Despite his enemies,
Through Spain's courageous assistance, Rome is liberated.
Holy Father, Queen Isabella expects you to keep your promise.
We shall draw up a strategy to purge the Jews.
Not just from the city limits of Rome,
but from every hectare of the Papal States.
Despite her love,
You sent my wife to Spain.
I did not.
You use me as your whore in the name of Christ.
Just as you whored out Cesare to the Colonna.
Do not speak that way to us.
You seek sanctuary from whom?
From my father,
Pope Alexander VI, Supreme Pontiff of Holy Mother Church.
Despite his failings,
Pedro Luis has been assassinated.
By whom?
I killed all of the assassins.
You are a good, practical man, Duke, but you are no Borgia.
Where is the Duke of Urbino?
Captured.
Despite his faith,
I know someone who tried to kill a baby and I stopped him.
I deceived him. I saved this man's soul.
I found the baby.
The child is where he should be.
Since the defeat of France,
the kingdom of Naples has been without a sovereign.
On behalf of my flock, I ask you, Holiness,
to invest Federigo d'Aragona,
brother of our late liege, with the crown.
Federigo is a good man, but he has little experience in government.
We fear more unrest if he rules.
He is an admiral.
Must we talk politics?
Yes, La Bella.
Then come, ladies, we shall adjourn to a more festive room and gossip.
I cannot wait to meet General Cordova tomorrow.
I hear he is exceedingly handsome.
Mmm.
The d'Aragona family caused the recent troubles which rippled through Italy.
Do we really want to see them return to power?
Whoever is chosen must have the trust and love of Spain.
Yes, especially since every inch of Naples and Rome
is blanketed by Spanish garrisons.
We have a suggestion for a new king.
The Prince of Tricarico.
Who?
Me.
Before Alfonso abdicated,
he granted me the title of Prince.
Juan is also related to the House of Aragona
through his marriage to Maria Enriques.
His brother, Goffredo, is Prince of Squillace.
No offense, Highness, but you were defeated at Bracciano by the Orsini,
the Papal Guard then deserted,
facts which do not augur well for your ability to lead a nation.
If I were to prove myself in battle,
would I be welcomed as king in Naples?
We will see.
I will not die, but live
and will proclaim what the Lord has done.
Let us take Sister Lucia to bed.
I will not die.
Pantisilea, what is happening?
Lucrezia, it is a miracle.
The wounds of Christ's crucifixion
suddenly appear as if driven by nails
on Sister Lucia's hands and feet.
Stigmata.
She has grown with such speed, our Laura.
We shall enact a papal decree
commanding all daughters to stay forever innocent.
I am a daughter. Would you have me remain so innocent?
As always, Giulia Farnese is the exception to the rule.
Oh, you were thinking of Lucrezia.
How could she run away, lock herself in a convent?
These six weeks have been unbearable.
Order the Mother Superior to throw Lucrezia out.
No, not yet.
I am hoping she will come home of her own accord.
Shall I go to San Sisto to see her?
Will that calm your heart?
How I love you, La Bella.
Mmm. Fetching.
Giulia.
If Father has sent you, go away.
I have just traveled through foul, dusty streets
and this is my greeting?
But the Pope...
He does not even know that I have come.
I was hurt when you departed without a wave goodbye.
I had to leave the palace walls.
All those portraits who stare at us...
Their eyes are not genuine, only an illusion.
I needed to find something I knew to be pure and real.
A cloister?
There is nothing real about cutting yourself off
from the reality of the world.
I am closer to God than I ever was in the Vatican.
The community, the prayers, and Sister Lucia.
A nun blessed with stigmata.
The blood is real, her eyes are real.
Giulia...
I have found my calling.
If you are happy,
I am happy.
What would your father, the Pope, say of you fucking a Jew?
Where is your brother? I do not know.
But he should be present for such an occasion.
Holiness, Ambassador Diego Lopez de Haro
and Gonzalo Fernandez de Cordova,
Supreme Commander, the Royal Army of Spain.
You are most welcome, General.
Guidobaldo de Montefeltro,
Duke of Urbino.
Guidobaldo, we understand you served
as General de Cordova's second-in-command with great valour.
