September 26, 2022 • 21 mins
She had a reputation for being a poisoner and an adulteress, along with claims of an incestuous relationship with bother her father and her brother. Surrounded by gossip and rumor mongering, this black widow would be married off to any wealthy and powerful family her father could find. After all, being a pope surrounded by controversy, her father needed all the allies he could find.
This is the case of Black Widow Lucrezia Borgia.
This is the case of Black Widow Lucrezia Borgia.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
She had a reputation for being apoisoner and an adulteress, along with claims
of an incestuous relationship with her brotherand her father. Surrounded by gossip and
rumor mongering, this black widow wouldbe married off to any wealthy and powerful
family her father could find. Afterall, being a pope surrounded by controversy,
(00:26):
her father needed all the allies hecould find. This is the case
of black Widow Lucretia Borgia. Thisis tales from the dark. Lucrezia Borgia
(01:15):
was the third child of Cardinal RodrigoBorgia and his favorite mistress, Vanoza de
Catani. At her birth, herfather consulted an astrologer who foretold of a
remarkable future. Born in fourteen eighty, her name and that of her family
would be vilified down the centuries.The Borgia's originally came from Spain and were
(01:40):
seen by the Italian noble families asoutsiders, which made them natural targets of
suspicion and rumor. They disapproved ofthe fact that outsiders held such a sway
over their nation. The majority ofrumors, gossip, and downright lies about
the Borgias that still exists today arethe result of jealousy, hatred, and
(02:00):
vengeance for actual and imagined misdeeds.They did terrible things. One of the
most divisive popes was Rodrigo, laterknown as Pope Alexander the sixth, whose
pontificate was marred by numerous affairs,children born out of wedlock, nepotism,
(02:21):
and scandal. His uncle, PopeCalixus the third created him a cardinal in
fourteen fifty six, and he waschosen as pope in August of that same
year. These were the days ofthe Antichrist, because there were no bigger
opponent of God, Christ and religionthan this guy, who lived more like
a royal than a member of theclergy. According to a contemporary source,
(02:46):
although sexually active popes were not uncommon, Lucretia was one of Alexander's five offspring,
who he acknowledged as his own.They looked after them and showed that
a lot of interest in their educationand growth. This was a contiguous move
for God's agent on earth. Lucretiawas raised in Adriana Orsini's home and received
(03:08):
her education in Latin, Greek,Italian, and French. She adored dance,
poetry, and music. She hadno trouble moving up the social ladder,
and was so well respected for politicalskills that she was frequently given control
of papal papers while her father wasgone. This worried a lot of clergy,
(03:30):
who thought a woman much less apope's daughter had no place in the
palpacy. She was renowned from beingone of the rare individuals who had genuine
power and influence over her father.Growing up, Lucretia and her brutal brother
Caesar were the closest of siblings.This connection was rumored to exist after her
(03:54):
father assumed the throne, she wasused as a tool to forge relationship.
The offer of marriage drew a lotof aristocratic families in the Italian nations to
the woman, who was described asa graceful beauty with golden hair. Alexander
established and dissolved a number of engagementsfor Lucretia before her first marriage was chosen.
(04:18):
This was the first of mysterious deathsLa Borgia has built advantageous connections by
marrying her into other affluent and importantfamilies, much like the majority of wealthy
and powerful families of the time.Giovanni Sforza, the Lord of Pizarro,
and the nephew of the Duke ofMilan, was chosen by Alexander as Lucretia's
(04:42):
first spouse because he wanted to havea strong ally in northern Italy. When
she married the twenty six year oldin fourteen ninety three, she was only
thirteen years old. According to accountsfrom the time, there were lavish celebrations
that lasted well into the night.The family was already making headlines after the
wedding festivities for the wrong reasons.According to Joanne Butcherd, a chronicler and
(05:08):
papal master of ceremonies during the reignof Pope Alexander, he said, many
other things are being said, butI am not reporting them because they are
not true, and if they weretrue, they would in any case be
unbelievable. Birchard would subsequently pen adescription of the scandalous banquet of chestnuts,
(05:31):
a notorious orgy that the Borgias arealleged to have tended, but this is
debatable. Lucretia struggled to adapt tothe simple life of her husband because she
was so used to the splendor ofthe Vatican Francis. King Charles the Eighth
sent troops into Italy, The uncleof Lucrezia's spouse, the Vico Sforza,
(05:53):
joined up with the French troops tooppose Lucretia's father. Giovanni was stuck in
Rome, torn between his wife andthe powerful Borgias on one hand, and
his uncle and his wife on theother. It was an impossible situation.
