View source for Lucrezia Borgia

{{short description|Spanish-Italian duchess-consort of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio (1480–1519)}}
{{about|the historical person|other uses|Lucrezia Borgia (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox royalty
| consort      = yes
| title        = {{ubl|Duchess of Bisceglie|Princess of Salerno|Countess of Cotignola}}
| name         = Lucrezia Borgia
| image        = Dosso DOSSI , Battista DOSSI (attributed to) - Lucrezia Borgia, Duchess of Ferrara - Google Art Project.jpg
| caption      = Portrait by [[Dosso Dossi]] which is purported to depict Lucrezia, {{circa|1518}}<ref>[https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/media_release/ngv-solves-mystery-of-renaissance-portrait/ "NGV Solves Mystery of Renaissance Portrait"] (26 November 2008), [[National Gallery of Victoria]]. Retrieved 4 June 2020.</ref>
| succession   = [[Duchess consort of Ferrara]], [[Duchess consort of Modena|Modena, and Reggio]]
| reign        = 25 January 1505 – 24 June 1519
| succession1  = Lady consort of Pesaro and Gradara
| reign1       = 12 June 1493 – 20 December 1497
| birth_date   = 18 April 1480
| birth_place  = [[Subiaco, Lazio|Subiaco]], [[Papal States]]
| death_date   = {{death date and age|1519|6|24|1480|4|18|df=y}}
| death_place  = Belriguardo Castle, [[Ferrara]], [[Duchy of Ferrara]]
| burial_date  = 
| burial_place = [[Corpus Domini, Ferrara|Convent of Corpus Domini]], Ferrara
| spouse       = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Giovanni Sforza]]|12 June 1493|20 December 1497|end=annulled}}
* {{marriage|[[Alfonso of Aragon (1481–1500)|Alfonso of Aragon]]|21 July 1498|18 August 1500|end=d.}}
* {{marriage|[[Alfonso I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara|Alfonso d'Este]]|30 December 1501}}
}}
| issue        = {{ubli|[[Rodrigo of Aragon]]|[[Ercole II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara]]|[[Ippolito II d'Este|Ippolito d'Este]]|[[Eleonora d'Este (1515–1575)|Eleonora d'Este]]|[[Francesco d'Este (1516–1578)|Francesco d'Este, Marquis of Massalombarda]]}}
| issue-link   = #Children
| full name    = 
| house        = [[House of Borgia|Borgia]]
| father       = [[Pope Alexander VI]]
| mother       = [[Vannozza dei Cattanei]]
| signature    = Firma de “Lucretia de Borgia” en una carta a su cuñada Isabella Gonzaga (marzo de 1519).png
}}

'''Lucrezia Borgia'''{{efn|{{IPA|it|luˈkrɛttsja ˈbɔrdʒa|lang|small=no}}; {{langx|ca-valencia|Lucrècia Borja}} {{IPA|ca-valencia|luˈkrɛsia ˈbɔɾdʒa|}}; {{langx|es|Lucrecia de Borja|links=no}} {{IPA|es|luˈkɾeθja ðe ˈβoɾxa|}}.}} (18 April 1480 – 24 June 1519) was an [[Italian nobility|Italian noblewoman]] of the [[House of Borgia]] who was the illegitimate daughter of [[Pope Alexander VI]] and [[Vannozza dei Cattanei]]. She was a former governor of [[Spoleto]].

Her family arranged several marriages for her that advanced their own political position, including to [[Giovanni Sforza]], Lord of Pesaro and Gradara, Count of [[Cotignola]]; [[Alfonso of Aragon (1481–1500)|Alfonso of Aragon]], Duke of [[Bisceglie]] and [[List of Princes of Salerno|Prince of Salerno]]; and [[Alfonso I d'Este]], Duke of Ferrara. Alfonso of Aragon was an illegitimate son of the [[King of Naples]], and tradition has it that Lucrezia's brother [[Cesare Borgia|Cesare]] may have had him murdered after his political value waned.

Notorious tales about her family have cast Lucrezia as a ''[[femme fatale]]'', a controversial role in which she has been portrayed in many artworks, novels, and films.

==Early life==
[[File:Lucrezia-Borgia.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Purported portrait of Lucrezia as [[Saint Catherine of Alexandria]] in a fresco by [[Pinturicchio]]. The "Hall of the Saints" within the [[Borgia Apartments]] in the Vatican, c. 1494<ref name=":25">{{Cite web |last=Medici |first=Maria Teresa Guerra |title=Lucrezia Borgia, Subiaco (RM) 1480 - Ferrara 1519 |url=https://www.enciclopediadelledonne.it/edd.nsf/biografie/lucrezia-borgia |access-date=2025-11-18 |website=Enciclopediadelledonne.it |language=it}}</ref>]]
{{See also|House of Borgia}}
Lucrezia Borgia was born on 18 April 1480 at [[Subiaco, Italy|Subiaco]], a town near [[Rome]].<ref name=":13">Bradford, Sarah. (2004) [https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Lucrezia_Borgia/nTERApd572gC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Lucrezia+Borgia+Sarah+Bradford&dq=Lucrezia+Borgia+Sarah+Bradford&printsec=frontcover ''Lucrezia Borgia'',] Penguin Group. p. 16,  68, 114.</ref> Her mother was [[Vannozza dei Cattanei]], a mistress of her father,<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |title=Bòrgia, Lucrezia |url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/lucrezia-borgia/ |access-date=2025-11-15 |website=Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana fondata da Giovanni Treccani |language=it}}</ref><ref name=":14">{{Cite book |last=Williams |first=George L. |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Papal_Genealogy/ZZIuEQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Papal+Genealogy:+The+Families+and+Descendants+of+the+Popes&printsec=frontcover |title=Papal Genealogy: The Families and Descendants of the Popes |date=2004-08-25 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-2071-1 |pages=65-67 |language=en}}</ref> Cardinal Rodrigo de Borgia (later [[Pope Alexander VI]]).<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=17 January 2017 |title=Lucrezia Borgia, Predator or Pawn? |url=http://www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/magazine/2017/01-02/lucrezia-borgia-renaissance-italy-scandal-intrigue/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170119073832/http://www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/magazine/2017/01-02/lucrezia-borgia-renaissance-italy-scandal-intrigue/ |archive-date=19 January 2017 |access-date=2017-04-15 |work=[[National Geographic]]}}</ref> She had three full siblings: [[Cesare Borgia]], [[Giovanni Borgia, 2nd Duke of Gandía|Giovanni Borgia]], and [[Gioffre Borgia]], although Gioffre's paternity was later contested.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Morris |first=Samantha |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Cesare_and_Lucrezia_Borgia/ojgxEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=lucrezia+borgia+aragorn&pg=PT195&printsec=frontcover |title=Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia: Brother & Sister of History's Most Vilified Family |date=2022-01-04 |publisher=Pen and Sword History |isbn=978-1-5267-2441-0 |language=en}}</ref> Lucrezia's father acknowledged her as his child,<ref name=":11">{{Cite web |last=Roller |first=Sarah |date=2023-04-18 |title=10 Facts About Lucrezia Borgia |url=https://www.historyhit.com/facts-about-lucrezia-borgia/ |access-date=2025-11-17 |website=History Hit |language=en-GB}}</ref> and consulted an [[Astrology|astrologer]] after her birth, who foretold a remarkable future.<ref name=":15">{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Emma Slattery |date=2019-06-01 |title=Lucrezia Borgia: Is Her Bad Reputation Deserved? |url=https://www.historyextra.com/period/renaissance/lucrezia-borgia-reputation-adulteress-pope-alexander-vi/ |access-date=2025-11-17 |website=BBC HistoryExtra |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":19">{{Cite web |date=2025-08-25 |title=Lucrezia Borgia: Power, Scandal And The Myth Of A Femme Fatale |url=http://https//historic-times.com%20/lucrezia-borgia-power-scandal-and-myth |access-date=2025-11-18 |website=Historic Times |language=en-US}}</ref> During her early life, Lucrezia's education was entrusted to Carlo Canale and then to Adriana Orsini de Milan.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":15" /><ref name=":7">{{Cite book |last=Ray |first=Meredith K. |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Twenty_Five_Women_Who_Shaped_the_Italian/OLblEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 |title=Twenty-Five Women Who Shaped the Italian Renaissance |date=2023-12-22 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-003-81389-7 |pages=56, 1498, 1504 |language=en}}</ref> Orsini was a confidant of Lucrezia's father and was his first cousin.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":16">{{Cite book |last=Larsen |first=Anne R. |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Encyclopedia_of_Women_in_the_Renaissance/HhfHEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Lucrezia+Borgia&pg=PA54&printsec=frontcover |title=Encyclopedia of Women in the Renaissance: Italy, France, and England |last2=Robin |first2=Diana |last3=Levin |first3=Carole |date=2007-03-01 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |isbn=978-1-85109-777-7 |pages=51-53 |language=en}}</ref>

