The Borgias and Medici’s are infamous, but it turns out that, on closer inspection their reputation is reliant on antisemitism, islamophobia, and misogyny: a perspective that needs to be challenged. “You’re dead to Me,” on radio 4, did very interesting episodes, on the Borgias, Leonardo Da Vinci and the Renaissance. It’s a comedy that takes history seriously and reminds one that we all have a perspective, and perspectives cannot always be relied upon. The Borgia family has gone down in history as “salacious, shrewd …saucy” and Machiavellian, but is that fair, particularly when other families did the same? There were other Popes, for instance, whose nephews were involved in murder.
“You’re Dead to Me” taught me that not all Cardinals, at the time at least, took holy orders and that the Borgias were from what is now Spain. At the time, however, both Spain and Italy were ruled by separate states but an Arab invasion of Spain in 711 had established a distinct culture which includes place names that still exist today: e.g. Gibraltar which developed from Jabal Ṭāriq (Mount Tarik). I do not agree wholeheartedly with the following sentiments but it gives a sense of some of the feelings which were around: “Not only did the Reconquista cost up to seven million lives before ending in 1492, but it also drastically transformed the makeup of the Iberian Peninsula. In the wake of the conflict, Jews were expelled, and Muslims were forcibly converted to Christianity (and later expelled as well). Yet Moorish influence, in the form of bright colours and cuisine, remains to this day.”
This is the period in which Rodrigo Borgia travelled from Spain to Italy when he was appointed Cardinal by his uncle Alfons Borgia, Pope Callixtus III. He was not ordained and had a relationship with Vannozza dei Cattanei, with whom he had four children: Giovanni; Cesare; Lucrezia and Gioffre. He had other relationships and children but took holy orders by the time he became Pope Alexander VI in 1492.
He appointed his son, Giovanni, captain-general of the papal army, his foremost military representative, and established another son, Cesare, as a cardinal. Cesare Borgia is said to be a major inspiration for The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli. He also left his daughter in charge of the Vatican when he goes on “secondment”. Rodrigo Borgia, like many others also used the marriages of his children to build alliances with powerful families. Lucrezia was married to Giovanni Sforza in 1493 at the age of 13, but this was annulled when the alliance was no longer necessary: This “divorce” may have led to a “slinging match” re incest and impotence! There is no doubt that dastardly deeds took place but were these any dastardlier than what others were doing?
In “You’re dead to me” we are told that out of all the “western powers Spain had the largest population of Muslims and Jews but, in the year of Pope Alexander VI’s election the Jews and Muslims were “kicked out”. The Pope was put under a lot of pressure to turn away refuges which, to his credit, he refused to do. This, however, made people recall he was himself an immigrant, from Spain and so, maybe, had Jewish heritage. Cesare is called “a jewish dog” and these rumours etc became fixed and were used during the reformation etc. In addition Lucrecia Borgias, as a woman, is held to a “higher standard.”
It is clear that “The Black legend of Spain” has had an impact on the Borgia’s reputation.
BBC Radio 4 — You’re Dead to Me
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p096pqt2
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Borgia-family
