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 Captain General of the Papal armies, though he secretly plotted against his father to take over Rome.

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 age 18, Cesare became a Cardinal, while his older brother, Juan (who was also Rodrigo's favorite) became Captain General. Unsatisfied with his life as a Cardinal and jealous of his brother's position and power, he had Juan killed by the courtesan Fiora Cavazza. He later took his place as Captain General, thereby 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. Just when victory seemed within reach, Carlo Orsini arrived with his army and reinforced Bartolomeo, even wounding Cesare in the face.

Siege of Monteriggioni
"We've had too much bloodshed. I think a cleansing is in order. So, consider this an invitation from my family... to yours!"

- Cesare Borgia to Ezio Auditore, just before killing Mario Auditore, 1500.

In January 1500, Cesare led an assault on Monteriggioni, headquarters of the Assassins in Italy in order to eliminate the Auditore family, who were the leaders of the Assassins. Besieging the city, Cesare's forces overwhelmed the fortress defenders and handed to him the Apple, Caterina Sforza, and Mario Auditore, current Grand Master of the Assassin Order.

The beaten Assassin walked through the gates of Monteriggioni before collapsing onto the ground, followed by Cesare and his allies; including his sister, Lucrezia, Micheletto Corella, Octavian de Valois, and Juan Borgia.

Cesare sheathed his sword and spoke out to Ezio himself, who had seen the Borgia's entrance and was running across the rooftops to aid Mario. The Borgia Captain General spoke of how the Pope had told him of the Assassins and Apple. He then turned and grabbed to the Baron de Valois' firearm from him, a pistol that Ezio's good friend, Leonardo da Vinci, had been forced to fashion for them. Cesare stated that there had been too much bloodshed on both sides, and that a "cleansing was in order." Raising the pistol into the air, Cesare "invited" Ezio to come and face him in Rome, and killed Mario with a shot from the firearm.

Ezio was then shot down and wounded by a team of arquebusiers, and the battle was won. With Monteriggioni in ruins, Cesare and his army returned to Rome with their 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 he and his father occasionally disagreed on his choices. He used Borgia towers and their captains to keep control over the five districts of Rome, as he was often away for extended periods of time to oversee the advancement of his army, in a bid to unite all of Italy under his rule.

Upon Ezio's arrival in Rome, Cesare was first seen at the Castel Sant'Angelo, conversing with his three generals about their plans, where he told them to play along with his father's "tired old men's club," but to remember who they really served. He later shared a romantic moment with his sister, before asking if their father had considered the funds requested by his Banker. He then left the Castel for Romagna.

In 1502, Cesare continued to make use of Leonardo da Vinci's intellect, forcing him to design 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 1503, Cesare attended Juan Borgia's pagan party, where he gave a brief speech on a soon to be united Italy. After Cesare commanded the party to begin, Rodrigo reminded him that they had not agreed to conquer Italy. However, Cesare stated that he was now in control, although not officially, and simply told his father to enjoy himself. Later that year, he also ordered Micheletto Corella to kill Francesco Troche, whom he believed was a traitor, as well as the actor Pietro Rossi, Lucrezia's secret lover.

In August of 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, yet his son was never 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 had left out. An angry Cesare responded by charging Rodrigo and shoving the apple he had 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 Piece of Eden before him.

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 he recovered, Ezio and the other Assassins used the Apple to dwindle his remaining forces, while the Vatican meanwhile fully rejected Cesare's request for support, seeing the Borgia's money as "tainted."

Cesare sent Micheletto to retrieve his armies from the battlefield in order to reclaim Rome, however, he was confronted by the highest-ranking Assassins as he awaited his return. As the last of his followers fell, 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 into 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 meters to the ground, landing on top of a servant who had accompanied him. Despite several fractured bones, Cesare was able to escape dressed in a merchant's clothes, and later joined 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 and charged Cesare on the battlefield, though he held him back just long enough to dodge Ezio's 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 soon caught up to him on the outskirts of the castle walls, where Cesare had his soldiers kill 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.

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 - including having his own family or friends murdered - in order to obtain power.

Cesare maintained an incestuous relationship with his sister, Lucrezia Borgia, and promised her that she would be his queen when he ruled Italy. As such, he frequently descended into jealous rage due to her many dalliances with other men (who she would normally woo in order to spite her unfaithful brother). However, in his attempts to discover the location of the Apple, he physically assaulted her, answering her tearful question if he had ever loved her by saying, "You are my sister, nothing more."

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.

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 ricordi 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

 * His given name "Cesare" is pronounced in Italian as "Chay-sar-ay." It is the Italian variation of the name Caesar.
 * 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?", and goes on to list Cesare's many notorious acts.
 * 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.
 * However, this is not a contradiction to history as Cesare was infected by the recent outbreak of syphilis and did resort to wearing a mask in public.


 * While 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 in Viana, after the cutscene in which Ezio drops Cesare from the castle walls, his body can be seen when looking down from the battlements before the memory fades out.
 * According to the Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood novel, Cesare excelled at bullfighting. Machiavelli believed he showed such an interest in the sport due to its origins in Spain, and his aggressive nature.
 * Cesare seems to be ambidextrous. In some memories he is seen wielding a sword with his left hand, and in other with his right hand.