We praise you both for defeating the French invaders
and restoring peace to the Eternal City.
A small but lethal unit of French infantry remains at the fortress of Marino.
They consort with our enemies, the Orsini and the Colonna.
We charge you to empty this pocket of evil.
And the pockets of evil inside Rome?
Queen Isabella was promised that all Jews would be driven from this city.
Our soldiers' swords stand ready.
The Jews bring plague.
Overcrowding of refugees in the Judaeorum Borgo brings plague.
I meant a spiritual plague.
And a political one upon you, Holy Father.
On the orders of their Most Catholic Majesties, we will discuss Marino
only when the Jews leave Rome.
Battles are planned by generals, but won by soldiers.
Step forward, young man.
Who are you?
Pedro Caldes of Valencia, Holy Father.
Pedro, we had an older brother that shared that name.
And a son, as well.
God called each to heaven.
You have our brother's nose and chin.
We could be looking at our brother when he was your age.
You are married, Pedro?
Love is a war in which I have not been victorious.
Mmm. Perhaps you will find less resistance from the women of Rome.
Pedro Caldes.
That soldier?
Not the son of a duke or a count,
but a humble peasant from Valencia who rescued Rome.
He rescued Rome?
You have a use for this young man.
God is mysterious and then, suddenly, he is revealed.
My brother, the judge.
Ha. I've been assigned to run these tribunals
because the Pope himself is weary of them.
The stealing of carrots, the unpaid bill of fare.
Rodrigo sees you as uniquely qualified to make decisions in his name.
A large step and good training.
Listening to the desires of others
is the key to learning their weaknesses.
Like Lucrezia.
That sad, conflicted girl.
Sad? May we all be as satisfied.
His Holiness will not allow her
to remain in the convent of San Sisto
because he wants to secure her. Yes, he will.
I have convinced him the nunnery is the best place for the girl.
Best for you, as well?
I calculate my words,
however false, to get what I want.
As I was telling Rodrigo of my visit with Lucrezia,
I almost forgot I could simply speak the truth.
Lucrezia is happy.
And Rodrigo will have to be content with his other daughter.
My Laura.
A messenger from the Holy Father.
Countess... I am no longer a countess.
My apologies.
I am not accustomed being so near royalty.
I just said, I am not royalty.
But you are the daughter of a Pope.
I come on behalf of His Holiness, Alexander VI.
I have no interest in any missive from that man.
Yet, I am compelled to deliver it.
His Holiness misses me, yes?
My response is that he misses using me for his political intrigues.
I remain here, to prepare for a life dedicated solely to Christ.
Again, I am sorry for my lack of social grace...
I have heard enough.
He is striking.
We are pledging our bodies
to the pleasures of the Spirit, Pantisilea.
A sigh of discontent?
I am here to serve you.
This is not about me, this is about faith.
Do you want to become a nun?
Go. Go back to the Vatican
with that boy you find so striking.
You are dismissed from my service.
Lucrezia... Be gone from my sight.
We stand in the Domus Aurea,
the Golden Palace of the Emperor Nero.
This is a palace? It looks like a dungeon or a tomb.
Nero did not live amid these walls.
He only held orgies here.
The palace was buried for centuries, until yesterday
when a farmer stepped through a cleft in the hills above,
weakened by the recent rains.
And why should we care?
God has given us a gift of bounty and beauty.
He transports us back to the glorious days of the Roman Empire.
This discovery is an omen of greatness yet to come.
Me, as king of Naples.
Why were you not there to greet General de Cordova?
Are you afraid to face the Duke of Urbino?
Brother,
I would like to end the sour taste between us.
In hopes that I will help you gain the Neapolitan throne?
Yes.
I must devise a way to prove myself.
General de Cordova refuses to assign his soldiers to my command.
Help me organize a new Papal Guard.
While Spain dominates the city,
you will not be permitted to train an army.
Do you actually think that King Ferdinand will allow you to rule Naples?
Let us leave before we are buried alongside ancient Rome.
You, there, pull.
Now that the city has been liberated,
we can finally begin our construction of a new basilica.
Rome and her people need beauty, awe.
No more rainy leaks, no more pigeon shit.
