Borge's House

The pontifical shield of His Holiness Pope Calixto III, with the arms of the Borja or Borgia

The pontifical shield of His Holiness Pope Alexander VI, with the arms of the Borja or Borgia.

The house of Borja (Italian: Borgia) was a Spanish noble house originating from the Aragonese town of Borja and established in Játiva, kingdom of Valencia, later in Gandía and the Italian peninsula. It was very influential during the Renaissance, producing two popes: Calixto III and Alejandro VI. His original name is Borja (['bɔɾ.d͡ʒa]), Aragonese surname from his town of origin. The spelling was Italianized for some of its members, who are known as Borgia.

Historical legacy

They have gone down in history as a cruel and power-hungry family, as well as getting out of situations that seemed lost. Pope Alexander VI (Rodrigo de Borja), Juan de Borja and Cattanei, Lucrecia and César Borja are some of its best-known members.

With the arrival at the papal seat of Rodrigo de Borja, under the name of Alexander VI, in 1492, intrigues and disputes began between the small states into which the territory of what is now Italy was divided. The Sforza, the Orsini or the Farnese were, as well as allies, enemies of the Borgia. It is said that Pope Alexander VI had the idea of increasing the Papal States to a large part of Italian territory and passing the rights to his dynasty —both the territories and the leadership of the Catholic Church— although it is only a hypothesis.

After the death of Alexander VI in 1503, probably due to malaria, although it is speculated that he could have been poisoned, his son Caesar —a character said to have inspired Machiavelli to write The Prince — fled to Viana (Navarre) and died in 1507 fighting alongside his brother-in-law, King Juan III de Albret of Navarre. Meanwhile, her sister Lucrecia continued the work of her father's patron in Ferrara.

Few ancient characters have suffered such a systematic and lasting deformation of their historical reality, such as the one that has endured the Borgia/Borja family, and especially Alexander VI and his most famous offshoots, Caesar and Lucrecia. Few are also those who can illustrate in such an extreme way the conflicting relationship between the Church as an institution and the spheres of secular and spiritual power. All this at the very moment when European society began an artistic flourishing and a spectacular and innovative spiritual and intellectual debate inspired by the discovery of Greek civilization, which will crystallize in humanist thinking and creative development that shaped the abandonment of the medieval world to give way to a true cultural and social ‘Renaissance’.

Jordi Savall, Turin, May 27, 2010.

Patronage

The patronage activity of the Borgias was very important and reached artists as famous as Michelangelo, Pinturicchio, Bartolommeo Veneto, Titian and Bosco, who were protected at some point in their artistic life by the Borgias. Some of his best-known works are due to this protection. The most important patronage of the Borgias was that of the painter, inventor and scientist Leonardo da Vinci, who designed numerous war machines for the papal army.

Some members of the lineage

The Borgia or Borgia of the House of the Duchy of Gandía

Arms Shield of the Duchy of Gandia of the Borja or Borgia

San Francisco de Borja and Aragón arms shield, Duke of Gandía

Rodrigo Borja Cevallos's coat of arms as a knight of the Order of Isabella the Catholic

The Duchy of Gandía was the fiefdom of the House of Gandía, which in turn was the Spanish noble family head of the Valencian Borja lineage, who moved to Rome. Alfonso de Borja became Pope Calixto III. Rodrigo de Borja, Calixto III's nephew, was made a cardinal and served the diplomatic interests of Ferdinand the Catholic. As a reward for his services, King Ferdinand granted Pedro Luis de Borja (Borgia), son of the cardinal, the title of first Duke of Gandía (1483). He inherited the title from his half-brother Juan de Borja y Cattanei (son of Vannozza Cattanei), head of the Papal Army when his father became Pope Alexander VI.

The fourth duke, Francisco de Borja y Aragón (1511-1572), who was given the title of Marquis of Llombay, joined the Society of Jesus and was canonized in 1671 as San Francisco de Borja.

