Database: Cesare Borgia (Brotherhood)

Date of Birth: 1475 or 1476.

Profession: Noble, Captain General of the Papal Forces.

Born to Rodrigo Borgia's mistress, Vanozza, Cesare studied law then became a cardinal when he was only eighteen. Meanwhile, his older brother Juan, Rodrigo's favorite, became the Captain General of the Papal forces. Cesare realized that his life as a cardinal would lead to a dead end; his brother was going to get everything. He knew exactly what he head to do. Juan had to go.

By 1499, Juan was dead and Cesare had become Captain General. He married a royal French bride, securing her title and an alliance with King Louis. With the aid of the King's forces, Cesare marched on Romagna.

His ruthless drive for power was unprecedented. Get this: when Cesare conquered Faenza he invited the much-beloved Lord of the city, the gallant seventeen-year-old Astorre III Manfredi, into his army. Astorre and Cesar really hit it off, but Astorre posed a threat to Cesare: he was Lord of Faenza due to his bloodline. So, when Cesare got back to Rome, he had both Astorre and his younger brother drowned by tying rocks to their feet and throwing them into the Tiber.

Cesare also proved to be a brilliant general. He seized the city of Urbino without a fight, through the help of the Pope. The plan was simple: the Pope requested a loan of artillery from the Duke, his supposed ally. Once the Duke had sent the artillery, Urbino was defenseless and Cesare invaded.

A cipher to all around him - at one point Isabella d'Este sent Cesare a hundred masks to congratulate him on a victory - Cesare's motivations were unreadable by his enemies and his actions notoriously brutal.