In Western European culture, Lucretia is portrayed as the embodiment of evil, thanks to the play by Victor Hugo "Lucrezia Borgia". This woman had a tremendous influence on the life of Italian society in the Middle Ages.
Lucrezia Borgia, illegitimate daughter of Pope Alexander VI, a woman who has been married three times, a pawn in the hands of her father, was born on April 18, 1480 in a place called Subiaco. The father gave the girl to be raised by his cousin Adriana de Mila. She did a good job on a relative of Adriana: the girl spoke different languages well, danced well and understood the sciences. Such education later helped Lucretia to become an influential person. By the age of 13, the girl was betrothed twice, but it never came to the wedding.
Personal life of the Italian beauty
For the first time, Lucrezia married Giovanni Sforza in 1493 at the behest of her father. Pope Alexander VI received an advantageous relationship with the nephew of the Milan ruler, and Giovanni, in addition to the bride, 31 thousand ducats and a place in the papal army. However, this marriage did not last long. Due to changes in the political situation, the pope was forced to ask for consent to divorce, explaining this by the fact that Lucretia remained a virgin. The inability of a husband to fulfill marital obligations in the Middle Ages was one of the few reasons for divorce. Although Giovanni feared shame, he signed the necessary papers, and the marriage was declared invalid in December 1497. The offended Sforza could not stand the offense and spread the rumor about Lucretia's intimacy with her father. The second husband of Lucretia was the illegitimate son of the King of Naples, Alfonso of Aragon. Soon, the friendship of the Borgia with the French alerted Alfonso's father, and the husband had to leave his wife for a while.
Career and intrigue
Lucretia inherited from Alexander VI the castle of Neli and the post of governor in the town of Spoleto. There she proved herself to be a good manager, ending the feud between the inhabitants of Spoleto and the neighboring village. Later, when the alliance with Naples lost its necessity, the bastard is killed, and the widow is sent to the Vatican to serve in the papal chancellery. Thinking about a new marriage, the Pope finds the daughter of a new groom - Alfonso d'Este. Doubts about marriage, caused by Lucrezia's bad reputation, disappeared thanks to the intervention of the French king Louis XII and a dowry of 100 thousand ducats. However, Lucretia was still able to win the favor of her husband and his family. So, even after the marriage lost its political value, Alfonso d'Este remained with his wife, although he had the opportunity to get rid of her. After the death of his father in 1505, Alfonso became a duke and was often absent on business. At this time, the Duchess took the estate into her own hands and once again showed her talent as a steward. Lucretia was in poor health, and therefore most of her pregnancies ended in miscarriages. But despite this, she brought d'Este an heir - Ercole II d'Este and several more children who survived after a difficult birth. In June 1519, after a premature birth and severe pregnancy, Lucretia dies before she reaches 40 years of age.