He ultimately refrained from siding with hisuncle by standing up for Juan and Caesar,
(06:15):
the brothers of Lucretia. Caesar informedLucretia that her husband would need to
be executed as a result of hischoice. As time went on, Alexander's
value of the relationship with Milan decreased, which meant that that Giovanni was no
longer required as marriage to Lucretia wasno longer useful. A common, though
(06:38):
unconfirmed explanation for Giovanni's disguised flight toPesaro in February fourteen ninety seven during his
time in Rome is that Alexander andCaesar planned to assassinate him, but Lucretia
forewarned him. Alexander made the decisionto dissolve his daughter's marriage in order to
(07:00):
form a more advantageous connection to theShock and the Rage of the Duke.
He did so by asserting that Giovanniwas impotent and that the marriage had not
been sealed. It was blatantly falsebecause everyone knew that Giovanni's first wife had
passed away while giving birth. Giovannidissimulated as a beggar and fled to Milan.
(07:23):
The Borgias then started to protract itat legal procedure of trying to have
the marriage dissolve on the grounds thatGiovanni was impotent and hadn't actually married anyone.
These rumors set off centuries of vileconjecture about Lucretia's sexual history, including
one that Giovanni himself promoted. Theannulment proceedings made lucretius virginity a topic of
(07:47):
public attention. Few Rome based rumormongers thought that the marriage had not yet
been formally consummated, thus her sexuallife would continue to be a hot issue.
Giovanni falsely accused Lucretia of having sexwith both her father and her brother
when she was asked to consent tothe dissolution of the marriage. Yet this
(08:09):
accusation would follow the Borgia family forgenerations. While the talks were going on,
Lucretia was transferred to a covenant,where her father pleaded for her virginity
while family enemies spread rumors that shewas pregnant. Giovanni finally gave in an
agreed. The dowry Lucretia left behindwas his to retain. Scandal followed Lucretia,
(08:35):
as a boy with unknown parentage wasborn into the Borgia family around the
same time, Alexander proclaimed Giovanni tobe Caesar's illegitimate son. Both failed to
stop the rumors that the infant belongedto Lucretia and may have been the result
of an incestuous relationship. The bodyof Pedro Caldron, one of Alexander's valets,
(08:58):
was discovered on the bank of theTiber in February fourteen ninety eight.
He was another candidate for the fatherof a rumored child and was said to
be a favorite of Lucretius. AlthoughPedro's death is still unknown, lucretius brother
Caesar was thought to be the perpetratorthe second of mysterious deaths. Lucretia withdrew
(09:22):
to Rome's San Sisto monastery during theduration of the annulment discussions. Even the
cloister was unable to protect her fromthe Cunning family's schemes and tragedies. One
Lucretius brother was found dead in theTiber in fourteen ninety seven. Caesar,
her brother, was experiencing a dramaticassent to prominence. At the time.
(09:46):
He had lately been named military headof the Papal States. The region of
central Italy around Rome was directly underpapal rule. His father had made him
the cardinal in his late teens.Lucretias alone at San Sisto came to an
end when the family, as alwayslooking out for itself, began looking for
(10:07):
a new husband. This time thesuitor was Alfonso of Oregon, the vast
monarchy that ruled southern Italy and wasan illegitimate son of the King of Naples.
His union with Lucrezia would make iteasier for her brother Caesar, to
wegg Carlotta, the Princess of Neopolitanwho was a major foe in the Pope's
(10:28):
main enemy, France. In Julyfourteen ninety eight, Lucretia was married to
Alfonso. They seemed to enjoy ahappy, yet brief marriage. She may
have been married off for politics,but she found love this time. The
bride and groom appeared to have sincerelywanted to get married. Alfonso, who
(10:52):
was a year and a half youngerthan Lucrezia, was thought to be both
attractive and intelligent. The marriage seemedto be going well, even taking her
husband's side against her father during adispute on the legality of the marriage of
Alphonso's cousin, Beatrice, Queen ofHungary in honor of his paternal grandfather,
Rodrigo. Alphonso and Lucretia's son wasborn in fourteen ninety nine, but before
(11:16):
she had time to enjoy herself,her family's plotting would ruin it. His
attitude towards Naples changed when an alliancewith France started to take shape courtesy of
Caesar's marriage to Charlotte de Albrett,a French king's cousin, in May of
fourteen ninety nine. Alexander understood thata better connection with France would benefit him
(11:39):
greatly because France was a threat toNaples. Another husband of Lucretia's had outlived
his usefulness. Alphonso briefly left Romeafter sensing a change and sentiment towards him.
