Ascanio Maria Sforza Visconti was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church. Generally known as a skilled diplomat who played a major role in the election of Rodrigo Borgia as Pope Alexander VI, Sforza served as Vice-Chancellor of the Holy Roman Church from 1492 until 1505.
Ascanio Sforza
Tomb of Cardinal Ascanio Sforza, full size copy of the grave in Rome, cast in plaster, Victoria and Albert Museum
Pope Alexander VI was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 August 1492 until his death in 1503. Born into the prominent Borgia family in Xàtiva in the Kingdom of Valencia under the Crown of Aragon, Rodrigo studied law at the University of Bologna. He was ordained deacon and made a cardinal in 1456 after the election of his uncle as Pope Callixtus III, and a year later he became vice-chancellor of the Catholic Church. He proceeded to serve in the Curia under the next four popes, acquiring significant influence and wealth in the process. In 1492, Rodrigo was elected pope, taking the name Alexander VI.
Portrait attributed to Pedro Berruguete (c. 1495, oil on canvas, Vatican Museums)
Vannozza dei Cattanei
Plaque outside the Archbishop's Palace, Valencia . Translation: Alexander VI, 9 July 1492, Pope Innocent VIII, at the request of Cardinal Borja and the Catholic Monarchs, raised the Valencian See to the rank of metropolitan, making Rodrigo of Borja the first Archbishop of Valencia 1492–1503.
Coat of arms of Alexander VI – Castel Sant'Angelo, Rome