Why did the contemporaries of Lucrezia Borgia see her as a saint, and why do we so easily believe the libels about her? Here are some unknown facts from the life of the Pope's daughter. Regent of the Eternal City, protector of the poor and the oppressed, a pious duchess and a zealous supporter of Church reform.
Lucrezia Borgia (1480–1519) definitely does not have a good press. Suffice it to say that the author of The Godfather, Mario Puzo, saw her family as a mafia as ruthless as his Corleone. Although historians have been trying to tone down their opinions about the pope's daughter since the mid-nineteenth century, many facts about her are still little known.
Vicariessa, respected Lady of Rome
Lucrezia had a chance to shine for the first time when her father, Pope Alexander VI, left the Eternal City for a month and left power in her hands. The 20-year-old girl not only did not break down under the burden of duties and the initial (understandable!) Reluctance of the cardinals, but also efficiently took care of all matters, showing her own will and initiative.
She was entrusted with the opening of all letters, except those relating to strictly ecclesiastical and religious matters. She was also able to independently decide about everything that happened in Rome, which she eagerly used. An example is the granting of autonomy and numerous privileges to the nuns of Buon Soccorso.
Lucrezia's father presents Jakub Pesaro to Saint Peter in the painting by Titian. Could the ships sailing in the background also symbolize his dream of a vacation? (source:public domain)
As Dario Fo, author of The Pope's Daughters, describes the situation:
[cardinals] were fascinated and drunk her words from her mouth. Most of all, however, they did not believe that this girl, reading a letter sent by a community of faithful women, full of an extraordinary desire to help those in need, had managed to prove what the real duties of the high priests were.
Lucrezia also served as governor of Spoleto and Foligno, and on January 1, 1500, she led the honorary jubilee procession to the Basilica of St. John in Lateran. Such an elevation clearly showed that Lucrezia was not just a pawn in the Borgia game.
Lucrezia's husband, Alfons I d'Este, could safely go to war knowing that his wife would take care of Ferrara like no other (copy of Titian's portrait, public domain).
The experiences from Rome were also useful in Ferrara. The pope's daughter ruled this principality on behalf of her third husband, Alfonso d'Este, when he commanded the forces of the League of Cambrai. Her wisdom and gentleness of rule were widely appreciated. She was respected for this not only by her husband, but also by the city's people. Residents threatened that if Lucretia and her children escaped from the capital from the war, they would follow in her footsteps.
Protector of the oppressed
Even before she took over Ferrara, her father-in-law, Hercules d'Este, had decided to entrust her daughter-in-law with the principality's justice apparatus. As its head, she dealt mainly with appeals and requests for the intercession of the rulers. Hercules did not regret his decision, because Lucrezia started her duties very meticulously.
The Duchess led, among others to acquittal of the murder of the Marquis of Mantua. Although her jurisdiction did not extend there, thanks to her personal commitment and paying the investigators and lawyers out of her own purse, she forced Mr. Mantua to agree with her. It is not surprising, then, that Lucrezia soon took over the chairmanship of the pardon committee.
However, the papal daughter was not limited to this alone. She gave alms to the poor and sold her jewels to feed them. When the war devastation in the Po valley left many families destitute, inspired by the letters of Saints Catherine and Bernardine of Siena, she established pious banks that provided interest-free loans.
Lucretia got acquainted with the writings of these saintly figures, probably during her stay in the monastery of St. Sixtus, and from then on she was guided by their recommendations. Speaking about the need to establish pious banks, she strongly condemned the moneylenders. Dario Fo puts the words in her mouth:
There has been a large group of villains in this city for years who are either exploitative or, if you prefer, usury. The plague is certainly a less catastrophic disease than the lending of criminals who offer money at thirty percent and then worsen conditions every time, thus ruining entire families. When we create our new pious bank, we will replace them not to take money from you in their place, but not to let bastards take them out of your pockets .
Pious daughter of the wicked Church
While many authors argue that Lucretia only underwent a major transformation after her move to Ferrara, this is not true. Shocked by the attempted murder of her second husband, Alfonso of Aragon, as well as the rape of Caesar Borgia on his sister-in-law, Sancha, she emphatically stated that she prefers to live in a monastery rather than in such a cruel world .
Lucretia with his father-pope and brother. Is she standing between her lovers or the people who used her for their political purposes? "A cup of wine with Caesar Borgia" by John Collier.
When her father, the sinful Alexander VI, suffered repentance under the influence of unfortunate events and wanted to reform the Church in a spirit of piety, Lucretia was the first to express her admiration for the project and immediately informed her protégés nuns about it. The author of The Pope's Daughters describes her speech to Alexander as follows:
I hated you for what you were so far, my father, but now I feel a love for you that I did not know before. Please continue tirelessly with what you have set out to do, do not disappoint the trust of thousands of people who like me are waiting for the miracle of a truly holy Church .
Of course, the plan failed, and the Pope returned to his habits. Lucrezia, however, still went to Mass every day, confessed frequently and took communion. It was then that it came to be called the treasury of female virtues . In 1509, two years after the death of her brother Caesar, perhaps overwhelmed with fear for her salvation, she began to secretly wear a hairpiece.
Another symbol of Lucretia's piety - the Duchess of Ferrara presents her son Hercules to the city patron Saint Maurelius (engraved plaque by Giannantonio da Foligno, public domain).
In 1518, at the urging of Ludovica della Torre, Lucrezia joined the Third Franciscan Order (Tertiaries). Her pious demeanor certainly made quite an impression in combination with her angelic appearance, especially her long blonde hair.
The pearl of this world
The greatest compliment, however, was given to the papal daughter by the French knight Pierre Terrail de Bayard, who said about her: She was beautiful, polite and kind to everyone. I, who was lucky enough to get to know her better, can say that she was a pearl of this world. Lucrezia, despite her piety, did not mortify herself and did not torment herself - she enjoyed life, love, poetry.
In Ferrara, she organized meetings with poets, appreciated painting - especially Hieronymus Bosch - and loved fairy-tale stories - also erotically colored. She was close to the humanist and later secretary of Leo X, Pietro Bembo, with whom she even had an affair. These earthly passions healed her of pain and despair even better than prayer.
Pietro Bembo - one of Lucrezia's last earthly passions (painting by Raphael Santi, public domain).
When she was dying of postpartum fever, she had a passionate letter to Pope Leo X written:
at this very moment as a Christian, although a sinner, I remember to beg Your Holiness to deign, drawing from the spiritual treasure, to intercede for my soul with Your holy blessing; and I humbly ask for it.
Lucretia, despite many pious deeds, certainly feared for her own salvation. Authors and historians who were unfavorable to her called her a Renaissance witch and a clerical whore, and compared her to St. Taidy, the patroness of prostitutes. It is in this form that it found its way into mass culture and is still waiting for its rehabilitation.