He was attacked on the Saint Peter'sAsilica steps on July fifteen hundred.
His guard to manage to repel thewould be assassins, but he sustained serious
(12:03):
injuries. While speculation about who mighthave been responsible for the assault spread,
Lucretia personally attended to her devoted husband. Alfonso made a lot of enemies,
but many people, including himself,appeared to be suspicious of Caesar. Alphonso
(12:24):
was killed by a servant of Caesar'sa month later while he was still recovering.
Even though Caesar was never formally chargedwith ordering his execution, the Borgias
were now regarded as a family tobe wary of. At the age of
twenty, Lucretia was left a distraughtwidow. After achieving the intended rupture with
(12:46):
Naples, Lucretia was once more freeto act in her family's best interest.
Lucrezia gained a reputation as a poisonerabout this time, and her family's adversaries
loved to create fresh scandalous rumors topropagame she allegedly kept poisonous items in the
ring she wore, according to rumors, has frequently been said that women would
(13:11):
prefer to use poison as a weaponof choice because it was a common way
to murder someone in the Renaissance Europe. Although Lucretia is not known to have
poisoned anyone, it is known thataversaries of her family sometimes vanished without a
trace. Nevertheless, it became strangelyconnected with her. In December fifteen oh
(13:31):
one, Alfonso di Estate, theDuke of Ferrara's heir, was chosen to
be Lucretia's third husband. It wasa game that, due to the fact
it would put her in a positionof advantage, Lucretia herself was actively involved.
Given that Lucretia's reputation was allegedly tarnishedby tales of incest, poisoning and
(13:54):
the gruesome death of her last husband, A large dowry of one hundred thousand
deucats was ultimately agreed upon. Lucretiawas forced to leave her son Rodrigo behind,
at the request of her new husband'sfamily, so that he might be
reared by them. She would neversee him again. Through the opening of
(14:15):
the road to Tuscany, a crucialcommercial route at the time, Lucretia's third
marriage assisted in strengthening her brother Caesar'spower in Rome. She gave birth to
six children for Alfonso during her thirdmarriage, which turned out to be a
successful one. Despite Caesar's enormous influence, the Borgia's dynasty was swept away with
(14:41):
the death of her father in fifteenoh three. Despite being critically ill,
Caesar was plotting the invasion of Tuscany, but was unable to proceed without continuing
papal support. Though Pious the Third, the new pope, supported him,
his time in office was brief,and Julius the Second, a dangerous foe
(15:01):
of the Borgia family, took hisplace. Lucretia rose to prominence as a
duchess and an arts patron after herhusband was made a duke in fifteen oh
five. The most celebrated writers andpainters of the day were all present in
her court, notably the poet PietroBembo, who was frequently referred to as
(15:22):
Sucretia's greatest love. Rumors about ourscandalous past started to fade, or her
followers simply ignored them. Only fourof the eight children born to Lucretia and
Alfonso's court would live to adulthood,but their court was well respected Caesar was
captured and held captive close to Porgiaas he moved to Rome to put an
(15:46):
end to a rebellion. The PapalStates later purchased all Borgia lands. Caesar
joined his brother in law, KingJohn the third of Navarre after being exiled
to Spain in fifteen four, beingimprisoned there, then escaping and dying in
his service during a military expedition infifteen oh seven. Lucretia actively participated in
(16:11):
the defense of Ferrara, her newhome. Alfonso was excommunicated in fifteen ten
by Pope Julius the Second as aresult of his schemes to incorporate Ferrara into
the Papal States. The city wasput under interdict, which prohibited people from
her taking in rituals and sacraments.The French troops, said aided Ferrara were
(16:34):
entertained by Lucretia, who was hailedfor a poise and bravery during the crisis.
