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Vannozza dei Cattanei

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Vannozza dei Cattanei
Born
Giovanna dei Cattanei

(1442-07-13)13 July 1442
Mantua, Margraviate of Mantua
Died24 November 1518(1518-11-24) (aged 76)
Rome, Papal States
NationalityItalian
Spouses
  • Domenico d'Arignano
  • Giorgio di Croce
  • Carlo Canale
PartnerCardinal Rodrigo de Borgia, later Pope Alexander VI (lover)
ChildrenBy Pope Alexander VI
Cesare Borgia
Giovanni Borgia
Lucrezia Borgia
Goffredo Borgia
By Giorgio di Croce
Ottavio[1] di Croce

Giovanna "Vannozza" (dei) Cattanei (13 July 1442 – 24 November 1518)[2] was an Italian woman who was the chief mistress of Cardinal Rodrigo de Borgia, later to become Pope Alexander VI.[3]

Early life

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Little is known about Vannozza's early life. What is certain is that she was born on 13 July 1442 to parents of Lombard origin (almost certainly from Mantua). From documents of the time it is understood that her mother was named Menica and that in 1483, already elderly, she was the widow of a certain Jacopo Cattanei, a painter by profession and of minor nobility, who was probably the brother or brother-in-law of Andrea da Brescia, a marble worker.[4]

According to some historians, she was born in Rome,[5][6][7] even if some diarists of the time defined her as "the furrier of Mantua",[7] as Vannozza probably grew up in a family of Lombard painters, marble workers, engineers and decorators who moved to Rome to work in the cardinals' palaces.[5] In Rome, Vannozza worked as an innkeeper, managing some of the most famous and popular inns in the city, such as the Leone o dell'Angelo in the Borgo district. Among these, the best known was the Locanda del Gallo or della Vacca, in the vicolo del Gallo, a few steps from Campo de' Fiori, frequented by high-ranking people who loved to entertain themselves with the numerous prostitutes in Vannozza's service; in addition, she lent money on interest.[8]

Commentators of the time spoke of her as a woman of great beauty, with blond hair, light eyes, endowed with a disturbing charm and an opulent beauty, in line with the aesthetic canons of the period.[9]

Cardinal Borgia's lover and marriages

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There is no certain information on how and when Rodrigo and Vannozza met. Between 1465 and 1469, she met Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia, about ten years older than her, who had risen to the position of vice-chancellor of the Holy Roman Church at only 26 years of age through the intercession of his uncle, Pope Callixtus III. She established a long relationship with him, first sentimental and then emotional. Despite her position as the recognized and respected lover of one of the most powerful cardinals of the Church of Rome, Vannozza necessarily had to have a legitimate husband. Rodrigo therefore took care of this personally, arranging all the marriages that the woman contracted during her life to his liking.

Thus in 1474, at the age of 32, Vannozza married the apostolic official Domenico Giannozzo, lord of Arignano, who was about fifty years old.[10] In 1475 Vannozza gave birth to her first son, Cesare, Borgia's second son since he was born after Pier Luigi de Borgia, whom Borgia had had around 1458 from an unknown woman. Her relationship with Borgia was intense, almost daily, as demonstrated by the second pregnancy that Vannozza faced a few months after the birth of Cesare: in 1476, having been widowed by Domenico Giannozzo, she gave Borgia another son, Giovanni.

Shortly afterwards Rodrigo arranged for her to marry Giorgio della Croce, of Milanese origins, appointed by Borgia as apostolic secretary to Pope Sixtus IV. During this period Vannozza's wealth increased considerably thanks not only to the favours she enjoyed as the concubine of the very powerful Spanish cardinal, but also to her undoubted business acumen, which allowed her to make always advantageous and profitable investments. Her husband at that time was also wealthy, the owner of a splendid villa with a garden near the church of San Pietro in Vincoli, on the Esquiline Hill.[11] This residence remained for a long time one of the places most closely linked to Vannozza's name and memory.

When, towards the end of 1479, Vannozza learned that she was pregnant again, she decided to go and spend the rest of her pregnancy in the Borgia fortress in Subiaco, where on 18 April of the following year she gave birth to Lucrezia, destined to become one of the leading figures of an entire era, discussed and controversial like few other figures of those years. A year later, in 1481, Vannozza gave birth to Goffredo, the last of the children she would give to Borgia, although the frequentation between her and Borgia became more sporadic, so much so that Borgia, although recognizing the son, always suspected that he was in reality the son of Vannozza's legitimate husband, Giorgio della Croce.