You requested my presence, Father?
We must not only convince the barons of Naples,
but also their Most Catholic Majesties in Spain
that you will make a worthy king.
Father, I have done much wrong
and will need to prove myself to Queen Isabella.
Let me organize the expulsion of the Jews.
Here is our dilemma.
The Jews bring Rome trade,
filling our coffers with taxes.
We do not wish them gone.
For the good of Rome,
I will conceive a strategy to satisfy both you and the Queen.
Cardinal de Medici. Giovanni.
Thank you for coming.
Your letter sounded most urgent.
How would you like to perform an act
which would bring you, and therefore your family, much glory?
Yes.
The Jews cut their foreskins.
They are barbarians.
I will rid Rome of these barbarians without the loss of blood.
How?
We will baptize them.
Force them to convert?
A sprinkle of Holy Water and all the Jews suddenly disappear.
We will, of course, charge them for the honor
and fatten the papal treasury.
How am I to be of assistance?
Priests perform the baptisms.
Who better than a Medici?
Rodrigo sends a pretty soldier boy,
hoping he will entice Lucrezia home.
Pedro was quite unsuccessful.
Return to the convent at once.
I came to Rome to gain a husband of wealth,
not to make a pledge of chastity.
Besides, she dismissed me.
I cannot go back.
Then you are useless.
I am shipping you off to the Tierra del Fuego.
I am told the colonists need whores.
Please.
The Lady Lucrezia seemed quite adamant, Holy Father.
The only problem with being a Borgia,
is all your children are Borgia as well.
From King Vladislaus of Hungary.
Is there nothing, Pedro, you can do? No solution you can offer?
I am told there is a Sister Lucia, who suffers from stigmata.
Witnessing the young nun suffering
has strengthened Lucrezia's resolve to join the order.
A doctor will examine this nun.
Upon seeing Sister Lucia's condition is simple artifice,
Lucrezia will have a change of heart.
But what if the affliction is found to be truly divine?
Our doctor will diagnose as we tell him to diagnose.
There is truth and underneath that, a deeper truth.
Our daughter needs neither lofty words nor bleeding palms.
She needs a friend.
Will you be that friend?
My brother has been ordered by the Pope to go to Holy Confession.
To purify his soul, in hopes of garnering the throne of Naples.
I intend to have some sport with Juan.
I will hear his confession.
But you are not yet a priest.
To be truly forgiven, one must promise never to do wrong again.
Will Juan ever stop doing wrong?
Especially if he is crowned a king? No, definitely no.
Then what does it matter if Fra Jacapo hears his confession or I?
You must prepare the Basilica for the christening of the Jews.
Yes, Your Highness, right away.
Farnese.
Here to confess?
All done. My soul is scrubbed clean.
What is Fra Jacapo's mood?
Benign, as always.
The latest fashion?
Since the discovery of the Domus Aurea,
Rome worships the time of Nero.
Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.
My last confession was...
One week ago.
Speak your sins, my son, and all will be forgiven.
I have lied, cheated, stolen...
But in the name of the Supreme Pontiff, so...
Those are not sins.
Exactly.
May I go?
No, not yet.
Surely, you must have acted once out of selfishness.
No, I...
The truth is, Fra Jacapo,
I have carried a sin for quite some time.
A mortal sin,
never revealed,
which haunts me.
Confess your crime, my son.
Liberate your heart from the prison of guilt.
You must remember,
around this Holy Confessional is the aura of silence.
I will tell no one. Do you swear?
Upon the death of your soul?
Yes.
My half brother, Pedro Luis, I had him murdered.
I hired the assassins, had them dressed as Muslims.
Then I killed them to cover my plot.
Yes...
Quite shocking, Fra Jacapo.
But I am sorry for having offended God.
I promise never to commit fratricide again.
Fra Jacapo?
You are forgiven.
And my penance?
You must tell your father.
Never.
Then you will not be granted God's grace.
Fuck you. No, fuck you.
I knew it was you all along.
Liar. I recognized your voice.
I am the better actor.
I had you believing me.
I made all of that nonsense up.
Murderer.
Come visit me, priest, when I am king of Naples.
Juan needs Spanish soldiers to carry out the baptisms.
