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She was a Castilian noblewoman, daughter of Juan García de Padilla and his wife María González de Henestrosa. The young King Pedro I of Castile met María de Padilla in the summer of 1352 during an expedition to Asturias to fight against his rebellious half-brother Enrique of Trastámara. At that time, María was being raised at the house of Isabel de Meneses, wife of Juan Alfonso de Alburquerque, King Pedro's favorite and one of the most influential politicians in the kingdom. 

The whole affair of Maria seems to have been a matter of arrangement between the girl’s family and the minister and his wife. The chronicle is silent as to details of this first interview between Maria and Pedro, but the plan of the minister was successful, for the King and the young girl fell in love at once. The position offered her was a usual and an important one, and, after a certain amount of maidenly hesitation, she accepted it, much to the delight of her relations. The scruples of Maria were eventually overcome, whether by the tenderness of her wooing, the persuasion of her family or the promise of marriage.

Some authors think that the couple contracted secret marriage in September 1352, and the King granted to Maria the town of Huelva as a wedding gift. The birth of their first daughter Beatriz, a few months later, was celebrated with great celebrations in Torrijos. Alburquerque was watching the result of his scheming with doubting eyes. Maria was becoming a young woman of character. She did not consented to influence Pedro to favor her old tutor, and the Padillas were raised to various offices and dignities.

In the summer of 1353, Pedro was practically coerced by his mother and Alburquerque into marrying the French princess Blanche of Bourbon. This marriage necessitated the King’s denying he had married María de Padilla. Leaving María, after having taken precautions for her safety and comfort, Pedro set out to join Blanche. Three days after the wedding, Pedro abandoned to his French wife and went back to María. This caused a great scandal and alienated both France and the Papacy. 

The King’s desertion of his young wife was considered a outrageous and deplorable conduct by the court, the people, and the clergy. Maria advised Pedro to return to Blanche and so he did, but for two days only. The monarch returned to the arms of his beloved Maria again. Blanche was imprisoned by order of the King in various fortresses. While Blanche's situation was a contributing factor, Pedro's overall behavior and policies were the primary drivers of the rebellions against him, led by his illegitimate half-brothers and other nobles.

The claim that María de Padilla used sorcery to separate King Pedro from his wife is not supported by historical evidence. The association of witchcraft with powerful women is a common trope in history, often used to discredit or demonize them. This petite, dark-haired beauty was Pedro's constant companion and chroniclers have praised her as being a moderating influence on the King, counselling him to be merciful to his subjects.

King Pedro was known for his impetuous, passionate, severe, irascible and vengeful character. Maria de Padilla repeatedly pleaded with him to save the life of important nobles fallen from grace. Maria attempted a reconciliation of Pedro with his illegitimate half-brothers.

Despite their deep love for each other, Pedro and María's relationship was far from peaceful because the king had other relationships and married briefly Juana de Castro. The fear of being replaced by other women in Pedro's life was a constant source of tension and anxiety for María. This fear likely contributed to the instability of their relationship. María gave Pedro four children: Beatriz, who became a nun at Tordesillas; Constanza, who married John of Gaunt; Isabel, who married Edmund of Langley; and a son Alfonso, who didn’t survive childhood.

Shortly after the death of Blanche of Bourbon in 1361, Maria de Padilla herself died in the Alcázar of Seville, possibly a victim of the plague. She was buried at the Royal Monastery of Santa Clara in Astudillo, which she had founded. But her remains were soon transferred to join other members of the royal family in the royal chapel in the cathedral of Sevilla, where they still rest today.

After her death, King Pedro claimed in the Cortes that he had married Maria de Padilla in a clandestine ceremony prior to his marriage to the French princess. He maintained, that, owing to the unsettled affairs of his kingdom, he had not been able to declare this fact before. To verify this declaration and in support of its truth, he cited four witnesses. As a result of this declaration, the legitimacy of the King’s children by Maria was also established.

María de Padilla's story has been a subject of artistic and literary works, and in Afro-Brazilian religions such as Quimbanda and Umbanda, she is a figure of great spiritual importance, a powerful and complex spirit often associated with love, sexuality, and crossroads.

