"The strange tale of Alexius... patron of pilgrims and breadless... who devoted himself to God, never seeking laud... who lived 17 years under a set of stairs." " Did he say under the stairs?" " Oh, dear." "Sounds pretty dreary." " I hope there will be dancing." " Father, I do not wish to marry." "A father's will is paramount." "Especially I, who lead the mighty Roman Senate." " You shalt wed the daughter of a..." " I have to urinate." "I come, a blessed herald." "Leave thy city of Rome." "Travel to a new home, live amongst the simple peasants... as an example of God's eternal presence." "Oh, Holy Angel, I shall." "Take heed those who sin, a new day must begin." " Ten years have passed." " Feels like longer." "Oh Mary, Mother of God, have I given all to your Son?" "Alexius, Christ's faithful servant, priest and pilgrim ever observant... you are rich in grace." "Return thee to Rome in great haste." "We forgive you." "Do not harm the man... until we learn who hired him." "Long live the Pope." "Royal Highness." "I have been called many names, good and bad." "'Royal Highness' is the most difficult to accept." "Oh, a beautiful creature." "Yeah." "Pity, with all of the sports you enjoy, falconry is not one of them." "When I hunt, I prefer a more hands-on approach." "Still, she is as fierce-looking as the French army." "He is a tercel." "One third smaller than a female." "As is a man's heart when denied the woman he loves." "The Holy Father toils daily, trying to find a way to grant your annulment." "Trying?" "Such matters must be done legally." "Yet Alexander is well-known for moving Heaven and Earth for a friend." "And what of Milan?" "His Holiness supports your claim to the duchy." "But first he needs further proof of the unshakable bond between us." "He asks that you make ready for Holy Crusade." "Even if I have no intention of leading my men into that abyss?" "Your advance to the port of Brindisi will justify your march into Milan." "Hold." "His Holiness encourages me to invade the Italian Peninsula... the very action for which he condemned King Charles?" "Charles did not have Cesare Borgia by his side." "The Pope gives me the annulment and Milan in exchange for?" "You securing my marriage to Carlotta... and acknowledging me as the heir to the crown of Naples." "Alright." "This attack is a clear indication of the people's displeasure... with your nonsensical French alliance." "The assassin was a follower of Savonarola." " He has sworn that he acted alone." " Yes, yes." "Even so..." "There is no alliance." "We have simply asked the king to go on crusade and push back the Muslims." "Bajazet's attack on the Venetian Islands proves his ambitions." "They will once again use the Crusade as a pretext to slaughter Italy." "I disagree." "France has the largest and wealthiest dioceses of our Church." " We must embrace Louis d'Orleans." " We the Church or we the Borgia?" "What was that, Cardinal?" "At the coronation, Louis renewed his claim to the title Duke of Milan... thus challenging my brother Ludovico." "Ludovico invited the French into Italy the first time." "Ancient history, Holiness." "Barely a year ago, other cardinals beside Sforza sided with France." " Yet, now Cesare sides with France." " We created the Holy League." "The sovereignty of Italy will only be destroyed by your lack of faith." "Christ." "I had hoped, with Della Rovere gone to Lyon... that life in Rome would get quieter." "Yes, yes." "Leave us be." "The very ladies for whom our hearts pine." "I see that the dowager queen has not yet left." " The weather north has been unsettled." " Your Royal Highness." "England sent us their torrential rains." "Majesty, Carlotta might find a Borgia more appealing... if you were to raise my status amongst the courtiers of France." "A Duke, perhaps." "As a step to the throne of Naples?" "But if you had to choose between Carlotta or the crown?" "Carlotta." "Right." "If I convince Anne of your sincerity, then she will persuade the girl." "There are many at court who whisper lies about me to the dowager queen." "Overcome your conflict with Briconnet." "He is a wise man." "He was the dead king's confidant, not yours." "And he cannot gain a papal dispensation for your wedding vows... nor guarantee your rise in Milan." "You and I can subjugate the petty princes of Italy." "I am your falcon, Majesty." "I am ready to swoop." "I received a letter from Ferrara." "D'Este writes that there is concern in his father's court about the French." "Louis may not be the hydra Charles was, but he shares similar ambitions." "Yes." "How