Marriages Lucrezia Borgia

1 marriages

1.1 first marriage: giovanni sforza
1.2 alleged affair perotto
1.3 second marriage: alfonso d aragon (duke of bisceglie)
1.4 third marriage: alfonso d este (duke of ferrara)

marriages
first marriage: giovanni sforza

possible portrait of lucrezia st. catherine of alexandria in fresco pinturicchio, in sala dei santi borgia apartments in vatican c. 1494.



giovanni sforza

on 26 february 1491, matrimonial arrangement drawn between lucrezia , lord of val d ayora in kingdom of valencia, don cherubino joan de centelles, annulled less 2 months later in favour of new contract engaging lucrezia don gaspare aversa, count of procida. when rodrigo became pope alexander vi, sought allied powerful princely families , founding dynasties of italy. such, called off lucrezia s previous engagements , arranged marry giovanni sforza, member of house of sforza lord of pesaro , titled count of catignola. giovanni illegitimate son of costanzo sforza , sforza of second rank. married lucrezia on 12 june 1493 in rome.

before long, borgia family no longer needed sforzas, , presence of giovanni sforza in papal court superfluous. pope needed new, more advantageous political alliances, may have covertly ordered execution of giovanni: accepted version lucrezia informed of brother cesare, , warned husband, fled rome.

alexander asked giovanni s uncle, cardinal ascanio sforza, persuade giovanni agree annulment of marriage. giovanni refused , accused lucrezia of paternal incest. pope asserted daughter s marriage had not been consummated , invalid. giovanni offered dowry in return cooperation. sforza family threatened withdraw protection should refuse. giovanni signed confessions of impotence , documents of annulment before witnesses.

alleged affair perotto

there has been speculation during prolonged process of annulment, lucrezia consummated relationship someone, perhaps alexander s chamberlain pedro calderon, named perotto. in case, families hostile borgias later accuse of being pregnant @ time marriage annulled non-consummation. known have retired convent of san sisto in june 1497 await outcome of annulment proceedings, finalized in december of same year. bodies of pedro calderon, , maid, pantasilea, found in tiber in february 1498. in march 1498, ferrarese ambassador claimed lucrezia had given birth, denied other sources. child born, however, in borgia household year before lucrezia s marriage alfonso of aragon. named giovanni known historians infans romanus .

in 1501, 2 papal bulls issued concerning child, giovanni borgia. in first, recognized cesare s child affair before marriage. second, contradictory, bull recognized him son of pope alexander vi. lucrezia s name not mentioned in either, , rumors mother have never been proven. second bull kept secret many years, , giovanni assumed cesare s son. supported fact in 1502 became duke of camerino, 1 of cesare s recent conquests, hence natural inheritance of duke of romagna s oldest son. giovanni went stay lucrezia in ferrara after alexander s death, accepted half-brother.

second marriage: alfonso d aragon (duke of bisceglie)

duke alfonso of aragon

following annulment sforza, lucrezia married neapolitan alfonso of aragon, half-brother of sancha of aragon wife of lucrezia s brother gioffre borgia. marriage short one.

they married in 1498; lucrezia—not husband—was appointed governor of spoleto in 1499; alfonso fled rome shortly afterwards returned @ lucrezia s request, murdered in 1500.

it rumored lucrezia s brother cesare responsible alfonso s death, had allied himself (through marriage) france against naples. lucrezia , alfonso had 1 child, rodrigo of aragon, born in 1499 , predeceased mother in august 1512 @ age of 12.

third marriage: alfonso d este (duke of ferrara)

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.