She also pawned her jewels to obtainmoney for defense. Despite her family's
reputation for brutality, Lucretia displayed mercyby defying her husband's instructions to torture individuals
who had been captured. One ofthe authors who praised Ferrara's adored duchess in
(17:00):
glowing terms was poet Aristo Lucretia Borgia, who will gradually increase in beauty,
virtue, chastity, and riches tothe point where they will sprout like young
plants whose roots have beenetrated by fertilesoil. Lucretia, who has not seen
her twelve year old son Rodrigo forseveral years, was shocked to learn of
(17:22):
his unexpected death in fifteen twelve.She supposedly fled to a convent for a
while after becoming too distraught to continue, and from that point on she lit
a more religious and reclusive existence.After experiencing difficulties giving birth. In fifteen
nineteen, Lucretia passed away at theage of thirty nine. She was deeply
(17:47):
mourned by the citizens of Ferrara,but she had made sure that the Borgia
dynasty would continue through her offspring andthe clergy and their aristocracy. Her son
Epolito would become a cardinal an airCole assumed the role of duke after his
father's passing. After she passed away, her reputation was reviewed and the notion
(18:08):
that she was a villainous figure resurfaced. Victor Hugo, a writer from the
nineteenth century, wrote a play abouther that was later adapted into an opera.
This helped perpetrate the myth of murderingincestuous seductress who assisted her filthy family's
crimes. In her brief life,Lucretia Borgia was admired for her beauty.
(18:33):
A courtier from her early twenties saidof her, of middle height and graceful
in shape. Her face is verylong, as is her nose, her
hair golden, her eyes of nospecial hue. Her mouth is fairly large,
the teeth brilliantly white, the bustperfectly proportioned. Her entire being US's
(18:55):
comedy and joy. Although Italian Renaissancehistorian Mary Hollingsworth claims that she is neither.
Her reputation has fluctuated between being afrightening fan fatale and a pawn played
by men. Perhaps she was inthe middle. Lucretia's narrative is one of
(19:17):
a lady who did what she hadto do in a dangerous world. What
do you think of this case?Do you think Lucrezia slept with her father
and her brother. Is she trulyresponsible for the mysterious deaths of her husbands?
Be sure to let us know,because for now, for tonight,
(19:40):
I think we're going to have toadd the case of black widow Lucretia Borgia
to our never ending, but arealways growing tales from the dark l
She had a reputation for being apoisoner and an adulteress, along with claims
of an incestuous relationship with her brotherand her father. Surrounded by gossip and
rumor mongering, this black widow wouldbe married off to any wealthy and powerful
family her father could find. Afterall, being a pope surrounded by controversy,
(00:26):
her father needed all the allies hecould find. This is the case
of black Widow Lucretia Borgia. Thisis tales from the dark. Lucrezia Borgia
(01:15):
was the third child of Cardinal RodrigoBorgia and his favorite mistress, Vanoza de
Catani. At her birth, herfather consulted an astrologer who foretold of a
remarkable future. Born in fourteen eighty, her name and that of her family
would be vilified down the centuries.The Borgia's originally came from Spain and were
(01:40):
seen by the Italian noble families asoutsiders, which made them natural targets of
suspicion and rumor. They disapproved ofthe fact that outsiders held such a sway
over their nation. The majority ofrumors, gossip, and downright lies about
the Borgias that still exists today arethe result of jealousy, hatred, and
(02:00):
vengeance for actual and imagined misdeeds.They did terrible things. One of the
most divisive popes was Rodrigo, laterknown as Pope Alexander the sixth, whose
pontificate was marred by numerous affairs,children born out of wedlock, nepotism,
(02:21):
and scandal. His uncle, PopeCalixus the third created him a cardinal in
fourteen fifty six, and he waschosen as pope in August of that same
year. These were the days ofthe Antichrist, because there were no bigger
opponent of God, Christ and religionthan this guy, who lived more like
a royal than a member of theclergy. According to a contemporary source,
(02:46):
although sexually active popes were not uncommon, Lucretia was one of Alexander's five offspring,
who he acknowledged as his own.They looked after them and showed that
a lot of interest in their educationand growth. This was a contiguous move
for God's agent on earth. Lucretiawas raised in Adriana Orsini's home and received
(03:08):
her education in Latin, Greek,Italian, and French. She adored dance,
poetry, and music. She hadno trouble moving up the social ladder,
and was so well respected for politicalskills that she was frequently given control
of papal papers while her father wasgone. This worried a lot of clergy,
(03:30):
who thought a woman much less apope's daughter had no place in the
palpacy. She was renowned from beingone of the rare individuals who had genuine
power and influence over her father.Growing up, Lucretia and her brutal brother
Caesar were the closest of siblings.This connection was rumored to exist after her
(03:54):
father assumed the throne, she wasused as a tool to forge relationship.