Lucrezia's education would primarily take place in the Palazzo Pizzo de Merlo, a building adjacent to her father's residence. Unlike most educated women of her time, for whom [[Convent|convents]] were the primary source for knowledge, Lucrezia's [[Humanism|humanist]] education came from within the sphere of intellectuals in the court and close relatives, and it included a solid grounding in the [[Humanities]], which the [[Catholic Church]] was reviving at the time. She was fluent in [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[Catalan language|Catalan]], [[Italian language|Italian]], and [[French language|French]], and literate in both [[Latin]] and [[Greek language|Greek]].<ref name=":11" /><ref name=":5" /> She would also become proficient in poetry and [[oration]], and could play the [[lute]] and [[zither]], [[Embroidery|embroider]] and dance.<ref name=":19" /> The biggest testament to her intelligence is her ability in administration, as later on in life, she took care of [[Vatican City]] correspondence and governance of [[Ferrara]].{{citation needed|date=April 2017}}

==List of marriages==

===First marriage: Giovanni Sforza (Lord of Pesaro and Gradara)===
[[File:Giovanni Sforza coin.jpg|upright=0.7|thumb|Coin showing [[Giovanni Sforza]] ]]

On 26 February 1491, a matrimonial arrangement was drawn up between Lucrezia and the [[Lord]] of [[Valle de Ayora|Val D'Ayora]], in the [[Kingdom of Valencia]], Don Cherubino Joan de [[Centelles]] (d. 1522).<ref name=":16" /> The arrangement was [[annulled]] less than two months later in favour of a new contract [[Engagement|engaging]] Lucrezia to Don Gaspare, Count of Aversa (1476–1534).<ref name=":6" /><ref>{{cite book|last=Bellonci|first=Maria|title=Lucrezia Borgia|year=2000|publisher=Phoenix Press|location=London|isbn=1-84212-616-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/lifetimesoflucre0000bell/page/18 18]|url=https://archive.org/details/lifetimesoflucre0000bell/page/18}}</ref> 

When Lucrezia's father Rodrigo became Pope Alexander VI in August 1492, he sought to be allied with powerful, princely families and founding dynasties of Italy. Therefore, he called off Lucrezia's previous engagements. Cardinal [[Ascanio Sforza]] said: "There are many who long to marry into the Pope's family via his daughter, and he lets many think they have a chance. Even the king of Naples aspires to win her hand!"<ref name=":22">{{Cite web |date=2024-04-23 |title=Lucrezia Borgia: Renaissance Woman of Intrigue |url=https://www.understandingitaly.com/lucrezia-borgia.html |access-date=2025-11-18 |website=Understanding Italy |language=en}}</ref>

The Pope arranged for Lucrezia to marry [[Condottiero|''condottiero'']] [[Giovanni Sforza]], a member of the [[House of Sforza]] who was the Lord of [[Pesaro]] and titled Count of [[Camignolo|Catignola]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Bellonci |first=Maria |title=Lucrezia Borgia |year=2000 |publisher=Phoenix Press |location=London |isbn=1-84212-616-4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/lifetimesoflucre0000bell/page/23 23] |url=https://archive.org/details/lifetimesoflucre0000bell/page/23}}</ref> Giovanni was nephew of the Duke of Milan as an illegitimate son of [[Costanzo I Sforza]]. He was a Sforza of the second rank and belonged to a cadet branch of the family. They married by proxy on 12 June 1493 in Rome, when Lucrezia was aged 13.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":7" /><ref name=":16" /><ref name=":8">{{Cite book |last=Gilbert |first=William |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Lucrezia_Borgia_Duchess_of_Ferrara/OItDAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Lucrezia+Borgia&pg=PA15&printsec=frontcover |title=Lucrezia Borgia, Duchess of Ferrara: A Biography |date=1869 |publisher=Hurst and Blackett |volume=1 |pages=6, 9-11, 15-16 |language=en}}</ref> She was outfitted in brocade and jewels for the wedding ceremony.<ref name=":25" />

On 31 May 1494, Lucrezia departed from Rome with a retinue of ladies and gentlemen and accompanied by [[Giulia Farnese]] and Adriana Mila.<ref name=":25" /> She moved to her husband's palace in [[Pesaro]], where local poets celebrated her with their [[Madrigal|madrigals]],<ref name=":19" /> she negotiated the marriage of one of her Spanish ladies-in-waiting,<ref name=":25" /> and she exchanged visits with the highly literate court of the [[Duchy of Urbino|Dukes of Urbino]].<ref name=":25" />

Before long, the Borgia family no longer needed the Sforzas,<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":12">{{Cite web |last=Newson |first=Francesca |date=2024-02-04 |title=Lucrezia Borgia: A Woman whose Reputation has been Maligned by History |url=https://retrospectjournal.com/2024/02/04/lucrezia-borgia-a-woman-whose-reputation-has-been-maligned-by-history/ |access-date=2025-11-17 |website=Retrospect Journal |language=en}}</ref> and the Pope may have covertly ordered the execution of Giovanni Sforza. Lucrezia was likely informed of this by her brother, [[Cesare Borgia|Cesare]], and she warned her husband, who then fled from Rome.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bellonci|first=Maria|title=Lucrezia Borgia|year=2003|publisher=Mondadori|location=Milan|isbn=978-88-04-45101-3|pages=121–122}}</ref>

Alexander asked Giovanni's uncle, Cardinal [[Ascanio Sforza]], to persuade Giovanni to agree to an annulment of the marriage. Giovanni refused and accused Lucrezia of paternal [[incest]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Bellonci|first=Maria|title=Lucrezia Borgia|year=2003|publisher=Mondadori|location=Milan|isbn=978-88-04-45101-3|pages=139–141}}</ref> spreading the rumour that the pope wanted his daughter to return to Rome so that he could have sex with her.<ref name=":19" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Mroziewicz |first=Karolina Anna |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Premodern_Rulership_and_Contemporary_Pol/MnCLEQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Lucrezia+Borgia&pg=PT128&printsec=frontcover |title=Premodern Rulership and Contemporary Political Power: The King's Body Never Dies |last2=Sroczynski |first2=Aleksander |date=2025-10-01 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-040-78925-4 |language=en}}</ref> This rumour endured through the centuries, partly due to the writings of Florentine historian [[Francesco Guicciardini]] and verses by [[Giovanni Pontano]] and [[Jacopo Sannazaro]], and Lucrezia's  reputation was tainted.<ref name=":25" /><ref name=":19" /><ref name=":12" /> The pope, however, asserted that his daughter's marriage had not been [[Consummation|consummated]] and was, thus, invalid. Giovanni was offered her [[dowry]] in return for his cooperation.<ref>{Some sources state that Giovanni returned the dowry. See, Durant, Will. "The Renaissance" Simon and Schuster (1953), page 429, {{ISBN|0-671-61600-5}}. See also Bradford, Sarah, "Lucrezia Borgia: Life, Love and Death in Renaissance Italy" Penguin Books (2005), Part 1, Ch. 3}</ref> The Sforza family threatened to withdraw their protection, should he refuse. Giovanni finally signed confessions of [[impotence]] and documents of [[annulment]] before witnesses, despite how his first wife had died in childbirth.{{citation needed|date=June 2025}}

=== Purported affair with Pedro Calderon ===

Historians have speculated that during the prolonged process of the annulment, Lucrezia consummated a relationship with someone, perhaps Alexander's chamberlain Pedro Calderon (sometimes called Perotto).<ref name="Burchard-328">{{cite book |last=Thurmel |first=Joseph |title=Le Journal de Jean Burchard, Évêque et Cérémoniaire au Vatican |publisher=Les Éditions Reider |year=1923 |location=Paris |page=328 |language=fr}}</ref> In any case, families hostile to the Borgias would later accuse her of being pregnant at the time her marriage was annulled.<ref name=":15" /> She is known to have retired to the cloistered [[San Sisto Vecchio|Convent of Saint Sixtus Vecchio]]  in Rome where she was given [[sanctuary]] by the [[Mother Superior]] in June 1497, to await the outcome of the annulment proceedings, which were finalized in December of the same year. {{citation needed|date=November 2025}} In the convent, in mid-June, she received news of the murder of her brother [[Giovanni Borgia, 2nd Duke of Gandía|Giovanni]], whose killer was never officially discovered.{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}}