Your son has shown no remorse at his inaction
when Guidobaldo Montefeltro was taken into captivity.
The next time Juan faces the Duke of Urbino,
we expect a mea culpa.
Each hour, the Colonna, the Orsini, and the French
become more entrenched in Marino.
Yet you do not attack because of hurt feelings?
Because of honor.
Honor is a rare commodity these days.
Guidobaldo shall have his apology.
And Juan shall have his troops.
Who is there? Oh, good lady.
Is Lucrezia not well?
Lucrezia is in a convent and...
Convent?
I do not want to be a whore.
Mama, we must talk.
Be off.
Wait for me. The music room.
That creature unsettles me. She is harmless.
Your sister is in a convent.
Why was I not told?
Father forbid us to say a word.
We Borgia, we have so many secrets.
I have learned something terrible.
Juan had Pedro Luis murdered.
What? No.
He admitted so.
Directly to me.
No, he was jesting.
I do not believe so, Mama.
You must verify this. How?
We will devise a way.
And if I do?
Juan must die.
Tell me, Juan Borgia, how does it feel to not need a God?
To be born so wealthy, to have every desire
delivered with a wave of your fingers?
I see the problem.
You do not want to pay the christening fee.
Here.
I am generous.
Leave my home.
On Saturday, you will walk to Saint Peter's, or you will be dragged.
I leave you to choose. Who will drag us?
There is no Papal Guard. The Spanish troops will not follow you.
Your few bravi are no match for the 1,200 Jews.
You sent for me, Your Highness?
Yes.
My brother possesses knowledge dangerous to me.
Cesare must die.
This is for the good of Rome.
Hmm.
Such an incredible coincidence that you, senor Caldes,
were chosen to accompany the doctor here.
Oh, that was no coincidence.
Pope Alexander asked me specifically.
These wounds...
As a man of science, I am bewildered.
As a believer in the Holy Word, I am in awe.
I cannot diagnose whether this is medical or miraculous.
The Holy Father will be angry.
If only I could receive such an undeniable message.
I need to know that my path is true,
that I am a beacon of purity
no matter what is spoken against me.
Senorita,
if you will pardon me once more...
No stigmata is needed to see the purity of your heart.
I know you dismissed your lady-in-waiting.
I am not good with words,
but I am good at staying quiet.
If ever you need a friend to simply listen.
Why would I ever open my heart to a simpleton like you?
I went to the convent of San Sisto to see Lucrezia.
I was refused entrance.
Rodrigo has ordered the Mother Superior to accept no visitors.
Save those he sends.
This family is madness.
I have seen Lucrezia.
He sent me.
And you will do anything Rodrigo commands? Yes.
I love him.
One time Rodrigo said there are only two women he has ever truly loved.
Me and...
Me and Lucrezia.
But sometimes with Rodrigo's love comes
Rodrigo's indifference to the other person's feelings.
He is blind to Lucrezia's joy.
I have tried to explain that she has finally found peace, but...
Rodrigo thinks his desires are gifts for us.
He will destroy Lucrezia's serenity.
You must go to him.
Convince him to allow Lucrezia to take the Holy Vows.
You say this, but it is not for the sake of Lucrezia.
You are scared.
If the Holy Father is so willing to disregard my daughter,
then when your daughter is of age,
will he not abuse her heart as well?
I should have known better than to try to deceive Vannozza Cattanei.
I will do this favor for you, as you have done for me.
Then the slate between us is blank.
We can be enemies again.
And the girl, Pantisilea, will work in my villa. At your expense.
As you command, Vannozza Cattanei.
I come in peace.
Peace? From my brother?
Your brother ordered me to kill you.
And you tell me instead of doing so?
Why?
Loyalty is a price paid not to the highest bidder, but the better man.
I offer my blood to you.
Again, I ask, why?
Through this mask, I see clearly.
You, Cesare Borgia, will reign supreme.
If you desire to follow me,
reveal all about the assassination of my half-brother, Pedro Luis.
I knew the truth would emerge eventually.
You will apologize to the Duke of Urbino. For what?
You allowed him to be captured at Bracciano.
He got himself captured.
You refused to pay the ransom.
