POPE ALEXANDER VI

(Rodrigo de Borja | Alexander VI)


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Pope Alexander VI

In our times especially the Catholic faith and the Christian religion be exalted and be everywhere increased and spread, that the health of souls be cared for and that barbarous nations be overthrown and brought to the faith itself.
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This was a large part of the “moral” justification of conquering the New World peoples.

Pope Alexander VI

May the Lord array thee in the garment of salvation and surround thee with the cloak of happiness.
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Pope Alexander VI

We, of our own accord, not at your instance nor the request of anyone else in your regard, but out of our own sole largess and certain knowledge and out of the fullness of our apostolic power, by the authority of Almighty God conferred upon us in blessed Peter and of the vicarship of Jesus Christ, which we hold on earth, do by tenor of these presents, should any of said islands have been found by your envoys and captains, give, grant, and assign to you and your heirs and successors, kings of Castile and Leon, forever, together with all their dominions, cities, camps, places, and villages, and all rights, jurisdictions, and appurtenances, all islands and mainlands found and to be found, discovered and to be discovered towards the west and the south, by drawing and establishing a line from the Arctic pole, namely the north, to the Antarctic pole
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This edict in effect divided up the New World between Spain and the other Catholic countries. The Pope wanted to avoid conflict among the Catholic powers of Europe. Shortly afterward, the Pope brokered a specific deal, The Treaty of Tordesillas, dividing exploration rights between Spain and Portugal. The Pope divided up the New World, land he had never visited, people he had never met, among Catholic European powers.

Pope Alexander VI

We have indeed learned that you, who for a long time had intended to seek out and discover certain islands and mainlands remote and unknown and not hitherto discovered by others, to the end that you might bring to the worship of our Redeemer and the profession of the Catholic faith their residents and inhabitants...
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This bull, divided up the lands being “discovered” between Spain and Portugal and left Spain to conquer and colonize the New World.

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Pope Alexander VI
© Cristofano dell'Altissimo (1525–1605)
Pope Alexander VI
  • Born: January 1, 1431
  • Died: August 18, 1503
  • Nationality: Aragonese, Spanish
  • Profession: Pope
Biography

Pope Alexander VI, was pope from 11 August 1492 until his death in 1503. Born into the prominent Borgia family in Xàtiva under the Crown of Aragon (now Spain), 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.