The bodies of Pedro Calderon<ref name=Burchard-328/> and a maid, Pantasilea, were found in the [[Tiber river|Tiber]] river in February 1498. In March 1498, the Ferrarese ambassador claimed that Lucrezia had given birth, but this was denied by other sources. However, a child was born in the Borgia household the year before Lucrezia's marriage to [[Alfonso of Aragon (1481–1500)|Alfonso of Aragon]]. He was named [[Giovanni Borgia (Infans Romanus)|Giovanni]] but is known to historians as the "''Infans Romanus”'' (Child of Rome).<ref name=":7" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=DeSilva |first=Jennifer Mara |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Borgia_Family/wYK1DwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Giovanni+Borgia+(Infans+Romanus)&pg=PT60&printsec=frontcover |title=The Borgia Family: Rumor and Representation |date=2019-10-11 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-429-56030-9 |language=en}}</ref>

In 1501, two [[papal bull]]s were issued concerning Giovanni Borgia. In the first, he was recognized as Cesare's child from an affair, before his marriage. The second contradictory bull recognized him as the son of Pope Alexander VI. Lucrezia's name is not mentioned in either, and rumours that she was his mother have never been proven. The second bull was kept secret for many years, and Giovanni was assumed to be Cesare's son. This is supported by the fact that he became Duke of [[Camerino]] in 1502, which was to be inherited by the Duke of [[Romagna]]'s oldest son. After Alexander's death, Giovanni went to stay with Lucrezia in [[Ferrara]], where he was accepted as her half-brother.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Lucas |first=Emma |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Lucrezia_Borgia/FNbdBAAAQBAJ?hl=en |title=Lucrezia Borgia |publisher=New World City |year=2014 |isbn=9781612308159}}</ref>

===Second marriage: Alfonso d'Aragon (Duke of Bisceglie and Prince of Salerno)===
[[File:PinturicchioAlfonso.jpg|thumb|Duke [[Alfonso of Aragon (1481-1500)|Alfonso of Aragon]] depicted in a painting by [[Pinturicchio]]]]
Despite the scandal of the annulment of her marriage to Giovanni Sforza, Lucrezia was married for a second time to the [[Naples|Neapolitan]] [[Alfonso of Aragon (1481–1500)|Alfonso of Aragon]], Duke of [[Bisceglie]] and Prince of [[Salerno]] of the [[House of Trastámara]]. He was the illegitimate son of [[Alfonso II of Naples|Alfonso II King of Naples]] and his mistress [[Trogia Gazzella]].<ref name=":26" /> Alfonso was also the half-brother of [[Sancha of Aragon]], [[Prince of Squillace|Princess of Squillace]] and wife of Lucrezia's younger brother [[Gioffre Borgia]].<ref name=":6" /> 

Lucrezia's father gave the [[Duchy of Spoleto]] and 40,000 [[Ducat|ducats]] as her dowry.<ref name=":8" /> It was also part of the agreement that the couple would remain in Rome for at least one year and not be forced to live permanently at the [[Kingdom of Naples]] until her father's death. Lucrezia's marriage was a short one.<ref name=":0" />

Lucrezia and Alfonso were married on 21 July 1498 in the Vatican, with the celebrations being held behind closed doors in the Borgia apartments.<ref name=":2" /> Lucrezia became the Duchess consort of [[Bisceglie]] and Princess consort of [[Salerno]] and the marriage was said to be happy, with Lucrezia supporting her husband in a dispute with her father on the legality of the marriage of Alfonso’s aunt [[Beatrice of Naples]] to [[Vladislaus II of Hungary|Vladislaus II]], King of Bohemia and Hungary.<ref name=":15" /><ref name=":26">{{Cite web |title=ARAGONA, Alfonso d' - Enciclopedia |url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/alfonso-d-aragona_(Dizionario-Biografico)/ |access-date=2025-11-17 |website=Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana fondata da Giovanni Treccani |language=it}}</ref>

In 1499, Lucrezia was appointed as Governor of [[Spoleto]],<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mancini |first=Franco |date=1957 |title=Lucrezia Borgia governatrice di Spoleto |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26248664 |journal=Archivio Storico Italiano |language=It |volume=115 |issue=2 (414) |pages=182–187 |issn=0391-7770}}</ref> a role usually reserved solely for [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)|cardinals]],<ref name=":11" /> becoming the first female governor in the [[Papal States]] in a territory crucial for the passage from the [[Tyrrhenian Sea|Tyrrhenian]] to the [[Adriatic Sea]].<ref name=":25" /> She also reportedly lost her first baby with Alfonso in February 1499.<ref name=":19" /><ref name=":2" />

Alfonso fled Rome for Naples shortly afterwards due to the changing alliances of the Borgias,<ref name=":19" /> while Lucrezia was again pregnant. His flight incensed the Pope who sent troops after him but failed to find him. He returned to Rome at Lucrezia's request only to be murdered on 15 July 1500.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Patrick |first=James |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i6ZJlLHLPY8C&pg=PA124 |title=Renaissance and Reformation |date=2007 |publisher=Marshall Cavendish |isbn=978-0-7614-7650-4 |pages=124 |language=en}}</ref> At the top of the steps before the entrance to [[Old St. Peter's Basilica|St. Peter's Basilica]], Alfonso was attacked by three hired killers armed with [[Halberd|halberds]] and swords.<ref name=":25" /><ref name=":8" /> He was stabbed in the head, right arm, and leg.<ref name=":9" /> Those who found him took him to the chamber of the Borgia Tower where he was cared for by his doctors from [[Naples]], his half-sister Sancha and Lucrezia.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |title=5 THE MURDER OF ALFONSO OF ARAGON |url=http://books.rakeshv.org/html/lcbga10/lcbga10ch15.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050104073703/http://books.rakeshv.org/html/lcbga10/lcbga10ch15.html |archive-date=2005-01-04 |access-date=2025-11-13 |website=books.rakeshv.org}}</ref> While recovering from his injuries, Alfonso was strangled to death in his bed by a servant, possibly [[Micheletto Corella]].<ref name=":15" /><ref name=":16" />
[[File:Lucrezia Borgia, Rodrigo and Alfonso of Aragon.jpg|thumb|Lucrezia (left) with her son Rodrigo (on the right next to her) and her second husband, Alfonso of Aragon (to the very right), c. 1500 (shortly after the assassination of Alfonso of Aragon)|225x225px]]
It was widely rumoured<ref name=":12" /><ref>{{cite book |last=Bradford |first=Sarah |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Lucrezia_Borgia/nTERApd572gC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Lucrezia+Borgia+Sarah+Bradford&dq=Lucrezia+Borgia+Sarah+Bradford&printsec=frontcover |title=Lucrezia Borgia |publisher=Mondadori |year=2005 |isbn=88-04-55627-7 |location=Milan |pages=85–88}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Feng |first=Aileen A. |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Writing_Beloveds/jX32DQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Lucrezia+Borgia&pg=PA237&printsec=frontcover |title=Writing Beloveds: Humanist Petrarchism and the Politics of Gender |date=2017-01-01 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn=978-1-4875-0077-1 |pages=237 |language=en}}</ref> that Lucrezia's brother, Cesare, was responsible for Alfonso's death, as he had recently allied himself with France through his marriage to [[Charlotte d'Albret|Charlotte d’Albret]] (sister of King [[John III of Navarre]]) in May 1499, against Naples.<ref name=":11" /><ref name=":15" />

Lucrezia and Alfonso had one child, [[Rodrigo of Aragon]], named for his maternal grandfather the Pope.<ref name=":14" /> He was born in 1500 and was baptised in the presence of many cardinals, ambassadors and prelates from all over Italy. His [[Godparent|godfather]] was Francesco Borgia, [[Archbishop]] of [[Cosenza]], while [[Oliviero Carafa|Cardinal Carafa of Naples]] performed the baptismal rite in the [[Sistine Chapel]]. Rodrigo died in 1512 of a disease in [[Bari]], [[Apulia]], at the age of 12.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":15" /> Lucrezia withdrew to a [[convent]] to grieve for a month after her son died.<ref name=":11" />
[[File:Lucrezia Borgia, autograph letter, 1494.jpg|thumb|Autographed letter of Lucrezia Borgia to her father, [[Pope Alexander VI]]|302x302px]]
After her second husband's death, Lucrezia acted as her father's [[private secretary]] in the [[Vatican City|Vatican]], which involved opening his letters, informing him of the contents and replying to any which required an immediate response. Lucrezia was not accused of taking any undue advantage of this powerful position and was referred to as "wise, discreet and generous' by the [[Republic of Venice|Venetian]] ambassador, Polo Capello.<ref name=":8" />

