Francis Borgia

About this book

He had everything the world could offer - and he threw it all away for a coffin.Francis Borgia was born to rule.Great-grandson of a Pope. Grandson of a King. Duke of Gandia, Viceroy of Catalonia, the most powerful and handsome nobleman in the court of Emperor Charles V. Palaces, armies, wealth, and a beautiful, holy wife. Men envied him. Women adored him. The world was at his feet.Then one day in 1539, he was ordered to escort the body of Empress Isabella - the most beautiful woman in Europe - to her grave.When they opened the coffin in Granada, the stench was unbearable. The face that once launched empires was now black, rotting, crawling with worms.Francis stared into that coffin and heard God speak: "I will never again serve a master who can die."That single moment destroyed his earthly ambition forever.What follows is one of the most mind-blowing transformations in the history of the Church: How does a Duke become a kitchen servant?How does a Viceroy who commanded armies end up scrubbing pots and begging for alms?How does the richest man in Spain become the Third Superior General of the Jesuits, advisor to Popes, and a Saint.