Despite his infamy and the numerous scandals surrounding him, Franceschetto received from his father important positions in the
Papal States: governor and Captain General of Rome (1488), the fiefs of
Cerveteri and
Anguillara (1490) and the title of Count of the
Lateran Palace, among others. In September 1490, amidst false rumors of the death of Innocent VIII, Franceschetto attempted to seize the Papal treasury and also kidnapped son of Sultan
Mehmed II,
Cem, in an attempt to extract ransom money. This failed when the Pope turned out to be alive, but a significant portion of the treasury remained missing even afterwards. Two years later, after Innocent VIII's death, Franceschetto was forced into hiding with the election of Pope Alexander VI, who looked poorly upon Franceschetto's Medici and Orsini allies. Franceschetto was forced to sell many of his father's possessions, including the title of count of Anguillara, while moving between various cities in Italy. He eventually could return to Rome thanks to the election of the more favourable
Pope Julius II (1503), who gave him the title of
Duke of Spoleto. Franceschetto's lot continued to improve with the election of his brother-in-law Giovanni de Medici to the papacy as Pope Leo X, who also gave him several titles, and eventually made Franceschetto's son Innocenzo into a cardinal. == Death ==