One man does not pay for another's errors.
Listen, we are this close to ridding Italy of the remaining French soldiers.
As well as the Italians who plot against our Papacy.
General De Cordova and the might of his men
are needed to end all conflict
and to subjugate the Jews.
Without de Cordova's support,
you stand no chance of becoming king of Naples.
You will apologize.
Regarding Bracciano, I...
I...
I'm sorry,
that the campaign failed, you were captured and that I was
unable
to secure your freedom.
I swore an oath to serve the Vicar of Christ
and will, therefore,
follow the orders given in his blessed name by General de Cordova.
Highness, my soldiers are yours to command.
Your Holiness, Vannozza Cattanei.
Thank you for meeting me.
Bring me Pedro Caldes.
What do you need?
Lucrezia lives in a convent.
She is impulsive, like her mother.
When our daughter awoke from her coma, she spoke of her vocation.
She has no right to choose.
And if Lucrezia is truly happy?
Would you be?
She is not me, nor is she you.
Open your eyes, Rodrigo.
The girl has become her own woman.
No, this is childish rebellion.
- Could I talk to her? - No.
He will go once more to talk with her.
To do more than talk.
If our plan does not succeed,
then you may smother Lucrezia with motherly kisses.
That is our final word.
Your word is never final, Rodrigo.
You are not God.
Stop that bullshit or pay severely.
Are you finished?
Now, that you have fulfilled your promise regarding the Jews,
we will attack the French, and your enemies,
the Orsini and Colonna, with our full force.
And Juan, as Prefect of Rome,
as Prince of Tricarico, will join you in this battle.
Of course, Beatitude.
His sword will be most valuable.
Good. Let us all dine together to celebrate your impending victory.
Holy Father, our liberation is complete.
And these two...
They cowered, waving the white flag
as I cut through the French ranks.
And what of Virginio Orsini?
Alas, he is still at large.
Perhaps the Duke of Urbino will explain why.
We are in pursuit of Orsini.
He will be captured within a fortnight.
To a dungeon with these traitors.
While we go say a Mass of Thanksgiving to Christ, our Lord.
Do not let them escape.
Highness, I have received this post from the Royal Court in Spain.
Lucrezia.
Lucrezia!
I come to enlighten you.
To tell you how much you have helped your dear friend,
Maria Enriques de Luna.
Read this letter.
My sweet wife did not survive the sea voyage.
As of now, I am a widower and you, a murderer.
No.
Yes! Died giving birth on troubled waters.
You could not keep to your own business and now death has come to my family.
What of the child?
Are you satisfied with your actions, you foolish cunt?
Juan, the baby?
Are you proud of your master plan to protect Maria Enriques?
What of the child? Juan, please, what became of the child?
Children.
Twins.
Both survived.
In her last breath,
Maria Enriques named my newborn son,
my heir,
Juan.
She loved me more than you thought.
No vow to God can redeem the evil which you have done.
Sister Lucia, I...
I come
seeking guidance.
To learn from you
endurance, purity...
One cannot teach these virtues.
They flow from the heart's core.
Of course, I fear I am not explaining myself.
I had a vision calling me to cloistered life.
But my family swayed me, insisting that my vision was a dream.
But deep down, I knew the truth.
The essence of faith,
to accept what is unknowable.
My past actions,
I have spoken lies, contemplated murder.
A dear friend is dead as a result of my scheming.
Even being in this convent
is in disobedience to the Pope.
Pray with me.
Ask God to bless me with stigmata.
You are asking for stigmata?
To have a divine sign of love.
A sign that I, too, am blessed, forgiven.
I, me, I, me. This selfishness and pride.
To pray for such a curse...
These are not a prize one displays to prove saintliness.
By asking for this misery, you show God you do not deserve his blessing.
You do not belong here, Lucrezia Borgia.
When are you going to tell your father
about Juan's complicity in the murder of Pedro Luis?
Soon. Now that the French are no longer a danger to the Papal States,
I will find the right moment to pluck the crown of Naples off Juan's head.
Just the fellow for whom we have been searching.
We have a surprise.
You are pregnant.
Yes.
I am overjoyed.
You will make a splendid father.
And you will stand as godfather.
