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Lucrezia Borgia

Spanish-Italian duchess-consort of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio (1480–1519) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lucrezia Borgia
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This article is about the historical person. For other uses, see Lucrezia Borgia (disambiguation).

Lucrezia Borgia[a] (18 April 1480 – 24 June 1519) was an Italian noblewoman of the House of Borgia who was the illegitimate daughter of Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza dei Cattanei. She was a former governor of Spoleto.

Quick facts Duchess consort of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio, Tenure ...

Her family arranged several marriages for her that advanced their own political position, including to Giovanni Sforza, Lord of Pesaro and Gradara, Count of Cotignola; Alfonso of Aragon, Duke of Bisceglie and Prince of Salerno; and Alfonso I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara. Alfonso of Aragon was an illegitimate son of the King of Naples, and tradition has it that Lucrezia's brother Cesare may have had him murdered after his political value waned.

Notorious tales about her family have cast Lucrezia as a femme fatale, a controversial role in which she has been portrayed in many artworks, novels, and films.

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Early life

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Purported portrait of Lucrezia as Saint Catherine of Alexandria in a fresco by Pinturicchio. The "Hall of the Saints" within the Borgia Apartments in the Vatican, circa 1494.
See also: House of Borgia

Lucrezia Borgia was born on 18 April 1480 at Subiaco, a town near Rome.[2] Her mother was Vannozza dei Cattanei, a mistress of her father, Cardinal Rodrigo de Borgia (later Pope Alexander VI).[3] She had three full siblings: Cesare, Giovanni, and Gioffre.

During her early life, Lucrezia's education was entrusted to Adriana Orsini de Milan, a close confidant of her father. Her education would primarily take place in the Palazzo Pizzo de Merlo, a building adjacent to her father's residence. Unlike most educated women of her time, for whom convents were the primary source for knowledge, her education came from within the sphere of intellectuals in the court and close relatives, and it included a solid grounding in the Humanities, which the Catholic Church was reviving at the time. She was fluent in Spanish, Catalan, Italian, and French, and literate in both Latin and Greek. She would also become proficient in poetry and oration, and could play the lute. The biggest testament to her intelligence is her ability in administration, as later on in life, she took care of Vatican City correspondence and governance of Ferrara.[citation needed]

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List of marriages

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First marriage: Giovanni Sforza (Lord of Pesaro and Gradara)

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Coin showing Giovanni Sforza

On 26 February 1491, a matrimonial arrangement was drawn up between Lucrezia and the Lord of Val D'Ayora, in the Kingdom of Valencia, Don Cherubino Joan de Centelles (d. 1522). The arrangement was annulled less than two months later in favor of a new contract engaging Lucrezia to Don Gaspare Aversa, Count of Procida (1476–1534).[4] When Rodrigo became Pope Alexander VI, he sought to be allied with powerful, princely families and founding dynasties of Italy. Therefore, he called off Lucrezia's previous engagements and arranged for her to marry Giovanni Sforza, a member of the House of Sforza who was Lord of Pesaro and titled Count of Catignola.[5] Giovanni was an illegitimate son of Costanzo I Sforza and therefore a Sforza of the second rank. He married Lucrezia on 12 June 1493 in Rome.[3]

Before long, the Borgia family no longer needed the Sforzas, and the Pope may have covertly ordered the execution of Giovanni Sforza. Lucrezia was likely informed of this by her brother, Cesare, and she warned her husband, who then fled Rome.[6]

Alexander asked Giovanni's uncle, Cardinal Ascanio Sforza, to persuade Giovanni to agree to an annulment of the marriage. Giovanni refused and accused Lucrezia of paternal incest.[7] The pope asserted that his daughter's marriage had not been consummated and was, thus, invalid. Giovanni was offered her dowry in return for his cooperation.[8] The Sforza family threatened to withdraw their protection, should he refuse. Giovanni finally signed confessions of impotence and documents of annulment before witnesses.[citation needed]

Purported affair with Pedro Calderon

Historians have speculated that during the prolonged process of the annulment, Lucrezia consummated a relationship with someone, perhaps Alexander's chamberlain Pedro Calderon (sometimes called Perotto).[9] In any case, families hostile to the Borgias would later accuse her of being pregnant at the time her marriage was annulled. She is known to have retired to the cloistered Convent of Saint Sixtus in Vecchio where she was given sanctuary by the Mother Superior in June 1497, to await the outcome of the annulment proceedings, which were finalized in December of the same year.

The bodies of Pedro Calderon[9] and a maid, Pantasilea, were found in the Tiber in February 1498. In March 1498, the Ferrarese ambassador claimed that Lucrezia had given birth, but this was denied by other sources. However, a child was born in the Borgia household the year before Lucrezia's marriage to Alfonso of Aragon. He was named Giovanni but is known to historians as the "Infans Romanus.”

