The Borgias
It has become a quite common tendency to use historical epochs and events in popular culture and especially in cinematography. The gradual development of the industry has been facilitating favorable conditions for reproduction of ancient palaces, grandiose battles and exquisite dresses, while popular media of presentation enable reaching extremely broad audiences – entertain them and educate them. Thereby, Italy in the epoch of the Renaissance is definitely a popular theme in cinematographic works, and the film I would like to discuss is the TV series titled The Borgias which ran on Showtime from 2011 to 2013. The TV drama portrays Rome of the late fifteenth century when the Borgia dynasty gripped power over the Vatican and the Catholic world on the whole.
The drama portrays the epoch in Italy’s history when Rodrigo Borgia, a cardinal of rather loose morals, was elected by the College of the Cardinals to occupy the Holy See under the name of Pope Alexander VI. Interestingly, the
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Many historians support the assertion that the Renaissance papacy signified decadence and corruption, while the popes were entitled to resolve many political disputes and therefore often overlooked theological issues. This aspect of the Renaissance Italy – and Europe in general – is brightly portrayed in The Borgias. For instance, as the French army reaches Rome, the pope decides to deceive the king and win his favor, dressing in a plain monk’s habit. He eventually manipulates the king to save Rome and his own position and promises him power over Naples. Moreover, Borgia promises Charles VIII to crown him under his papal blessing – an illustrative example of papal supremacy which was still visible in the