long until France's crusade tramples Italy?" "All the while, Cesare kisses the feet of the Sodomites who held him hostage." "However many Borgia marry into your family, you consider us the enemy." "Your family licks the ass of the men who drove my father from his throne." "The French did not drive him mad." "So many of the House of Aragona foam at the mouth." "The army raped our women, then cut off their fingers." "Oh, I forgot." "Italian women are only here for Italian men to rape." "Will Rodrigo find me a husband or not?" "I have yet to broach the subject with his Holiness." "For nearly seven weeks, I have been waiting for you to do a brother's duty." "I will." "But I navigate bodies of water that must remain placid." "Borgia, Gacet and now Riario-Sansoni." "Your demands for a husband would flood the Tiber." "Patience, Giulia." " Eminence." " Please, Guillaume." "Of course, Guillaume." "And I am Giuliano." "Guillaume, Giuliano." "Our names are not that different." "Nor our agendas." "I appreciate the reasons why you have grown closer to the Borgia son... but I fear that he is more of a menace than an ally." "His influence on King Louis is unbearable." "I am sorry." "Cardinal Briconnet asked me to keep my distance but I cannot." "Cesare Borgia asked Louis to convince my Carlotta... to abandon our engagement." "Matters of the heart aside, Cesare's rise could mean our collective fall." "I am well aware." "No one has been more beguiled by the Borgia than me." "But what can we do?" "Are we not in agreement that Anne de Bretagne should marry Louis XII?" "Cesare offers the royal lovebirds that which both of them desire most." "We cannot stop the annulment, so we must watch Cesare triumph." "That Catalan bastard has outmanoeuvered the four of us." "For now." "I have an upsetting report from Rome." "Good work." "A full bottle of claret for you tonight." "Someone tried to assassinate your father." " Was he hurt?" " Apparently not." "Let us keep this to ourselves at present." "I need to speed things up." "Any word on the annulment?" "I have additional requests from Farnese regarding his inquiry." "Another day passes while I am encumbered by bureaucracy." "By legalities, both here and in Rome." "Is there a letter from Lucrezia?" "Hieronyma." "Highness." " Do you enjoy being our lady-in-waiting?" " Only if it leads to a rich husband." "A good husband." "Me, I have tried so hard to be a good husband." "Despite the lies told to me by my wife." "What am I to do, Hieronyma?" "She clearly loves D'Este." "For all I know, the baby Giovanni might be their child." " I should leave you be." " Please do not." "You are different than anyone I have ever met." " No." " Yes." "We all need some secrets." "One, and two, three and hop." "One, two, three and hop." "One, two, three and hop." "And one, two, three and hop." "I have searched everywhere for you." "Our home, the Papal Archives." "And yet here you are, dancing in the gardens." " I am teaching Angela the saltarello." " The steps are quite difficult." "Oh." "Then, Angela, you're blessed by good fortune." "Meet the finest dancer at the court of Naples." "Let us show your Spanish cousin how Italians celebrate." "You're less accomplished than you claim." "The jump." "I smell perfume." "Oh." "Do you now?" "Have you found a path to the King's annulment?" "Louis argues that he did not give consent... but Canon Law decrees that cohabitation purges coercion." "He also charges that he and Jeanne are cognate." "Louis is the cousin of Jeanne's father." "But Pope Sixtus granted a dispensation." " Then there is a claim of a deformity." " Deformity?" "On Jeanne?" " I have heard she is a hunchback." " Some say her feet are webbed." "Cesare will meet with her to ascertain the truth." " Holiness, the Papal Treasury." " Ah, yes." "You may go, nephew." "How stand our coffers?" "My position is akin to the Messenger of Ill Tidings." "I have sorted out the ledgers only to discover... that none of the states have paid the Denarii Sancti Petri in almost a year." "Not Spoleto, not Urbino, not Pesaro." "Good." "Holiness?" "The authority of Saint Peter is challenged." "This is an opportunity to show our governors how absolutely we rule." "Who possesses the greatest respect?" "Urbino di Montefeltro?" "Bishop Constantino Eroli of Spoleto." "Summon Eroli to Rome." "Alessandro, one last question." "One which will divide your loyalties." "Is your sister back from Capodimonte?" "Is she, like Saint Alexius, hiding under the stairs?" "She is in Rome, but..." "We will grant Giulia Farnese a papal