Pope Alexander VI 1496

A member of a dynasty of Spanish popes, he was seen as one of the “seven bad popes,” but he was no worse than others of his time. He bought his election to the papacy, practiced nepotism with his large family, and tried to strengthen the papacy through conquest of central Italy. His lifestyle made him infamous, and rather likable!

No sooner had Columbus made his “discovery” of the New World than the Portuguese began making landings on the east coast of the southern continent, and the battle over ownership began.