February 1494 Ash Wednesday
Remember that thou are dust and to dust thou shalt return.
Was that a cross?
The letter C.
For Christ.
Remember that thou are dust and to dust thou shalt return.
His sublime Highness King Federigo once again asks
that an official and more adamant command be issued by you, Holiness
for Cardinal Borgia to leave Naples and go to Spain.
The cardinal ignores the Pope. The son his father.
Those without sons always know how best to raise them.
Maximilian, Emperor of the Romans, King of the Germans...
presents his nephew Prince Ferdinand von Hapsburg.
Prince Ferdinand, we welcome you.
I demand the hand of Lucrezia Borgia in marriage.
Do you not first bring greetings from your uncle?
I demand the hand of Lucrezia Borgia in marriage.
What would you do with Lucrezia once married to her, young prince?
I would put my Hapsburg cock inside her and make emperors.
We see your forehead is clean.
We cannot imagine a Borgia betrothed to a man who does not honor the Lent.
I do and I will, but first I demand...
First, duty to God, little prince.
I hate Rome.
Clearly, Ferdinand's uncle gave him very singular instructions.
In the past, Lucrezia has been betrothed to smaller... Excuse me, lesser men.
A German prince is a fortuitous match.
We were unaware our daughter's marital status concerns you.
A marriage of a Pope's offspring has political ramifications, as well as familial ones.
Emperor Maximilian has been Rome's most consistent ally.
- Consistently unreliable. - Still, your Lucrezia does deserve
to be a princess.
Maximilian claims the title Emperor of the Romans...
a crown envied by the kings of Europe.
Yet he refuses to come before your Holiness to be officially anointed.
Would not a bond with Lucrezia legitimize Maximilian's ambitions...
without him having to pay fealty to you?
Our head may be in the Heavens, but Gacet keeps our feet on the ground.
Gacet spoils everything.
You're almost ready to burst. You must eat to keep up your endurance.
I found a poem by Lope de Estuniga...
which I thought Pietro Bembo might enjoy.
If I were to die and quench the flames of my pain
Then too would my love disappear leaving the world that much darker
When I consider this, delaying death becomes an aim so profound
That I can feel pleasure from inside the fire
Romantic, yet depressing.
Do you think Pietro is safe?
He went home to Venice just as the Muslims attacked.
Worry not. The great Captain, Gonzalo de Córdova has left for Naples
to gather his troops and save the Venetians.
Which means that many will die.
You will be all right.
Let's go inside.
That must feel powerful, to be able to dominate another man.
I sent him my doctor.
Carlotta is a silly girl.
Carlotta is under pressure.
She must marry the Frenchman for purely political reasons.
To ease the tensions between the Anjou and the Aragon families.
She coddles the weak to keep her house strong.
And do you not do the same?
- I truly love Carlotta. - Eminence.
General Gonzalo Fernandez de Córdova requests your presence at the chapel.
- We come from Rome. - Has the Pope sent you to drag me to Spain?
Or do you finally wish to revenge the death of your soldier, Pedro Caldes?
My army must go to Venice, where the Turks attack. Naples is the best harbor
from which to launch our troops, and since you are the only cardinal in residence...
we wish the sacramental, nothing more.
Cardinal.
Your brother Juan killed your brother Pedro Luis to feed his desires.
You killed Pedro Caldes to defend your sister's honor.
Silence.
The union of man and woman...
is not a crude animal desire...
nor an evolving social mandate.
It is a necessity of nature.
Actions that undermine this natural union threaten human dignity...
and the future of humanity itself.
As God smote the city of Sodom...
so must God's followers smite those...
who commit the sin of sodomy.
Administer the Pope's Pear.
Jesus, Jesus is God.
General de Córdova, in my opinion, you have but one military option.
If you split the Venetian fleet in half and attack...
- Attack from two angles. - No.
- Eminence? - The Turks are superior at sea.
Wait for them to disembark and meet them on the land.
Fight the Turks at sea, it is ship versus ship. Ships do not tire.
Fight them on the land, fresh Spanish swords battle weary Turkish sabers.
Am I not correct?
Maybe.
I am.
He is rude.
He is confident and has every right to be.
Cesare wants my daughter's hand.
- He would be a worthy ally. - And a fearsome rival.
But the choice is not mine.
I have already told Carlotta she may marry whomever she desires.
And she desires Guy de Leval.
Cesare has eyes for the d'Aragona princess, does he not?
A pitiful display. He's nowhere near as adept as we at wooing.
- If the girl were not in Naples... - Neither would he be.
But if Cesare comes back to Rome, he will flex his muscles.
- Might try to take over the Papal Guard. - Leave the Papal Guard to me.
So rarely that we get to speak, Milan.
A pleasure when we do, Naples.
Once Guy recovers fully from his wounds, the wounds you caused...
we will be leaving Naples.
I am to be a lady-in-waiting for Queen Anne of Brittany. In Lyon.
There is no need for Queen Anne. Or Guy de Leval.
You need not worry about protecting your family. I will keep the d'Aragona in power.
- With a cardinal's cross? - With my heart.
You project your motives upon me. I do not marry Guy for politics.
Ever since I was a child...
my family has lined the halls of this palace with blood and cruelty.
But Guy is different. He is not like my grandfather or my father...
or my uncle or my cousins. Or you.
He is kind and gentle...
and can see the good in everyone.
Even those who beat him to the brink of death.
But I cannot.
Every time you think you show yourself a man...
you prove yourself less of one.
Please let me marry Lucrezia.
Tell your uncle all things are possible...
if he pays due homage to the vicar of Christ.
Prince Ferdinand, your presence always enriches Rome.
Go, with God's speed.
By the word of Pope Alexander VI of that name...
Holiness.
I beseech you, hear me.
Bishop Flores, we did not realize you had returned.
- If you need to speak with us... - This cannot wait.
That man tried to sodomize me.
I did no such thing.
You said I reminded you of Donatello's David...
and offered me a private tour of the papal bedchamber.
Is this an attempt at humor?
He touched my cock.
Holiness, we saw your blessed wrath against sodomy hours ago.
Now, you must condemn Francesc Gacet for the same offense.
Bring the Pope's Pear. Shove it up Gacet's ass.
He speaks falsely, but we are cornered by too many eyes.
You must send me to prison until a trial can be held.
Silence.
- You have made accusations. - Do it, Rodrigo.
- We order a trial to be convened and... - Do it, or you too are lost.
We order Francesc Gacet...
to be imprisoned in Terra Nuova. Guards.
Justice is a bitter pill, Borgia.
Lucrezia.
This man brings a gift.
- Do I know you? - Not from me. From Pietro Bembo.
How is he? Is he safe?
Safe enough to write these words.
'Your flames will light the world for me to see.'
But I do not know how to play.
I am part of the gift. I am at your service, my lady.
- Back from Rome so soon. - Sometimes God smiles.
And sometimes he frowns, but he always sees everything.
My excursion was a success.
Naples prospers.
The throne is safe from Cesare Borgia.
Carafa and the king have been plotting that Cesare will leave Naples.
We need someone great like Cesare as our ally.
If he leaves Naples, our salvation is lost.
Aragona, Borgia. We trade one devil for the next.
Cesare still fancies himself wearing our kingdom's crown.
- You are his way to that prize. - My brother-in-law is a priest.
Cesare is a priest as much as I am a priest.
He will be a far more generous king than our uncle.
If anyone can restore us to our rightful glory...
it is Cesare Borgia.
And if anyone has proven she can seduce a Borgia, it is you.
Juan, Goffredo.
Complete the trinity.
I have a way for you to ascend the throne of Naples.
Goffredo will annul me and become a cardinal.
You will cast off your cardinal's robes and become my husband.
And then we will kill Carlotta and be next in line.
I was in prison once.
Naked, in a damp cell.
Frozen by the winds of shame.
No flame to keep me warm.
I learned to keep myself warm.
Already you have washed the ashes of humility from your forehead.
Your highness, you must stay calm. Please try to relax.
Cesare.
My ambitions are as cold as iron, but my heart is not.
After None you are meeting a friar from the Monastery of San Marco.
Before Vespers you have...
- Gacet's penmanship is horrible. - Cancel all of my appointments.
On Ash Wednesday, tradition demands that the Pope hear Holy Confession.
Let Riario-Sansoni do so in our stead.
Your Holiness.
Say we are due to greet the French ambassador.
- You want me to lie? - We had a meeting scheduled with you.
Have you chosen who will lead the Papal Guard?
We were told the meeting was cancelled. Did you not say so?
What says the appointment ledger, Burchard?
So you have not made a choice.
We will have an answer later today.
No, tomorrow. We must hear confessions today.
Ah, Cardinal Farnese. We continue to consider you both.
Orsini, Colonna.
Close the door behind you.
You as well, and the others.
Calm in the squall.
We once asked you if a man can be loyal to two men at the same time.
Do you not remember this?
Holiness, this is all I know.
Flores and Della Rovere conspire together.
Della Rovere will push for Lucrezia to marry a groom of his choosing...
or render her useless to you by revealing her pregnancy.
He'll intends to tear you apart, family member by family member.
Look around, our family is gone.
Our limbs, torn by our own hand.
You have more family. Your daughter Laura, my sister Giulia.
- What can Giulia do? - She can lie.
You asked me to devise a justification for Giulia's return.
Nobody in Rome has seen my sister in nine months.
Lucrezia's moments away from delivering her baby.
Giulia will claim the infant as her own with you as the father.
A man can only be convinced to do that which he already desires.
We agree to your proposal.
But since it is your plan to take Lucrezia's child...
you must convince the girl.
- And find Cardinal Carafa. - I believe he has left for Naples.
Yes, we sent him there.
We are calling Cesare back to Rome. We will reattach our limbs...
and make our body whole once more.
If you will pause for a moment, Alessandro has something to propose.
I can take my lesson and listen to him at the same time.
Des Prez, if you repeat what you hear, your tongue will join your eyes.
Middle C.
I am sure you have grown anxious, secreted away for so long.
- When one sins, one is punished. - Up the line of Cs and Gs.
God created the pains of birth to punish Eve for her transgressions.
After you've delivered the child, you too will be absolved of your sins.
Of course, you will then be settled with the stigma of unwed motherhood.
- I'm not marrying a false father. - Now up the line of As and Es.
Agreed, but...
a surrogate mother would rid you of all dishonor.
- Another woman claim my child? - Not just any woman.
Giulia.
You could see the baby whenever you like. And this would be a temporary measure.
You support this?
Only to protect you.
Please leave.
You are ruining my punishment.
Maestro?
Middle C.
Now I understand what you were talking about.
Once the baby is in her arms, any hope of separating them will be lost.
We have come at this from the wrong direction.
Instead of the future, Lucrezia must ponder the past.
We did not realize how much we needed you, old friend.
You will save me not because I'm innocent but because you need me.
You will feel shame for having said that...
once I clear your name.
Bartolomeo, what has cardinal Della Rovere offered you?
Offered me? Your secretary forced himself upon my body.
Or was Cardinal Riario-Sansoni the one who proffered riches, or cardinal Sforza?
Perhaps cardinal Carafa? - I was molested.
If you seek duplicity, I suggest you look closer at those you hold close.
We have spoken with the accused.
He faces a brutal torture which he would prefer to avoid.
He suggests that we make you Archbishop of Credenza...
and give you his position as papal secretary.
But no, how can we take advice of a man accused of such a depraved crime?
Great wealth and high position will not erase your pain. What you want is justice.
Justice comes in many forms.
True, but in order for Gacet to be set free, you must lie...
and say he did not force himself upon you.
In public.
You must speak the lie in public.
Lucrezia, you have a visitor.
- Another gift from Pietro? - You two, out.
Angelica, help him.
Be gone, quick.
The last time I saw you, you were but a cherub.
Now look at you.
I must seem a haggard crone.
My name is Isabella Matuzzi.
I am sorry, I do not recognize you or your name.
I'm your sister. Half sister.
Before Papa was with your mother, he was with mine.
Is this true?
I constantly learn new secrets about my family.
My uncle is my father, I have an older sister.
When they say I'm a child who knows nothing, that is because they tell me nothing.