audience." "Be certain she attends." "Eminence." "Forgive me, but I do not know how to address a former cardinal... or the bastard son of the Pope." "Use the name given to me on the day of my christening." "Guillaume, we have much in common... despite the unfortunate past we share." "Louis is fond of us both." "Perhaps we should forgive each other for the sake of each other." "And the King." "I was unaware that a Borgia knew how to forgive." "Highness, Carlotta." "Majesty, I beg you to excuse me." "I admire you, Cesare, for your dogged pursuit of an unattainable dream." "I am a cynic, except when confronted by love." "Then, Majesty, any dream is possible." "Did you ever think that you would marry the man you truly love?" " Yet Charles lies in his tomb." " You Italians, always so blunt." " My heart will not be silenced." " Bravo." "I thank you for shepherding my quest for happiness through the Vatican." " As for Carlotta..." " Can you offer no encouragement?" "Neroli?" "No." "Myrrh?" "No." "I smelled perfume on my husband's skin." "Hieronyma's perfume." "Lucrezia, di Calabria is a pig." "Do not be jealous." "Jealous?" "I'm grateful." "He has handed me a way to control our marriage." " Control?" " Church law allows men to be unfaithful." "So if I must stay married, I will dominate." "This is it." "Hungarian water." "Rosemary, lavender, sage, mint, marjoram... and betrayal." " La Bella." " Holiness." "We are..." "I am..." "I am a new man, weaned from vitriolo." "We asked you here, the place where the two of us consecrated our love... to say that I will do anything to prove myself worthy of you again." "I do not grow younger, Rodrigo." "I need to secure my future for the sake of our daughter." "You must do what you did for Vannozza Catanei." "Find me a husband." " I could not bear losing you." " If I remain unmarried..." " you will lose me anyway." " Wait." "I will." "We will do what we must." "But please, promise me..." " tonight you will move back to our bed." " Yes." "Unfortunately, your wife has not responded to any of the inquiries." "Perhaps Jeanne plans to block my way in court." "T'would be better to convince the Duchess... rather than ignite a public discourse." "I will visit her in Bari and explain the wisdom of such an agreement." " As Papal Legate, I will attend you." " That is unnecessary." "You both are persuasive." "You both should go." "Everyone, listen." "Listen." "What is this?" "Cesare Borgia, you are, from this day forward... the Duke of Valentinois." "Please, sit." "Be comfortable." "The Borgia and the Colonna have been at odds." "That is an understatement." "We asked you here to repair the friendship." "How?" "Will I be made prefect of Rome again?" "With you, power and position come and go like a fart." "This time, we offer a more lasting union." "Giulia Farnese, in marriage." "Why do you suddenly seek a suitor for your mistress?" "Giulia has mourned after the loss of her husband... just as you have for your late wife." "Time for each of you to be happy." "Perhaps together." "What of her dowry?" "The Farnese are no longer wealthy." "We will provide a sum of 40,000 ducats for her betrothal." "All well and good, Holiness, but if I were to marry the girl... you must agree to never touch her again." "Well." "I will entertain Giulia at my palazzo this evening." "A dinner." "Examine La Bella up close." "He is perfect." "A pompous shit." "Giulia will despise him." "Your Holiness." "I can see from here that you bring gloom." "The Bishop of Spoleto refuses your summons." "He writes that after both the French and Spanish occupations... the papal governors question why they must pay such a heavy tax... when they receive no protection." "Return to Spoleto." "Wait until Eroli is asleep... then raid his palace and bring him to us in chains." "If the Bishop resists, kick him in the face." "We have not had a lady of such beauty in our home for too long." "Thank you." "I have heard of the beauty that lies inside the Colonna Palace." "Yes, but it is my brother who started those rumors." "Fabrizio." "The truth is that the Colonna household has been adrift... without a feminine presence." "The death of our brother has left us with too few men and too little support." "Alessandro lacks a genuine friend in the consistory." "I offer my friendship, brother." " And I you, brother." " Good." "Yes, our families would prosper together." "And you, my dear, would be treated like empress Livia of ancient Rome." "Micheletto, you managed to arrive without being murdered." " Your Grace." " Grace?" "Yes, Grace." "Micheletto, I