Caesar or Nothing: The Last Days of Cesare Borgia

Caesar or Nothing: The Last Days of Cesare Borgia

Spain, 1507 . Cesare Borgia, the eldest son of Pope Alexander VI, former Duke of the Romagna, has fallen from power in Italy and has been imprisoned in Castille. His prospects seem bleak, but with the help of a meddling Spanish nobleman he escapes and sets off for Navarre, where he hopes to resurrect his fortunes and engineer a return to Italy, accompanied by a single servant who has been reluctantly recruited to the whole adventure. In this novella, Anthony Wildman recreates the last few months of the life of one of history's most fascinating and ambiguous figures, a man both charismatic and repulsive. Along the way we get glimpses into the turbulent career of this ambitious soldier and politician. The book is a companion piece to the author's longer novel about Niccolo Machiavelli, The Diplomat of Florence , which deals with the long political duel between Borgia and the Florentine statesman.