The Borgias have become a byword for evil.
But the story of this remarkable family is far more than a tale of sensational depravities - it also marks the golden age of the Italian Renaissance and a decisive turning point in European history.
From the family\'s Spanish roots and the papacy of Rodrigo Borgia, to the lives of his infamous offspring, Lucrezia and Cesare - the hero who dazzled Machiavelli, but also the man who befriended Leonardo da Vinci - Paul Strathern tells the captivating story of this great dynasty and the world in which they flourished..
Corruption, incest, ruthlessness, avarice and vicious cruelty - all have been associated with their name.
The Borgias have become a byword for evil