The offer of marriage drew a lotof aristocratic families in the Italian nations to
the woman, who was described asa graceful beauty with golden hair. Alexander
established and dissolved a number of engagementsfor Lucretia before her first marriage was chosen.
(04:18):
This was the first of mysterious deathsLa Borgia has built advantageous connections by
marrying her into other affluent and importantfamilies, much like the majority of wealthy
and powerful families of the time.Giovanni Sforza, the Lord of Pizarro,
and the nephew of the Duke ofMilan, was chosen by Alexander as Lucretia's
(04:42):
first spouse because he wanted to havea strong ally in northern Italy. When
she married the twenty six year oldin fourteen ninety three, she was only
thirteen years old. According to accountsfrom the time, there were lavish celebrations
that lasted well into the night.The family was already making headlines after the
wedding festivities for the wrong reasons.According to Joanne Butcherd, a chronicler and
(05:08):
papal master of ceremonies during the reignof Pope Alexander, he said, many
other things are being said, butI am not reporting them because they are
not true, and if they weretrue, they would in any case be
unbelievable. Birchard would subsequently pen adescription of the scandalous banquet of chestnuts,
(05:31):
a notorious orgy that the Borgias arealleged to have tended, but this is
debatable. Lucretia struggled to adapt tothe simple life of her husband because she
was so used to the splendor ofthe Vatican Francis. King Charles the Eighth
sent troops into Italy, The uncleof Lucrezia's spouse, the Vico Sforza,
(05:53):
joined up with the French troops tooppose Lucretia's father. Giovanni was stuck in
Rome, torn between his wife andthe powerful Borgias on one hand, and
his uncle and his wife on theother. It was an impossible situation.
He ultimately refrained from siding with hisuncle by standing up for Juan and Caesar,
(06:15):
the brothers of Lucretia. Caesar informedLucretia that her husband would need to
be executed as a result of hischoice. As time went on, Alexander's
value of the relationship with Milan decreased, which meant that that Giovanni was no
longer required as marriage to Lucretia wasno longer useful. A common, though
(06:38):
unconfirmed explanation for Giovanni's disguised flight toPesaro in February fourteen ninety seven during his
time in Rome is that Alexander andCaesar planned to assassinate him, but Lucretia
forewarned him. Alexander made the decisionto dissolve his daughter's marriage in order to
(07:00):
form a more advantageous connection to theShock and the Rage of the Duke.
He did so by asserting that Giovanniwas impotent and that the marriage had not
been sealed. It was blatantly falsebecause everyone knew that Giovanni's first wife had
passed away while giving birth. Giovannidissimulated as a beggar and fled to Milan.
(07:23):
The Borgias then started to protract itat legal procedure of trying to have
the marriage dissolve on the grounds thatGiovanni was impotent and hadn't actually married anyone.
These rumors set off centuries of vileconjecture about Lucretia's sexual history, including
one that Giovanni himself promoted. Theannulment proceedings made lucretius virginity a topic of
(07:47):
public attention. Few Rome based rumormongers thought that the marriage had not yet
been formally consummated, thus her sexuallife would continue to be a hot issue.
Giovanni falsely accused Lucretia of having sexwith both her father and her brother
when she was asked to consent tothe dissolution of the marriage. Yet this
(08:09):
accusation would follow the Borgia family forgenerations. While the talks were going on,
Lucretia was transferred to a covenant,where her father pleaded for her virginity
while family enemies spread rumors that shewas pregnant. Giovanni finally gave in an
agreed. The dowry Lucretia left behindwas his to retain. Scandal followed Lucretia,
(08:35):
as a boy with unknown parentage wasborn into the Borgia family around the
same time, Alexander proclaimed Giovanni tobe Caesar's illegitimate son. Both failed to
stop the rumors that the infant belongedto Lucretia and may have been the result
of an incestuous relationship. The bodyof Pedro Caldron, one of Alexander's valets,
(08:58):
was discovered on the bank of theTiber in February fourteen ninety eight.
