#auth: maria bellonci

[ducavalentinos]

@lucretiaborgia​​ estou sendo uma boa amiga e te dando uns spoilers necessários pra vc ir se preparando ok lol. “The Borgia women were assembled in the Castel Sant’Angelo. There were to be found Sancha of Aragon, Dorotea da Crema( the meeting of these two women, united in their loathing of the man who had loved them, had been dramatic).”

I mean, good thing that Bellonci had a time machine and was present at this occasion to let us know how dramatic the meeting of these two women were, and that they actually told her how much they both loathed Cesare. Someone was projecting their personal loathing there huh. I remember laughing so hard when I read this bit, and my mom came to ask me what was so funny? I read it to her and she laughed too, and used an portuguese expression I wish there was an equivalent to the english language, she said: ela viajou na maionese hein? which means something like someone having too much of an imagination/saying absurd things.  Also I think it’s interesting how Cesare included Dorotea in the group of people he send to Castel Sant’Angelo for safety, where he later joined. I think this is another piece of this puzzle (that will never be solved) that really seems to indicate the “abduction” was actually an elopement  and that like Cloulas suggests she was no unwilling victim. It lowkey reminds me of the whole Lippi/Lucrezia affair tbh. “Cesare began to feel that no amount of guards could make the Este palace safe. He could hear the mob in the streets and the voices of his enemies shouthing out “Kill that dog of a Jew...” I don’t know what she means by the Este palace, because this happened at Rome, awhile after Rodrigo died and Cesare was waiting for the next conclave, he was at his palace near the Vatican, but because he felt unsafe there, he eventually went to the Castel Sant’angelo with the Borgia children. But again, good thing Bellonci was by Cesare’s side and saw him hearing his enemies says things like that. I have no idea where she got that from so we can’t be certain of the accuracy (like most of her claims lol), but it’s really something that she adds something like this in her book, and at the same time expects us to believe every little thing that was said about Cesare, without any discernment whatsoever, when it’s clear most of the things said about Cesare and his father came from their enemies, that were: 1. feeling outraged at their lost of territories they felt entitled to and their lost of power. 2. full of jealousy and resentment for Cesare’s achievements in the Romagna (yes Venice, I’m talking about you baby) 3. feeling threatened and terrified by the bold political project Rodrigo and Cesare had, which was at their expense and again diminished their power. 4. This was all happening to them by two spaniards catalans, from a parvenu family and who very well be marranos for they all knew. Their hatred was absolutely tied to politics, xenophobia and anti-semitism, and it’s why there is no way of talking about the Borgia family without presenting and discussing these three factors, it’s the foundation of their black legend, and why an special carefulness should be applied to primary sources instead of being indiscriminately used as Bellonci does when it concerns the Borgia men. 

[cesarborjas]

Hi there! so i was wondering,have you read Bellonci's biography about Lucrezia? i'm a bit indecise whether is worth reading it or not. thanks!

Yes, I have read it!

In fact, I was just looking at it the other day (I live near a magnificently comprehensive bookstore), and thinking of buying it for the sake of completeness. After five pages, I slammed it shut in sheer annoyance. So I would say no.

The thing is, I gather that Maria Bellonci’s biography was fairly pivotal in historiographical terms. More recent ones just about always refer to it. But for the same reason, the valuable research gets recycled into the new ones, without (as many) freewheeling assumptions about what people must have felt or thought, and certainly without the really bizarre errors she makes (she seems to be under the impression that Valencia = Catalonia, for instance). So you can get the same information by reading recent quality biographies. 

If you want to read all the seminal works of Borgia scholarship, you might want to. But take it with a whole canister of salt. 

[ducavalentinos]

[Lucrezia] wore strict mourning in memory of Duke Ercole but her dresses were always of fine black cloth that showed off her figure. The women-in-waiting were ordered to dress in brown and, like their mistress, they wore Bologna veils on their heads that they drew over their faces when they went out. These veils were light and beautiful and they enhanced the seductiveness of their owners’ glances and smiles.

