Lucrezia Borgia

This article is about the historical person. For the biographical opera, see Lucrezia Borgia (opera). Lucrezia Borgia is also the name Buffalo Bill gave to his gun.

Lucrezia Borgia
File:Lucrezia borgia.jpg Supposed portrait of Lucrezia Borgia assumed to be by Dosso Dossi
Noble family	Borgia
Spouse(s)	Giovanni Sforza Alfonso of Aragon Alfonso d'Este
Issue	Giovanni Borgia Rodrigo Borgia of Aragon Ercole II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara Ippolito II d'Este Alessandro d'Este Leonora d'Este Francesco d'Este, Marchese di Massalombarda Isabella Maria d'Este
Father	Rodrigo Borgia
Mother	Vannozza dei Cattanei

File:Lucrebor.jpg

A portrait assumed to be of Lucrezia's, especially because of her trademark long blonde hair

Lucrezia Borgia (18 April, 1480 - 24 June, 1519) was the daughter of Rodrigo Borgia, the powerful Renaissance Valencian who later became Pope Alexander VI, and Vannozza dei Cattanei. Her brothers included Cesare Borgia, Giovanni Borgia, and Gioffre Borgia.

Lucrezia's family later came to epitomize the ruthless Machiavellian politics and sexual corruption alleged to be characteristic of the Renaissance Papacy. Lucrezia was cast as a femme fatale, a role she has been portrayed as in many artworks, novels, and films.

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. This painting may be the only surviving formal portrait of Lucrezia Borgia. However, doubts have been cast on that claim. Several other paintings, such as Bartolomeo Veneziano's fanciful portrait, have also been said to depict her but none have been accepted by scholars at present. She is described as having heavy blonde hair which fell past her knees, a beautiful complexion, hazel eyes which constantly changed colour, a full, high bosom, and a natural grace which made her appear to "walk on air"; these were the physical attributes that were highly appreciated in Italy during that period.

Very little is known of Lucrezia as a historical personage, and her complicity in the political machinations of her brothers and father cannot be determined at this time. Her father and/or brother certainly arranged several marriages for her to important or powerful men in order to advance their own political ambitions. Lucrezia was married to Giovanni Sforza (Lord of Pesaro), Alfonso of Aragon (Duke of Bisceglie), and Alfonso d'Este (Duke of Ferrara). Tradition has it that Alfonso of Aragon was an illegitimate son of the King of Naples and that Cesare may have had him murdered after his political value waned.

Marriages

First marriage: Giovanni Sforza

Lucrezia Borgia was born at Subiaco, near Rome. By the time she was thirteen, she had been betrothed twice, but her father called off both engagements.

After Rodrigo became Pope Alexander VI, he had Lucrezia marry Giovanni Sforza to establish an alliance with that powerful Milanese family. The wedding was a scandalous event but was not much more extravagant than many other Renaissance celebrations.

Before long, the Borgia family no longer needed the Sforzas, and the presence of Giovanni Sforza in the papal court was superfluous. The Pope needed new, more advantageous political alliances, so he may have covertly ordered the execution of Giovanni. The generally accepted version is that Lucrezia was informed of this by her brother Cesare, and she warned her husband, who fled Rome.

Possibly Pope Alexander VI never made such an order, and it was a plot on the part of Cesare and Lucrezia to drive her boring husband away. Regardless, Alexander and Cesare were pleased with the chance to arrange another advantageous marriage for Lucrezia. But before that could occur, they needed to get rid of Giovanni Sforza.

Alexander asked Giovanni's uncle, Cardinal Ascanio Sforza, to persuade Giovanni to agree to a divorce. Giovanni refused and accused Lucrezia of paternal and fraternal incest. Since the marriage had supposedly not been consummated, the Pope said that the marriage was not valid, and offered Giovanni Lucrezia's dowry to agree. The Sforza family threatened to withdraw their protection of Giovanni if he refused Alexander's offer. Having no choice, Giovanni Sforza signed confessions of impotence and documents of annulment before witnesses.

