Pope Alexander VI Was Surprisingly Progressive

Pope Alexander VI was widely known as the "evil pope." But, in reality, he was only evil in the eyes of Puritan Christians who disliked his compassionate and hedonistic behavior. 

Pope Alexander VI was the patriarch of the House of Borgia. 

Alexander VI was ordained as pope despite the fact that his family bloodline was famous for their hedonistic orgies, violent cruelty towards those who oppose their dictation, and the abuse of the papal of the church. 

However, the violence was largely directed at the upper-class within the governmental structure. And the money that Alexander VI was "abusing" went straight into the hands of the working class. 

Pope Alexander VI also took in 9,000 Jewish refugees who had been exiled from Spain and were starving on their way through the Papal States. 

Instead of following the directions of his senate, Pope Alexander VI chose to take the refugees in, offer them shelter, money, food, and supplies. 

It didn't matter that they were Jewish, it mattered that they were honest people who were being subjugated by an intolerant government.

That's where his reign really mattered. So, whenever some square tells you that Pope Alexander VI was a bad pope, you should bring up that he was a hero and he definitely got laid way more than that person does. 

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Post originally appeared on History Obsessed.