Lucrezia's father and brother Ceasare began arrangements for a third marriage. Five months after Alfonso's death, an engagement was announced for Lucrezia to Francesco Orsini, [[Counts and dukes of Gravina|Duke of Gravina]], but the plan was abandoned by her father. By January 1501, the Pope was pursuing a match for Lucrezia with the son of [[Ercole I d'Este]], Duke of Ferrara.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Meyer |first=G. J. |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Borgias/mu3Evh0f_K0C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Lucrezia+Borgia&pg=PA448&printsec=frontcover |title=The Borgias: The Hidden History |date=2013-04-02 |publisher=Random House Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-345-52693-9 |pages=316-317 |language=en}}</ref> The d'Este family was one of the oldest and most powerful in Italy.<ref name=":19" />

===Third marriage: Alfonso I d'Este (Duke of Ferrara)===
[[File:Portrait of Alfonso I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara (1476–1534), by Battista Dossi.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Portrait of Alfonso d'Este by [[Battista Dossi]], painted between 1534 and 1536]]
Lucrezia married [[Alfonso I d'Este]] by [[Proxy marriage|proxy]] in Rome on 30 December 1501,<ref name=":18">{{Cite book |last=Crane |first=Thomas Frederick |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Italian_Social_Customs_of_the_Sixteenth/4V5oAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Lucrezia+Borgia&dq=Lucrezia+Borgia&printsec=frontcover |title=Italian Social Customs of the Sixteenth Century: And Their Influence on the Literatures of Europe |date=1920 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-598-50897-3 |pages=109 |language=en}}</ref> with his brother [[Ferrante d'Este]] standing in for the groom, then in person on 2 February 1502 in [[Ferrara]].<ref name=":16" /><ref name=":18" /> Lucrezia's progress from Rome to Ferrara was through the [[Apennine Mountains]] and she both rode on horseback and was carried in a [[sedan chair]], and was accompanied by ladies, retainers, musicians, and her brother Cesare.<ref name=":20">{{Cite book |last=Kidwell |first=Carol |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Pietro_Bembo/8LCPChow_jQC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Lucrezia+Borgia&pg=PA71&printsec=frontcover |title=Pietro Bembo: Lover, Linguist, Cardinal |date=2004 |publisher=McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP |isbn=978-0-7735-2709-6 |pages=71 |language=en}}</ref> 

Despite having given birth to a child, Lucrezia was obliged to simulate the appearance of a [[Virginity|virgin]] spouse in order to marry d'Este and was forced to leave [[Rodrigo of Aragon]], her only child by Alfonso of Aragon, behind.<ref name=":4" /> Lucrezia tried many times to have little Rodrigo in Ferrara, but her plans were ruined. She sent him gifts and letters and, when he was 9 years old, an educator from the [[University of Ferrara]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}} 

Lucrezia became [[List of Ferrarese consorts|Duchess of Ferrara]] from 1505 after the death of Alfonso's father Ercole.<ref name=":22" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Williams |first=Allyson Burgess |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Wives_Widows_Mistresses_and_Nuns_in_Earl/XJKoDQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Lucrezia+Borgia&pg=PT62&printsec=frontcover |title=Wives, Widows, Mistresses, and Nuns in Early Modern Italy: Making the Invisible Visible through Art and Patronage |date=2016-12-05 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-351-87247-8 |editor-last=McIver |editor-first=Katherine A. |pages=12 |language=en |chapter=Rewriting Lucrezia Borgia: Propriety, Magnificence, and Piety in Portraits of a Renaissance Duchess}}</ref><ref name=":10" /> She gave birth to six children during her marriage to d'Este, including the future Duke of Ferrara, [[Ercole II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara|Ercole II d'Este]].<ref name=":16" /><ref name=":17" />[[File:Veneto - Portrait of an Unidentified Young Lady - National Gallery.jpg|thumb|upright|Possible portrait by [[Bartolomeo Veneziano]] (c. 1510)<ref>{{cite book|last=Bellonci|first=Maria|title=Lucrezia Borgia|year=2003|publisher=Mondadori|location=Milan|isbn=978-88-04-45101-3|page=613}}</ref>]]However, neither partner was faithful. Beginning in 1503, Lucrezia enjoyed a long relationship with her brother-in-law, [[Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua]].<ref name=":4">Bradford, Sarah. (2004) ''Lucrezia Borgia: Life, Love and Death in Renaissance Italy.'' Viking.</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Jays |first=David |date=24 October 2004 |title=Observer review: Lucrezia Borgia by Sarah Bradford |url=https://www.theguardian.com/observer/review/story/0,6903,1334580,00.html |access-date=22 January 2015 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> Francesco's wife was the cultured intellectual [[Isabella d'Este]], the sister of Alfonso, to whom Lucrezia had made overtures of friendship, to no avail. The affair between Francesco and Lucrezia was passionate, more sexual than sentimental, as can be attested in the fevered love letters the pair wrote one another.<ref>Marek (1976), pp. 166–67.</ref> It has been claimed that the affair ended when Francesco contracted [[syphilis]] and had to end sexual relations with Lucrezia.<ref>Marek (1976), p. 169.</ref> This may not be true, however, as Francesco had contracted [[syphilis]] before 1500; it was known that he passed the disease onto his eldest son, [[Federico II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua|Federico Gonzaga]], who was born in 1500. Francesco did not meet Lucrezia until 1502.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cockram |first=Sarah P. D. |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315589879/isabella-este-francesco-gonzaga-sarah-cockram |title=Isabella d'Este and Francesco Gonzaga : power sharing at the Italian Renaissance Court |date=2013 |publisher=Ashgate Publishing Ltd |isbn=9781409448310 |location=Farnham |oclc=855504802}}</ref>

Lucrezia also had a love affair with the poet [[Pietro Bembo]] during her third marriage.<ref name=":20" /> Their love letters were deemed "the prettiest love letters in the world" by the [[Romanticism|Romantic]] poet [[Lord Byron]] when he saw them in the [[Biblioteca Ambrosiana|Ambrosian Library]] of [[Milan]] on 15 October 1816.<ref name="Spectator">''[https://www.spectator.co.uk/2005/06/viragos-on-the-march Viragos on the march]'', ''[[The Spectator]]'', 25 June 2005, by Ian Thomson, a review of ''Viragos on the march'' by Gaia Servadio. I. B. Tauris, {{ISBN|1-85043-421-2}}.</ref><ref name="Caxtonian">[http://www.caxtonclub.org/reading/2005/oct05.pdf ''Pietro Bembo: A Renaissance Courtier Who Had His Cake and Ate It Too''], Ed Quattrocchi, ''Caxtonian: Journal of the Caxton Club of Chicago'', Volume XIII, No. 10, October 2005.</ref> The letters were published in 1859 under the title ''Lettere di Lucrezia Borgia a messer Pietro Bembo.''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Healey |first=Robin |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Italian_Literature_Before_1900_in_Englis/38gBss-QJ9wC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Lucrezia+Borgia&pg=PA570&printsec=frontcover |title=Italian Literature Before 1900 in English Translation: An Annotated Bibliography, 1929-2008 |date=2011-01-01 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn=978-1-4426-4269-0 |pages=570 |language=en}}</ref>

