Alexander and Cesare allegedly spiked the wine with cantarella, a poison akin to arsenic and the go-to choice of the Borgias. [14], Pope Alexander VI died in Rome in 1503 after contracting a disease, generally believed to have been malaria. Borja; took over 2020; direct line extinct. He studied law at Bologna and was appointed as cardinal by his uncle, Alfons Borgia, Pope Callixtus III. Lucrezia Borgia (1480-1519), daughter of Alexander VI, was used by her father to increase his political power in Italy. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. If so, do they still live in Maryland? By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. I understand all enthroned and dethroned Catholic royal families (except for the Grimaldis) and even some Protestant German royal families like Hessen, Mecklenburg and the Prussian Hohenzollern descend from Pope Alexander VI via his daughter Lucrezia but I am not sure whether some other Protestant families currently reigning share this controversial and colourful ancestor. All Rights Reserved. However, those dynasties had many different branches. By clicking Post Your Answer, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy. The Medicis were an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first began to gather prominence during the first half of the 15th century; they owned the largest bank in Europe, which. Before the age of 13, she was engaged to two Spanish princes. His body was found in the Tiber on February 14, 1498, along with the body of one of Lucrezia's ladies. New York, Time-Life Books, 1965, p.85. Just clear tips and lifehacks for every day. Like his father, he was a member of the Templar Order. Showtime cancels 'The Borgias' - TODAY.com [5] They were from Valencia, the surname being a toponymic from the town of Borja, then in the Crown of Aragon, in Spain. Not only do we pay for our servers, but also for related services such as our content delivery network, Google Workspace, email, and much more. World Book Inc., 1917, pp. Yes, there are Borgia descendants today. The House of Borgia, or Borja, was a noble family of Spanish origin that came to prominence during the Renaissance, when they acted as a most striking embodiment of the Templar Order. A 7th generation descendant, Marie of Orleans, married Prince Valdemar of Denmark (1858-1939), their daughter was a Catholic and their sons were Lutherans. Their name has become a byword for murder and incest, making the Borgia the most notorious family in Renaissance Italy. ; c. 1475/761507), son of Rodrigo, achieved political power while ruthlessly attempting to establish a secular kingdom in central Italy. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. World Book Encyclopedia. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin.