for the church, he was, while a child, dignified with the archbishopric of Pamplona, and then sent to be educated at Pisa. Here he distinguished himself not only in the proper studies of the place, but in those martial and manly exercises which suited his active and enterprising disposition. His father being elevated to the papal chair, Cæsar was nominated to the archbishopric of Valentia, and in 1493 was made a cardinal. After Charles VIII. of France had entered Rome, and compelled the pope to a treaty, Cæsar accompanied the king and his army in the character of apostolical legate, but in reality as an hostage for the performance. During the march, he escaped in disguise, and returned to Rome, in consequence of which the pope broke the treaty, and the king was obliged to quit Italy.

Cæsar Borgia, had an elder brother, the duke of Gaudia, who not only stood in the way of his ambition, but also was his competitor in the love of a lady of quality. By some, this lady is represented as his own sister, Lucretia Borgia, who was likewise a great favourite with her father. Cæsar determined to free himself from this rival, and having been appointed legate a latere to the king of Naples, he took the opportunity, the night before he departed, to assassinate his brother. On that day, their mother Vanozzo had made a family festival, by way of taking leave of her son. The two brothers quitted her house together in the evening, and after riding some part of the way in company, the duke turned out of the way under pretext of an engagement of gallantry. He was never more seen alive; but his body was found some days afterwards in the Tiber, pierced with many wounds; and it was supposed that the cardinal Cæsar had way-laid him with some of his servants, and murdered him. He himself proceeded to Naples, before the duke was missed. Historians seem to agree in the fact of his guilt on this occasion, and they say that the pope in the course of his enquiries became convinced of it, and put a stop to all further examination. Yet it is but just to observe, that no proof ever appeared to fix it on the cardinal, and that the duke might have been killed by other hands in an elicit amour, in such a place as Rome then was. This happened in 1497.

After the accession of Lewis XII. to the French crown, pope Alexander entered into a negociation with him, the basis of which was, the promotion of his son. Lewis created him duke of Valentinois in Dauphiny, gave him a pension, and the command of some cavalry. In the following year, 1500, he espoused the daughter of a French peer. The pope now formed the design of reducing the territory of Romagna to the obedience of the church, from which it had been usurped by lords of particular places. His real purpose, however, was to form it into a principality for his son. The duke of Valentinois

came from France at the head of a body of lances, to which was added between 4 and 5000 Swiss, and began his campaign with taking Imala and Forli. He afterwards conquered Pesaria, Rimini, and Faena. At the latter place he took the young lord prisoner, and sent him to Rome, where he was put to death. In 1501, the pope granted him the title of duke of Romagna. He proceeded in this course of conquest, usurping upon the Florentine and other neighbouring powers, and seizing one place after another, without the least regard to justice, till the Italian powers confederated against him. This however, he at first defeated. Having invited three of the heads to Senigaglia, under the pretext of establishing peace, he caused them to be strangled. His detestable father co-operated with him in all his plans, and they alternately courted the powers of France and Spain, according as each appeared to have the greatest influence in the affairs of Italy.

He narrowly escaped dying by poison in 1503; for having concerted with his father a design of poisoning nine newly created cardinals at once, for the sake of possessing their effects, the poisoned wine, destined for the purpose, was by mistake brought to and drank by themselves.

The pope died of it; but Cæsar, by the vigour of his youth, and the force of antidotes, after many struggles, recovered. He only recovered to outlive his fortune and grandeur, to see himself depressed, and his enemies exalted; for he was soon after divested of all his acquisitions, and sent a prisoner to Spain, in order to free Italy from an incendiary, and the Italian princes from those dangers, which the turbulent spirit of Cæsar made them fear, even though he was unarmed. He escaped, however, and got to Navarre, to king John his brother-in-law, who was then at war with his subjects. Cæsar served as a volunteer, and was killed in 1507.

CHARLOTTE D'ALBRET, DUCHESS DE VALENTINOIS, sister of John d'Albret, king of Navarre, and wife of Cæsar Borgia, whose misfortunes she shared, without reproaching him with his vices. She was pious, sensible and witty, and had much genius for poetry. He died in 1514.

JOHN PETER SERBELLONE, was the father and uncle of several illustrious persons. He married in the year 1506, Elizabeth Rainoldi, a woman of a noble and ancient family in Milan, and aunt of John Baptist Rainoldi, president of the senate of that town. He had by that marriage five sons and two daughters; one of the two daughters was a nun; the other was married to the count de Macagno. Gabriel his eldest son, was a very great captain. The second, whose name was John Baptist, took orders, attached himself to the court of Rome, was made bishop of Cassano in Calabria, where he did not reside, because he was employed in several important intrigues at Rome, and was appointed by Pope Pius IV., gover

nor of the castle of St. Angelo during his whole pontificate. The third son of Peter Serbellone was called Fabricius. The fourth son was called John Anthony, who was bishop of Foligni, and then of Novara, and the first cardinal whom pope Pius IV. made in the year 1560. He was governor of several towns in the ecclesiastical state, legate of Perugia and Romagna, bishop of Ostia and Velletri, and died dean of the sacred college in the year 1591. He was a cunning politician, who had a hand in the most secret negociations of the court of Rome, under the popes Pius IV., Pius V., Gregory XIII., and Sixtus V. Being cousin to Pius IV., he easily obtained some very considerable privileges for the college of doctors at Milan. He found it more difficult to get them confirmed by Sixtus V., who had resolved to suppress them; but at last he carried his point, and even got those privileges enlarged. The last son concerned himself only with his domestic affairs. Our Serbellone had a sister called Cecilia, who was married in the year 1485, to Bernard de Medicis. From this marriage came six sons and seven daughters.

JOHN PAUL BAGLIONI, a native of Perugia, descended from a family of warriors, who had long held the regency of that city. He learned the art of war under Virgilio Orglioni, to whom he was very useful in his efforts to reinstate Peter de' Medici, at Florence. Baglioni having become almost sovereign at Perugia, was expelled from thence by Cæsar Borgia, but recovered his ground there after the death of pope Alexander VI. He then became general of the Florentines, and inflicted many evils on their enemies the Pisans. On some disagreement with them, he went over to the service of the Siennese, who made a present of him to pope Julius II. He served this pontiff under the duke of Urbino, and assisted in recovering Romagna from the Venetians. But upon the death of count Pitigliano, he engaged in the Venetian service and regained to the republic several places which the emperor had taken from it. In 1512 his troops were twice beaten; but he was enabled, by a reinforcement of Swiss to drive the French from the territories of Venice and Milan. Soon after his Venetian masters uniting with the French, Baglioni took Cremona and Lignago, but was repulsed at Vicenza. He defended Perugia against the general of the church, and assumed an unlimited power there; on which account pope Leo X., having enticed him to Rome, caused him to be beheaded in 1520. He left two sons, who followed his profession, Horace and Malatesta._Horace, a brutal and violent character, was constantly in the Florentine service, and acquired much renown at the taking of Salerno. He was killed at Naples in 1528. Malatesta served the Venetians with reputation under Livian. Assisted by the duke of Urbino, he drove his relation Gentilis Baglioni from Perugia. He afterwards served the Italian allies against the emperor;

and lastly defended Florence for a whole year when besieged by the imperial arms, and did not surrender till reduced to the last extremity. He died of a lingering disease in 1533.

ELEONORA GONZAGA, daughter of Francis the second, marquis of Mantua, was united to the duke of Urbino, at a very early age. She has been no less celebrated for her various qualifications, than for the conjugal attachment she displayed towards her lord, whom pope Leo X. deposed in favour of his nephew Lorenzo de Medicis, but who after his death, had the dukedom restored. The mind of the duke of Urbino was not formed for the sustaining misfortune, and he would have sunk under its weight, but for the soothing tenderness of his wife, who at length inspired him with that fortitude and resolution, which she in so eminent a degree possessed.