Affair with Perotto

File:Lucretiaborja.jpg

Another possible portrait of Lucrezia

There has been speculation that during the prolonged process of the annulment, Lucrezia consummated a relationship with someone, probably Alexander's messenger Perotto. The result was that she was actually pregnant when her marriage was annulled for non consummation, and this is one of the facts her detractors have cited to support their derogatory view of her character. The child, named Giovanni but known to historians as the Roman Infante, was born in secret (1498) before Lucrezia's marriage to Alfonso of Aragon.

Some believe the child was her brother Cesare's, but that Perotto, due to his fondness for Lucrezia, claimed that it was his. During her pregnancy, she stayed away from Rome at a convent, so no one would know, and Perotto would bring her messages from her father in Rome. According to this theory, Lucrezia was worried that if news of her pregnancy reached the citizens of Rome, they would surely know it was Cesare's child. Cesare, at the time, was a Cardinal of the Holy Church; if he had been sharing an illicit sexual relationship with his sister during her marriage to Giovanni, it would have to be concealed from everyone, especially their father (the Pope).

In 1501, two papal bulls were issued concerning the child, 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 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 in 1502, he became Duke of Camerino, one of Cesare's recent conquests, hence the natural inheritance of the Duke of Romagna's oldest son. However, some time after Alexander's death, Giovanni went to stay with Lucrezia in Ferrara, where he was accepted as her half-brother.

Lucrezia Borgia, by an unknown artist.

Tomb of Alfonso I d'Este and Lucrezia Borgia, Ferrara.

File:Borja-coin.jpg

A coin bearing Lucrezia's portrait.

Second marriage: Alfonso of Aragon (Duke of Bisceglie)

At his first meeting with Alfonso, before the marriage took place, Cesare was very impressed by his good looks and nature. This soon changed to jealousy and hatred. It was said that Cesare did not like Alfonso because Lucrezia was very happy with him and had, since her marriage to him, stopped giving Cesare as much attention. Also, Cesare himself had a bout of syphilis and many scars remained on his face, even after recovery. This made him very conscious of his appearance, and so he started wearing masks and dressing in black. His condition is said to have made him hate Alfonso of Aragon all the more, and once when the Prince was visiting them in Rome, Cesare's men had attacked him during the night. To retaliate, Alfonso's men shot arrows at Cesare one day while he strolled in the garden. This infuriated Cesare, and he had his servant(s) strangle Alfonso while in the recovery room. Lucrezia and Alfonso had only one child, Rodrigo, who predeceased his mother in August 1512 at the age of thirteen.

While the reason for Alfonso's murder could have been jealousy, it did have a political background. Just like Lucrezia's first marriage, the second one soon became a useless alliance and a reason for embarrassment for the Pope and his son. Cesare had just allied himself with the King Louis XII of France, who claimed the duchy of Naples, which was in the hands of Alfonso's family at the time. Whatever the reasons for his murder, Lucrezia was genuinely fond of her husband and broken–hearted upon his death.

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

After the death of her second husband, Lucrezia's father, Pope Alexander VI, wanted to arrange a third marriage. She then married Alfonso d'Este, Duke of Ferrara. She gave her third husband a number of children and proved to be a respectable and accomplished Renaissance duchess, effectively rising above her questionable past and surviving the fall of the Borgias following her father's death.

Neither partner was faithful: Lucrezia enjoyed a long relationship with her bisexual brother-in-law, Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua as well as a love affair with the poet Pietro Bembo. 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. The affair ended when Francesco contracted syphilis and had to perforce end sexual relations with Lucrezia.

Lucrezia Borgia died in Ferrara on 24 June 1519 from complications after giving birth to her eighth child. She was buried in the convent of Corpus Domini.

On 15 October 1816, the Romantic poet Lord Byron visited the Ambrosian Library of Milan. He was delighted by the letters between Borgia and Bembo ("The prettiest love letters in the world") and claimed to have managed to steal a lock of her hair ("the prettiest and fairest imaginable.") held on display.