In 1520, Emperor Charles V included him as one of the twenty-five First Creation Grandees of Spain, also known as Immemorial Grandees of Spain. In 1693 the Duchy of Gandía played an important role in the outbreak of the Second Germanía.

After the death without succession of the XI Duke of Gandía, Luis Ignacio Francisco de Borja y Centellas Fernández de Córdoba, head of the entire family, in 1740, Francisco José de Borja y Paz Duque de Estrada, born in Riobamba (Ecuador) In 1693, although considered by his opponents to be of an illegitimate line, he went to the Supreme Council of Castilla on August 12, 1741, as the only descendant of the rigorous male agnatic legitimate line on which the mayorazgo was based since its creation, ratified -ex novo - by several Dukes of Gandía of the Borja House against the rights of the deceased's sister, María Antonia de Borja, who had meanwhile been in possession of those titles and titled as XII Duchess of Gandía.

The litigation in which Francisco José de Borja y Paz Duque de Estrada appeared before the Royal and Supreme Council of Castilla with dignity of succession to the Titles and Estates of the Ducal House of Gandía, was continued on behalf of his son Lucas Vicente Joaquín de Borja y Lasteros, born in Quito (Ecuador), as Francisco José de Borja y Paz Duque de Estrada, since his widowhood, dedicated himself to an ecclesiastical career, graduating in Theology. He held the Chair of Dean of the Cathedral of Puebla de los Ángeles, in Mexico.

On the death of María Ana Antonia Luisa de Borja Aragón y Centelles, XII Duchess of Gandía, Duchess consort of Béjar, in 1748. The lawsuit continued between Lucas Vicente Joaquín de Borja y Lasteros, the Count-Duke of Benavente, the Duke of Villahermosa and the Marquises of Alcañices and Ariza, all belonging to various branches of the Borja family.

After the death of the XII Duchess of Gandía, in 1748, the title of Duke of Gandía was linked to that of Count-Duke of Benavente, because Antonio Francisco Alfonso Pimentel de Quiñones López de Zúñiga Sotomayor y Mendoza was the husband of María Ignacia Juana Magdalena de Borja Aragón y Centelles (sister of the duchess).

The states and titles were incorporated by sentence of Tenuta, of the Royal and Supreme Council of Castile, of July 28, 1755, of which an Executory Letter was issued in Madrid, on March 10, 1756, to the Casa de los Count-Dukes of Benavente in favor of Francisco de Borja Gregorio José Ignacio Pimentel y Borja, Count-Duke of Benavente, eldest son of Ignacia de Borja and Centellas Fernández de Córdoba, sister of the last deceased duchess.

Later, María Josefa Pimentel y Téllez-Girón added it to the dukedom of the House of Osuna when they married in 1771.

Patrilineal or agnatic descent

Currently, the only patrilineal descent, that is to say, from the filiation referred exclusively to the father and, therefore, retains the paternal surname, or agnatic, which descends in a straight line from male to male and which, likewise, maintains the paternal surname, of the Borja or Borgia family, coming in direct line from Juan de Borja y Cattanei, II Duke of Gandía and María Enríquez de Luna, who continued Lucas Vicente Joaquín de Borja y Lasteros, son of Francisco José de Borja y Paz Duque de Estrada, is found in Ecuador and Chile. One of his prominent descendants is Rodrigo Borja Cevallos, former president of the Republic of Ecuador.

The Borjas or Borgias of the House of Bourbon-Busset

Gun Shield of César Borgia, Duke of Valentinois

In 1507 César Borgia died in Navarre, son of Pope Alexander VI (Rodrigo de Borja) and Vannozza Cattanei, leaving his only daughter Luisa Borgia y Albret (1500-1553), Duchess of Valentino, the fruit of his marriage with the sister of Juan III de Albret king of Navarre, Carlota de Albret.

Luisa Borgia y Albret, marries Felipe de Borbón, grandson of the Bishop of Liège, Luis. Luisa and Felipe's son, Claudio de Borbón-Busset y Borgia, became the first Count of Borbón-Busset.

