Silvio Barbarigo to their master, Rodrigo.

After Uberto Alberti and Father Maffei "failed" to decode the intercepted letter, the 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.

Rodrigo then left to see Pope Sixtus IV to obtain military support in order to conquer Florence. After gaining Sixtus' favor, Rodrigo headed out of the Vatican, and into the streets of Rome once more.

Giovanni was still on Rodrigo's trail at this point, and followed him all the way into 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.

Disappointed, Rodrigo had his men attack Giovanni, but the Assassin routed all of them. Rodrigo, who had been watching from the sidelines, threw a knife Giovanni's way, which hit 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.

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Rodrigo Borgia at a meeting with his fellow Templars.

In order to get rid of Giovanni, Rodrigo conspired with Uberto Alberti and the 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.

The night before the trial of the Auditore family, Rodrigo was at Uberto's house. 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 and Petruccio Auditore. Years later, Rodrigo would tell Ezio that his brothers had not needed to die, but he had had them killed anyway to make a point to the Assassins.

Florence

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Rodrigo discussing the Pazzi Conspiracy.

In 1478, Rodrigo conspired to take down the leader of Florence, Lorenzo de' Medici, and his brother Giuliano. Thus, Rodrigo left for Florence again, where he held a meeting with the Pazzi and a couple of other conspirators (who were formerly Lorenzo's allies) in a catacomb under the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella. There, he reminded them to beware of the Assassins, and stated that the next day would be "a new dawn for Florence."

After Ezio thwarted the Templars' attempted takeover in Florence, Rodrigo was to meet with the remaining conspirators in Tuscany, where the Pazzi would ask for asylum with Rodrigo in either Venice or Rome. However, before the meeting could even commence, most of the conspirators were killed by Ezio; and only Jacopo de' Pazzi actually made it to the meeting alive.

There, Jacopo 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, aided by an all-too-eager Emilio.

Ignoring Jacopo's pleas for mercy, Rodrigo stabbed him a second time in the neck, then called out to 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 then ordered his men to kill Ezio, and left without bothering to make sure the deed was done.

Venice

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Rodrigo in Venice.

Silvio: "And what does the Spaniard have to say of this change of plan?"

Carlo: "He's here? From Roma?"

—Silvio and Carlo regarding Rodrigo's presence in Venice.

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 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 "inapt 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.

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.

While Ezio was hunting the Barbarigo in Venice, Rodrigo meanwhile tracked down the location of the Piece of Eden that Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad had once taken from the Templars in 1191.

Apple of Eden

Rodrigo and Ezio confront each other in Venice.

By 1486, Rodrigo had found out that the Piece of Eden he sought was 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 L'Arsenale with the artifact, and Rodrigo met with the courier who was to deliver it to him.

However, prior to this, Ezio had intercepted the delivery and had disguised 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 Vault. The two then began an intense battle, in which Ezio ultimately emerged as the victor.

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.

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 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 siege to the city and took the artifact by force, planning to present it to Rodrigo for an extra pay-off.

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.

Spain

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.

At around this time, Rodrigo also found out about Christoffa Corombo's plans to sail west; however he, knowing of the presence of the 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.

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, succesfully rescuing him and thwarting Rodrigo's plans.

Papal Rule

Rodrigo during a Papal procession.

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

In 1494, with the death of Lorenzo de' Medici, and with the power of the Apple he had obtained, Savonarola 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 chaotic state upon losing track of the Apple.

In 1499, Rodrigo was followed into the Vatican by Ezio for yet another assassination attempt. Ezio sneaked into the Sistine Chapel, where Rodrigo was holding Mass, and attacked him from above. However, after turning to leave, Ezio only witnessed Rodrigo rise from the ground and use his Piece of Eden, the Papal Staff, to strike down him and everyone else in the room.

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.

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.

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Rodrigo with the Staff of Eden.

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.

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.

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.

When Rodrigo's son Cesare learned of this, he led a 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.

Later life and death

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Rodrigo meeting with Cesare, moments before his death.

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 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.

In 1501, Ezio infiltrated the Castel Sant'Angelo to assassinate both Rodrigo and Cesare, however, the former was not there and the latter left before Ezio had a chance to kill him. Later on, at Juan Borgia's 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.

The following 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.

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 of the poison.

Enraged, Cesare promptly spat out what he had eaten, before forcing 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.

Final words - Assassin's Creed II

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.)

Final words - Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

Cesare arrives in the Papal apartments, where Rodrigo is arranging a bowl of apples.

Cesare: What has happened here?

Rodrigo: I do not know what you mean?

Cesare: My funds, my troops. Gone.

Rodrigo: Financial difficulties strike all of us, even those with an army.

Cesare: You intend to give me money?

Rodrigo: No, I do not.

Cesare: Then I will use the Piece of Eden to get what I want. Your help is not necessary.

Cesare takes an apple from the bowl, and takes a bite from it.

Rodrigo: That has been made abundantly clear to me. Are you aware that the Baron de Valois, is dead?

Cesare: No. Did you--

Rodrigo: What reason could I possibly have to kill him? Was he plotting against me, with my "brilliant", traitorous, Captain General?

Cesare: I do not have to stand for this.

Rodrigo: The Assassins murdered him.

Cesare: Why did you not stop them?

Rodrigo: As if I could. It was not my decision to attack Monteriggioni, it was yours! It's high time, you take responsibilities for your actions.

Cesare: My accomplishments. Despite the constant interferences from failures like you.

Cesare attempts to leave, but Rodrigo blocks him.

Rodrigo: You are not going anywhere. I have the Piece of Eden.

Cesare: Get out of my way old man.

Rodrigo: I gave you everything, and yet it is never enough!

Lucrezia hurries into the room.

Lucrezia: Cesare! He intends to poison you!

Shocked, Cesare spits out the apple he had been eating. He then advances on Rodrigo.

Rodrigo: You would not listen to reason.

Cesare: 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 assaults Rodrigo, knocking him to the floor and forcing the rest of the apple into his mouth. Rodrigo eventually succumbs to the poison, and after Cesare leaves, Ezio arrives to give Rodrigo his final rites.

Ezio: (closing Rodrigo's eyes) Requiescat in pace.

Trivia

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The coat of arms of the Borgia, which can be seen on Rodrigo's personal guards (who wear black outfits striped with red).

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The Papal coat of arms of Alexander VI, which can be seen on his Papal Guard.

• Rodrigo was called "the Spaniard" by the Assassins, as he was of Spanish origin.
• 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. An example of this occurrence is when Ezio brings Uberto Alberti the conspiracy documents, and a hooded Rodrigo is seen standing behind Uberto briefly, where the red light appears.

Combat

• As Ezio entered the Sistine Chapel to assassinate Rodrigo, he was proclaiming the Nicene Creed in Latin to the congregation. It is ironic, as the Nicene Creed confesses the wholeness of the Christian doctrine, in which Borgia later stated he did not believe.
• 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 you cannot use any of its powers.
• Sometimes, 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 Assassin's Creed II and re-enters the Animus. This may be due to Ezio simply listing off Rodrigo as a target.
• Rodrigo is the only assassination target Ezio has had to fight repeatedly in Assassin's Creed II, and is also the most formidable fighter there.

Papacy

• 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, in the Battle of Forlì DLC set in 1488, Rodrigo is again shown in his Papal robes, even though he was elected Pope in 1492.

Death

• In a scene in Assassin’s Creed: Lineage, Rodrigo can be seen eating an apple, which is perhaps a hint at the Apple of Eden he later attempts to gain, or at the one that eventually leads to his death.
• 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 novelization of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, however, Rodrigo evidently survived 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.

Database entry

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