In 1501, two papal bulls were issued concerning Giovanni Borgia. In the first, he was recognized as Cesare's child from an affair, before his marriage. The second contradictory bull recognized him as the son of Pope Alexander VI. Lucrezia's name is not mentioned in either, and rumours that she was his mother have never been proven. The second bull was kept secret for many years, and Giovanni was assumed to be Cesare's son. This is supported by the fact that he became Duke of Camerino in 1502, which was to be inherited by the Duke of Romagna's oldest son. After Alexander's death, Giovanni went to stay with Lucrezia in Ferrara, where he was accepted as her half-brother.[10]

Second marriage: Alfonso d'Aragon (Duke of Bisceglie and Prince of Salerno)

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Duke Alfonso of Aragon depicted in a painting by Pinturicchio.

Following the annulment of her marriage to Giovanni Sforza, Lucrezia was married to the Neapolitan Alfonso of Aragon. He was the half-brother of Sancha of Aragon, wife of Lucrezia's brother Gioffre Borgia. The marriage was a short one.[3]

They were married in 1498, making Lucrezia the Duchess consort of Bisceglie and Princess consort of Salerno. In 1499, Lucrezia was appointed governor of Spoleto. Alfonso fled Rome shortly afterwards, but he returned at Lucrezia's request, only to be murdered in 1500.[11]

It was widely rumoured[12] that Lucrezia's brother, Cesare, was responsible for Alfonso's death, as he had recently allied himself with France through his marriage, against Naples. Lucrezia and Alfonso had one child, Rodrigo of Aragon, who was born in 1499 and died in 1512 at the age of 12.[3]

Third marriage: Alfonso d'Este (Duke of Ferrara)

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Portrait of Alfonso d'Este by Battista Dossi, painted between 1534 and 1536

After the death of Lucrezia's second husband, her father Alexander arranged a third marriage. She married Alfonso I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara, in early 1502 in Ferrara. She had eight children during this marriage, and was considered a respectable and accomplished Renaissance duchess, effectively rising above her previous reputation and surviving the fall of the Borgias following her father's death.[13]

Neither partner was faithful. Beginning in 1503, Lucrezia enjoyed a long relationship with her brother-in-law, Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua.[14][15] Francesco's wife was the cultured intellectual Isabella d'Este, the sister of Alfonso, to whom Lucrezia had made overtures of friendship, to no avail. The affair between Francesco and Lucrezia was passionate, more sexual than sentimental, as can be attested in the fevered love letters the pair wrote one another.[16] It has been claimed that the affair ended when Francesco contracted syphilis and had to end sexual relations with Lucrezia.[17] This may not be true, however, as Francesco had contracted syphilis before 1500; it was known that he passed the disease onto his eldest son, Federico Gonzaga, who was born in 1500. Francesco did not meet Lucrezia until 1502.[18]

Lucrezia also had a love affair with the poet Pietro Bembo during her third marriage. Their love letters were deemed "the prettiest love letters in the world" by the Romantic poet Lord Byron when he saw them in the Ambrosian Library of Milan on 15 October 1816.[19][20]

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Possible portrait by Bartolomeo Veneziano (c. 1510)[21]

Lucrezia met the famed French soldier, the Chevalier Bayard, while the latter was co-commanding the French allied garrison of Ferrara, in 1510. According to his biographer, the Chevalier became a great admirer of Lucrezia's, considering her a "pearl on this Earth".[22]

After a long history of complicated pregnancies and miscarriages, on 14 June 1519, Lucrezia gave birth to her tenth child, which she named Isabella Maria, in honor of Alfonso's sister, Isabella d'Este. The child was sickly, and fearing she would die unbaptised, Alfonso ordered her to be baptized immediately, with Eleonora Pico della Mirandola and Count Alexandro Serafino as godparents.

Lucrezia had become very weak during the pregnancy, and fell seriously ill after the birth. After seeming to recover for two days, she worsened again, and died on the 24th. She was buried in the convent of Corpus Domini.[23]

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Appearance

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Portrait of a Woman by Bartolomeo Veneto, traditionally presumed to be Lucrezia Borgia.

Lucrezia was described as having heavy blonde hair that fell past her knees, a beautiful complexion, hazel eyes that changed colour, a full, high bosom, and a natural grace that made her appear to "walk on air".[24] In another description, the author wrote that "her mouth is rather large, the teeth brilliantly white, her neck is slender and fair, and the bust is admirably proportioned."[25] These physical attributes were highly appreciated in Italy due to the similarity of her description with that of the Roman goddess of arts and war, Minerva.

One painting, Portrait of a Youth by Dosso Dossi at the National Gallery of Victoria, was identified as a portrait of Lucrezia in November 2008.[26][27][28][29][30] This painting may be the only surviving formal portrait of Lucrezia Borgia; however, doubts have been cast on that attribution.[31] Several other paintings, such as Veneto's fanciful portrait, have also been said to depict her, but none have been accepted by scholars, at present.