Due to Lucrezia's influence as a patron of the arts, the court of d'Este became a centre for aspiring Renaissance writers, musicians, poets and philosophers, including [[Ludovico Ariosto]] and [[Gian Giorgio Trissino]].<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Prizer |first=William F. |date=1985 |title=Isabella d'Este and Lucrezia Borgia as Patrons of Music: The Frottola at Mantua and Ferrara |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/831548 |journal=Journal of the American Musicological Society |volume=38 |issue=1 |pages=1–33 |doi=10.2307/831548 |issn=0003-0139}}</ref><ref name=":27">{{Cite web |title=Bòrgia, Lucrèzia su Enciclopedia |url=https://www.sapere.it/enciclopedia/B%C3%B2rgia%2C%2BLucr%C3%A8zia.html |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250822234504/https://www.sapere.it/enciclopedia/B%C3%B2rgia%2C%2BLucr%C3%A8zia.html |archive-date=2025-08-22 |access-date=2025-11-18 |website=Sapere.it |language=it}}</ref> She was considered a respectable and accomplished [[Renaissance]] duchess, effectively rising above her previous reputation and surviving the fall of the Borgias following her father's death in 1503.<ref name=":10">[[Roberto Gervaso|Gervaso, Roberto]]. (1977) ''[https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000753077 I Borgia]'', Milano, Rizzoli, p. 362, pp. 375–380.</ref> She played a diplomatic role at the Ferrarese court, meeting with [[Envoy (title)|envoys]] and ruling the territory as regent twice during Alfonso's absences on military campaigns.<ref name=":12" /><ref name=":23">{{Cite web |last=Beattie |first=Blake |date=2022 |title=Lucrezia Borgia |url=https://www.ebsco.com/ |access-date=2025-11-18 |website=EBSCO |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Kaborycha |first=Lisa |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/A_Corresponding_Renaissance/TZ-JEQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Lucrezia+Borgia&pg=PA116&printsec=frontcover |title=A Corresponding Renaissance: Letters Written by Italian Women, 1375-1650 |date=2016 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-934243-3 |pages=116 |language=en}}</ref> She is also known to have overseen the management of her finances, buying and selling properties, buying [[marshland]] at a low cost then investing in reclamation enterprises, and renting parts of her newly arable land for short terms, which contributed to a nearly doubling of her annual income.<ref name=":24">{{Cite journal |last=Ghirardo |first=Diane Yvonne |date=2008 |title=Lucrezia Borgia as Entrepreneur* |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/renaissance-quarterly/article/abs/lucrezia-borgia-as-entrepreneur/FAE13E7E0AF11FE2555416A67A8EFA06 |journal=Renaissance Quarterly |language=en |volume=61 |issue=1 |pages=53–91 |doi=10.1353/ren.2008.0029 |issn=0034-4338}}</ref> She was a patron of charities and ecclesiastical foundations.<ref name=":23" />
[[File:Coat of arms of Lucrezia Borgia, Duchess of Ferrara.png|thumb|162x162px|Coat of arms of Lucrezia Borgia as Duchess of Ferrara]]
When Lucrezia's husband was [[Excommunication|excommunicated]] and Ferrara was placed under [[interdict]] by [[Pope Julius II]] in 1510, Lucrezia [[pawned]] her jewels to pay for the cities defences and entertained French troops that had come to Ferrara’s aid.<ref name=":1" /> She met the famed French soldier, the [[Pierre Terrail, seigneur de Bayard|Chevalier Bayard]], while the latter was co-commanding the French allied [[garrison]] of Ferrara. According to his biographer, the Chevalier became a great admirer of Lucrezia's, considering her a "pearl on this Earth."<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Chevalier Bayard|last=Shellabarger|first=Samuel|author-link=Samuel Shellabarger|publisher=eNet Press|year=1971|pages=165}}</ref>

After a long history of complicated pregnancies and miscarriages, on 14 June 1519, Lucrezia gave birth to her tenth child, which she named Isabella Maria, in honour of Alfonso's sister, [[Isabella d'Este]]. The child was sickly, and fearing she would die [[Unbaptised infants|unbaptised]], Alfonso ordered her to be baptized immediately, with Eleonora [[Duchy of Mirandola|Pico della Mirandola]] and Count Alexandro Serafino as godparents.{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}}

Lucrezia had become very weak during the pregnancy, and fell seriously ill after the birth. After seeming to recover for two days, she worsened again, and died on 24 June 1519 at Belriguardo Castle, aged 39.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":27" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Pastor |first=Ludwig Freiherr von |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_History_of_the_Popes/Cieq0Cio4IwC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Lucrezia+Borgia&dq=Lucrezia+Borgia&printsec=frontcover |title=The History of the Popes: From the Close of the Middle Ages |date=1923 |publisher=Herder |pages=110 |language=en}}</ref> Her body was shrouded in the habit of a tertiary [[Franciscans|Franciscan]] and she was buried in the convent of [[Corpus Domini, Ferrara|Corpus Domini]] in Ferrara, [[Emilia-Romagna]],<ref name=":21">{{Cite web |last=Sateriale |first=Gaetano |title=Ferrara 2002 Anno di Lucrezia Borgia |url=http://www.comune.fe.it/lucrezia/index_ing.htm# |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070116214053/http://www.comune.fe.it/lucrezia/index_ing.htm# |archive-date=2007-01-16 |access-date=2025-11-17 |website=Comune.fe.it}}</ref> where she had requested to be interred.<ref name=":25" /> She was deeply mourned by the people of Ferrara.<ref name=":11" />

After Lucrezia's death, her brother-in-law [[Giovanni Gonzaga]] wrote to Isabella d'Este that: "It is said that the Duchess left behind a good amount of money, but the exact amount is unknown."<ref name=":24" />

==Appearance==
[[File:1520 Veneto Idealbildnis einer Kurtisane als Flora anagoria.JPG|thumb|left|upright|''Portrait of a Woman'' by [[Bartolomeo Veneto]], traditionally presumed to be Lucrezia Borgia]]
Lucrezia was described as having heavy [[blonde hair]] that fell past her knees, a beautiful complexion, [[hazel eyes]] that changed colour, a full, high bosom, and a natural grace that made her appear to "walk on air".<ref>[[George R. Marek|Marek, George R.]] (1976) ''[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ZZCEAAAAIAAJ&newbks=0&hl=en&source=newbks_fb&redir_esc=y The Bed and the Throne: the Life of Isabella d'Este].'' [[Harper (publisher)|Harper & Row]]. {{ISBN|978-0-06-012810-4}}. p. 142.</ref> In another description, the author wrote that "her mouth is rather large, the teeth brilliantly white, her neck is slender and fair, and the bust is admirably proportioned."<ref>''[[The Times]]'' Arts section p. 14, 31 January 2011.</ref> These physical attributes were highly appreciated in Italy due to the similarity of her description with that of the Roman goddess of arts and war, [[Minerva]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}}

One painting, ''Portrait of a Youth'' by [[Dosso Dossi]] at the [[National Gallery of Victoria]], was identified as a portrait of Lucrezia in November 2008.<ref>[http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/11/25/1227491521109.html NGV's Renaissance mystery woman revealed], ''[[The Age]]'', 25 November 2008. Retrieved 25 November 2008.</ref><ref>[http://www.theage.com.au/national/portrait-of-renaissance-femme-fatale-lucrezia-borgia-found-at-ngv-20081125-6hh9.html Portrait of Renaissance femme fatale Lucrezia Borgia found at NGV], ''[[The Age]]'', 26 November 2008. Retrieved 26 November 2008.</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Only known painting of Lucrezia Borgia discovered in Australian gallery |newspaper=[[The Times]] |date=25 November 2008 |url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article5227710.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616183143/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article5227710.ece |archive-date=16 June 2011 |url-status=dead}}
</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081203120415/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/11/25/2429076.htm Infamous Renaissance woman subject of mystery portrait] – [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation News]]. 26 November 2008. Retrieved 26 November 2008.</ref><ref>Usher, Robin. [http://www.smh.com.au/news/entertainment/arts/gallery-unveils-portrait-of-infamy/2008/11/25/1227491546419.html Gallery unveils portrait of infamy], ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'', 26 November 2008. Retrieved 26 November 2008.</ref> The portrait had previously been considered to be of a young man, due to the dagger held in the sitter’s hands, but also includes feminine motifs such as the [[myrtle bush]] and flowers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Villis |first=Carl |title=Lucrezia Borgia, Duchess of Ferrara - Dosso DOSSI , Battista DOSSI (attributed to) |url=https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/lucrezia-borgia-duchess-of-ferrara-dosso-dossi-battista-dossi-attributed-to/NgFnnMYAWyTcRA |access-date=2025-11-18 |website=Google Arts & Culture |language=en}}</ref> This painting may be the only surviving formal portrait of Lucrezia Borgia; however, doubts have been cast on that attribution.<ref>[http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/arts/art-detective-says-the-brother-did-it/2008/11/26/1227491634890.html Art detective says the brother did it], ''[[The Age]]'', 27 November 2008.</ref> 

Several other paintings, such as [[Bartolomeo Veneto|Veneto]]'s fanciful portrait, have also been said to depict Lucrezia, but none have been accepted by scholars, at present.{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}}

According to [[Mandell Creighton]] in his ''History of the Papacy'':

{{Quote|"Lucrezia was personally popular through her beauty and her affability. Her long golden hair, her sweet childish face, her pleasant expression and her graceful ways, seem to have struck all who saw her."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Creighton |first=Mandell |url=http://archive.org/details/historyofpapa04crei |title=A history of the papacy during the period of the reformation |date=1882–1894 |publisher= Longmans, Green |location= London |page =20}}</ref>}}

==Legacy== 
[[File:02 Corpus Domini Ferrara - Sala del Coro o sala delle Clarisse - Tombe estensi.jpg|thumb|left|The conjoined tomb of [[Alfonso I d'Este, Duke of Ferrara|Alfonso I d'Este]] and Lucrezia Borgia in Ferrara|301x301px]]
[[File:Firma de “Lucretia de Borgia” en una carta a su cuñada Isabella Gonzaga (marzo de 1519).png|thumb|right|upright|Signature of Lucrezia Borgia in a letter to her sister-in-law Isabella Gonzaga, March 1519]]
Since her death, several rumours surrounding Lucrezia have persisted, primarily concerning the nature of the extravagant parties<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lindberg |first=Carter |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_European_Reformations/LecSEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=The+European+Reformations+3rd+edition&printsec=frontcover |title=The European Reformations |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |year=2021 |isbn=9781119640813 |edition=3rd |location=Chichester, UK |pages=44}}</ref> thrown by the Borgia family. One example is the legendary [[Banquet of Chestnuts]]. Many of these allegations concern accusations of Lucrezia's involvement in [[incest]], [[poisoning]], and murder. For example, it was rumoured that Lucrezia was in possession of a hollow ring that she used to poison drinks. However, no historical basis for these accusations exists, beyond the attacks of her enemies.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pank |first=Phillip |date=5 February 2002 |title=Lucretia Borgia |url=http://www.theguardian.com/news/2002/feb/05/netnotes.philippank |website=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=28 July 2005 |title=A Brief History of Poisoning |url=https://h2g2.com/edited_entry/A4350755 |website=h2g2.com}}</ref>

