A CRIMINAL HISTORY OF MANKIND

In fact, his victories were almost a walkover. Caterina had been a harsh ruler, and her subjects were
delighted to surrender to Cesare Borgia. Imola fell; so did Forli. Caterina took refuge in the castle
of Forli, but was finally forced to surrender. Cesare made sure she surrendered absolutely
everything, and he wrote his father a detailed account of his night in her bed. Well pleased with
himself, Cesare went back to Rome. In his conquering mood, he longed for the soft embraces of his
sister. It seemed intolerable that she should still be married to Alfonso - and apparently in love with
him. In July 1500, Alfonso was crossing St Peter’s square after eating supper with the pope. Some
pilgrims approached him and he reached into his pocket for money. Suddenly he was surrounded,
and daggers rose and fell. He was strong, and fought furiously. Papal guards ran towards them and
the attackers took to their heels. Alfonso, bleeding badly, was carried to his wife’s apartment in the
Vatican, and there his wife and his sister Sanchia worked tirelessly to save his life. When he began
to recover, the pope gave him a room close to his own, to make sure there would be no further
attacks. Just a month after the original attack, Lucrezia and Sanchia left him alone for an hour.
They came back to find him strangled. Cesare, accused of the murder, openly admitted it; he said it
was self-defence - that Alfonso had fired a cross-bow at him as he walked in the garden.
The people of Naples demanded an enquiry into the case. The pope promised it - then forgot about
it. Lucrezia, grief-stricken, went off to her castle at Nepi. Cesare also prepared to set out on another
military expedition. He made sure that he called at Nepi on the way. And although Lucrezia knew
that her brother was her husband’s murderer, she flung her arms round his neck when they met.
Cesare had to demonstrate that she belonged to him again.
After establishing his right to his sister, Cesare marched off to further conquests. He had the kind of
dash and boldness that can bring swift victories. The aim was to subjugate Romagna, the area to the
south of Venice. The pope provided the money by selling cardinal’s hats to twelve completely
unsuitable but wealthy candidates. Cesare captured Rimini, Fano and Pesaro; Faenza, under its
young master Astorre Manfredi, held out for months but surrendered in March 1501. Cesare had
the bit between his teeth. It looked as if nothing could stop him. In chapter 7 of The Prince his
friend and adviser Machiavelli tells a typical story, with obvious approval. When Cesare had
subdued Romagna - and been created duke by his father - he decided that the province needed stern
laws; there was too much brigandage and general disorder. So he appointed the most ruthless man
he knew - Remirro de Oreo - with full authority to do anything he liked to restore law and order.
Oreo carried out the task with ferocity, and soon had the whole region cowering. At which point,
Cesare - who wanted to avoid the blame for this cruelty - had Oreo seized, hacked into two pieces
and left out in the public square at Cesena. It looked as if Cesare had meted out a brutal end to
someone whose brutality he detested; so everyone was satisfied.
Machiavelli tells another story with equal approval: how when Cesare learned of a plot against him
he charmed the plotters - all noblemen - with offers of good will and future alliances. They were
invited to come and discuss their problems at a friendly banquet, and arrived without weapons. As
they sat down to talk, they were seized from behind and strangled.
In the summer of 1502, Cesare displayed the same qualities on the field of battle. His latest
objective was the town of Camerino. This lay well to the south of his other conquests in Romagna,
and the major town of Urbino lay between the two. Its duke, Guidobaldo, was a friend and ally, so
felt he had no reason to worry about his exposed position. Cesare marched on Camerino from the
south - and then, unexpectedly, swung north and seized Urbino - Guidobaldo had to flee to Mantua.
Then Cesare turned south and took Camerino. If anyone had accused him of treachery, he would