After the death of Henry III of France without succession, a succession battle began, with several candidates for the throne of France: Henry III of Navarre, Cardinal Carlos de Borbón, César de Borbón-Busset (1565–1630), who was the closest relative of the late King Henry III, but considering himself to be of illegitimate descent, because he descended from the Bishop of Liège and Pope Alexander VI Borgia, finally Henry III of Navarre is the one who accedes to the throne of France, under the name of Henry IV of France.

Currently the Bourbon-Busset are represented, among other lines, by Carlos Javier de Borbón-Parma (b. 1970), Carlist pretender to the throne of Spain, son of Carlos Hugo de Borbón-Parma (1930-2010): and, grandson of Javier de Bourbon-Parma and Marie Madeleine de Bourbon-Busset (1898-1984), Countess of Lignières.

In popular culture

Essays

• 2000 The Borja, family and myth (Els Borja. Família i mite) by Joan Francesc Mira.
• 2006. The 7 Borgia by Ana Martos Rubio.
• 2006. Pope Borgia. Unpublished Alexander VI released at the end of black legend by Lola Galán and José Catalán Deus.
• 2008. The Prince of the Renaissance: life and legend of Caesar Borgia by José Catalán Deus.

Novels

• 1839 The Borgia of Alexander Dumas.
• 1926 At the foot of Venus of Vicente Blasco Ibáñez.
• 1952 From scharlaken stad Hella Haasse.
• 1958 The Borgia Jean Plaidy.
• 1981 The Antipope Robert Rankin.
• 1996 Borja Papa by Joan Francesc Mira.
• 1998 Or Caesar or nothing. by Manuel Vázquez Montalbán.
• 2001 The Borgia by Mario Puzo.
• 2003 I, Lucrecia Borgia John Faunce.
• 2003 Mirror, Mirror of Gregory Maguire.
• 2005 The Borgia Bride by Jeanne Kalogridis.
• 2005 Queen of the Slayers Nancy Holder.
• 2006 The Medici Seal Theresa Breslin.
• 2009 The Borgia and their enemies by Christopher Hibbert.
• 2009 Assassin's Creed: Renaissance Oliver Bowden. Novelization of videogame Assassin's Creed II.
• 2010 Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Oliver Bowden. Novelization of videogame Assassin's Creed: The Brotherhood.

Performing Arts

• 1883 Lucrezia Borgia. Gaetano Donizetti Opera premiered in Milan on December 26, 1883.

Filmography

• 1910 Lucrezia Borgia'.
• 1926 Lucrezia Borgia.
• 1940 Lucrèce BorgiaFrench film.
• 1947 Lucrecia Borgia, film of Argentine parody, directed by Luis Bayón Herrera on the script of Rodolfo Manuel Taboada with the literary advice of León Klimovsky.
• 1949 Prince of the foxes, film directed by Henry King and based on the homonymous novel written by Samuel Shellabarger in 1947.
• 1949 The mask of the Borgia (Mitchell Leisen), played by Macdonald Carey.
• 1961 The Black Duke (Pino Mercanti), played by Cameron Mitchell.
• 1966 L'uomo che ride. Franco-Italian production film directed by Sergio Corbucci and based very freely on the novel The man who laughsVictor Hugo, moving the action to the Renaissance Italy. The role of César Borgia is played by Edmund Purdom.
• 1974 Immoral counts (Contes Immoraux), one of the episodes is dedicated to the Borgia family, played by Lorenzo Berinizi.
• 1981 The BorgiaBBC series.
• 2006 The Borgia, Spanish film directed by Antonio Hernández.
• 2000 The Conclaveled by Paul Donovan.
• 2009 Assassin's Creed: Lineage, mini-fiction series of video games saga where Rodrigo Borgia appears.
• 2010 The Borgiasseries led by Neil Jordan.
• 2011 Borgia, series created by Tom Fontana and directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel.
• 2012 Horrible Histories (in Spanish: Horrible Stories), child series in which they appear in episode 9 of the fourth season.

