Callixtus III

Timeline

1. c. 1378–1429Canals, Valencia · ValenciaAlfonso de Borja was born to a noble family in Canals, Valencia province, Kingdom of Aragon; he studied at the University of Lleida, earned a doctorate in law, and long served the royal administration of King Alfonso V of Aragon, renowned for his expertise in canon law.
2. 1429–1455Valencia; Rome · Papal StatesBorgia became bishop of Oriola in 1429 and archbishop of Valencia in 1444. In 1444 Pope Eugene IV raised him to cardinal, after which he moved to Rome and took a deep part in curial affairs. His steady diplomacy assisted Nicholas V in handling Spanish church affairs, and he accumulated extensive cardinalatial experience, being one of the few senior clergy with competence in both languages and law.
3. 1455Vatican, Rome · Papal StatesAfter Nicholas V died on 4 April 1455, the College of Cardinals elected Alfonso de Borja pope in a conclave on 8 April, taking the name Callixtus III, the first Spanish pontiff. Taking office past seventy, his foremost aim was to unite Christendom and recover Constantinople.
4. 1455–1458Vatican, Rome · Papal StatesDuring his three-year pontificate, Callixtus III devoted resources to assembling a crusade fleet to retake Constantinople and in 1456 funded János Hunyadi's repulse of the Ottoman army at Belgrade, regarded as the most important military achievement of his reign. That same year he presided over the retrial of Joan of Arc, declaring her 1431 conviction void and clearing her name. His appointments of family members such as his nephew Rodrigo Borgia (the future Alexander VI) drew heavy criticism. He died in Rome on 6 August 1458, and the crusade was never realized.