According to Mandell Creighton in his History of the Papacy:

"Lucrezia was personally popular through her beauty and her affability. Her long golden hair, her sweet childish face, her pleasant expression and her graceful ways, seem to have struck all who saw her."[32]

Legacy

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The conjoined tomb of Alfonso I d'Este and Lucrezia Borgia, Ferrara.
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Signature of Lucrezia Borgia in a letter to her sister-in-law Isabella Gonzaga, March 1519

Since her death, several rumours surrounding Lucrezia have persisted, primarily concerning the nature of the extravagant parties[33] thrown by the Borgia family. One example is the legendary Banquet of Chestnuts. Many of these allegations concern accusations of Lucrezia's involvement in incest, poisoning, and murder. For example, it was rumoured that Lucrezia was in possession of a hollow ring that she used to poison drinks. However, no historical basis for these accusations exists, beyond the attacks of her enemies.[34][35]

A modern 20th-century British painting by Frank Cadogan Cowper that hangs in the Tate Britain art gallery in London portrays Lucrezia taking the place of her father, Pope Alexander VI, at an official Vatican meeting. This apparently documents an event, although the moment depicted (a Franciscan friar kissing Lucrezia's feet) was invented by the artist.[36]

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Children

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Lucrezia was mother to seven or eight known children:

  1. A miscarriage / stillborn daughter (16 February 1499);[37]
  2. Rodrigo of Aragon (1 November 1499 – August 1512), son by Alfonso of Aragon;[38]
  3. A stillborn daughter (1502), first child by d'Este;
  4. Alessandro d'Este (1505–1505);
  5. Ercole II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara (5 April 1508 – 3 October 1559);
  6. Ippolito II d'Este (25 August 1509 – 1 December 1572). Archbishop of Milan and later Cardinal;
  7. Alessandro d'Este (1514–1516);
  8. Leonora d'Este (3 July 1515 – 15 July 1575), a nun and composer;
  9. Francesco d'Este, Marquess of Massalombarda (1 November 1516 – 2 February 1578);
  10. Isabella Maria d'Este (born and died on 14 June 1519).[39] Complications at birth caused the death of Lucrezia ten days later.

Giovanni Borgia, "infans Romanus" ("Child of Rome," c. 1498–1548) had his paternity acknowledged by Alexander and Cesare, in two Papal bulls, but it was rumoured that he was the child of Lucrezia and Pedro Calderon. The child (identified, in later life, as Lucrezia's half-brother) was most likely the result of a liaison between Rodrigo Borgia (Pope Alexander VI, Lucrezia's father) and an unknown mistress and was not Lucrezia's child.[40]

The Italian historian Maria Bellonci claims that Lucrezia gave birth to three children who did not survive infancy, one by Alfonso of Aragon and two by Alfonso d'Este. She is also thought to have had at least four miscarriages.[41]

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In popular culture

Literature and opera

  • F. M. Klinger's 1791 novel Fausts Leben, Thaten und Höllenfahrt [de] features an episode in which the Borgias figure, including an affair between Faust and Lucrezia.
  • French author Victor Hugo wrote in 1833 the stage play Lucrèce Borgia.
  • Victor Hugo's play was transformed into a libretto by Felice Romani for Donizetti's opera, Lucrezia Borgia (1834), first performed at La Scala, Milan, 26 December 1833.[42]
  • In 1912,the British author Margaret Gabrielle Vere Long, who wrote under the pseudonym Marjorie Bowen, published a short story called "Twilight: Lucrezia Borgia, Duchess d'Este" — a fictional account of the last moments of Lucrezia Borgia's life.[43]
  • The Dutch writer Louis Couperus published a story called "Lucrezia" in 1920 that takes place between the death of her second husband and the marriage of her third.[44]
  • The 1947 historical novel Prince of Foxes by Samuel Shellabarger describes the adventures of the fictional Andrea Orsini, a captain in the service of Cesare Borgia, during his conquest of the Romagna; it was made into a film of the same name in 1949, starring Orson Welles and Tyrone Power.[45]
  • Jean Plaidy's two 1958 novels Madonna of the Seven Hills and Light on Lucrezia follow the story of Lucrezia and her entanglement with her father and brothers.[46]
  • Lucrezia, Cesare and Alexander play key roles in Cecelia Holland's 1979 historical novel City of God: A Novel of the Borgias.[47]
  • In Roberta Gellis's 2003 novel Lucrezia Borgia and the Mother of Poisons (ISBN 9780765306616), Alfonso d'Este of Ferrara accuses Lucrezia of murder, and she must solve the crime and expose the true murderer.

In fiction

Film and television

Music

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See also

Notes

  1. Italian: [luˈkrɛttsja ˈbɔrdʒa]; Valencian: Lucrècia Borja [luˈkrɛsia ˈbɔɾdʒa]; Spanish: Lucrecia de Borja [luˈkɾeθja ðe ˈβoɾxa].

References

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