Renaissance Murders

by Michael Hone

  With the coming of spring, in March to be exact, Cesare returned to Faenza where he bombarded the walls of the city for five months, concentrating on the spot revealed by the Faenzan traitor. As food and water were lacking and the dead were piling up, as there were fewer stones and hot pitch to cast down on the invaders, Astorre and the Council were obliged to seek a truce. Cesare had no reason to give the Faenzans anything. Victory was his. But he did like the lad, and it had always been his policy to be as lenient as possible with a population. In that way he could count on the defeated to provide him with food once they had returned to the fields, as well as to give shelter for his men and horses and furnish the cannon fodder, their own sons, necessary to win battles. In addition, the Council paid him personally 40,000 ducats. So, good-humouredly, he offered the boy what he wanted, and the boy wanted everything. He wanted Faenza free of foreign troops, he wanted Faenzans to be able to keep their possessions, and he wanted Cesare to forbid sacking and rape. All Astorre had to do in exchange was sign over the town to Alexander VI, which he and the Council agreed to do.

  Astorre and his fifteen-year-old brother Gianevangelista were given their freedom, but to Cesare’s astonishment they wanted to accompany him to Rome, as today kids want to see the lights of New York. Both boys also deeply admired Cesare, the most virile, courageous and experienced warrior in recent Italian history. To learn from him would make them men on the way up; Cesare was their elevator to the very top floor. It was a fatal mistake because bright lights rarely come without the accompanying greed, vice and corruption that carpet the walls in shadows, as the French say.

  In the spring of 1501 a new prisoner was added to Castel Sant’Angelo on the very day that Caterina was freed. Astorre Manfredi, her would-be son-in-law, had lost the town of Faenza to Cesare after a brave defense. He and his brother Gianevangelista had accompanied Cesare to Rome to learn about life and war. But unlike Caterina, the young nobleman had not earned the admiration of the French and was consigned to the lowest cells. In 1502 the unfortunate boy suffered the fate that Caterina escaped: he was strangled in the prison and his body dumped into the Tiber. Johann Burchard wrote that both boys had been participants of orgies along with a large number of very young girls. Whether they freely consented to take part or were forced to will never be known. Whether the orgy even took place will never be known. Cesare was said to be involved--it would have been far from his first. Perhaps his father took part too. Burchard only says that ‘’a certain powerful person sated his lust’’ on the boys. Many historians say the bacchanalia never happened. Machiavelli had given Cesare advice, one piece of which we find in his The Prince: ‘’When a prince assumes power over a conquered territory his first obligation, if he wishes to preserve that power, is to destroy the rulers in place.’’ Every time, in Italian politics, that this principle hadn’t been observed, the prince lived to regret it. Turks systematically had their brothers garroted as their very first act on ascending to the throne. It’s true that had Astorre lived he might have eventually become a problem for Cesare. But a more likely eventuality is that Astorre, already immensely popular in his hometown, might have outshone Cesare himself in public adulation, an intolerable risk to a man who wore impeccable black velvet and paraded around on a white charger adorned with bells, his stirrups made of gold.

  Burchard goes on to say that Astorre and his brother Gianevangelista were fished from the Tiber, attached together with a stone tied to their necks. The bodies of the aforementioned females were also discovered, tied together in the same fashion. The boys’ bodies had torture marks. Cesare pushed his fiendishness to extremes by greeting an envoy from Venice and springing on him the news of the murders, knowing that Venice had taken a special and highly favorable interest in both Faenza and Astorre Manfredi. The envoy was said to have not even blinked, unsurprising for a city where slaves could still be purchased, their prices varying from six ducats for a man to a hundred for a beddable girl. Burchard ends his story by saying that ‘’The young man was of such unequaled beauty and intelligence that it would be impossible to find another as sterling as he in all of Italy.’’ The boy was 17. The year was 1502.