Will you leave us?
If you need anything, I'm right outside the door.
Oh, little dove.
Consider this.
Now you have a sister who knows what you go through better than a priest.
Or a mother.
Do you still see Papa?
The last time I saw him was around the last time I saw you.
And then he was done with me.
- Sometimes I wish he would shun me. - Do not say that.
- To be cast out from Rodrigo Borgia's heart... - He uses me.
To be a woman is to be used.
He wants to take my baby from me.
When I was 14, Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia, whom I thought was my uncle...
arranged my marriage.
I said no, I will not marry a hog like Pier Giovanni Matuzzi.
Consumed by rage, I ran away and hid in a cellar...
amongst wine casks and a cat I named Pepe.
For two weeks, I lived there only sneaking out to steal food.
I prayed to God with all my might for my father to stop using me.
And then?
A candlestick fell over and burned down the cellar, along with Pepe the cat.
I was discovered and carried back to the Cancelleria.
I married Pier Giovanni as Papa insisted.
But I also got my wish.
- Papa picked a good husband for you? - Yes.
Until he died he was the finest man I have ever met.
But that was not my wish. My wish was for Rodrigo Borgia to leave me alone.
God granted me that.
Lucrezia, to male eyes, all that women have is this.
Men put something in and they expect something to come out.
But not for me. Pier Giovanni went in and nothing came out.
I am barren.
That is why Papa pushed me aside.
My prayers were answered and I live regretting.
I did what the Pope demanded, yet I have never been happy.
Consider this. If you keep the baby...
you will never marry and when Papa dies, you will have nothing.
- I will have my child. - Your child will starve.
And if he does not starve, he will walk the streets of Rome a bastard.
As you once did.
Only he will have no hope of ever gaining his proper place.
Little dove.
None of us know what will bring us joy.
A cruel rainstorm may produce a fine harvest.
She has agreed to give up her child.
You said you were barren, but you do have a son.
You lied.
To win the argument. I am, at heart, still a Borgia.
These are the sum of the Pope's demands?
- Rumors abound that Lucrezia's with child. - Rumor is all they are.
And in exchange you agree to leave Naples.
Fine. Lucrezia will marry Alfonso di Calabria.
He is a member of the royal family. That is what Pope Alexander requests.
I will not let him near her. He is the pest which flies around a donkey's ass.
He is the pest that flies around those pests.
And yet, I know and you know that your father will accept.
- Then we are done. - A prince.
My sister deserves nothing less than a prince.
- That is not here. - Yet I am here. And remain.
Unless you elevate Alfonso di Calabria to princedom.
How soon will you be gone from my court?
As soon as the Pope approves.
Then I agree.
For now, this remains a secret between us and his Holiness.
Not even Di Calabria should know.
I find it ironic, you scarred Alfonso's sister and now he will scar yours.
I may be departing your kingdom, but I will still marry your daughter.
As long as Cesare Borgia is in my palace, I shudder.
When he dies, the man will be banned even from hell.
I hereby rescind all accusations against Francesc Gacet.
After a night of much vino, I made a grave error of identification.
Have you had any dealings with Francesc Gazet at all?
None.
Thank you, Bishop Flores.
You may release the accused.
- Bishop Flores, who did molest you? - Holiness?
You say a man sodomized you and you made an error of identification.
If not Gacet, then who did commit the sin?
I was mistaken. I was drunk. I drank too much.
Are you now saying that you drank too much and willingly engaged in sodomy?
- No, never. - So then name your attacker.
There was no attacker.
I was so drunk and felt so poorly the next day that when I awoke...
- I imagined the whole thing. - You imagined being sodomized?
But according to the laws of the Church, such fantasies are as sinful as the act itself.
No, it was not a fantasy.
Either you were sodomized or you dreamt of sodomy
or you made a false accusation. Which one, Excellency?
I made a false accusation.
Bartolomeo Flores, you will replace Francesc Gacet...
in his cell in Terra Nuova.
You will be given a Bible and enough light to ponder the words: 'Thou shalt not make false accusations.'
You will be fed bread and water every other day...
- until the Devil claims your soul. - But I told the truth about lying.
I told the truth about lying. Please.
