It is true that the first names that come to our minds whenever the infamous last name 'Borgia' is mentioned, are often la bella Lucrezia, her fiercy brother Cesare and, naturally, their father, Pope Alexander VI. In pop culture, we have seen these three portrayed in movies and series, the most recent of them entitled "The Borgias", which helped in expanding their fame as the most corrupt family of Christianity to the lay people, especially by spreading the false rumour of whether Lucrezia and Cesare were actually lovers.
But, if by one side, in a positive observation, this explosion of the Borgias could culminate in curiosity that could be satisfied by an attempt of understanding who they were as historical persons and human beings; by the other, to few this curiosity will lead to another brother that was not rewarded with the same eager and feisty that characterized both Lucrezia and Cesare. So our question is: who was the real Giovanni Borgia? Was he just as fierce and temperamental as Cesare or was he another man of his time, but added with the flames of the Renaissance of the 15th century that many find such embodiment in the figure of Lucrezia? Perhaps he was a mid-term? It is in our hopes to enlight about this forgotten duke of Gandia and his contribution for Italy towards the end of Middle Ages.
Unfortunately, we come to find very little about him on the internet in general. But even with few informations, we can, nonetheless, try to sketch his way of life. Giovanni, probably born around the year of 1476, was born to the then Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia, before his rising as Pope Alexander VI, and one of his many mistresses, Vannozza dei Cattanei. Apparently he was the first son of Borgia, and although named Giovanni, he would be also known as Juan, the equivalent of his Italian name in Spanish.
There is nothing about his early life or youth, but according to one of the several biographies written about his younger sister, the infamous Lucrezia Borgia, it seemed Giovanni, who was created 2nd duke of Gandia, was his father's favourite for a while.
He was married to Maria Enriquez de Luna, who was the betrothed of his deceased older half-brother Pedro Luis, and with her, the couple had:
In the next paragraphs we can have a better idea of how Cesare was related to Giovanni's murder, and also how this sad event occurred.
At first, the Orsinis, a traditional and one of the most powerful families of Italy in those days, were the suspects, before going straight to Cesare Borgia. The reason? Mainly jealousy, the desire to inherite his brother's lands or perhaps to run away from his duties to the Church. Nevertheless, others who were seen as suspicious included another old Italian aristocratic family: the Sforzas. After the failure that the marriage of Lucrezia to the son of that family came to, there would be bad blood between the families and suddenly they could have good reason to vanish with Giovanni.
Whoever committed the murder we will never know. A week later, though, the Pope stopped with the investigations. The reason for that it will never be clear, but historians believe he might have come to find the truth and preferred to be discret in dealing with it. It could be a possibility. What it is sad is that there is so little about this character, shadowed by the fame of his siblings. Perhaps the only thing he could do to match them was to be part of a tragic end, a controversy that would always be part to the components of the infamous Borgia dynasty.
Bibliography:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Borgia,_2nd_Duke_of_Gandia
http://loyaltybindsme.blogspot.com.br/2012/06/death-of-juan-borgia.html
http://www.kleio.org/en/history/famtree/vip/buch2-318/
Unfortunately, we come to find very little about him on the internet in general. But even with few informations, we can, nonetheless, try to sketch his way of life. Giovanni, probably born around the year of 1476, was born to the then Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia, before his rising as Pope Alexander VI, and one of his many mistresses, Vannozza dei Cattanei. Apparently he was the first son of Borgia, and although named Giovanni, he would be also known as Juan, the equivalent of his Italian name in Spanish.
There is nothing about his early life or youth, but according to one of the several biographies written about his younger sister, the infamous Lucrezia Borgia, it seemed Giovanni, who was created 2nd duke of Gandia, was his father's favourite for a while.