  Thought to be Astorre

  JULIUS II

  1443-1513

  The Warrior pope Julius II was different from the other popes, with the exception of Alexander VI, in having balls, big brass balls like those shown peeking through the waist-length armor of Leonidas, whose statue, on a high pedestal, is in the midst of the town of Sparta, should you ever get that way.

  Guicciardini, the great Florentine historian, alive at the time, had this to say about Julius: ‘’He was a soldier in a cassock; he drank and swore heavily as he led his troops; he was willful, coarse, bad-tempered and difficult to manage. He would ride his horse up the Lateran stairs to his papal bedroom and tether it at the door.’’ And he loved being called the Warrior Pope.

  Peter O’Toole portrayed him perfectly in the series The Tudors, both his character and physically, but only at the very end of his life did he resemble the painting by Raphael where he comes through weak and sickly, inappropriate for a man who had led armies and reigned supreme over European diplomacy (the reason why his portrait will not appear in this chapter). Born Giuliano della Rovere (we’ll call him della Rovere until he becomes pope), he may have been both the son and lover of Sixtus IV, an accusation made also against Alexander VI and his bastard son Cesare (several sources, existent at the time, maintain that this was so, but then Julius and Sixtus, Alexander and Cesare, had many enemies). He was educated among Franciscans by Sixtus himself, and was Sixtus’s altar boy when Sixtus became pope. Della Rovere was endowed by the same Sixtus with numerous bishoprics, making him a wealthy young man. He was a papal legate in France for four years, which served him mightily when Alexander became pope and he had to flee to France to escape Alexander’s wrath because he had accused him of buying the papal election. He convinced the French king Charles VIII to intervene in Italian affairs by invading Italy, but Alexander, subtle, intelligent and in power, outmatched della Rovere who had to wait for Alexander’s death to have a try at the Vatican, but another was elected, Pope Pius III, who luckily had only 26 days to live. In the meantime della Rovere gained Cesare’s support due to Cesare’s illness which nearly finished him off, and due to della Rovere’s promise to reinstate Cesare as head of papal troops and assure him that he would retain all of the land he had conquered under his father Alexander. Cesare was no fool except this one time. He gave his support to della Rovere who was unanimously elected pope except for two votes, della Rovere’s own and the French Cardinal d’Amboise who wanted the job for the glory of France (receiving della Rovere’s vote, out of friendship, in the attempt). Naturally, the usual bribes--money and a mightier position in the food chain--won the day. When Cesare was killed Julius II erased every remaining trace of Alexander. As Nigel Cawthorne wrote, ‘’I will not live in the same rooms as the Borgias. Alexander desecrated the Holy Church as none before. He usurped the papal power by the devil’s aid, and I forbid under the pain of excommunication anyone to speak or think of Borgia again. His name and memory must be forgotten. It must be crossed out of every document and memorial. His reign must be obliterated. All paintings made of the Borgias or for them must be covered over with black crepe. All the tombs of the Borgias must be opened and their bodies sent back to where they belong--to Spain.’’ The Borgia apartments would remain sealed for over 300 years!

  One of the major problems for the new pope was Henry VIII who wanted a divorce. A papal dispensation had already allowed Henry to marry Catherine of Aragon who had been Henry’s brother’s bride for six months before he died, leaving Catherine a virgin as he had been to ill to be operative--although the day after the wedding he slyly bragged to his friends, ‘’Last night I visited the depths of Spain.’’ The refusal to allow the divorce would end Catholicism in England, all because the king wanted to fuck his way through five additional wives.’’

  The se
cond problem was the Papal States, governed by lords, dukes and princes that the pope wanted returned to the bosom of the church. In a series of wars far too complicated and ephemeral to discuss here--the War of the Holy League, the Italian Wars, the Battle of Agnadello, the War of the League of Cambrai, among others--he simply died too soon to succeed, of fever, and with him his dream of a united Italy died too. When Julius conquered Bologna, as a major step in reuniting the Papal States under his papacy, he had Michelangelo construct a huge bronze horse in memory of his victory, a horse later melted down for its metal when Bologna was retaken.

