Cesare Borgia

"Father, do you not see? I control all of this. If I want to live, I live. If I want to take, I take. If I want you to die, you die!"

- Cesare Borgia to his father, 1503

Cesare Borgia (13 September 1475 - 12 March 1507) was the son of Rodrigo Borgia and a nemesis of Ezio Auditore. Like his father, he was a member of the Templar Order. Eventually, he became the commander of the Papal army and a leader in the Templar Order.

Early life
Cesare Borgia was born in Rome in 1475, to Rodrigo Borgia, the Grand Master of the Templar Order, and his long-term mistress Vannozza dei Cattanei.

At the age eighteen, Cesare became a Cardinal while his older brother, Juan, Rodrigo's favorite, became captain general of the Papal armies. Realizing his life as a Cardinal would reach a dead end and his brother would get everything, Cesare had Juan killed and then took his place as Captain General, becoming one of the most powerful men in Italy.

Becoming a Templar leader
In 1496, when his father waged war with the Orsini Family to seize their territory, Cesare joined the battle. Among the enemy's ranks was Bartolomeo d'Alviano, in secret an Assassin. When Bartolomeo's resources were down to three fortresses, Cesare cut off his supplies. When it looked like victory was near, Carlo Orsini arrived with his army and joined Bartolomeo, even wounding Cesare in the face.

Siege of Monteriggioni
"I know you're there, Ezio! The Pope told me about you and your little group of Assassins! And this!"

- Cesare Borgia to Ezio Auditore, 1500.

In January 1500, Cesare, who had been brought up in the Templar ways, led an assault on Monteriggioni, headquarters of the Assassins in Italy in order to eliminate the Master Assassin Ezio Auditore. Besieging the city, Cesare's forces overwhelmed the city's defenders and handed to him Mario Auditore and Caterina Sforza. Standing at the city gates, the Apple of Eden in hand, Cesare "invited" Ezio to come and face him in Rome with a shot of his firearm that killed Mario. Ezio was then shot down and wounded by a team of arquebusiers, and the battle was won. With Monteriggioni in ruins, Cesare returned to Rome with his prize.

War in Rome
"He is ambitious, ruthless, cruel beyond imagining. The laws of men mean nothing to him. The powerful Orsini and Colonna families have been brought to kneel at his feet, and the King of France stands at his side."

- Niccolò Machiavelli, regarding Cesare Borgia.



By 1500, Cesare had Rome under his iron fist as commander of the Papal army, though it appeared that he and his father sometimes disagreed on his choices. He used Borgia towers to keep control over the five districts of Rome. Cesare was also away for periods of time, overseeing the advancement of his army in a bid to unite all of Italy under his rule.

In 1502, Leonardo da Vinci was forced into service for the Borgia, wherein Cesare made Leonardo build several war machines for his army. However, all of Leonardo's creations were stolen and destroyed by Ezio Auditore, in secret, at Leonardo's own behest.

In Rome Cesare was first seen at the Castel Sant'Angelo, coversing with his three generals about their plans, where he told them to plat along with his father's "tired old men's club" but remember who they really served. He was later sharing a romantic moment with his sister.

In 1503 Cesare attended Juan Borgia the Elder's pagan party, where he gave a brief speech on a soon to be united Italy. After commanding the party to begin Rodrigo reminded him they agreed not to conquer Italy, Cesare then said he had the army and would be making the decisions. Later that year he ordered Micheletto Corella to murder Pietro Rossi, Lucrezia's secret lover, after he had him kill Francesco Troche

In 1503, Cesare and his father Rodrigo argued over the former's insatiable lust for power. Rodrigo commented that he had given Cesare all he had, and still his son wasn't satisfied. Cesare demanded that his father give him the Apple of Eden, but Rodrigo refused. At this point, Lucrezia barged in, crying out to her brother that their father was attempting to poison him with the bowl of apples he'd left out. An angry Cesare responded by charging Rodrigo and shoving the apple he'd been eating into his mouth. The poison did its work and Rodrigo died within seconds. Cesare then demanded the Apple of Eden's whereabouts from Lucrezia, who confessed under much pressure. Unfortunately, Ezio beat Cesare to the Basilica di San Pietro (where the Apple was hidden), and retrieved the Apple before him, having witnessed the scene from the window.

Cesare's rule met a downward spiral from there. As a final stab from his father, Cesare had consumed enough of the poison to leave him weak for months. While recovering, Ezio and the other Assassins used the Apple to dwindle his remaining forces and the Vatican fully rejected his request for support, seeing the Borgia's money as "tainted."

After being confronted by the highest-ranking Assassins, whom had eliminated Cesare's last remaining followers, Fabio Orsini arrived with the Papal Guard and a warrant for Cesare's arrest, by the order of Pope Julius II. Cesare was taken away, imprisoned, and later exiled to Spain.