am in search of a poison, one that is more painful than cantarella." "To use on whom?" "Why, Cardinal Briconnet and Guy de Leval, of course." " You would kill them both?" " I would like to have the option." "And do you not think that if your two enemies should suddenly die... that you would not be held in suspect by the King, by Carlotta?" "My Lord, this is too extreme." "Despite her actions, I believe Carlotta dreams of me." "Does anyone ever dream of you, Agapito?" "Or you?" "No, but you are right, as always." "Let us leave Briconnet be, for now, and focus on Guy de Leval." "Find a poison which moves slowly." "I have waited this long, I can wait a few more months." "'Until then, I remain your devoted slave.'" "I like that." "Deliver this to Alfonso di Calabria." "I am so grateful that you have forgiven me for sleeping with the Prince." "You are family." "And we Borgia put family above all else." "Friends, husbands, whores." "I had another lady-in-waiting, Pantisilea." "Found in the Tiber, whipped to death." " So I have heard." " Her murderer was never found." "Cousin, I have a request." "I would like to return to Spain." "By the first tide tomorrow." " Hello, slave." " Hello, husband." "Lucrezia, I knew this was you." "I went to bed first and was longing for you." "Do not put more lies onto your list of sins." "The fault is yours." "I see how you prefer d'Este." "I was trying to make you jealous, so you would feel the same pain." "You did not think this through." "All you have done is made me angry." "You do not grasp the fullness of my love." "My deep desire for us to be truly man and wife." "Man and wife, never woman and husband." " The hour is late." " Yes." "Odd." "I thought I would be desperate to leave the Palazzo Colonna... but Fabrizio was every inch a gentleman." "Even funny at times." "You smile like a girl in love." "Oh, love." "Love is irrelevant." "Yes." "You crave security, contentment." "Emeralds." "A nice gesture, even if slightly out of fashion." "You accepted a gift the very first time." " To refuse would have been an insult." " You did the same with me." "You took the jewelry I gave you the night before your wedding... when we shared a bed of bliss." " Did you and Fabrizio fuck?" " You think me a whore?" " I know you are." " How much wine have you drunk?" "How much wine did you need to bare your nipples for that fool?" " I am sober." " Leave me." "Get out." " You are acting worse than Laura." " Fine." "If you will not leave then I will." " And go where?" " Why?" "You do not care." " I am no longer the highest bidder." " You arranged this." "I will drown myself in a sea of vitriolo." "Get out of my way." " Not my finger." " You have no right to harm me." "La Bella, I beg forgiveness." "I cannot live my life without you." "Please promise me, while I live you will never marry." "Do you not see, Rodrigo?" "I love you." "Cesare Borgia, Duke of Valentinois... and Cardinal Della Rovere, legate of his Holiness Pope Alexander VI." " Your Highness." " I am not a queen." "Until your marriage is annulled, you are Queen Consort of France." "Until or unless?" "Forgive." "Unless, of course." "You are too precise to choose the wrong word." "I am a duchess and will be addressed as such." "Of course." "Recent events have been unpleasant." "No need to prolong the prologue." "Cesare Borgia, you may begin." "The king asked me to convey his respect and admiration." "That is comforting." "He hasn't answered me since my brother Charles died." "Now onwards." "A team of canonical experts shall examine the validity of your marriage." "On that subject I am afraid there are only two experts." "His Royal Highness has submitted to the tribunal a list of 29 witnesses." "They will testify that your father, then king, summoned Louis, barely 14..." " and threatened him..." " Threatened?" "if Louis refused you in marriage." "Here is a document with the signature of Louis XI." "'I warn you, Duke D'Orleans... that those who oppose me in this marriage... will not be certain of their lives.'" "My father would never have written such words." "There is no official seal." "This signature is a forgery." "The main reason which Louis has put forth... is that your marriage was never consummated." "On that charge, he is extremely firm." "Would you agree?" "No, I would not." "Perhaps I have been too hasty." "I should employ my own counsel." "Let us consider another option, to avoid a perdurable legal war." "The King insists that the reason he never consummated the marriage is... that you suffer from a physical