  He had put Michelangelo to the task of constructing his tomb, commissioned in 1505 and finished in 1545. It was originally intended for Saint Peter’s Basilica but wound up in the church of San Pietro in Vincoli. Although the actual tomb is colossal, with 7 statues, including the magnificent Moses, the original would have been far bigger, comprising 40 statues, some of the unfinished ones now on view in the Louvre. Only the Moses has a commanding presence and an anecdote has it that it was so lifelike that when finished Michelangelo struck it on the knee with a hammer, saying ‘’NOW SPEAK!’’ The hammer mark can be seen today. As for Julius, he was buried far from his monument, in Saint Peter’s Basilica.

  Michelangelo had also been appointed to paint the Sistine Chapel, named after Sixtus IV who restored it. Julius was said to have appreciated the physical beauties of the men painted by Michelangelo but part of their beauty was destroyed forever when one of Michelangelo’s associates, Daniele da Volterra, was ordered to cover up the genitals following the genius’s death. But he didn’t touch the acorns and oak leaves present, the first representing the male glans and the second the renewal of sexuality, among other things. The central Creation of Adam is certainly the most stirring work of art known to humanity.

  One of Julius’s lovers was Giovanni Alidosi who accompanied della Rovere to France. Julius made him a cardinal and he served as an intermediary between the pope and Michelangelo, as both were headstrong and difficult (just the negotiations concerning the Sistine Chapel, before a single brush stroke, took two years). As mentioned above, Julius lost Bologna and as a consequence Alidosi had three persons found guilty of aiding the Bolognese. They were strangled under his orders. Of Alidosi, Cardinal Bembo said, ‘’Faith meant nothing to him, nor religion, nor trustworthiness, nor shame, nor anything that was holy.’’ Much hated, Alidosi was often caught and tried by various rulers, notably those of Bologna and Urbino, ruled by the pope’s nephew, Francesco Maria della Rovere, but instead of dispatching the reviled cardinal he was always given a trial, time enough for Julius to intervene in his favor. As Francesco had been appointed general to reconquer Bologna and had failed to do so, he was summoned to Rome to explain himself to his uncle the pope. After the meeting, while heading back to his lodgings on horseback, accompanied by a group of his soldiers, he crossed the path of Alidosi who was on his way to dine with the pope. Alidosi saluted Francesco in an arrogant way that displeased one of Francesco’s followers, just a youngster, who dismounted and knifed Alidosi, sitting on his mule, in the throat. From then on it was an eating-frenzy of boys out to kill each other. Francesco’s men won out, and while Alidosi’s followers went scurrying away, Francesco’s took turns slicing off pieces of Alidosi’s face and plunging daggers into his body. Julius had the pieces interred and realpolitik obliging, suffered his pain in private.

  Another lover was supposedly Luigi Pulci, a poet described by Cellini as being beautiful and talented. The Venetian diarist Girolamo Priuli maintains that Julius brought to Rome ‘’some very handsome young men with whom he was publicly rumored to have sex, and he was said to be the passive partner.’’ When attacking Bologna a sonnet circulated, advising Julius to return to Rome where he could content himself with ‘’Squarcia and Curzio in your holy palace/keeping the bottle in your mouth and a cock up your ass.’’ It was true that he drank a lot.

  Julius made plans to demolish the old basilica of Saint Peter’s and replace it with a huge basilica, the whole serving to house Julius’s final resting place, the greatest tomb ever erected. Michelangelo was chosen to design it as well as to build the basilica, but over the next 120 years the combined efforts of popes and architects were needed to see it through. It is believed that Saint Peter was crucified there by Nero, at the emplacement of the current obelisk, Nero who held the Christians responsible for the burning of the city. For all his efforts, Julius was accorded a simple slab of marble on the floor of the basilica, that people walk over every day, little aware of the headstrong warrior beneath.

  Julius made war when and where he decided, subject only to his whims, causing the death of thousands, and he allowed murderers like his lover Alidosi to kill whomever they pleased.

  Julius II as a cardinal on the left.

