Which pope fathered a child?
Pope Alexander VI was a nephew of Callixtus, who appointed him a cardinal at the age of twenty-five (1456) and vice-chancellor of the Holy See. He was born Rodrigo Borgia close to Valencia, Spain (1457). He also accumulated significant wealth while serving in that position. Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia had to be warned to stop engaging…
Pope Alexander VI was a nephew of Callixtus, who appointed him a cardinal at the age of twenty-five (1456) and vice-chancellor of the Holy See. He was born Rodrigo Borgia close to Valencia, Spain (1457). He also accumulated significant wealth while serving in that position.
Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia had to be warned to stop engaging in orgies by Pius II, the pope who succeeded Callixtus and continued to support his ascent in the church hierarchy. It was “unseemly,” as Pius put it. Rodrigo was described as a tall and handsome young man. He is described by Sigismondo de Conti as a big, strong man with a keen eye, great amiability, and “wonderful skill in money matters.”
Which pope fathered a child?
Pope Alexander VI fathered seven children as the pope and a cardinal while serving as vice-chancellor. Due in part to Pope Alexander VI’s admission that he had fathered multiple children by various mistresses, he is regarded as one of the most contentious popes of the Renaissance.
