Pope Alexander VI was a corrupt, worldly, and ambitious pope, whose neglect of the spiritual inheritance of the church contributed to the development of the Protestant Reformation. Despite the immorality of the pope's conduct, he was a talented politician. He skillfully maintained a balance of power in Italy by making a series of alliances. Known for his rampant corruption in his papacy. His lavish lifestyle, his mistresses, his many children, and his blatant nepotism.