He was another candidate for the fatherof a rumored child and was said to
be a favorite of Lucretius. AlthoughPedro's death is still unknown, lucretius brother
Caesar was thought to be the perpetratorthe second of mysterious deaths. Lucretia withdrew
(09:22):
to Rome's San Sisto monastery during theduration of the annulment discussions. Even the
cloister was unable to protect her fromthe Cunning family's schemes and tragedies. One
Lucretius brother was found dead in theTiber in fourteen ninety seven. Caesar,
her brother, was experiencing a dramaticassent to prominence. At the time.
(09:46):
He had lately been named military headof the Papal States. The region of
central Italy around Rome was directly underpapal rule. His father had made him
the cardinal in his late teens.Lucretias alone at San Sisto came to an
end when the family, as alwayslooking out for itself, began looking for
(10:07):
a new husband. This time thesuitor was Alfonso of Oregon, the vast
monarchy that ruled southern Italy and wasan illegitimate son of the King of Naples.
His union with Lucrezia would make iteasier for her brother Caesar, to
wegg Carlotta, the Princess of Neopolitanwho was a major foe in the Pope's
(10:28):
main enemy, France. In Julyfourteen ninety eight, Lucretia was married to
Alfonso. They seemed to enjoy ahappy, yet brief marriage. She may
have been married off for politics,but she found love this time. The
bride and groom appeared to have sincerelywanted to get married. Alfonso, who
(10:52):
was a year and a half youngerthan Lucrezia, was thought to be both
attractive and intelligent. The marriage seemedto be going well, even taking her
husband's side against her father during adispute on the legality of the marriage of
Alphonso's cousin, Beatrice, Queen ofHungary in honor of his paternal grandfather,
Rodrigo. Alphonso and Lucretia's son wasborn in fourteen ninety nine, but before
(11:16):
she had time to enjoy herself,her family's plotting would ruin it. His
attitude towards Naples changed when an alliancewith France started to take shape courtesy of
Caesar's marriage to Charlotte de Albrett,a French king's cousin, in May of
fourteen ninety nine. Alexander understood thata better connection with France would benefit him
(11:39):
greatly because France was a threat toNaples. Another husband of Lucretia's had outlived
his usefulness. Alphonso briefly left Romeafter sensing a change and sentiment towards him.
He was attacked on the Saint Peter'sAsilica steps on July fifteen hundred.
His guard to manage to repel thewould be assassins, but he sustained serious
(12:03):
injuries. While speculation about who mighthave been responsible for the assault spread,
Lucretia personally attended to her devoted husband. Alfonso made a lot of enemies,
but many people, including himself,appeared to be suspicious of Caesar. Alphonso
(12:24):
was killed by a servant of Caesar'sa month later while he was still recovering.
Even though Caesar was never formally chargedwith ordering his execution, the Borgias
were now regarded as a family tobe wary of. At the age of
twenty, Lucretia was left a distraughtwidow. After achieving the intended rupture with
(12:46):
Naples, Lucretia was once more freeto act in her family's best interest.
Lucrezia gained a reputation as a poisonerabout this time, and her family's adversaries
loved to create fresh scandalous rumors topropagame she allegedly kept poisonous items in the
ring she wore, according to rumors, has frequently been said that women would
(13:11):
prefer to use poison as a weaponof choice because it was a common way
to murder someone in the Renaissance Europe. Although Lucretia is not known to have
poisoned anyone, it is known thataversaries of her family sometimes vanished without a
trace. Nevertheless, it became strangelyconnected with her. In December fifteen oh
(13:31):
one, Alfonso di Estate, theDuke of Ferrara's heir, was chosen to
be Lucretia's third husband. It wasa game that, due to the fact
it would put her in a positionof advantage, Lucretia herself was actively involved.