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From the Alcázar of Toledo, Blanche wrote excoriating letters to Pope Innocent VI about her treatment at Peter’s hands. The truth of her claims is debatable, but their content was released to the public of Toledo. Blanche’s supporters viewed her as the true queen, adding a touch of chivalry to her cause. The treatment of the poor French princess incensed enough of Toledo’s residents and nobles that they felt compelled to take up arms. Blanche, with Toledo’s finest looking the other way, slipped out of the Alcázar and into Toledo Cathedral, a short walk west of the fortress. Setting herself up there, she organised a rebellion against Peter. - Heather R.Darsie, Katharine of Aragon, Spanish Princess: 'I am not as Simple as I May Seem'

Blanche of Bourbon (1339-1361)

She was one of the daughters of Peter I, Duke of Bourbon, and Isabella of Valois. In the summer of 1353, king Peter I of Castile was practically coerced by his mother and the main court favorite, Juan Alfonso de Alburquerque, into marrying Blanche of Bourbon, aged 14. The young king had already married his mistress, the Castilian nobleman María de Padilla, before his marriage with Blanche. This marriage necessitated Peter’s denying that he had married María. On 3 June, King Peter and the beautiful French princess were married at Valladolid with some display and ceremony. 

Three days after their wedding, Peter abandoned his wife and returned to Maria de Padilla, with whom he had four children. The legend tells us that he never even touched the latch of the bridal chamber. The historians shuffled these three hypotheses to explain the actions of the monarch: he knew that Blanche had an affair with his brother Fadrique Alfonso en route to Spain, the dowry was not coming or his love for Maria de Padilla.

According to contemporary opinion the hatred of King Peter to Queen Blanche proceeded from a magic enchantment. The king’s desertion of his bride was considered a outrageous and deplorable conduct by the court, the people, and the ecclesiastics. The nobles and courtiers advised him returning to his wife for at any rate a certain time. King Peter returned to Valladolid next to Blanche. But for two days only. 

The repudiation of Blanche of Bourbon was the excuse for the great uprising that occurred a few months later. The rebels were the great nobles of the kingdom and the king’s illegitimate brothers. Even the monarch’s mother, Maria of Portugal, and his aunt Eleanor of Castile, Queen of Aragon, took part in the conspiracy. 

A year after his marriage to Blanche of Bourbon, King Peter was courting a young widow of exceptional beauty, Juana de Castro. Two bishops declared invalid the marriage of King Peter with the French princess. Peter and Juana married in the first days of April 1354. One day, and one day only, was Juana Queen of Castile, even de facto. The next day, Peter left her and never saw her again.

Queen Blanche was imprisoned by order of the monarch in various fortresses; first in the castle of Arevalo, then in Valladolid, Siguenza, in Toledo, Jerez and last in Medina-Sidonia. Blanche lived surrounded by knights who escorted her in her exile and a small court formed by her chaplain, her treasurer and her secretary, as well as a lady-in-waiting, Leonor de Saldaña. Blanche, in her misfortunes, had to a large extent the people on her side. She maintained permanent  correspondence with the Papacy of Avignon. The Pope threatened with the excommunication to King Peter and advocated for her release.

In 1361, after eight years of solitary captivity, Blanche died in Medina-Sidonia at the age of 22 years. Also that year Maria de Padilla died in Seville, possibly of the plague. The Blanche’s death remains the topic of controversy. It was said that she had been murdered by a crossbowman of the king or poisoned by herbs. Partisans of the king called it a natural death. The modern science assumes that she died from an illness, probably tuberculosis. Blanche of Bourbon was buried at the convent of San Francisco in Jerez de la Frontera. (x)(x)(x)

Carmen Conesa played the role of Blanche of Bourbon in TV Series “Pedro el Cruel” (1989)

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Juana de Castro

She was daughter of Pedro de Castro, a cousin of Alfonso XI of Castile, and Isabel Ponce de León. Among her siblings is the famous and controversial Inés de Castro, posthumously recognized as Queen of Portugal after her death. Juana married in first nuptials with a gentleman named Diego López de Haro, with whom she had a son.

In 1354, after the death of her husband, Juana met Pedro I of Castile. The King was attracted to the beauty of the young widow, and he wanted to marry her, despite being married to a French princess and being in a relationship with Maria de Padilla, with whom he had a daughter. The situation in Castile was not peaceful; the king was faced with a good part of the kingdom's nobility and great lords.

Juana de Castro demanded Pedro to nullify his marriage with Blanche of Bourbon; he complied and had two bishops carry out the act. As a part of her dowry Juana received the castles of Jaén, Castrojeriz and Dueñas. In early April, Pedro and Juana married at the church of San Martin in Cuéllar. She was pronounced Queen of Castile, though the marriage lasted one day before Peter left her. The King had news that two Juana’s siblings, Alvar and Inés, had offered the crown of Castile to Pedro of Portugal. The Castilian king feared that Juana herself would participate in the plot, and he decided to abandon her.