A modern 20th-century [[:File:Frank Cadogan Cowper - Lucretia Borgia Reigns in the Vatican in the Absence of Pope Alexander VI - Google Art Project.jpg|British painting]] by [[Frank Cadogan Cowper]] that hangs in the [[Tate Britain]] art gallery in London portrays Lucrezia taking the place of her father, Pope Alexander VI, at an official [[Vatican City|Vatican]] meeting. This apparently documents an event, although the moment depicted (a [[Franciscan]] friar kissing Lucrezia's feet) was invented by the artist.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/frank-cadogan-cowper-950|title=Lucretia Borgia Reigns in the Vatican in the Absence of Pope Alexander VI by Frank Cadogan Cowper|work=Tate Britain|access-date=10 July 2023}}</ref>

In 2002 the city of Ferrara celebrated an "Anno di Lucrezia Borgia" to commemorate the 500th anniversary of her arrival as the bride of the future duke.<ref name=":21" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Carroll |first=Rory |date=2002-02-05 |title=Renaissance villain given a makeover |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/feb/05/arts.highereducation |access-date=2025-11-18 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Fletcher |first=Stella |date=2022-07-26 |title=Lucrezia Borgia |url=https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/display/document/obo-9780195399301/obo-9780195399301-0412.xml |access-date=2025-11-18 |website=Oxford Bibliographies |doi=10.1093/obo/9780195399301-0412}}</ref>

==Children==
Lucrezia was mother to seven or eight known children:
# A miscarriage / stillborn daughter (16 February 1499);<ref>[[Johann Burchard|Burchard, Johannes]]. ''Pope Alexander VI and his court; extracts from the Latin diary of Johannes Burchardus.'' New York, F. L. Brown, 1921 p. 105.</ref>
# [[Rodrigo of Aragon]] (1 November 1499 – August 1512), son by Alfonso of Aragon;<ref>[[Johann Burchard|Burchard, Johannes.]] ''Pope Alexander VI and his court; extracts from the Latin diary of Johannes Burchardus'', New York, F. L. Brown, 1921 p. 110</ref>
# A stillborn daughter (1502), first child by d'Este;
# Alessandro d'Este (1505–1505);
# [[Ercole II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara]] (5 April 1508 – 3 October 1559); married to [[Renée of France]], the second daughter of [[Louis XII]], King of France, and [[Anne of Brittany]].<ref name=":17">{{Cite web |last=Benzoni |first=Gino |date=1993 |title=Ercole ii d'este |url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/ercole-ii-d-este_(Dizionario-Biografico)/ |access-date=2025-11-15 |website=Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana fondata da Giovanni Treccani |language=it}}</ref><ref name=":14" />
# [[Ippolito II d'Este]] (25 August 1509 – 1 December 1572). [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milan|Archbishop of Milan]] and later Cardinal;<ref>{{Cite web |title=Èste, Ippolito II d' - Enciclopedia |url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/ippolito-ii-d-este/ |access-date=2025-11-15 |website=Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana fondata da Giovanni Treccani |language=it}}</ref>
# Alessandro d'Este (1514–1516);
# [[Eleonora d'Este (1515–1575)|Leonora d'Este]] (3 July 1515 – 15 July 1575), a nun and composer;<ref>{{Cite web |title=Leonora d'Este |url=https://www.newmusesproject.com/leonora_deste |access-date=2025-11-18 |website=New Muses Project}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Stras |first=Laurie |date=2017-03-10 |title=Sisters doing it for themselves: radical motets from a 16th-century nunnery |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2017/mar/10/radical-motets-from-16th-century-nunnery-musica-secreta-lucrezia-borgia |access-date=2025-11-18 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
# [[Francesco d'Este (1516–1578)|Francesco d'Este]], Marquess of Massalombarda (1 November 1516 – 2 February 1578);<ref>{{Cite web |title=ESTE, Francesco d' - Enciclopedia |url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/francesco-d-este_(Dizionario-Biografico)/ |access-date=2025-11-15 |website=Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana fondata da Giovanni Treccani |language=it}}</ref>
# Isabella Maria d'Este (born and died on 14 June 1519).<ref>{{cite book|title=Lucrezia Borgia |first=Ferdinand |last=Gregorovius |author-link=Ferdinand Gregorovius |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f4IvCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA292 |isbn=9783954554195 |page=292|date=14 August 2012 |publisher=dearbooks. in Europäischer Literaturverlag GmbH }}</ref> Complications at birth caused the death of Lucrezia ten days later.

[[Giovanni Borgia (1498)|Giovanni Borgia]], "''infans Romanus''" ("Child of Rome," c. 1498–1548) had his paternity acknowledged by Alexander and Cesare, in two Papal bulls, but it was rumoured that he was the child of Lucrezia and Pedro Calderon. The child (identified, in later life, as Lucrezia's half-brother) was most likely the result of a liaison between [[Pope Alexander VI|Rodrigo Borgia]] (Pope Alexander VI, Lucrezia's father) and an unknown mistress and was not Lucrezia's child.<ref name=":13" />

The Italian historian [[Maria Bellonci]] claims that Lucrezia gave birth to three children who did not survive infancy, one by Alfonso of Aragon and two by Alfonso d'Este. She is also thought to have had at least four miscarriages.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Bradford |first=Sarah |title=Lucrezia Borgia: Life, Love and Death in Renaissance Italy |publisher=Penguin Books |year=2005 |pages=46}}</ref>

==Archives==

* 290 letters dating from the time of Lucrazia's marriage to Alfonso I d'Este, held at the State Archives of [[Modena]], were digitised by Haltadefinizione in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Digitized Archival Treasures: The Letters of Lucrezia Borgia |url=https://www.haltadefinizione.com/en/news-and-media/news/digitization-lucrezia-borgia-letters/ |access-date=2025-11-18 |website=Haltadefinizione |language=en}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
{{More citations needed section|date=November 2025}}