Children

Lucrezia was mother to at least seven or eight children:

• Giovanni Borgia, "infans Romanus" ("Child of Rome", c. 1498 - 1548). The child's paternity was acknowledged by Perotto, but Alexander and Cesare have also been identified as the father. It is also possible that this child (identified in later life as Lucrezia's half-brother) was the result of a liaison between Rodrigo Borgia (Pope Alexander VI, Lucrezia's father) and an unknown mistress, as averred in a Papal Bull, and was not Lucrezia's child.
• Rodrigo Borgia of Aragon (November 1, 1499 - August, 1512). Son by Alfonso of Aragon.
• Ercole II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara (April 5, 1508 - October 3, 1559).
• Ippolito II d'Este (August 25, 1509 - December 1, 1572). Archbishop of Milan and later Cardinal.
• Alessandro d'Este (1514 - 1516).
• Leonora d'Este (July 3, 1515 - July 15, 1575). A nun.
• Francesco d'Este, Marchese di Massalombarda (November 1, 1516 - February 2, 1578).
• Isabella Maria d'Este (Born and deceased on June 14, 1519). Complications at birth caused the death of Lucrezia ten days later.

At least one biographer (Mario Bellonci) claims that Lucrezia gave birth to three more children, one by Alfonso of Aragon and two by Alfonso d'Este, who did not survive infancy. She is also thought to have had at least four miscarriages.

Lucrezia is the ancestress of many notable people, including American Civil War general Pierre G.T. Beauregard and actress Brooke Shields. She is a collateral relative of most of the royal families of modern Europe including that of the United Kingdom.

Rumours

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

Several rumours have persisted throughout the years, primarily speculating as to the nature of the extravagant parties thrown by the Borgia family. Many of these concern allegations of incest, poisoning, and murder on her part; however, no historical basis for these rumors has ever been brought forward, beyond allegations made by the rivals of the Borgias.

• It is rumoured that Lucrezia was in possession of a hollow ring that she used frequently to poison drinks.
• An early 20th-century painting by Frank Cadogan Cowper that hangs in the London art gallery, Tate Britain, portrays Lucrezia taking the place of her father, Alexander VI at an official Vatican meeting. This apparently documents an actual event, although the precise moment depicted, (a Franciscan friar kissing Lucrezia's feet), was invented by the artist.

Biographies

• Lucrezia Borgia - Life, Love And Death In Renaissance Italy by Sarah Bradford; Viking 2004 ISBN 0-670-03353-7
• Lucrezia Borgia: A Biography (©1978) by Rachel Erlanger (ISBN 0-8015-4725-3)
• Lucrezia Borgia by Maria Bellonci; Phoenix 2002 (ISBN 978-1842126165)
• External link to on-line biography
• The Borgias (1971) by Michael Mallett
• M.G. Scarsbrook's Lucrezia Borgia Research Page contains a detailed timeline and a documented profile for Lucrezia Borgia

Plays, operas, films, and novels

Plays and operas

• Victor Hugo's tragedy, loosely based on the stories of Lucrezia, was transformed into a libretto by Felice Romani for Donizetti's opera, Lucrezia Borgia (1834), first performed at La Scala, Milan, 26 December 1834. When it was produced in Paris, in 1840, Hugo obtained an injunction against further productions. The libretto was then rewritten and retitled La Rinegata, with the Italian characters changed to Turks, and the performances were resumed. The first English-language production was in London on 30 December 1843.
• David Copelin's dark comedy Bella Donna dramatized a quasi-fictional series of events in the Borgia legend. First performed at the Toronto Fringe Festival in July, 2005; published by Playwrights Canada Press, 2006.
• Joseph Aragon's musical Lucrezia Borgia portrayed the title character in a more charitable light than the accepted norm. First performed at the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival by the Canadian Musical Theatre Development Group in July, 2007.
• Gytha Lodge's play, The Life of Lucrezia Borgia, performed by the Girton Players in November, 2008.
• "Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia" by Robert Lalonde at [1]
• David Davalos' 2002 play Daedalus features Lucrezia Borgia involved in a secret love affair with Leonardo da Vinci, who is working as a military engineer for her brother Cesare.