JOHN JAMES marquis de Marignan, of Milan, was noticed for his valour by Francis Sforza, duke of Milan. Sforza persuaded him and another officer, to assassinate Visconti, a nobleman of Milan. After the commission of this horrid deed, the duke took measures to destroy both the assassins, that the suspicion might never attach to him. One fell, but Marignan escaped, and was made governor of Musso, which he exchanged for the service of the emperor, and the command of Marignan, of which he assumed the title. He was succesful, in 1554, against the French troops under Strozzi, whom he defeated, and he took Sienna, where he permitted his troops to commit the most horrid cruelties. He died 1555, aged 60.

He

JOHN DE MEDICIS, on account of his bravery and knowledge in military affairs, was surnamed the Invincible. was the son of John, or Jourdain de Medicis. He first carried arms under Lawrence de Medicis against the duke of Urbino, afterwards under pope Leo X. Upon the death of Leo, he entered into the service of Francis I., which he quitted to follow the fortunes of Francis Sforza duke of Milan. When Francis I. formed an alliance with the pope and the Venetians against the emperor, he returned to his service. He was wounded in the knee at Governolo by a musket ball, and being carried to Mantua, he died Nov. 20, 1526, aged 28. He was above the middle stature, strong and nervous. His soldiers, to express their affection and concern for his loss assumed a mourning dress, and standards, which procured them the name of the black band. Cosmo the great was his only son,

SPAIN, PERU, AND MEXICO.

JOHN II., son of Henry III., was proclaimed king of Castile in 1406, at two years of age. He showed a warlike spirit,

and made war with success, against the forces of Navarre and Arragon. Having made peace with these powers, he turned his arms against the Moors of Granada; and obtained great advantages over them. He died in 1454, at the age of 50.

JOHN DE PACHECO, marquis of Villena, the favourite and prime minister of Henry IV., king of Castile. By his insinuating manners and talents he obtained so great an authority, that he disposed of all places in the kingdom. Lewis XI., of France corrupted him by a pension, and he treacherously betrayed his master's interests in the peace of 1443, by agreeing to many articles prejudicial to the kingdom of Castile. Henry having discovered his treachery reproached him with it, at which he was so enraged that he actually conspired against his sovereign, and placed Alphonsus on the throne of his brother. Alphonsus displeased his minister, and fell a victim to his treachery. Pacheco caused the young king to be poisoned, and was reconciled to Henry, who continued him in his authority and favour till his death, in 1473.

ISABELLA, queen of Castile, born in 1451, was the daughter of John II. She passed the early part of her life in obscurity, without the least prospect of a crown; but the Castilians having conspired against her brother Henry IV., a weak and vicious prince, obliged him after the death of the infant Alphonso, to declare Isabella heiress to the kingdom, to the exclusion of Joanna, who passed for his daughter, but was not believed to be such. She was married in 1469 to Ferdinand, son of John II., king of Arragon; and upon the death of Henry, in 1474, they were conjointly declared king and queen of Castile. A party however, existed in favour of Joanna; and Alphonso IV., king of Portugal, entering Castile with an army, espoused her publicly, and assumed the regal titles. His defeat at the battle of Toro, in 1475, was fatal to his pretensions; and, by a peace concluded in 1479, the right of Isabella and her husband was fully acknowledged. In that year the crown of Arragon fell to Ferdinand, and thenceforth the kingdom of Castile and Arragon were inseparably united, comprising the whole of Spain not possessed by the Moors.

Isabella who was high spirited and jealous of her authority, governed Castile as the real sovereign; and her husband had the policy to concur with apparent unanimity in her measures. Religious zeal was a leading feature in her character, to which was principally owing the introduction of the inquisition into Spain, and the war undertaken for the expulsion of the Moors. The desire of propagating the christian faith in parts of the world where it was yet unknown, was likewise the chief motive of the encouragement she gave to the projects of Columbus, which was eventually the cause of such magnificent additions to the Spanish monarchy. In all these schemes, she entered