The Life and Times of Lucrezia Borgia, Maria Bellonci

[ducavalentinos]

I've never read the Lucrezia bio by Bellonci but, from your publications, it seems like she wants to sell the story of "Lucrezia wanted so badly to be rid of her evil family" and even then she ends up writing about how she loved her brother or how proud she was of her Roman-Spanish customs when she went to Ferrara...

Yeah,

it’s the usual endless contradictions that are ever-present on most Borgia bios. If you have read Gregorovius, I’d say that Bellonci more or less follows his profile and assertions about Lucrezia. Only she is way more biased and passionate about the ones that she likes and the ones she doesn’t.

The whole “Lucrezia wanted so badly to be rid of her evil family” narrative is not really the problem here. I mean, history is filled with families who hated each other or didn’t get along and wanted distance from one another. It’s not that uncommon. The problem lies in the total lack of concrete evidence that follows this narrative Bellonci and others still insist on, to this day. They say a lot about Lucrezia, but they don’t present us with anything that could prove their claims. That’s the problem. Even worst, they establish this narrative and then go on to write in between pages how much Lucrezia loved her brother and her father, and how she would write to him every day from Ferrara, how proud she was of being a Borgia, and of her Roman-Spaniard customs. And that’s just to cite some examples, the list is a long one. As I said before, the impression it gives is that basically they want to present her however they want, but at the same time they don’t want to suppress big and important evidence about her, no matter how contradictory it might be, bc maybe that would leave them with little material to work with since it’s not like there is a river of evidence about Lucrezia and her life. It’s limited and with a lot of blanks, esp. during her time in Rome. So they just include everything in and to hell with coherence lmao.

In my mind, it would be simpler, if you want to sell this narrative, to just be honest about it, and acknowledge that it is only your personal interpretation of the material you gathered about her, and only a possibility among many other possibilities. That by no means this is the truth™ nor is your view of Lucrezia the “real” Lucrezia Borgia. That would be reasonable you know? that’s fair enough and something I could make my peace with. And it would definitely help in making their works more coherent, and less of a messy pile of contradictions and things they can’t prove. But of course, that doesn’t happen, because among other reasons, they are all very fond of passing on their personal interpretations and assertions about the Borgia family as an unquestionable truths, without any explanation on why that is so, most of the time. It’s bizzare, truly.

[ducavalentinos]

Towards the end of 1506 Cesare Borgia finally managed to escape from his prison at Medina in Spain and sought refuge with his in-laws in Navarre. Once he had reached their barely hospitable shelter, he sent a Spaniard to Lucrezia to let her know of his escape so that, if she could, she should help him. Lucrezia trembled with joy. […]At the mere thought that her brother was free she foresaw the resurrection of the Borgia bull. Cesare was now thirty and if only he could play a part once more in the political game in Europe he would soon find a way of regaining power.

The Life and Times of Lucrezia Borgia, Maria Bellonci @borgialucrezia Lucrezia being relatable, let’s stop for a minute here and think about the resurrection of the Borgia bull *cries*

[ducavalentinos]

Alexander was a man of instinct who expressed his paternal love too ardently.[…]His feelings for Lucrezia had the additional tenderness that sensitive fathers are bound to experience when they compare their daughters with their hardy male offspring. If all this is so, the Pope’s love for his daughter must have made a cold man such as the Count of Pesaro feel quite dizzy.

Maria Bellonci, The Life and Times of Lucrezia Borgia.

[ducavalentinos]

““Caldes” (as she calls him)”  dsjdsjdjsdjs. One of Meyer’s finest moments tbh, Bellonci illustrates well the conflict that exists in many Borgia bios with the authors sometimes wanting to do a serious historical work, but at the same time not wanting to abstain from squezzing as much dramatic juice as possible, which leads to situations such as this one. And I might be mistaken, but I think she is the only Borgia scholar, that I’ve read so far, that seriously suggests an incestuous relationship between Lucrezia and Rodrigo. I had to read that bit twice because I thought for a moment I had drank too much wine and was reading it wrong (oh if only lol). Also, I look forward to the day where I won’t see the tale of Cesare stabbing Perotto in front of the pope being claimed as a fact, it’s truly embarrassing to read, every single time. 