We hereby restore Francesc Gacet to the office of papal secretary.
I understand that after your convalescence, you and the Princess will be leaving for Lyon.
Go away.
Carlotta is to be a lady-in-waiting for Queen Anne of Brittany.
And you will follow her wherever she goes, obediently.
- Cardinal, how may we help you? - Let us drink.
To new lands and old loves.
Or old lands and new loves.
- I am not thirsty. - I insist.
I want to heal wounds, physical and emotional.
- I will drink it. - No.
This is a drink among men.
I will not drink.
Why?
- I do not know what you have put in this wine. - You do not trust me?
- You do not see the good in me? - No, I do not.
- Do you think me evil? - Incarnate.
Then you're not worthy of my wine.
And you're not worthy of Carlotta.
You love, not a man, but an illusion.
You have not swayed me.
I am still the Papal Legate to France. I will see you in Lyon.
I am sick of this city of worms. I have decided to return to Rome.
Because the Pope commands you?
The Pope has asked me to leave Naples and go to Spain many times, yet I've refused.
I go now to Rome because I realize to love is to be capable of pain.
Are you not afraid that the Pope will punish you?
My father loves me. I own his soul.
I leave come morning.
Let us lie together tonight.
With you, there is no pain.
Holiness.
You need to see this.
Enough.
His Holiness is present.
I thought the Papal Guard should learn some hand-to-hand maneuvers.
And you have none better to teach them than Domenico Doria of Genoa.
Domenico Doria.
Yes, I share your thought. He would be an outstanding Captain-General.
Our head is pounding, fetch some vitriolo.
We must counter the effect of Della Rovere, Riario-Sansoni and perhaps Farnese.
We will need the Colonna and the Orsini on our side.
The paradox is, they both want to be Captain-General.
Domenico Doria. He is a neutral candidate, admired by both families...
and actually worthy of the position. He was Sforza's unsubtle suggestion.
Sometimes the manipulative and political decision is the correct one.
- We told you we would free you. - I'm grateful.
Ironic, using the charge of sodomy...
to replace one non-sodomite with another.
That's not true.
What is not true?
- Rodrigo. - Yes, Francesc?
I have vile affections.
- No, you do not. - I'm a sodomite.
- I have known you since we were boys. - I am a sodomite.
How can you be? You are working here all hours of the day and night.
When I call you arrive instantly. You have no time to pull on your pants.
You said any man who fantasizes such thoughts is just as guilty.
Do not use my words against me.
God the Omniscient gave us minds to reason, to explore.
- A thought, any thought is holy. - You do not really believe that.
I do, Francesc. At this moment, I do.
Now go inform Domenico Doria of his glorious rise to power.
I knew you would come.
Did I tell you not to meet with Borgia in private?
I am sorry. My pride took hold of me.
Please, get me out.
Your pride.
Kiss me.
Kiss.
I wanted to taste you...
one last time.
Do not turn away from me. I did not speak your name.
I will tell them now.
That we are lovers.
You have admitted in public that you are a liar. Who would believe you?
Giuliano.
Please.
He's a boy.
You will name him for Pedro Caldes?
I will name him Giovanni. For Juan.
Come.
Linger and heartache will follow.
- No. - Yes, yes, yes.
Just a moment longer, please.
- You've been through much. - I've changed my mind.
You must sleep.
I'm not tired.
I am alive. God has shown me a new sphere of Heaven.
I suppose we leave too early in the morning for an official farewell.
Eminences.
- I go with you to Rome. - More company, splendid.
Why do you join us, Alfonso, after I punished your sister?
Sancia was deserving of her punishment.
And Cesare, I would follow you on to the Cross.
- I want to serve you, your Highness. - You mean 'your Eminence'.
I mean Cesare Borgia, who will be whomever he chooses to be.
Let us mount.
We gallop into Rome, crossing the Rubicon.
If only figuratively.
Well.
- Hello. - You have done well, my son.
- I juggle loyalties like a clown. - He slept most of the way.
- Where is Giulia? - She wanted to see some flowers.
One last look.
I shall never travel this far from Rome again.
Subtitles corrected and synchronized by bifutake