BORGIA (BORJA)

A number of persons with the surname Borja (later Italianized as Borgia), originally from the Aragonese city of that name, settled in the kingdom of Valencia after the reconquest in 1238. In the 14th century there was a branch of the Borjas, of the lesser nobility, living in Valencia and Alzira with a manor house in Xàtiva. Gonçal Gil de Borja was military magistrate (jurat militar ) in 1346. He was the father of Rodrigo-Gil (testament 1375) who, after his marriage with Francesca Fenollet, had two children, Rodrigo-Gil, junior, and Francesc (?) de Borja. The latter became the father of two children also, Francesca and Francesc de Borja. But this last Francesc has been considered since the 16th century to have been the illegitimate son of Alfons de Borja, who later became Pope cal listus iii. Francesc was bishop of Teano and archbishop of Cosenza and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1500 by Pope alexander vi.

Rise to Prominence. The Borjas' social standing dated from the War of Union between Pedro IV of Aragón

and the feudal nobles, when the Borjas fought on the King's side. Rodrigo-Gil, junior, married Sibília (d'Oms). From this union were born Joan-Gil; Rodrigo, Bishop of Barcelona (d. 1478); Galceran-Gil (testament 1435); Joana, childless wife of Bartomeu Serra; and Jofré-Gil de Borja, Master of Adzeuva and Albuixa (testament 1430). Another branch of the family included Domingo, Master of Canals, who was father of Catarina. She married Joan del Milà, Baron of Masalavès. Their children were Joan-Lluís del Milà, cardinal under Callistus III and founder of the line of the counts of Albaida; Joana, who married Bartomeu Martí and left no children; Alfons (Callistus III); and Isabel. Isabel married the Jofré-Gil mentioned above. Their son Rodrigo de Borja became Alexander VI. Their other children were Pere-Lluís, Duke of Spoleto under Callistus III (d. 1458 without heirs); Tecla (d. c. 1462); Beatriu (d. 1503), and Joana, who in her second marriage with Pere-Guillem Llançol de Romaní, Baron of Vilallonga (d. 1489) had a son, Jofré de Borja-Llançol. This son changed the order of his last names, married Joana de Montcada, and went to Rome. His children all served Pope Alexander VI: Rodrigo as a military man; Joan as bishop of Melfi, governor of Perugia, archbishop of Capua and Valencia, and cardinal in 1496 (d. 1500); Pere-Lluís as his brother's successor as archbishop of Valencia and cardinal in 1500 (d.1511); their sister Jeronima was married first to Fabio Orsini and then to Tiberio Carafa; the other sister, Angela, married to Alessandro Pio, was lady-in-waiting to Lucrezia in Ferrara (see below). Alexander VI's nepotism gave the cardinal's hat to other Borjas: in 1492 to Joan de Borja, senior, son of Galceran, who in turn was the son of the above mentioned Galceran-Gil and Tecla Navarro d'Alpicat; in 1493 to his own son Cesare (see below); in 1503 to Joan Castellar, son of Bernadona de Borja (who was the daughter of the same Galceran-Gil) and her husband, Galceran de Castellar, Master of Picassent: and finally to Francesc de Lloris, son of Isabel de Borja (sister of Cardinal Joan de Borja senior) and Ximèn Pérez de Lloris. Other relatives of the Pope also made cardinals were Giuliano Cesarini (named in 1493), Bartomeu Martí, the Catalan Joan de Castro (1496), and Jaume Serra (1500). Family friends included the Valencians Joan Llopis, datary (1496), Joan de Vera (1500), Jaume Casanova (1503), and another Catalan, Francesc Remolins (1503). The cardinals Luigi d'Aragona, illegitimate son of Ferrante I of Naples (1494), and the Sicilian Pietro Desvalls or d'Isvaglies (1500) were of Catalonian-Aragonese origin. The only Castilian cardinals were Bernardino López de Carvajal (1493) and Diego Hurtado de Mendoza (1500).