According to some source, the union wasn't so short-lived. Pedro was under serious pressure from the pope to renounce his marriage to Juana and take back Blanche. Fearing excommunication, Pedro stopped spending time with Juana. Their marriage was not formally annulled by the pope, although a strange turn of events challenged the legitimacy of the marriage.

Although Pedro withdrew the castles he had given her as dowry, she was able to keep Dueñas, where Juana de Castro retired. She continued holding the title of Queen of Castile and León throughout Pedro’s reign. Fruit of this union was born a son named Juan, designated in the testament of his father as heir to the throne in the case of the death of Maria de Padilla’s children. After Maria’s death, Pedro would claim that his true wife was Maria de Padilla.

King Pedro was killed by his half-brother in 1369, and the fratricidal came to the throne under the name of Enrique II of Castile. Juana de Castro died five years later, and her corpse was buried at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Juan of Castile, Pedro’s son with Juana de Castro, had a sad end. Having been rendered illegitimate, he was later captured and imprisoned by Enrique II of Castile. He lived until roughly 1405, spending decades of his life under house arrest.

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Writer and traveler, Egeria toured Christianity’s most sacred sites during the late 4th century. Her account offers a unique and historically significant testimony.

The mysterious Egeria

Egeria and her writings fell into obscurity until a fragment of her Itinerarium was rediscovered in 1884. At the time, the author’s name was unknown, leading to much speculation. However, based on other texts and fragments, scholars eventually identified the writer as a certain Egeria (although variations of her name exist).

She likely undertook her journey between 381 and 384 and may have been from Galicia, which would make her the first known writer from the Iberian Peninsula.

Egeria was almost certainly a nun. While some argued that a monastic woman could not have left her order for such a long time, a wealth of evidence suggests otherwise. For one, she addressed her readers as “sisters,” likely referring to members of her religious community. During her travels, she attended services held for monks and consecrated virgins. Furthermore, the 7th-century Spanish monk Valerius referred to her as “a blessed nun.” He clearly saw no contradiction between her monastic status and her activities.

Egeria was perhaps a woman of high social standing. She had the resources to undertake such an extensive journey independently, seemingly unconcerned by its cost or duration. She was warmly welcomed by local clergy, especially bishops, and provided with guides and an armed escort.

However, some elements challenge this view. Egeria traveled without an entourage and often journeyed on foot or by mule. Whether she was wealthy or not, one thing is clear: Egeria possessed a remarkable adventurous spirit.

Egeria’s journey

Geographically, Egeria’s pilgrimage spanned a vast area, including Palestine, Egypt, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Asia Minor. Her journey began in Constantinople, and the preserved portion of her Itinerarium opens with her approach to Mount Sinai. She then traveled to Egypt, following the route of the Exodus, before returning to Jerusalem.

Her choices and flexible itinerary reveal a strong sense of independence. Egeria expressed genuine excitement at her discoveries, showing particular curiosity about the liturgical practices of the religious communities she encountered.

At the shrine of Saint Thecla, she met with a deaconess named Marthana—an earlier acquaintance—who appeared to be one of the shrine’s guardians. Saint Thecla, a prominent female figure in early Christianity, was known for teaching, healing, and baptizing.

"On the third day I arrived at a city that is called Seleucia in Isauria. When I had arrived there, I went to the bishop, truly holy from the time he was a monk; I also saw a very beautiful church there in that city. And as from there to holy Thecla, which place is outside the city on a hill, but flat, is about fifteen hundred paces from the city, so I preferred to go there to make the stay there that I was going to make. But there is nothing else there at the holy church except innumerable monastic cells of men and of women. For I found there someone very dear to me, and to whose way of life everyone in the east bore witness, a holy deaconess by the name of Marthana, whom I had known at Jerusalem, where she had gone up for the sake of prayer; she was governing cells of apotactitae* or virgins. When she had seen me, surely I cannot write down what her joy and mine could have been?"

This encounter illustrates the existence of networks among female religious travelers. Indeed, Egeria was not unique in this respect. Many women visited holy sites, sought out revered individuals, and some later founded their own monasteries.

According to Valerius, once her pilgrimage was complete, Egeria returned home and became an abbess.

Though her account was originally intended for personal use, it holds tremendous historical value. It is unique among pilgrimage narratives—not only describing sacred places but also capturing personal experiences. It also serves as a valuable source of insight into early Christian practices and the spiritual geography of the time.

If you enjoy this blog, consider supporting me on Ko-fi!

