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 a 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
"Ruthless, cruel beyond imagining. The laws of men mean nothing to him."

- 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 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, when a Count gave him a rope with which he was able to escape. He fell 70 metres to the ground on top of a servant who had accompanied him. With several bones fractured, Cesare was ultimately 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 see him on the outskirts of the castle walls with his troops, there he had a civilian woman killed who was crying that her son was injured. Ezio eventually caught up with Cesare on the walls of Viana's Castle and fought him, with Cesare wielding a sword and a pistola that was possibly the same with which he had killed Mario Auditore. Though Cesare was reinforced periodically by 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.

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 Ezio has to save Caterina Sforza from the Castel Sant'Angelo, he encounters Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia kissing each other, revealing that they were lovers. Additionally, Cesare is later arrested on the grounds of incest, along with his other crimes.
 * When you leave the animus (During Secence 7) and talk to Shaun,Desmond asks him if there are any good stories about Cesare, To witch Shaun replies "Are you kidding me?" pointing to the fact that Cesare had very wrathful revenge