Given that Lucretia's reputation was allegedly tarnishedby tales of incest, poisoning and
(13:54):
the gruesome death of her last husband, A large dowry of one hundred thousand
deucats was ultimately agreed upon. Lucretiawas forced to leave her son Rodrigo behind,
at the request of her new husband'sfamily, so that he might be
reared by them. She would neversee him again. Through the opening of
(14:15):
the road to Tuscany, a crucialcommercial route at the time, Lucretia's third
marriage assisted in strengthening her brother Caesar'spower in Rome. She gave birth to
six children for Alfonso during her thirdmarriage, which turned out to be a
successful one. Despite Caesar's enormous influence, the Borgia's dynasty was swept away with
(14:41):
the death of her father in fifteenoh three. Despite being critically ill,
Caesar was plotting the invasion of Tuscany, but was unable to proceed without continuing
papal support. Though Pious the Third, the new pope, supported him,
his time in office was brief,and Julius the Second, a dangerous foe
(15:01):
of the Borgia family, took hisplace. Lucretia rose to prominence as a
duchess and an arts patron after herhusband was made a duke in fifteen oh
five. The most celebrated writers andpainters of the day were all present in
her court, notably the poet PietroBembo, who was frequently referred to as
(15:22):
Sucretia's greatest love. Rumors about ourscandalous past started to fade, or her
followers simply ignored them. Only fourof the eight children born to Lucretia and
Alfonso's court would live to adulthood,but their court was well respected Caesar was
captured and held captive close to Porgiaas he moved to Rome to put an
(15:46):
end to a rebellion. The PapalStates later purchased all Borgia lands. Caesar
joined his brother in law, KingJohn the third of Navarre after being exiled
to Spain in fifteen four, beingimprisoned there, then escaping and dying in
his service during a military expedition infifteen oh seven. Lucretia actively participated in
(16:11):
the defense of Ferrara, her newhome. Alfonso was excommunicated in fifteen ten
by Pope Julius the Second as aresult of his schemes to incorporate Ferrara into
the Papal States. The city wasput under interdict, which prohibited people from
her taking in rituals and sacraments.The French troops, said aided Ferrara were
(16:34):
entertained by Lucretia, who was hailedfor a poise and bravery during the crisis.
She also pawned her jewels to obtainmoney for defense. Despite her family's
reputation for brutality, Lucretia displayed mercyby defying her husband's instructions to torture individuals
who had been captured. One ofthe authors who praised Ferrara's adored duchess in
(17:00):
glowing terms was poet Aristo Lucretia Borgia, who will gradually increase in beauty,
virtue, chastity, and riches tothe point where they will sprout like young
plants whose roots have beenetrated by fertilesoil. Lucretia, who has not seen
her twelve year old son Rodrigo forseveral years, was shocked to learn of
(17:22):
his unexpected death in fifteen twelve.She supposedly fled to a convent for a
while after becoming too distraught to continue, and from that point on she lit
a more religious and reclusive existence.After experiencing difficulties giving birth. In fifteen
nineteen, Lucretia passed away at theage of thirty nine. She was deeply
(17:47):
mourned by the citizens of Ferrara,but she had made sure that the Borgia
dynasty would continue through her offspring andthe clergy and their aristocracy. Her son
Epolito would become a cardinal an airCole assumed the role of duke after his
father's passing. After she passed away, her reputation was reviewed and the notion
(18:08):
that she was a villainous figure resurfaced. Victor Hugo, a writer from the
nineteenth century, wrote a play abouther that was later adapted into an opera.
This helped perpetrate the myth of murderingincestuous seductress who assisted her filthy family's
crimes. In her brief life,Lucretia Borgia was admired for her beauty.
(18:33):
A courtier from her early twenties saidof her, of middle height and graceful
in shape. Her face is verylong, as is her nose, her
hair golden, her eyes of nospecial hue. Her mouth is fairly large,
the teeth brilliantly white, the bustperfectly proportioned. Her entire being US's
(18:55):
comedy and joy. Although Italian Renaissancehistorian Mary Hollingsworth claims that she is neither.
Her reputation has fluctuated between being afrightening fan fatale and a pawn played
by men. Perhaps she was inthe middle. Lucretia's narrative is one of
(19:17):
a lady who did what she hadto do in a dangerous world. What
do you think of this case?Do you think Lucrezia slept with her father
and her brother. Is she trulyresponsible for the mysterious deaths of her husbands?
Be sure to let us know,because for now, for tonight,
(19:40):
I think we're going to have toadd the case of black widow Lucretia Borgia
to our never ending, but arealways growing tales from the dark l
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