“May the Lord array thee in the garment of salvation and surround thee with the cloak of happiness” (196). Born a powerful and assertive man Rodrigo de Borja y Doms, more commonly known as Pope Alexander IV, mastered the art of ruling Christians spiritually, while maintaining order in the church. During his papacy Pope Alexander was flawed in setting and example for others to follow. Although he did many things popes generally shy away from such as allowing his children to have an advantage in politics, and bribery, Pope Alexander used his power and motivation to make a name and place for the Catholic Church. Pope Alexander IV created political policies, helped strengthen the Catholic Church, and fought against Manfred, King of Sicily. Nevertheless, he used the support from his mentor, Innocent IV to succumb to the pressure and …show more content…
Before Pope Alexander inherited the title of “pope”, he lived a sacrilegious life. Borja ran for cardinal after spending years as a bishop of Ostia. While the competition between the cardinal candidates heated, a suspicion arised that Borgia won the most votes because he bribed the appointees with four loads of silver (Loughlin). That was untrue although he only won because his uncle Pope Gregory IX appointed him. In order to continue the legacy of Pope Innocent IV, Pope Alexander resumed the conflict between the government and papacy (Alexander IV). Throughout the expansion of Europe, the power of the popes became higher. Many citizens, including Pope Alexander fought to do away with Kings and Queens and keep only the Popes. Pope Alexander hoped to win the argument and that popes should be in charge because his greedy heart wanted to gain power and control. In addition to continuing Pope Innocent IV’s legacy, Pope Alexander also worked to bring communities