Alexander VI
At a glance:
- Series: Dictionary of World Biography: Renaissance
- Categories: Government and Politics, Arts, Religion, Ethics
- Subcategories: Patrons, Mentors, Popes, Papacy, Cardinals
- Curriculum: Italian History, Renaissance History
Article abstract: Alexander VI’s policies contributed to the growth of papal temporal power in the Papal States. A discriminating patron of the arts, he employed a number of noteworthy artists, including Pinturicchio and Michelangelo.
Early Life
Born Rodrigo de Borja y Doms (Borgia) in Játiva, Valencia, the boy who was to become Pope Alexander VI was the nephew of Pope Calixtus III, who adopted him, showered him with church benefices, and sent him to the University of Bologna to study law. In 1456, Rodrigo was appointed a cardinal-deacon, and the...
[The entire page is 2240 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
