Did Lucrezia Borgia earn her notorious reputation?
Italian noblewoman Lucrezia Borgia (1480–1519) is considered one the most notorious figures in European history. According to legend, she engaged in numerous crimes and vices, such as conspiring in family plots to kill political enemies and having sexual relationships with her father and brother. Although historians have found no basis for most of these stories, they are certain that Lucrezia’s corrupt family used her as a tool to advance their political schemes. Lucrezia Borgia was the illegitimate daughter of Rodrigo Borgia (1431–1503), who later became Pope Alexander VI and took advantage of his position as head of the Roman Catholic Church at Rome to establish an empire in northern and central Italy. Her brother, Cesare Borgia (1476–1507), capitalized on their father’s influence to gain power for himself. When Alexander became pope in…