He was married to Maria Enriquez de Luna, who was the betrothed of his deceased older half-brother Pedro Luis, and with her, the couple had:
"...three children: twins Juan de Borja y Enriquez (known as Juan Borgia, father of Francis Borgia, 4th Duke of Gandía), who became the 3rd Duke of Gandía, and Francisca de Jesús Borja, who became a nun at a convent in Valladolid. The younger Juan was the father of Saint Francis Borgia. Their third child, Isabel de Borja y Enriquez, was born after her father was killed: she grew up to be abbess of Santa Clara in Gandia."No further information could be reached concerning Giovanni Borgia's life in general, whether be in English or Spanish, except one about his death. Throughout history, when the Borgias constituted a dubious fame of how corrupt they could have been, whenever our duke of Ganida was remembered amongst his two famous siblings, the already mentioned Lucrezia, and Cesare Borgia, it was so because this latter was reportedly to have murdered him. If not by him, Cesare was suspicious of at least having sent someone to take the life of his own brother. The cause? Some can be argued, but never with certain.
In the next paragraphs we can have a better idea of how Cesare was related to Giovanni's murder, and also how this sad event occurred.
"The story goes that on that very same afternoon, he and Cesare had eaten supper with their mother Vanozza in her country villa at Monte Martino dei Monti and they returned as night was falling. As they reached the bridge leading to the Castel Sant Angelo, Juan told his brother that he would leave him there as he needed to go somewhere on his own. Despite protestations that the streets of Rome were too dangerous for a man who had as many enemies as Juan did, all Juan would do is send a groom back to his rooms to fetch his light armour, and that he would meet the groom at the Piazza Judea. And as Cesare, and his cousin also named Juan Borgia (the younger) took the leave, Juan turned his mule towards the Ghetto. As he rode away, a masked man appeared behind him and they rode off together."It also continues, stating that:
"Juan's disappearance was not reported until the next day but the Pope, Juan and Cesare's father was not overly worried. After all Juan was known for his amours. But as the day wore on and Juan still did not appear he [the Pope] began to panic, (...) sent for Cesare and demanded to know where Juan was. Cesare told his father what he had heard from the groom, And Pope Alexander, mad with terror, demanded a search to be made."Apparently, a body was spotted at the river Tiber by a man named Giorgio Schiavi, who told the authorities that he gave little importance to the matter only because he was used to see bodies being constantly thrown at the river. So following this statement, the men who were sent after Giovanni:
"(...) were ordered to search the river and promised a reward. Around midday, a fisherman brought up the body of a young man, fully clothed, with his gloves stillon and a purse hung from his belt carrying 30 ducats. He was covered in stab wounds, 9 counted in total across his neck, head body and legs. It was Juan Borgia."He was later taken to Castel Sant Angelo, where he was cleaned before the funeral procession began at the Church of Santa Maria del Apolo. The Pope did not, reportedly, show at it because he was too understandably distressed to attend the ceremony, having shut himself for a few days. And when he returned to the public, he apparently announced solemnly his son's death and from that moment on, rumours spread across Rome and all Italy, questioning who had reasons to kill Giovanni Borgia.
At first, the Orsinis, a traditional and one of the most powerful families of Italy in those days, were the suspects, before going straight to Cesare Borgia. The reason? Mainly jealousy, the desire to inherite his brother's lands or perhaps to run away from his duties to the Church. Nevertheless, others who were seen as suspicious included another old Italian aristocratic family: the Sforzas. After the failure that the marriage of Lucrezia to the son of that family came to, there would be bad blood between the families and suddenly they could have good reason to vanish with Giovanni.
Whoever committed the murder we will never know. A week later, though, the Pope stopped with the investigations. The reason for that it will never be clear, but historians believe he might have come to find the truth and preferred to be discret in dealing with it. It could be a possibility. What it is sad is that there is so little about this character, shadowed by the fame of his siblings. Perhaps the only thing he could do to match them was to be part of a tragic end, a controversy that would always be part to the components of the infamous Borgia dynasty.
Bibliography:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Borgia,_2nd_Duke_of_Gandia
http://loyaltybindsme.blogspot.com.br/2012/06/death-of-juan-borgia.html
http://www.kleio.org/en/history/famtree/vip/buch2-318/
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