[ducavalentinos]

When Alfonso took the field, Lucrezia was to govern at the head of a Council of ten of the most important citizens –with Cardinal Ippolito by her side. But she would in practice be in sole charge herself, for the warlike Cardinal had already got out his breastplate and sword and was only too anxiously waiting for the opportunity to wear them.

The Life and Times of Lucrezia Borgia, Maria Bellonci

[ducavalentinos]

One day when he (Cesare) was playing at soldiers with a French jester known as Monsignor Galerin he was nearly stabbed to death by Galerin’s dagger, but he escaped, laughing, with barely a scratch.

The Life and Times of Lucrezia Borgia, Maria Bellonci. @borgialucrezia

[ducavalentinos]

@borgialucrezia “[...]where she could take her daily bath, a habit that in those days was considered almost vicious, and that she probably owed to her Arabic-Spanish upbringing.” I wonder if that was a habit that ran in the family, and what else could they have owed to this upbringing you know?! I’d love to know more *cries in spanish*

[ducavalentinos]

This is actually so interesting and weird, because apart from the fact of Gonzaga having zero chill in having Lucrezia, and considering her as booty in case the D’este went down lool, it’s hard to believe Lucrezia herself wasn’t aware of this, maybe it was even her idea, if so it hints that she was not ready to go down with Alfonso and seems to have been, very cleverly, looking out for herself. And it definitely looks like she saw Gonzaga as her protector: “The response of the Marquis must have been affectionate and encouraging for she never wearied of hearing it repeated by the Count. “Lorenzo,” she said, “were it not for the hope that I have in the Lord Marquis that he will help me and protect me in my need, I would break my heart with sorrow.”

[ducavalentinos]

[…]she was beautiful and elegant and free-minded, “she is not superstitious about anything.

Pietro Bembo’s description of Lucrezia Borgia in one of his letters. Maria Bellonci, The Life and Times of Lucrezia Borgia. @borgialucrezia

[ducavalentinos]

Cesare was a real Borgia and fine clothes suited him. His body was muscular yet lithe and his agile supple limbs were harmonius.

The Life and Times of Lucrezia Borgia, Maria Bellonci.

[ducavalentinos]

The degree to which the Pope bore his daughter in mind is illustrated by the gifts and messages conveyed from the Vatican to the palace of Santa Maria in Portico. Lucrezia was the first and most welcome guest at all receptions, balls, plays and sermons.

Maria Bellonci, The Life and Times of Lucrezia Borgia.

[ducavalentinos]

[…]But the Pope was not completely satisfied until, round about September 20, he received news from Ferrara that Lucrezia was out of danger and convalescing. Even when serious anxiety was over the Bishop of Venosa was still chivvied and told not to discontinue sending news, for the old Pope never received enough information and details. He was always talking about his daughter who was “so sweet and dear,” and the Ferrarese ambassador had to be armed with answers to every kind of question, even advancing the theory once that after a serious illness a slow recovery is better than a quick one.

Maria Bellonci, The Life and Times of Lucrezia Borgia.

[ducavalentinos]

“On April 20, 1507, Lucrezia was engaged in conversation in her court apartments with some members of her household and relatives among whom was Ercole of Este, Alfonso’s cousin. The Duke had gone off on one of his journeys and had left the government of the Duchy in the hands of his wife—to the great irritation of Isabella of Este who could not tolerate that another woman, above all her rival, should be thought capable of managing a state. But even the most cautious of her informers was obliged to confirm this news. Prosperi wrote to her that he “almost” believed in Lucrezia’s capability because “one hears no talk of the Cardinal [Ippolito].” Lucrezia presided alone and tirelessly at the examination of appeals and as regards the other affairs of the Duchy. And though the Cardinal may have advised her and directed her in private, he did not appear officially.”

The Life and Times of Lucrezia Borgia, Maria Bellonci