Songs

• Mentioned in the Roger Waters's song "Leaving Beirut".
• Lucretia Borgia (sic) is the title of a track on the Momus album The Little Red Songbook
• "Lucretia My Reflection" is the title of a song by The Sisters of Mercy partly inspired by Lucrecia Borgia

Films

• Lucrezia Borgia; Or, Plaything of Power (1923) British film with Nina Vanna in the title role.
• Lucrezia Borgia (1922) a silent movie with Liane Haid, directed by Richard Oswald.
• Bride of Vengeance (1923) a silent movie again with Liane Haid
• Don Juan (1926), one of the first Vitaphone/Silent films starring John Barrymore features the Borgias as villains.
• Lucrèce Borgia (1935), a French film version with Edwige Feuillère, directed by Abel Gance.
• Lucrezia Borgia (1940), an Italian film with Isa Pola, directed by Hans Hinrich.
• Contes Immoraux (Immoral Tales, 1974), directed by Walerian Borowczyk, includes an entire segment focusing on Lucrezia Borgia's allegedly incestuous relationship to her father.
• Bride of Vengeance or A Mask for Lucretia (1949) starred Paulette Goddard as Lucretia (and Macdonald Carey as Cesare) in a fictionalized portrayal of her as her brother's tool who went straight once she had the chance, a view many historians endorse.
• Lucrèce Borgia (1953), a French color movie with Martine Carol, directed by Christian-Jaque , with Pedro Armendàriz as Cesare, and french actor Christian Marquand as Perotto. French spectators stood in long queues to see lush Martine Carol, fully frontly naked, emerge out of her bath-tub (a very unusual sight in those years movies) - or, in full Renaissance attire, sprawling under a severe whipping by his infuriated foaming brother.
• The Shaggy Dog (1958), a Walt Disney film features a ring that was owned by Lucretia Borgia that has the power to turn men into dogs when its inscription is read aloud.
• Lucrezia giovane (1974), an Italian film with actress Simonetta Stefanelli as Lucrezia, directed by Luciano Ercoli.
• Le Notti segrete di Lucrezia Borgia (1982), a Spanish-Italian film with Finnish actress Sirpa Lane as Lucrezia, directed by Roberto Bianchi Montero.
• Una stirpe maledetta di Lucrezia Borgia (1997) an Italian adult movie with Sarah Young, directed by Mario Bianchi.
• Los Borgia (2006), a Spanish-Italian film with María Valverde as Lucrezia.
• At different times both Scarlett Johansson and Christina Ricci have been slated to appear as Lucrezia in the as-yet-unmade film Borgia.
• Mario Puzo namechecks Borgia in his 1990 film The Godfather: Part 3 when Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) delivers the line "we’re back with the Borgias" to describe the situation he finds himself in.
• In the Three Stooges short If a Body Meets a Body, Moe says "get out of here, you Lucrezia Borgia !" to Curly after accusing him of trying to poison the Stooges with soup made from horse meat.

