e Spanish cardinals would elect a candidate friendly to his
house. At the conclave Francesco Todeschini-Piccolomini was elected as
Pius III., and he showed every disposition to be peaceful and
respectable, but he was old and in bad health. Cesare's dominion at
once began to fall to pieces; Guidobaldo, duke of Urbino, returned to
his duchy with Venetian help; and the lords of Piombino, Rimini and
Pesaro soon regained their own; Cesena, defended by a governor faithful
to Cesare, alone held out. Pius III. died on the 18th of October 1503,
and a new conclave was held. Cesare, who could still count on the
Spanish cardinals, wished to prevent the election of Giuliano della
Rovere, the enemy of his house, but the latter's chances were so greatly
improved that it was necessary to come to terms with him. On the 1st of
November he was elected, and assumed the name of Julius II. He showed no
ill-will towards Cesare, but declared that the latter's territories must
be restored to the church, for "we desire the honour of recovering what
our predecessors have wrongfully alienated." Venice hoped to intervene
in Romagna and establish her protectorate over the principalities, but
this Julius was determined to prevent, and after trying in vain to use
Cesare as a means of keeping out the Venetians, he had him arrested.
Borgia's power was now at an end, and he was obliged to surrender all
his castles in Romagna save Cesena, Forli and Bettinoro, whose governors
refused to accept an order of surrender from a master who was a
prisoner. Finally, it was agreed that if Cesare were set at liberty he
would surrender the castles; this having been accomplished, he departed
for Naples, where the Spaniards were in possession. The Spanish
governor, Gonzalo de Cordova, had given him a safe-conduct, and he was
meditating fresh plans, when Gonzalo arrested him by the order of
Ferdinand of Spain as a disturber of the peace of Italy (May 1504). In
August he was sent to Spain, where he remained a prisoner for two years;
in November 1506 he made his escape, and fled to the court of his
brother-in-law, the king of Navarre, under whom he took service. While
besieging the castle of Viana, held by the rebellious count of Lerin, he
was killed (March 12, 1507).

Cesare Borgia was a type of the adventurers with which the Italy of the
Renaissance swarmed, but he was cleverer and more unscrupulous than his
rivals. His methods of conquest were ferocious and treacherous;