Siege of Viana and Death
"I will lead mankind to a new world! You cannot kill me! No man can murder me!"

- Cesare Borgia's last words, 1507. Cesare spent several years in prison, until a Count gave him a rope with which he was able to escape. He fell 70 metres to the ground, landing on top of a servant who had accompanied him. Despite several fractured bones, Cesare was able to escape dressed in merchant clothes, and join his brother-in-law, John III of Navarre, in Spain.

In March of 1507, Cesare tried to regain his lost honor by commandeering John III's vast army during the Siege of Viana, after which, should he be victorious, he would regain the support of the French. However, unbeknownst to him, Ezio caught wind of Cesare's involvement in the battle and set out for Viana.

During the siege, Ezio located Cesare on the battlefield fighting alongside his men and charged, though Cesare held him back just long enough to dodge Ezio's left Hidden Blade and flee. Ezio's pursuit was delayed by several cannonball impacts that stunned him, and incapacitated the other soldiers in the area.

Ezio would soon catch up to him on the outskirts of the castle walls, where Cesare had his soldiers killed a civilian woman, who was crying for him to help her son, who had been injured. Ezio eventually faced Cesare on the walls of Viana's Castle and fought against him, with Cesare wielding a sword and a pistola. Though Cesare attacked with speed and skill, while also periodically calling reinforcing troops, Ezio nevertheless defeated him, eventually pinning him to the ground. When Cesare vowed not to die at the hands of man, Ezio declared that he would leave Cesare "in the hands of Fate," and threw him off of the castle wall to his death.

After Ezio killed Cesare and left Viana and the siege finshed and his body was originally buried in a marble tomb beneath the altar of the Church of Santa Maria in the town with an inscription "Here lies in little earth one who was feared by all, who held peace and war in his hand."

Personality
Cesare was born into the Templar Order and, like many of his other siblings, was raised by his father into his personal weapon. However, Cesare was naturally an aggressive and ambitious person, and would do anything for unlimited power. By age 18, Cesare became a Cardinal, while his brother, Juan Borgia, held the lofty title of Captain General of the Papal armies.

Jealous of the position his brother held, he had him killed in order to take his place as general (which would begin his rise to power). He has an incestuous relationship with his sister, Lucrezia Borgia, and frequently descended into jealous rage due to her many dalliances with other men (who she normally woos in order to spite her unfaithful brother).

Eventually, Cesare came to the conclusion that he would be able to bring all of Italy under the Templars's control. To reach his goal, Cesare conquered multiple regions and cities throughout Italy, successfully controlling Romagna, and bringing the powerful Orsini to kneel before him.

Over time, Cesare deluded himself into thinking that no mortal man could kill him, and that he would lead mankind into a new era; a belief that he held onto until the moment of his death. Cesare was also extremly ruthless, an example of this is when he had one of his closest friends, Francesco Troche, murdered after believing him to be a traitor.

Final words
Cesare: The throne was mine!

Ezio: Wanting something does not make it your right.

Cesare: What do you know!?

Ezio: That a true leader empowers the people he rules.

Cesare: I will lead mankind into a new world!

Ezio: Che nessuno recordi il tuo nome. (May no one remember your name.) Requiescat in pace. (Rest in peace.)

Cesare: ''You cannot kill me! No man can murder me!''

Ezio: Then I leave you in the hands of Fate!

Trivia

 * Historically, it is said that Niccolò Machiavelli greatly admired Cesare. However, in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, while Machiavelli does respect his ability to enforce his will, he also seeks to eliminate Cesare and his family members alongside Ezio.
 * Cesare's comments about bloodshed and the need for cleansing may highlight the origin of the name Abstergo, which is Latin for "I cleanse."
 * When interacting with Shaun Hastings during Sequence 8, Desmond Miles asks him if there are any good stories about Cesare, to which Shaun replies with "Are you kidding me?", pointing to the fact that Cesare had a very aggressive attitude.
 * Despite being shown to be adept with a Crossbow in both Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy and Assassin's Creed: Ascendance, Cesare never wields the weapon in Brotherhood.
 * In the novelization of Brotherhood, Cesare's face had been apparently deformed by the "New Disease," and he had resorted to wearing a mask. However, in the game, he is never seen with any said deformity or mask.
 * His given name "Cesare" is pronounced in Italian as "Chay-sar-ay." It is the Italian variation of the name Caesar.
 * Whilst playing the memory "An Apple a Day" Cesare can be seen sprinting towards the Passeto tu Borgo out-of-cutscene, and appears to ghost-through two iron portcullises.
 * When replaying the memory, after the cutscene in which Ezio drops Cesare from the Castel walls, his body can be seen when looking down from the battlements before the memory fades out.