Pope Alexander VI, born
Roderic Borgia ( (, ); 1 January 1431 – 18 August 1503), was
Pope from 11 August 1492 until his death. He is one of the most controversial of the
Renaissance popes, partly because he acknowledged fathering several children by his mistresses. Therefore his Italianized Valencian surname,
Borgia, became a byword for
libertinism and
nepotism, which are traditionally considered as characterizing his pontificate. However, two of Alexander's successors,
Sixtus V and
Urban VIII, described him as one of the most outstanding popes since
St. Peter.