Further reading:

Berger Teresa,  Women's Ways of Worship, Gender Analysis and Liturgical History

Dietz Maribel, Wandering Monks, Virgins, and Pilgrims

Egeria, Journey to the Holy Land

“Egeria, Pilgrim, Traveler and Writer of the 4th century”

Plant Ian Michael, Women Writers of Ancient Greece and Rome : An Anthology

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The Beauty of Europe

I found this video and had to share it, I like the cut together content of people wearing traditional clothes and the real historical content used especially (not talking about the movie clips which are an artistic fill in of course) and singing the song in their own language. Europe is full of culture and art, we share the same history and in times like these I think it is even more important that Europeans stick together :) yes, I'm proud to be European !

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FEDERICA MONTSENY // POLITICIAN

“She was a Spanish anarchist and intellectual who served as Minister of Health and Social Assistance in the government of the Second Spanish Republic during the Civil War. She is known for being the first woman in Spanish history to be a cabinet minister and one of the first female ministers in Western Europe.”

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Comillas was the capital of Spain for one day on August 6, 1881.  

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𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐘 𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐓𝐎𝐍 as 𝐋𝐀𝐃𝐘 𝐉𝐀𝐍𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐄

The White Queen. Episode 6.

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Caterina Sforza and Cesare Borgia

2.05 "The Choice" | The Borgias

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Benjamin Sadler and Martina Stella as Octavian and Livia in Imperium: Augustus (2003)

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VANESSA KIRBY AS JOSÉPHINE DE BEAUHARNAIS Costume designers: Janty Yates and David Crossman NAPOLEON (2023)

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The Queen Mother's Farewell (Charles II, Maria Anna of Nueburg and Mariana of Austria Fanart)

Authors note: A story based on fact

1696 was a challenging year for Charles II of Spain, as repeated tragedies struck him in ways from which he could not recover. The king’s health began to deteriorate further, and Europe grew restless as he had yet to declare a successor to his throne. At this point, Charles, without descendants of his own, had to decide between José Fernando of Bavaria (the son of Maria Antonia of Austria and Maximilian II Emanuel of Bavaria), Philip of Anjou (the future Philip V of Spain), or Charles of Austria (the son of Leopold). Opinions varied on which candidate would succeed Charles II and be named in his will. 

Mariana of Austria wanted José Fernando of Bavaria to be Charles II’s successor. In contrast, Maria Anna of Neuburg, Charles II’s second wife, opposed this idea and tried to persuade Charles to favor her nephew, Charles of Austria, believing he would be a better candidate than José Fernando. This conflict resulted in a competition between the two queens for Charles’s attention and favor. Caught in the middle, Charles was uncertain about whom to choose as his successor, realizing that the decision could either save or destroy Spain. He understood that he could not decide alone. In desperation, Charles II approached the person he loved and trusted the most: his mother, Mariana of Austria. He sought her advice on whether José Fernando was the rightful successor to the throne.

She held Charles’s hand, glanced at him, and said, “José Fernando is the best option we have. He is what’s left of Antonia, your niece, and Margarita. He is her grandson and a good fit for the succession, following the will of your father, Philip IV, which states that if you cannot sire an heir, then the succession shall pass to your sister or her descendants.” Despite his mother’s reassurance, Charles remained uncertain about naming José Fernando as heir in public. However, he did consider him a good candidate. Grateful for his mother's guidance, he was ready to leave when Mariana suddenly screamed in pain, clutching her chest. Charles II quickly sat her down and asked if she was all right. Mariana shrugged it off, assuring her son that she was well. Believing her, Charles advised her to rest for now. 

Meanwhile, Mariana wrote pleading letters to Maximilian Emanuel of Bavaria: “May God preserve him for the comfort of your Highness and myself, for I carry that child in my heart, as it’s the only thing I have left of my daughter.” As she wrote, the pain in her chest tormented her, refusing anyone who dared to offer help. 

Mariana despite her hidden pain is determined to perform her duties even if tensions grew between her and her daughter-in-law. Who at this time demanded more pension and control at court. 

For months,The Queen Mother performed her duties as usual, helping Charles onpolicies and political decisions, doing charity work, visiting monasteries, wrote important letters, and praying. Though her daughter-in law was still a problem to her, Charles did not seem to notice anything strange from his mother.'

