In 1503 Alexander made him a cardinal, to which dignity Vera had been raised in 1500.

His father's wealth enabled the youthful Caesar to live in Pisa in princely style, and his connections brought him into friendly relations with the Medici.
The cardinal was still making special exertions to further the fortunes of his children in Spain.

Even for his daughter Lucretia he could see no future more brilliant than a Spanish marriage; and he must indeed have regarded it as a special act of condescension for the son of an old and noble house to consent to become the husband of the illegitimate daughter of a cardinal.

The noble concerned was Don Cherubino Juan de Centelles, lord of Val d'Ayora in the kingdom of Valencia, and brother of the Count of Oliva.
The nuptial contract was drawn up in the Valencian dialect in Rome, February 26 and June 16, 1491.

The youthful groom was in Valencia, the young bride in Rome, and her father had appointed the Roman nobleman Antonio Porcaro her proxy.