===Literature and opera===
* [[Friedrich Maximilian Klinger|F. M. Klinger]]'s 1791 novel ''{{interlanguage link|Fausts Leben, Thaten und Höllenfahrt|de}}'' features an episode in which the Borgias figure, including an affair between [[Faust]] and Lucrezia.{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}}
* French author [[Victor Hugo]] wrote in 1833 the stage play [[Lucrezia Borgia (play)|''Lucrèce Borgia'']], which portrays her negatively.<ref name=":12" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Bruner |first=James Dowden |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Studies_in_Victor_Hugo_s_Dramatic_Charac/z9rtAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Lucrezia+Borgia&dq=Lucrezia+Borgia&printsec=frontcover |title=Studies in Victor Hugo's Dramatic Characters |date=1908 |publisher=Ginn |pages=130 |language=en}}</ref>
* Victor Hugo's [[Lucrezia Borgia (play)|play]] was transformed into a [[libretto]] by [[Felice Romani]] for [[Gaetano Donizetti|Donizetti]]'s opera, ''[[Lucrezia Borgia (opera)|Lucrezia Borgia]]'' (1834), first performed at [[La Scala]], Milan, 26 December 1833.<ref>[[William Ashbrook|Ashbrook, William]] and Hibberd, Sarah. (2001) in [[Amanda Holden (writer)|Holden, Amanda]] (Ed.), ''The New Penguin Opera Guide'', New York: Penguin Putnam, p. 234. {{ISBN|0-14-029312-4}}.</ref><ref>Modi, Sorab. (1997) [https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA20039290&sid=googleScholar&v=2.1&it=r&linkaccess=abs&issn=00303607&p=AONE&sw=w "Donizetti: Lucrezia Borgia."] ''Opera News.'' 62 ('''6''') pp. 75-77. Retrieved 17 November 2025.</ref>
* In 1912, the British author Margaret Gabrielle Vere Long, who wrote under the [[pseudonym]] [[Marjorie Bowen]], published a short story called ''Twilight: Lucrezia Borgia, Duchess d'Este,'' a fictional account of the last moments of Lucrezia Borgia's life.<ref name="Twilight by Marjorie Bowen (Online Text)">{{cite web |title=Twilight by Marjorie Bowen (Online Text) |date=11 April 2025 |url=https://www.steve-calvert.co.uk/twilight-marjorie-bowen-online-text/}}</ref>
* The Dutch writer [[Louis Couperus]] published a story called ''Lucrezia'' in 1920 that takes place between the death of her second husband and the marriage of her third.<ref>{{cite book |first=Marijke |last=Stapert-Eggen |title=Repertorium Louis Couperus |location=Amsterdam |year=1992 |publisher=Overzicht |page=133 |language=nl}}</ref>
* The 1947 historical novel ''[[Prince of Foxes]]'' by [[Samuel Shellabarger]] describes the adventures of the fictional Andrea Orsini, a captain in the service of Cesare Borgia, during his conquest of the [[Romagna]]; it was made into a [[Prince of Foxes (film)|film of the same name]] in 1949, starring [[Orson Welles]] and [[Tyrone Power]].<ref>{{tcmdb title|id=87136|title=Prince of Foxes}}</ref>
* [[Jean Plaidy]]'s two 1958 novels ''Madonna of the Seven Hills'' and ''Light on Lucrezia'' follow the story of Lucrezia and her entanglement with her father and brothers.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/NB1/a-novel-of-the-borgias |title=A Novel of the Borgias |website=Penguin Random House|access-date=2019-04-05}}</ref>
* Lucrezia, Cesare and Alexander play key roles in [[Cecelia Holland]]'s 1979 historical novel ''[[City of God (Holland novel)|City of God: A Novel of the Borgias]]''.<ref name="Maclaine">{{cite web |url=http://www.historicalnovels.info/City-of-God.html |title=''City of God'' by Cecelia Holland |first=David |last=Maclaine |website=Historicalnovels.info |access-date=5 September 2014}}</ref>
* In [[Roberta Gellis]]'s 2003 novel ''Lucrezia Borgia and the Mother of Poisons'' ({{ISBN|9780765306616}}), Alfonso d'Este of Ferrara accuses Lucrezia of murder, and she must solve the crime and expose the true murderer.{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}}

===In fiction===
{{Advert|section|date=June 2025}}
* In the [[Marvel Comics]] comic book ''[[West Coast Avengers|Avengers West Coast]]'' No. 98 (September 1993), the demon Satannish resurrected Borgia as the supervillain Cyana. As a nod to her reputation for poisoning her lovers in life, Cyana could fatally poison people with sharpened nails or a kiss.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/cyana.htm|title=Cyana (Lucrezia Borgia, Lethal Legion) }}</ref>
* ''[[The Family (Puzo novel)|The Family]]'' by [[Mario Puzo]]; published October 2001 {{ISBN|0-06-103242-5}}
* [[Gregory Maguire]] retells the story of [[Snow White]] with Lucrezia as the woman who poisons her, in his novel ''[[Mirror, Mirror (novel)|Mirror, Mirror]]''; published October 2003 {{ISBN|0-06-039384-X}}
* ''[[The Borgia Bride]]'' by [[Jeanne Kalogridis]]; published 31 January 2005
* [[Kathleen McGowan]] refers to "Lucrece", as one of the many unjustly [[Vilification|vilified]] women, in her book ''The Expected One''. She refers in particular to [[Frank Cadogan Cowper]]'s painting ''Lucretia Borgia Reigns in the Vatican in the Absence of Pope Alexander VI'' on display at the [[Tate Britain|Tate Gallery]] in London.<ref>[[Kathleen McGowan|McGowan, Kathleen]]. (2007) ''The Expected One.'' p. 190. {{ISBN|9780765306616}}.</ref>
* ''Lucrezia Borgia, A Novel'' by John Faunce; {{ISBN|9780307557636}}; Crown 2010
* ''Blood and Beauty'' by [[Sarah Dunant]]; {{ISBN|1-443-40644-9}}; {{ISBN|978-1-44340-644-4}}; Harper Collins Publishers Ltd 2013
* ''The Pope's Daughter'' by [[Dario Fo]], translated from [[Italian language|Italian]] by Antony Shugaar; {{ISBN|978-1-60945-274-2}}. Translation by Europa Editions 2015
* ''The Vatican Princess'' by [[C.W. Gortner]]; published 9 February 2016
* ''In the Name of the Family'' by [[Sarah Dunant]]; {{ISBN|978-1-84408-746-4}}; [[Virago Press]] 2017
*In the fictional [[fantasy]] universe ''[[Warhammer Fantasy (setting)|Warhammer Fantasy]]'', the character Lucrezzia Belladonna is a reference to Lucrezia Borgia. Lucrezzia is known for having poisoned several of her former lovers.

===Film and television===
* [[File:Lucrezia Borgia (1922) poster.jpg|thumb|German poster for ''[[Lucrezia Borgia (1922 film)|Lucrezia Borgia]]'' (1922)]]German [[Silent film|silent]] [[historical film]] ''[[Lucrezia Borgia (1922 film)|Lucrezia Borgia]]'' (1922) is based on the life of Lucrezia,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Klossner |first=Michael |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Europe_of_1500_1815_on_Film_and_Tele/IWVZAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Lucrezia+Borgia&dq=Lucrezia+Borgia&printsec=frontcover |title=The Europe of 1500-1815 on Film and Television: A Worldwide Filmography of Over 2550 Works, 1895 Through 2000 |date=2002 |publisher=McFarland & Company |isbn=978-0-7864-1223-5 |pages=230 |language=en}}</ref> who is played by [[Liane Haid]]. [[Cesare Borgia]] is portrayed by [[Conrad Veidt]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Soister |first=John T. |url=https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Conrad_Veidt_on_Screen/7ZZZAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Lucrezia+Borgia&dq=Lucrezia+Borgia&printsec=frontcover |title=Conrad Veidt on Screen: A Comprehensive Illustrated Filmography |last2=Battle |first2=Pat Wilks |date=2002 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-1289-1 |pages=88 |language=en}}</ref>
* Lucrezia ([[Estelle Taylor]]) and Cesare ([[Warner Oland]]) Borgia are the major antagonists in [[Alan Crosland]]'s 1926 silent film ''[[Don Juan (1926 film)|Don Juan]]'', starring [[John Barrymore]].<ref>{{AFI film|3803|Don Juan}}.</ref>
* Lucrezia is the subject of [[Abel Gance]]'s film ''[[Lucrezia Borgia (1935 film)|Lucrezia Borgia]]'' (1935)<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://brightlightsfilm.com/behind-brocade-abel-gances-lucrezia-borgia/ |title=Behind the Brocade: Abel Gance's Lucrezia Borgia |last=Keser |first=Robert |date=2 July 2001 |website=Bright Lights Film Journal|access-date=2019-04-05}}</ref> and of [[Lucrèce Borgia|a 1953 French film]], played by [[Martine Carol]].<ref>{{tcmdb title|id=82169|title=Lucrèce Borgia}}.</ref>
* Lucrezia is the ''[[Bride of Vengeance]]'' (1949), played by [[Paulette Goddard]], with [[Macdonald Carey]] in the role of Cesare Borgia, and [[John Lund (actor)|John Lund]] playing Alfonso d'Este (Duke of Ferrara).<ref>{{cite news |last=Crowther |first=Bosley |author-link=Bosley Crowther |title=THE SCREEN IN REVIEW; Paulette Goddard, Macdonald Carey Play Borgias in 'Bride of Vengeance,' at Paramount |url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9F07E3DE123CE53ABC4F53DFB2668382659EDE |date=7 April 1949 |access-date=20 January 2018 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Denton |first=C. S. |title=Ruthless Rulers: The Real Lives of Europe's Most Infamous Tyrants |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vQseDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT473 |publisher=Arcturus Publishing |date=29 July 2016 |page=473 |isbn=9781784285241}}</ref>
* In [[Walerian Borowczyk]]'s 1973 feature film ''[[Immoral Tales (film)|Immoral Tales]]'', Lucrezia is played by Florence Bellamy.{{cn|date=December 2024}}
* In the Italian movie ''[[Lucrezia giovane]]'' ("Young Lucrezia") that was written and directed in 1974 by [[Luciano Ercoli]] (as André Colbert), Lucrezia was played by [[Simonetta Stefanelli]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071783/|title=Lucrezia giovane|date=23 August 1974|publisher=IMDb}}</ref>
* In the 1981 BBC series, ''[[The Borgias (1981 TV series)|The Borgias]]'', Lucrezia was played by [[Anne-Louise Lambert]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1981/10/07/The-Borgias-new-BBC-TV-series-a-study-in-harsh-reality/7184371275200/ |title='The Borgias' – new BBC TV series a study in harsh reality |last=Musel |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Musel |date=7 October 1981 |work=United Press International |access-date=2019-04-05}}</ref>
* In the 1982 feature film ''[[The Secret Nights of Lucrezia Borgia]]'' of director [[Roberto Bianchi Montero]], Lucrezia is played by [[Sirpa Lane]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Stephen |last=Thrower |author-link=Stephen Thrower |title=Beyond terror: the films of Lucio Fulci |publisher=FAB Press |year=1999 |page=291 |isbn=9780952926054}}</ref>
* She is featured as a major plot point in the 1994 TV movie ''[[The Shaggy Dog (1994 film)|The Shaggy Dog]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UuMCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA123 |title=John Leonard's TV notes |magazine=[[New York (magazine)|New York]] |date=14 November 1994}}</ref> A portrait of her, along with a display case of her rings are featured in a local museum along with a legend that she had written spells to turn her lovers into dogs. The legend is revealed to be true as the main character accidentally casts one on himself while holding one of her rings and reading its inscription.{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}}
* In the pilot episode of the [[SyFy]] series ''[[Warehouse 13 (TV series)|Warehouse 13]]'', a jewelled comb, purported to have been created for her by an [[Alchemy|alchemist]], is used by an [[Iowa]] lawyer to hypnotize several individuals into causing acts of violence.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1417762/?ref_=ttep_ep1|title=Pilot|publisher=[[IMDb]]|date=7 July 2009}}</ref>
* In the video game ''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]'', Lucrezia is in an incestuous relationship with her brother Cesare. She is taken hostage by the main character, [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze|Ezio Auditore]], and reappears later, a changed woman.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/996093-assassins-creed-brotherhood/57295056?page=5 |title=Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia ewwww (minor spoilers) |website=[[GameSpot]]|access-date=2019-04-05}}</ref>
* Lucrezia is played by [[Holliday Grainger]] in the 2011–2013 [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]]/[[CTV Drama Channel|Bravo]] TV series ''[[The Borgias (2011 TV series)|The Borgias]]'', which explores a theme of incest with Cesare, despite lack of historical evidence for such events.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/redeye/ct-redeye-xpm-2013-04-28-38882993-story.html |title=Francois Arnaud talks sibling love in 'The Borgias' |last=Wagner |first=Curt |date=28 April 2013 |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |access-date=2019-04-05}}</ref> Her character is portrayed not as a ruthless murderer, but initially as a compassionate and sweet young girl who suffers from her family's ambitions, both struggling against and eventually aiding them.
* In the [[Canal+ (French TV channel)|Canal+]] television series ''[[Borgia (TV series)|Borgia]]'', Lucrezia is portrayed by German actress [[Isolda Dychauk]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://theborgiabull.com/2013/05/03/an-interview-with-isolda-dychauk/ |title=An Interview With Isolda Dychauk |date=3 May 2013 |website=The Borgia Bull|access-date=2019-04-05}}</ref>
* In Season 1, Episode 7 of the television series'' [[The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends]]'', Mr. Peabody and his boy Sherman travel back in time to rescue Lucrezia's then-husband from being poisoned by her cooking.{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}}
* Lucrezia is mentioned in Season 1, episode 1 of ''[[My Three Sons]]''.{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}}
* In the 1989 BBC television series ''[[Blackadder Goes Forth]]'', the title character makes an offhand comment about Lucrezia throwing a "wine and anthrax party", presumably referring to the rumours that persist around the Borgia families' extravagant parties.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-03-28 |title=Blackadder Series 4 Episode 1 - Captain Cook Full Script |url=https://blackadderquotes.com/blackadder-series-4-episode-1-captain-cook-full-script |access-date=2023-09-25 |website=Blackadder Quotes |language=en-US}}</ref>
* [[Martha Howe-Douglas]] played Lucrezia Borgia in an episode of ''[[Horrible Histories (2009 TV series)|Horrible Histories]]'' which features a parody of ''[[The Addams Family (1964 TV series)|The Addams Family]]'' [[The Addams Family Theme|theme]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}}