Children of Rodrigo Borgia. Critical value is lacking in the pseudo-apologetic efforts made to deny Alexander VI's paternity of a number of children. The mothers of the first three children are unknown. The children were Pere-Lluís (see below); Girolama (d. c. 1484), who married Gianandrea Cesarini in 1482 but left no children; and Isabella, who married Piergiovanni Mattuzzi (d. 1519). The other four children (see below), Cesare, Joan, Lucrezia, and Jofré, were born of Vannozza Cattanei, possibly from Mantua, who was married successively to Domenico d'Arignano, Giorgio de Croce, and Carlo Canale, all employees of the Roman Curia. It has not been proved that Alexander VI was the father of Orsino Orsini or Laura Orsini (b. 1492), daughter of Giulia Farnese, who was the mistress of Rodrigo de Borja at the end of his cardinalate. Giulia was married to Orsino Orsini, who was the son of Ludovico Orsini and Adriana del Milà, daughter of Pere del Milà, brother of the abovementioned Cardinal del Milà. However, it is certain that Alexander VI was the father of Joan de Borja, Duke of Camerino and Nepi (1498–1546). The documents are contradictory as to whether Lucrezia was Joan's mother. Also sufficiently proved was Alexander's paternity of Rodrigo de Borja (b. 1502 or 1503), whose mother is unknown.

Pere-Lluís, first Borgian duke of Gandia; b. Rome, c. 1468; d. Rome, 1488. He was the son of Cardinal Rodrigo de Borja (Alexander VI). In 1483 his father gave him 50,000 ducats and the barony of Llombai and sent him to Spain. He was arrested in 1484 by Ferdinand II, King of Aragón, because of dissension between the King and the cardinal. Pere-Lluís took part in the seizure of Ronda and on May 28, 1484, the King recognized his nobility along with that of his younger brothers, Cesare, Joan, and Jofré. On December 3 Ferdinand, acting as procurator for his son Don Juan de Aragón sold Pere-Lluís the city and lands of Gandia and the next day gave him the title of duke. In 1486 the Duke became engaged to María Enríquez, first cousin of the King. Before the marriage could take place, the Duke died in Rome in August of 1488, leaving his holdings to his brother Joan.

Cesare, cardinal and condottiere; b. Rome, Sept. 1475; d. Viana, Navarre, March 12, 1507. He was the son of Cardinal Rodrigo (Alexander VI) and Vannozza Cattanei. Ferdinand II legitimized him in 1481. The year before Sixtus IV had dispensed his illegitimacy so that he could obtain ecclesiastical benefits. After having received only the tonsure, he was successively apostolic protonotary, canon of Valencia, archdeacon of Xàtiva, sacristan of Cartagena, bishop of Pamplona in 1491, and archbishop of Valencia in 1492. In spite of all that, Ferrante I of Naples offered his illegitimate daughter Lucrezia d'Aragona to Alexander VI as a wife for either Cesare or Jofré. On Sept. 20, 1493, Cesare was made a cardinal. Although he had received the diaconate on March 26, 1494, his unrestrained life and his ambitions took him back to the lay state on the grounds of reverential fear of ordination (1498). Alexander VI forbade him to marry Carlotta d'Aragona, daughter of Federico III of Naples, but accepted for Cesare the hand of Charlotte d'Albret, sister of Juan II, King Consort of Navarre. Named duke of Valentinois by Louis XII of France, Cesare saw in the campaign against Milan in 1499 the chance to establish a feudal state in Romagna with small feudal holdings belonging to the Holy See. Cesare took over Forli, Cesena, and Faenza, plotted with Giovanni Bentivoglio of Bologna, called himself master and duke of Romagna, invaded Tuscany, and took over Piombino. In the War of Naples in 1501, which ended in the division of the kingdom between Ferdinand the Catholic and Louis XII, Cesare fought on the side of the King of France. He attacked Urbino, Camerino. and Senigaglia and invaded Umbria in 1503. But the death of Alexander VI prevented Cesare's keeping his holdings. Cesare, taken prisoner by Julius II, escaped and fled to Naples. When this kingdom was conquered by Ferdinand, Cesare was arrested, sent to Spain. and imprisoned in the Castillo de la Mota (Medina del Campo). Escaping to France, he went into the service of the King of France in his wars against Ferdinand. Cesare died in the Battle of Viana.

Joan (Juan), second duke of Gandia; b. Rome, 1476;d. Rome, July 14 or 15, 1497. He was the son of Cardinal Rodrigo de Borja (Alexander VI) and Vannozza Cattanei. In 1493 he married María Enríquez, who had been betrothed to his brother Pere-Lluís, from whom he inherited the dukedom. Joan stayed in Valencia and Gandia and consolidated his holdings, although Ferdinand and Isabella did not make good their promises to him. Named captain-general of the Church, he returned to Italy. His military losses in the war against Charles VIII of France and his allies drove him back to Rome, where he was assassinated and thrown into the Tiber. It is uncertain whether his brother Cesare was the instigator of the crime.