After her relationship with Borgia ended, Vannozza was able to devote herself more attention to her married life: thus around 1482 Ottaviano, son of Giorgio della Croce, was born, but in 1486, within a few days of each other, both her husband and son died.[10] At 44 years of age, Vannozza was once again a widow. Borgia did not lose heart and in a few weeks he once again arranged the marriage of the mother of many of his children, planning for her what would have been by far the most successful union. On 8 June 1486 Vannozza married Carlo Canale (?-1500) from Mantua, a learned humanist, with a profound knowledge of literature and poetry, he had been chamberlain of Cardinal Francesco Gonzaga for many years.[12] The new marriage marked in some way a turning point in Vannozza's life, who together with her husband and children decided to leave the palace in Piazza Pizzo di Merlo, given to her by Borgia at the beginning of their relationship, to move to a new home in Piazza Branca.[13]

During the summer or rest periods, the family loved to stay in a large villa in the Suburra district, today's Monti district, where there is still a staircase called Salita dei Borgia. Carlo Canale soon became genuinely and unconditionally attached to the children of Cardinal Borgia, especially to little Lucrezia, to whom he transmitted all his love for the humanities, initiating her to the study of Greek, Latin, poetry and the arts in general.[14] At this point the strictly sentimental bond between Borgia and Vannozza could be said to have ended. However, in the years to come, a bond of deep affection and esteem would remain between the two, of which the fundamental glue was the visceral love that both felt for their children, even though they were destined to troubled and often painful existences.

American author G. J. Meyer claims that the birth dates of the four in comparison with Alexander's known whereabouts actually preclude him having fathered any of them.[15]

Later life

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After his elevation to the papacy, Borgia's passion for Vannozza somewhat diminished, and she subsequently led a very retired life. However, Borgia's love for his children by Vannozza remained as strong as ever; it proved, indeed, the determining factor of his whole career. He lavished vast sums on them and lauded them with every honour. She, too, remained the matriarch of the Borgia family and influential during the papacy of Rodrigo Borgia.

Vannozza died in 1518 and was buried in the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome.[16]

Arnold Mathew wrote:

"Vannozza breathed her last at Rome, 26 November 1518, at the age of seventy-six. She was buried with conspicuous honours 'almost like a Cardinal' in the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo, near her son, the Duke of Gandia. An official character was imparted to the ceremony by the presence of the papal Court. Pope Leo X in this way recognised Vannozza either as the widow of Alexander VI or as the mother of the Duchess of Ferrara."[17]

In fiction

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In the 2006 Canadian/German film The Conclave, she is played by Nora Tschirner. In Showtime's 2011 series The Borgias, she is played by Joanne Whalley. In Borgia, the Canal+ production of the same year created by Tom Fontana, she is played by Assumpta Serna.

Notes

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  1. ^ Or Ottaviano
  2. ^ Gregorovius 1904, p. 10–11.
  3. ^ Cloulas 1993, p. 51.
  4. ^ Bellonci 2011, pp. 16–17, 473, 513–514.
  5. ^ a b Bellonci 2011, p. 514.
  6. ^ Bradford 2005, p. 20.
  7. ^ a b Gervaso 1977, p. 104.
  8. ^ Sacerdote 1950, pp. 842–843.
  9. ^ Cloulas 1993, p. 79.
  10. ^ a b Chastenet 2009, p. 15.
  11. ^ Cloulas 1993, p. 80.
  12. ^ Cloulas 1993, p. 52.
  13. ^ Chastenet 2009, p. 22.
  14. ^ Chastenet 2009, pp. 22–23.
  15. ^ G. J. Meyer (2014). "Background: The paternity question: An apology". The Borgias: The Hidden History. Bantam. pp. 239–247. ISBN 978-0345526922.
  16. ^ Cloulas 1993, p. 299.
  17. ^ Mathew, p. 374.

References

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  • Bellonci, Maria (2011). Lucrezia Borgia. Milan: Mondadori. ISBN 88-04-51658-5.
  • Bradford, Sarah (2005). Lucrezia Borgia. La storia vera. Milan: Mondadori.
  • Chastenet, Geneviève (2009). Lucrezia Borgia. La perfida innocente. Milan: Mondadori. ISBN 978-88-04-42107-8.
  • Cloulas, Ivan (1993). The Borgias. New York: Barnes & Noble. ISBN 978-0-88029-806-3.
  • Gervaso, Roberto (1977). I Borgia. Milan: Rizzoli.
  • Gregorovius, Ferdinand (1904). Lucrezia Borgia. New York: Benjamin Blom. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  • Locklin, Nancy L. (2000). "Borgia, Lucrezia (1480–1519)". In Commire, Anne; Klezmer, Deborah (eds.). Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. Gale. Archived from the original on 2015-03-29. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  • Catholic University of America (2003). "Borgia (Borja)". New Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 2 (2 ed.). Detroit: Gale. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  • Mathew, Arnold H. The Life and Times of Rodrigo Borgia. Southampton Times Limited.
  • Sacerdote, Gustavo (1950). Cesare Borgia. La sua vita, la sua famiglia, i suoi tempi. Milan: Rizzoli.

Sources

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