===Music===
* English rock band [[The Sisters of Mercy]] reference Lucrezia as "Lucretia" in their 1988 single "[[Lucretia My Reflection]]", released as the third and final single from their second studio album, ''[[Floodland (album)|Floodland]].''{{Citation needed|date=November 2025}}

* The [[Megadeth]] song "Lucretia", which appears on their 1990 album ''[[Rust in Peace]]'', is inspired by Lucrezia Borgia.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dave Mustaine-Answering fan's question about Lucretia | website=[[YouTube]] | date=21 December 2008 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7d16vzn1Uo}}</ref>

* The [[Hatsune Miku]] & [[Kaito (software)|KAITO]] song "Cantarella" by WhiteFlame is based on Lucrezia Borgia and her brother Cesare Borgia.{{cn|date=April 2025}}

==See also==
* [[Castello Borgia]]
* [[Felice della Rovere]]
* [[Route of the Borgias]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Further reading===
* ''The Life of Cesare Borgia'' by [[Rafael Sabatini]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sabatini |first=Rafael |url=http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3467 |title=The Life of Cesare Borgia |language=en |access-date=2019-04-05 |via=Project Gutenberg}}</ref>
* ''Lucrezia Borgia: Life, Love And Death in Renaissance Italy'' by [[Sarah Bradford]]; Viking 2004; {{ISBN|0-670-03353-7}}
* ''Lucrezia Borgia: A Biography'' by Rachel Erlanger; 1978; {{ISBN|0-8015-4725-3}}
* ''Lucrezia Borgia'' by [[Maria Bellonci]]; Phoenix 2002; {{ISBN|978-1-84212-616-5}}
* ''The Borgias'' (1971) by Michael Mallett
* ''Lucretia Borgia'' (1874) by [[Ferdinand Gregorovius]] (Author); translated in 1903 by John Leslie Garner
* ''The Borgias'' by [[Christopher Hibbert]]; Constable 2011; {{ISBN|978-1-84901-994-1}}
* ''The Borgias: The Hidden History'' by [[G. J. Meyer|G.J. Meyer]]; Bantam Books 2013; {{ISBN|978-0-345-52692-2}}
* ''Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia: Brother & Sister of History's Most Vilified Family'' by Samantha Morris, 2020.

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150628004204/http://www.kleio.org/en/history/famtree/sforza/222.html Lucrezia Borgia: The Family Tree in Pictures]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20161222114536/http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0078627/ Lucrezia Borgia] on [[IMDb]]
* [https://sites.google.com/site/diarioborjaborgia/Home Diario De Los Borja Borgia]
{{S-start}}
{{s-hou|[[House of Borgia]]|18 April|1480|24 June|1519}}
{{S-roy}}
{{S-break}}
{{S-vac|last=Maddalena Gonzaga}}
{{S-ttl|title=Lady consort of [[Pesaro]] and [[Gradara]]|years=12 June 1492 – 20 December 1497}}
{{S-vac|next=Ginevra Tiepolo}}
{{S-break}}
{{S-vac|last=[[Eleanor of Naples, Duchess of Ferrara|Eleanor of Naples]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Duchess consort of Ferrara]], [[Duchess consort of Modena|Modena and Reggio]]|years=25 January 1505 – 24 June 1519}}
{{S-vac|next=[[Renée of France]]}}
{{S-break}}
{{S-end}}
{{Princesses of Modena by marriage}}
{{Ducal consorts of Modena}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Borgia, Lucrezia}}
[[Category:Lucrezia Borgia| ]]
[[Category:1480 births]]
[[Category:1519 deaths]]
[[Category:15th-century Italian nobility]]
[[Category:16th-century Italian nobility]]
[[Category:15th-century Italian women]]
[[Category:16th-century Italian women writers]]
[[Category:16th-century letter writers]]
[[Category:16th-century Italian writers]]
[[Category:People from Subiaco, Lazio]]
[[Category:House of Borgia|Lucrezia Borgia]]
[[Category:House of Sforza]]
[[Category:House of Trastámara|Lucrezia]]
[[Category:Italian people of Spanish descent]]
[[Category:Italian people of Lombard descent]]
[[Category:Countesses in Italy]]
[[Category:Princesses in Italy]]
[[Category:Duchesses of Ferrara|Lucrezia]]
[[Category:Duchesses of Modena|Lucrezia]]
[[Category:Duchesses of Reggio|Lucrezia]]
[[Category:Women and the papacy]]
[[Category:Illegitimate children of Pope Alexander VI]]
[[Category:Italian Renaissance people]]
[[Category:Deaths in childbirth]]
[[Category:Burials at the Corpus Domini Monastery, Ferrara]]
[[Category:Renaissance women]]
[[Category:Italian patrons of the arts]]
[[Category:Mothers of Italian monarchs]]