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A legend of beauty and seduction
The very name of Lucrezia Borgia remains, some 500 years after her
time, enough to send a frisson of a thrill down the
spine-particularly of men The Lucrezia of legend has become an
archetypal 'femme fatale'-beautiful, seductive and potentially
deadly. She was a member of the notorious Borgia family who under
the ruthless Rodrigo Borgia (Pope Alexander IV) presided over the
period of the Renaissance Papacy. Of her brothers, Cesare, who bore
a particularly bloody and ruthless reputation has become the most
notorious and infamous. To add inevitable spice to their story, the
two were said to have indulged in a torrid, incestuous affair. Fact
often parts company with popular myth, but there is no doubt that
Lucrezia, although actually illegitimate, was a beautiful,
sophisticated and highly educated woman. She spoke five languages
fluently. It was inevitable that a young woman of this background
would become a political bargaining tool in the game of marriage
and power. Indeed to further the Borgia family ambitions she was
married three times. To what degree she participated in these
machinations has, of course, become a matter of speculation and an
essential component of this famous lady's allure.
Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each
title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket; our
hardbacks are cloth bound and feature gold foil lettering on their
spines and fabric head and tail bands.
Lucrezia Borgia is among the most fascinating and controversial
personalities of the Renaissance. The daughter of Pope Alexander
VI, she was intensely involved in the political life of Italy
during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. While her
marriage alliances helped advance the political objectives of the
papacy, she also held the office of Governor of Spoleto, a role
normally reserved for Cardinals, making her one of the most
powerful and dynamic female figures of the Renaissance. Among the
first books to employ historical method to move beyond myth and
romance that had obscured the fascinating story of Lucrezia Borgia
was the biography written by the noted German historian Ferdinand
Gregorovius. Ferdinand Gregorovius (1821-1891) was one of the
preeminent scholars of the Italian Renaissance. His biography of
Lucrezia Borgia reveals the atmosphere of the Renaissance, painting
a portrait of Lucrezia and her relationships with her father
Rodrigo Borgia, Pope Alexander VI, her brother Cesare, her mother
Vanozza, her father's mistress, Giulia Farnese, her husband Duke
Alfonso D'Este of Ferrara, and many others, including important
artists and writers of the time. All are vividly portrayed against
the colorful background of Renaissance Italy. Gregorovius separates
myth from documented fact and his book remains a key reference work
on the life and times of the Borgia princess. This new edition of
Gregorovius's classic work is enhanced with an introduction by
Samantha Morris, a noted expert on the history of the Borgias.
Samantha studied archaeology at the University of Winchester where
her interest in the history of the Italian Renaissance began. She
is the author of Cesare Borgia: In a Nutshell and Girolamo
Savonarola: The Renaissance Preacher. She also runs the website
theborgiabull.com.
Lucretia Borgia is the most unfortunate woman in modern history. Is
this because she was guilty of the most hideous crimes, or is it
simply because she has been unjustly condemned by the world to bear
its curse? The question has never been answered. Mankind is ever
ready to discover the personification of human virtues and human
vices in certain typical characters found in history.
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Lucrezia Borgia
Ferdinand Gregorovius
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R1,427
Discovery Miles 14 270
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Ships in 10 - 15 working days
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Lucrezia Borgia
Ferdinand Gregorovius
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R2,003
R1,902
Discovery Miles 19 020
Save R101 (5%)
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Ships in 10 - 15 working days
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Lucrezia Borgia is among the most fascinating and controversial
personalities of the Renaissance. The daughter of Pope Alexander
VI, she was intensely involved in the political life of Italy
during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. While her
marriage alliances helped advance the political objectives of the
papacy, she also held the office of Governor of Spoleto, a role
normally reserved for Cardinals, making her one of the most
powerful and dynamic female figures of the Renaissance. Among the
first books to employ historical method to move beyond myth and
romance that had obscured the fascinating story of Lucrezia Borgia
was this biography written by the noted German historian Ferdinand
Gregorovius. Ferdinand Gregorovius (1821-1891) was one of the
preeminent scholars of the Italian Renaissance. His biography of
Lucrezia Borgia reveals the atmosphere of the Renaissance, painting
a portrait of Lucrezia and her relationships with her father
Rodrigo Borgia, Pope Alexander VI, her brother Cesare, her mother
Vanozza, her father's mistress, Giulia Farnese, her husband Duke
Alfonso D'Este of Ferrara, and many others, including important
artists and writers of the time. All are vividly portrayed against
the colorful background of Renaissance Italy. Gregorovius separates
myth from documented fact and his book remains a key reference work
on the life and times of the Borgia princess. This new edition of
Gregorovius's classic work Lucrezia Borgia is enhanced with an
introduction by Samantha Morris, a noted expert on the history of
the Borgias. Samantha studied archaeology at the University of
Winchester where her interest in the history of the Italian
Renaissance began. She is the author of Cesare Borgia: In a
Nutshell and Girolamo Savonarola: The Renaissance Preacher. She
also runs the website theborgiabull.com.
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