  SCIPIONE BORGHESE

  1445 - 1510

  The importance of Scipione Borghese to us is the combination of several factors: Born Scipione Caffarelli he was turned over to Camillo Borghese, the future Pope Paul V, because his father, fallen on hard times, didn’t have the funds to educate and bring him up in a noble manner. Paul V changed the boy’s name to Borghese and made him a cardinal and his secretary. Scipione guarded the door to the pope, giving access to those who paid the most, thanks to which he amassed an immense fortune, making him perhaps the wealthiest man in Rome. To these factors were added his gift of extreme intelligence and passion for art and the collection of art, turning the Palazzo Borghese into an incomparable museum, while assuring the material comfort of Caravaggio and Bernini, among others.

  Scipione and his Bernini Apollo and Daphne.

  Against Paul V’s wishes, Scipione brought his lover Stephen Pignatelli to Rome and together they filled the palazzo Borghese with homoerotic art. Pignatelli was said to have loved Scipione to the point of insanity. Both men shared the services of other boys, one of whom, age 18, they ordered murdered, just outside their bedroom, perhaps because the boy had sought bribes to keep Scipione’s tendencies from his uncle the pope. Pignatelli was requested to leave Rome but was brought back when Scipione became deathly ill, and only his lover’s presence could heal him. Scipione immediately recovered and was awarded a cardinal’s hat.

  Scipione Borghese ordered the restoration of San Sebastiano, founded in 312, possessor of the greatest collection of artifacts known at the time. Among the relics is one of the arrows that struck Saint Sebastian and part of the column to which he was tied during his martyrdom.

  Amusingly, Scipione commissioned Bernini to sculpt a Hermaphrodite, a reclining figure with an ample appendage, found today in the Louvre, the backside to the public. In order to view the statue’s singularity, one has to squeeze between the pedestal (and wonderfully sculpted mattress over which the Hermaphrodite reclines) and a wall, which only people who know what to look for do (at least that was the logistics a number of years ago when I viewed it).

  Paul awarded Scipione 105 paintings confiscated from the artist Cavaliere d’Arpino to cover unpaid taxes, among which were the Sick Bacchus and A Boy with a Basket by Caravaggio. Caravaggio had worked for Cavaliere d’Arpino as an apprentice, churning out paintings of fruit and flowers.

  The pope also stole Raphael’s The Deposition from the Baglioni Chapel in Perugia, gave it to Scipione, and then legalized the theft with something called the motu proprio which somehow made what a pope did lawful.

  Later Bernini did Apollo and Daphne for Scipione, a miracle of beauty even if Apollo lusted far more for boys. Scipione also acquired Caravaggio’s horrifyingly real David with the Head of Goliath.

  THE ORSINI AND THE COLONNA

  1400 – 1500

  The Orsini and the Colonna were two rival families in and around Rome, in perpetual battle, never hesitating to align themselves with foreign invaders, especially the French and the Spanish, if doing so could gain them supremacy. Any pretext, any pact, any coalition was acceptable if it meant the destruction of their opponent’s family. The vendetta went on
for generations, the Colonna siding with the Borgia to ensure the death of the ruling Orsini, in this case by strangulation and by snuffing out an Orsini cardinal, poisoned by the famous Borgia white powder (fully covered in the chapter on Cesare Borgia). Both families, but especially the Orsini, sprang up like dragon’s teeth, thanks to their uncanny ability to produce not only sons, but sons that survived the countless diseases that plagued the era. Matteo Orsini had ten sons, all of whom made it to the age of reproduction. And the Orsini knew how to use their sons and daughters in wondrously influential marriages. Take Paolo Orsini: his mother was a Sforza, one of his grandmothers was a Rovere, daughter of Pope Julius II, the other a Farnese, daughter of Pope Paul III, and a daughter of Ludovico Orsini married one of the sons of the same Pope Paul (a pope who was, for the most part, homosexual!) The Orsini counted three popes, Celestine III, Nicholas III and Benedict XIII, and thirty-four cardinals--plus countless condottieri.