You are Marcantonio Colonna?
What do you want?
From Juan Borgia.
In gratitude for the rape of his brother, Cesare.
Juan hates his brother to such an extent?
From Cesare Borgia, for the same.
Senorita.
You requested my presence.
I have obeyed the Pope, I have obeyed you.
I realize that my life is not as important as...
God spoke to me once.
Please, come sit near.
Do you know what God sounds like?
Like a dove flying through a gentle snowfall.
I have been searching for the sound of His voice,
the clarity, ever since.
And have you found it here,
at the Convent of San Sisto?
No.
Others have, I have not.
I am sorry.
I know that my uneducated thoughts
will mean little to someone of such elegance.
But...
On the battlefield,
I learned that there are experiences you can only truly have once.
The good ones, you must cherish,
for they are your first and last.
And the bad ones...
Take comfort,
for they are your first and last.
I do not wish to be my father's pawn.
What did he order you to do?
To be your friend.
If he wants us to be friends,
I do not want your friendship.
Become my lover.
Here?
Lady Lucrezia.
Ah! Lucrezia.
Babbo.
I would like to come home.
Darling girl, I missed you so.
We both have.
Pedro Caldes,
we thank you for bringing our daughter back to us.
We know not how to repay you.
I am sure there must be some reward.
Yes. Yes, of course.
We shall speak with General de Cordova
regarding Pedro's exemplary dedication.
What evidence do you possess
proving that Juan killed Pedro Luis
and that he wants Cesare dead, as well?
I have none.
Well, then your brother will simply deny the truth
and, being of a higher station, will be the one believed.
True.
You may go, Micheletto.
De Corella's new allegiance to you
could, instead, be part of Juan's plot to murder you.
Don't be late.
You, here at my mother's inn?
Someday I will have a house of my own.
Whose bastard son is this?
Yours.
Lying bitch. Our son is dead.
No, he's alive.
Saved from death by your friend, Farnese.
I do not believe you.
I do not care in who or in what you believe.
His name is now Gerolamo.
You whore!
I am the woman you created, Cardinal Borgia.
And so, Cardinal Carafa, have you gained the acceptance
of your barons and bishops?
When will Juan Borgia ascend to the throne of Naples?
Holiness, never.
Never?
The people of Naples choose Federigo d'Aragona
as the rightful heir.
The people? And I have a document,
signed by the Doge of Venice, the dukes of Milan,
Ferrara, Savoy, Mantua, as well as the king of Spain,
bestowing their approval upon Federigo, as well.
So, the Pope's wishes matter not?
We hope
that the Supreme Pontiff will bless this succession.
Fine. We agree.
On this condition.
Juan's wife has sadly died.
He must marry Carlotta d'Aragona,
the late king's true daughter.
Our new king will be delighted.
If, in return, you will go to Naples to crown His Majesty.
Of course. We long to see Capri again.
Boo!
Shit.
A warning, old friend, there are ghosts wandering about this place.
Why did you want to meet down here?
Have you no appreciation of history?
I was reading Plutarch's Lives of the Caesars.
Nero was a true monster.
I enjoy history.
I enjoy fresh air and sunlight more.
So, you are to be a father.
I am.
As I am.
You?
You are to be a father?
Not to be, I am.
My son, by Fiametta.
I do not understand. In Perugia,
I witnessed the healing powers of Sister Columba.
She brought a dead baby back to life.
But you know all about such miracles.
You carried my son back through the door of death.
Cesare... No, I am grateful.
You did what was right,
just as I will now do what is right.
Sometimes, I think that I am God's monster.
Then do not kill me. Beg for your life.
Please, do not kill me. Coward.
I did not whimper when Marcantonio shoved his cock up my ass.
I fought, as any man would.
Are you a man, Alessandro?
This fetus inside Silvia must belong to someone else.
You have no balls, you never had.
I could gore you,
as a bull does.
Then do so,
if that will make you feel good about yourself.
But I know you, Cesare.
In an hour, you will be drowning in a Tiber of remorse,
weeping over my carcass.
What I did was misguided, but done out of love.
What you do now
is pride.
The worst sin against God, self-love.
You and I are henceforth
enemies.