defect." "In order for the Holy Father to make a proper and sacred decision... he has asked us to inquire about this charge." "Doing so brings me great sorrow." "I see no deformities." "Mine is one that can be viewed only when I am disrobed." "Then you will have to show us." "For the sake of the investigation." "Need I remind you that I am of royal blood?" "We are trying to handle this as delicately as possible." "But we must insist." "I am no fool." "He torments me because he wants to marry Anne." "But he does not love her." "He woos her for the sake of politics." "To keep France and Bretagne united." "My husband's ambition is so vast... if I resist, he will shame me in public." "God created my body this way for reasons I will never understand." "Louis accepted that fact and promised he would never tell another soul." "I have been true to my marriage vow, but now I shall take a new one." "I will be bride of Christ." "A nun." "You accept the annulment?" "Yes." "Yes, I will agree, but not on the grounds of coercion." "My father was a good man, a beloved king, as was my brother." "I will not let my shame cling to their names." "Then we must verify the failure to consummate... by seeing the deformity." "Very well." "I will show the two of you and then you will leave." "This is beyond the bounds of decency." "Be honest, are you not curious?" "Enter if you so wish." "Good day, gentlemen." "The nature of Jeanne's disfigurement must have been disturbing." "I was more upset by her blindness to the love Louis and Anne share." "She echoed my own words regarding Carlotta." "Am I, too, a man with a penis and a vagina?" "The Goddess of Peace." "I live a life of delusion and denial." "I have found an apothecary who has mixed the poison you described." " And a servant of Guy de Leval..." " No." "The time has come for me to wake up from my dream." "Your Holiness, Bishop Constantino Eroli, governor of Spoleto." "I was abducted from my bed, brought here in a cart... in chains, like a petty thief." "I ask you, why?" " Because you are a criminal." " Not so." "I am a good Christian." "A good Christian pays his tithe to Mother Church." "In the past year, has Mother Church been present in the lives of her people?" "Or has she been asleep?" "She is awake and staring you in the eyes." "She appears to be staring at my purse." "Once the citizens hear of my treatment... they and the leaders of the other Papal States will be rebellious." "Once they see what happens to a governor who defaults on his vows... the people will pay the tithe with interest." "Bishop Eroli, you will be displayed... chained to a chair for the rest of your days in Terra Nuova prison." "You are our new gargoyle." "This is cruel and unjust." "Do you now wish to pay the Denarii Sancti Petri?" "Yes." "You are too late." "No." "Holiness, no." "I said I'd pay." "I beg you." "We now must find a new, more trustworthy governor for Spoleto." " Who do you have in mind?" " Who, who, who?" "Alfonso." "I am to be governor of Spoleto." "Spoleto will henceforth be known as a place... where Lucrezia Borgia and her faithful husband... lived in perfect harmony." "I was passing an orchard and I espied this." "The last white peach of the season." "Pray tell... what are the recent developments from Rome?" "Most Christian King... the Holy Father grants you your annulment." "I am most grateful." "Summon the dowager, my once and future queen." "The part you both played will not be forgotten." "Though, Cesare, I must tell you that which you do not wish to hear." "I have spoken to Carlotta at length and she is determined to marry Guy." "I cannot force the girl to do otherwise." "I was forced into marrying Jeanne." "My annulment must not turn me into a hypocrite." "Such is life." "The Duchess Jeanne spoke true, Louis' ambitions are vast." "He never meant to help me." "He craves the Kingdom of Naples as well." " We should return to Rome." " No." "I will turn this setback to my advantage." "I will not be defeated." "You have made Queen Anne very happy." "I thank you, Cesare." "I wish only to see true love triumph." "This changes nothing between us." "Many disparaging comments have been made the last few weeks... by my brother cardinals." "But know this." "We do what is best for God's Holy Church." "With the integrity of faith and the purity of mind." "We intend to make an appointment." "As with all others, we demand your unfailing support." "And the people of Spoleto will receive their new governor... with complete obedience." "We present the next governor of Spoleto." "Lucrezia Borgia."