Lucrezia (Llucrècia), duchess of Ferrara; b. Subiaco, April 1480; d. Ferrara, June 24, 1519. She was the daughter of Cardinal Rodrigo de Borja (Alexander VI) and Vannozza Cattanei. She lived in Rome with her relatives Adriana del Milà and Joana de Montcada. After unsuccessful plans for marriage with Querubí de Centelles, Gaspar de Próxita, and the Count of Prada, she was betrothed by Alexander VI in 1492 to Giovanni Sforza, Count of Cotignola and Master of Pesaro, in order to consolidate an alliance with the Sforzas of Milan. Later the alliance of Charles VIII of France with Milan brought about a divorce on the grounds that the marriage had not been consummated. In 1498 Lucrezia, having given birth to an illegitimate son, was prevailed upon by Alexander for political reasons to marry Alfonso d'Aragona, Duke of Bisceglie, who was the illegitimate son of Alfonso II of Naples (d.1495). The couple had a son, Rodrigo d'Aragona (1499–1512). On Aug. 18, 1500, Alfonso was assassinated in Rome by a henchman of Cesare. On Dec. 30, 1501, Lucrezia married Alfonso d'Este in the Vatican. He was the son and heir of Hercules II, Duke of Ferrara (d. 1504). In spite of her secret affairs with Pietro Bembo and with her brother-in-law Francesco Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, and of the scandals involving her ladyin-waiting, Angela Borja, Lucrezia was seriously religious, especially in her later years. She gave her husband, Alfonso, seven sons, three of whom died in infancy. The survivors included the future Hercules III, Cardinal Ippolito, and Francesco.

Jofré, prince of Squillace; b. Rome, 1481; d. Squillace, 1517. He was the son of Cardinal Rodrigo de Borja (Alexander VI) and Vannozza Cattanei. Alexander, although he legitimized Jofré, doubted that he was really Jofré's father. In 1494 Jofré married Sancha d'Aragona, sister of the Duke of Bisceglie. Alfonso II of Naples gave Jofré and Sancha the principality of Squillace, which gift was confirmed by Ferdinand the Catholic in 1502. When Sancha died after an irregular life, leaving no children, Jofré married Maria del Milà. Their children were Lucrezia, Marina, and Francesco, heir to the title.

Bibliography: Sources. m. oliver, "D. Rodrigo de Borja," Boletín de la Real Academia de la Historia 9 (1886) 402–447. "S. Franciscus Borgia," Monumenta historica Societatis Jesu I (1894), passim. j. burchard, Liber notarum, Eng. tr. g. parker (London 1963). m. menotti, Documenti inediti sulla famiglia e la corte di Alessandro VI (Rome 1917). j. sanchis y sivera, Algunos documentos y cartas privadas que pertenecieron al segundo Duque de Gandía, don Juan de Borja (Valencia 1919). p. de roo, Material for a History of Pope Alexander VI, His Relatives and His Time, 5 v. (New York 1924). m. batllori, Epistolari dels B. (Barcelona 1966); and l. cerverÓ, Genealogía documentada de los B. (Rome 1967). Literature. f. a. gregorovius, Lucrezia Borgia (4th ed. Stuttgart 1906), Eng. Lucrezia Borgia, ed. l. goldscheider, tr. j. l. garner (London 1948). c. e. yriarte, Les Borgia: César Borgia (Paris 1889), Eng. Cesare Borgia, tr. w. stirling (London 1947). p. d. pasolini dall'onda, Caterina Sforza, 4 v. (Rome 1893–97). f. fernÁndez de bÉthencourt, Historia genealógica y heráldica de la monarquía española, 10 v. (Madrid 1897–1920) 4:3–389. w. h. woodward, Cesare Borgia (London 1913). m. bellonci, Lucrezia Borgia, tr. b. and b. wall (New York 1957). g. pepe, La politica dei Borgia (Naples 1946). m. batllori, Vuit segles de cultura catalana a Europa (2d ed. Barcelona 1959) 51–83; "De ortu Iohannis, tertii ducis gandiensis, sancti Francisci Borgiae patris, monumenta quaedam," Archivum historicum Societatis Jesu 26 (1957) 199–211. a. luzio, "Isabella d'Este e i Borgia," Archivio storico lombardo, 5 ser. 1 (1914) 469–553; 5 ser. 2 (1915) 115–167, 412–464. m. menotti, I Borgia, storia ed iconografia (Rome 1917).

[m. batllori]