Pope Alexander VI - Mistresses and Family

Mistresses and Family

• Vannozza dei Cattanei Giovanna de Candia, Countess of Gattanei.

• "Lady with Unicorn", presumed portrait of Giulia Farnese by Raphael

• Giovanni Borgia, 2nd Duke of Gandia.

• Cesare Borgia

• Presumed portrait of Lucrezia Borgia by Bartolomeo Veneto

• Gioffre Borgia (1482–1522) Prince of Squillace.

Of Alexander's many mistresses the one for whom his passion lasted longest was a certain Vannozza (Giovanna) dei Cattani, born in 1442, and wife of three successive husbands. The connection began in 1470, and she bore him four children whom he openly acknowledged as his own: Giovanni, afterwards duke of Gandia (born 1474), Cesare (born 1476), Lucrezia (born 1480), and Goffredo or Giuffre (born 1481 or 1482). His other children, Girolama, Isabella and Pedro-Luiz, were of uncertain parentage. Before his elevation to the papacy Cardinal Borgia's passion for Vannozza somewhat diminished, and she subsequently led a very retired life. Her place in his affections was filled by the beautiful Giulia Farnese (Giulia Bella), wife of an Orsini, but his love for his children by Vannozza remained as strong as ever and proved, indeed, the determining factor of his whole career. He lavished vast sums on them and lauded them with every honour. The atmosphere of Alexander's household is typified by the fact that his daughter Lucrezia lived with his mistress Giulia, who bore him a daughter, Laura, in 1492.

He is an ancestor of virtually all royal houses of Europe, mainly the southern and western ones, for being the ancestor of Dona Luisa de Guzmán, wife of King John IV of Portugal, of the House of Braganza.

Currently the only patrilineal family Borja or Borgia (Duke of Gandia - papal lineage straight from John Borja and Cattanei) is found in Ecuador and Chile. One of his prominent descendants is Dr. Rodrigo Borja Cevallos, former president of Ecuador.