Novels

• The historical novel, Prince of Foxes, made into a movie of the same name starring Orson Welles and Tyrone Power.
• F.M. Klinger´s 1791 novel Fausts Leben, Thaten und Höllenfahrt features an episode in which the Borgias figure, including an affair between Faust and Lucrezia.
• Rafael Sabatini's novel The Shame of Motley features Lucrezia and Cesare Borgia as supporting characters.
• Rafael Sabatini wrote a book,
• The Life of Cesare Borgia at Project Gutenberg, that attempts to treat the Borgias historically.
• Gregory Maguire's novel Mirror, Mirror is a historical fantasy that retells the story of Snow White, in which Lucrezia figures prominently as the evil stepmother. She is depicted as a decadent, vain and beautiful woman with a mind for politics and little regard for others. Her affair with her father is hinted at but never confirmed, but her relationship with Cesare is a major plot point.
• Jeanne Kalogridis's book The Borgia Bride tells the story of Sancha of Aragon (sister of Alfonso who later married Lucrezia) married to Jofre Borgia about her life in Rome and her involvement with Cesare and Lucrezia. The latter is depicted as having an incestuous relationship with her father and brother but not as a vicious person. She's mostly manipulated by her family.
• Jean Plaidy's two novels, "Madonna of the Seven Hills" and "Light On Lucrezia" follow the story of Lucrezia and her entanglement with her father and brothers. Plaidy's writing is well-supported by research and her extensive knowledge of European history; based on her understanding, Plaidy portrays Lucrezia as a pawn of her father and brother Cesare.
• Kerri Hawkins' 2002 novel Blood Legacy: The Story of Ryan includes Lucrezia, her father and brother Cesare as minor characters.
• A novel The Family, written by Mario Puzo, was centered around the Borgia family. Although this novel was started early in his career, it was his last novel to be completed. Puzo called the Borgias "the first crime family" and incorporated many of their exploits and characteristics into his blockbuster novel, "The Godfather"; most prominently the notion that family loyalty was of primary importance above all else.
• She appears as a side character in the Dutch book De Scharlaken Stad, by Hella S. Haasse. The book tells the story of her brother Giovanni Borgia.
• A fictionalized version of Lucrezia, along with her brother Cesare, appeared as villains in the 2005 Buffyverse novel Queen of the Slayers.
• The novel Lucrezia Borgia and the Mother of Poisons, Roberta Gellis, Forge Books, 2004. Depicts Lucrezia as an amateur sleuth tracking down who is doing the poisoning and learning about the properties of aconite along the way.
• The novel Lucrezia Borgia, John Faunce, Three Rivers Press; Reprint edition 2004
• The historical novel, Lucrezia Borgia, by Maria Bellonci, Mondadori, 2003, was first published in 1939, winning the Viarreggio Literary Award and the Galante Prize. An English translation, The Life and Times of Lucrezia Borgia, is available from Phoenix Press.
• In the novel Mandingo, Lucretia Borgia is the name of cook. Even though she is a black slave, she is portrayed as a strong, ambitious and extremely intelligent character who features prominently in many of the sequels in the Falconhurst series.

Comic books

• Milo Manara, an Italian comic book creator, drew a comic book divided in three parts depicting the story of the Borgia family. The texts were written by Alejandro Jodorowsky.
• A fictionalized version of Lucrezia appeared in issues 98-100 of Avengers West Coast as the supervillain Cyana, a member of the fourth incarnation of the Lethal Legion.
• The manga, Cantarella, by You Higuri follows the life of Cesare Borgia, and in effect, Lucrezia Borgia as well. Currently on hiatus, the manga is at 10 books.

Television

• Lucrezia Borgia animation short done on Sherman and Peabody part of the first season of the Rocky and Bullwinkle show.
• Lucrezia Borgia is mentioned in M*A*S*H by Charles Emerson Winchester (played by David Ogden Stiers). He discusses that gourmet cooking in the Army would be better served by Lucrezia than the Army cook.
• Lucrezia Borgia is mentioned in Blackadder with Rowan Atkinson. Blackadder says to Baldrick: If you were to serve up one of your meals in Staff HQ, you would be arrested for the greatest mass poisoning since Lucrezia Borgia invited 500 of her close friends round for a wine and anthrax party.
• Lucrezia Borgia appeared as the final villain in season 2 of Witchblade. She manages to get hold of the Witchblade and attempts to use it against Sara Pezzini.
• Lucrezia Borgia is mentioned in the "Darrin on a Pedestal" episode of Bewitched, when Samantha says her cousin Serena makes Lucrezia Borgia look like Shirley Temple.
• Lucrezia Borgia is mentioned by Dr. Frasier Crane in "The Peterson Principle", a 1986 episode of Cheers.
• Lucrezia Borgia is the subject of the pilot of the Sci Fi Channel television series Warehouse 13 (2009).

See also

• Felice della Rovere