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

alfonso d este



lucrezia borgia, 1518 dosso dossi

after death of lucrezia s second husband, father, pope alexander vi, arranged third marriage. married alfonso d este, duke of ferrara, in 1502 in ferrara. had 8 children during marriage , considered respectable , accomplished renaissance duchess, rising above previous reputation , surviving fall of borgias following father s death.

neither partner faithful: beginning in 1503, lucrezia enjoyed long relationship brother-in-law, francesco ii gonzaga, marquess of mantua. francesco s wife cultured intellectual isabella d este, sister of alfonso, whom lucrezia had made overtures of friendship no avail. affair between francesco , lucrezia passionate, more sexual sentimental can attested in fevered love letters pair wrote 1 another. affair ended when francesco contracted syphilis , had end sexual relations lucrezia.

lucrezia had love affair poet pietro bembo during third marriage. love letters deemed prettiest love letters in world romantic poet lord byron when saw them in ambrosian library of milan on 15 october 1816. on same occasion byron claimed have stolen lock of lucrezia s hair – prettiest , fairest imaginable – held there on display.

lucrezia met famed french soldier, chevalier bayard while latter co-commanding french allied garrison of ferrara in 1510. according biographer, chevalier became great admirer of lucrezia s, considering pearl on earth .

after long history of complicated pregnancies , miscarriages, on 14 june 1519 lucrezia gave birth tenth child, named isabella maria in honour of alfonso s sister isabella d este. child sickly , – fearing die unbaptised – alfonso ordered baptised straightaway eleonora della mirandola , count alexandro serafino godparents.

lucrezia had become weak during pregnancy , fell ill after birth. after seeming recover 2 days, worsened again , died on 24 june same year. buried in convent of corpus domini.