Comics

• 2001 Cantarella. Fantastic cutting sleeve shōjo.
• 2005 Cesare. Shōjo fictional sleeve that narrates the adolescence of César Borgia during his stay at the University of Pisa.
• 2006 The Borgia (Borgia, Paris, 2004-2010), series of 4 albums, with Alejandro Jodorowsky, as a screenwriter, and Milo Manara, as a drawer.

Video games

In the Saga of science fiction games Assassin's Creed several characters from this family appear, highlighting the myths of their black legend and making any resemblance to reality purely coincidental. that sticks to the fiction created by the saga.

• 2009. Assassin's Creed 2 aparece como villano principal en el videojuego Rodrigo Borgia.
• 2009. Assassin's Creed II: Discoverywhere Pope Alexander VI takes office again.
• 2010. Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy.
• 2010. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Cesar Borgia, Lucrecia Borgia, Rodrigo Borgia (Alejandro VI) and Juan de Borja, the greatest as the main antagonists of history.

Additional bibliography

• Oliver, Manuel D. Rodrigo de Borja (Alejandro VI). His children and descendants. Miguel de Cervantes Virtual Library
• César Borgia (Viana) Documentation Centre - Scope of a Borgian bibliography
• Valencian Library - Valencian Presence in the United States (ss. XVI – XIX) - IV. California: Borja, nobility forces
• Aparicio, Enrique Simón: The family of the Borja and their relationship with the Villa de Enguera. Casa de la Cultura Conference. Enguera, 21 May 1994 Archived on 4 March 2016 at Wayback Machine.
• Climent Bonafé, Arturo: The Black Legend of the Borja. seudexativa.org
• Centro Virtual Cervantes: Los Borja. Introduction. Cervantes Institute. Spain
• García Jurado, Roberto: The influence of the Borgia in the political thinking of Machiavelli. Arguments, vol. 26, No. 72. Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Unidad Xochimilco. Federal District, Mexico, May-July, 2013, pp. 241-267
• Ferrer, Bruno: The conflictive identity of the Borgia: some old and (post)modern perspectives (I). The Antillan Post. Puerto Rico, September 21, 2013
• Garín Llobart, Felipe V. The artistic composition of Alexander VI in Italy. Comitato Nazionale Incontri di Studio per il V centenario del pontificato di Alessando VI (1492-1503) - Generalitat Valenciana - Paulino Iradiel - José María Cruselles (coords). Valencia, 23-26 February 2000
• Francisco Fernández de Bethencourt - Spanish Genealogy and Heráldica, Casa Real y Grandes de España, took fourth Archived on April 1, 2019 in Wayback Machine.
• Pastor Zapata, José Luistile Duques and Barones: the noble heritage of the Borja beyond Gandía in the late 15th century. Borja Magazine. Revista de l'Institut Internacional d'Estudis Borgians, Number: 3. Spain, 2010-2011 - p. 46
• Els Borja devoted Bibliography- Genealogia i heràldica borgiana. International d'Estudis Borgians. Spain Archived on 6 February 2016 in Wayback Machine.
• Williams, George L.: Papal Genealogy: The Families and Descendants of the Popes. McFarland, 1 Jan. 2004 – p. 271, 152 pp.
• (in Catalan) Duran i Grau, Eulàlia: La família Borja: historiografia, llegenda, tema literari. Institut d’Estudis Catalans, Barcelona, pp. 211-222 - 2008. ISSN 2013-407X
• Pascual and Beltrán, Ventura (1940). «Notes for the history of the Borjas». Saitabi (Spain: Faculty of Geography and History of the University of Valencia) (1 [2]): 6-16. ISSN 0210-9980. Consultation on 12 July 2016.
• García Rivas, Manuel: Los Borja Americanas: his contribution to the world of culture. Borja Magazine. Centro de Estudios Borjanos. Actas del Congreso Los Borja en el arte, No. 5. España, 2015-2016, p. 15
• Alonso Calderón, Juan: Compendium of the genealogical history of the Royal Borja family and more than a thousand real lines that breed it from Sovereign Princes of Europe. Spain, S. XVII. 359 p.