Tragically, the secret that Mariana had tried to conceal caught up with her as her condition worsened. The Queen struggled to sleep and endure her pain. On the morning of March 1696, She summoned the royal physician and showed him her tumor. The doctor was horrified seeing it. The size and color of the tumor shocked him. He thought to himself, “I didn’t expect Her Majesty’s condition to worsen.” Tears ran down the queens eye’s, as she laid still in her bed, helpless. Meanwhile, within the opulent walls of the Alcázar Palace, Charles was deep in conversation with his minister, the Duke of Oropesa about the ritual, This ritual was performed by this month to rid of evil humours accumulated during the winter, The preparations are well advanced at the palace, the barbers where ready to perform when suddenly a messenger burst into the room with alarming news. 

“Your Majesty, the Queen Mother wishes to inform you that she is gravely ill,” he declared. The shock hit Charles, leaving him momentarily paralyzed by disbelief. “This cannot be! She was perfectly well just days ago,” he thought in anguish, his heart racing. As Maria Anna gently touched his shoulder, offering silent support, he instinctively embraced her, and amid the turmoil. They both went to the El Palacio de Duque de Uceda, Mariana of Austria lay in her dimly lit chamber, casting long shadows over her frail form. Pain pulsed through her body, the tumor within her an ever-growing curse.

 She clenched her trembling hands, her voice barely above a whisper. “God has abandoned me,” she murmured bitterly. Tears welled in her eyes, spilling down her pale cheeks. “He took my children especially my Margarita. He denied my son the joy of fatherhood. Every night, I close my eyes to nothing but suffering.”

The priests stood at the foot of her bed, murmuring prayers, but she turned away from them, her heart too heavy with grief to seek their solace. The door creaked open, and Carlos, her son, entered the room. His face bore the solemn weight of both duty and love. Seeing his mother in such despair cut him deeply. He knelt beside her bed, wept, taking her cold, fragile hand in his own. 

“Oh, my son!” Mariana whispered, gazing at him with weary eyes. “Upon my death, I ask only one thing of you. Make José Fernando your heir. He is our last hope.” Her voice wavered, but her resolve remained. “There is nothing left for me in this world. A new one awaits.” 

Carlos gently pressed her hand, his own eyes glistening with tears. “My dear mother,” he said softly, “do not let sorrow steal your faith. If you abandon it now, how will you ever find paradise? Believe in God, and He will lift the burden of your pain.” 

Mariana touched his left cheek, smiled at him, then closed her eyes, exhaling a shaky breath. Whether comforted or resigned, she did not say. Carlos spoke to his mother's physician, inquiring about her condition. The physician told the king that they have to examine the Queen further to provide a proper diagnosis. With the permission of the King and Queen Mother herself, The physicians at last are permitted to examine her.

“Why was I informed about this now?!” Carlos asked, tears streaming down his face. “The Queen ordered us not to utter a word to you,” the physician replied. 

Carlos was shocked and could hardly believe that his mother had kept her illness a secret from him for so long. He went back to his mother’s room and confronted her.

“My Mother, My lady, why? Why must you keep your suffering from me? Why must you suffer for me!?” Carlos asked.

“Because I could not bear to be part of your burdens, I would rather die than lose another son," Mariana muttered, her voice barely above a whisper as the weight of sorrow pressed upon her. 

 On April 5th 1696, In Madrid, The doctor’s officially certify the Queen's condition and release the information to the public.

“Six days ago, Most High Queen showed us her tumor that she has in her left breast of the magnitude and size of a newborn's head. Although it is not located between the ribs, it has its roots in them, and it advances, extending outward, with five or six hard growths visible on its surface. The whole surface of the tumor is hard and purple, and it causes pains that sometimes reach the ribs and prevent Her Majesty from sleeping at night. Veins swollen with bilious blood and purple spots like those produced by trauma can be observed in the tumor.

 Its shape is irregular and horrible to look at, from all of which it can be deduced that it is a cancer of the kind spoken of by Galen, and which Cornelius Celsus calls “carcinoma.” It has not yet spread, but its color and the pain it causes suggest that it will spread soon. An attempt is being made to cure it by the preservative and palliative method, with the consent of the Venerable Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, and efforts are being made to prevent the tumor from growing by using attenuating and evacuating medicines, that is, by eliminating the fibrous humors and trying to reduce them. May God, Optimus, and Maximus, restore Her Majesty's health and prolong her life for many years ”

The physicians tried to cure the Queen by resorting to supernatural remedies, transporting the bodies of San Isidro and the Virgin of Atocha to the Royal Alcazar, to which the royal family was very devoted. Carlos on the other hand, prayed for his mother’s recover. His wife Maria Anna prayed with him. Maria Anna tried her best concealing her her hatred for the Queen Mother. Maria Anna did wrote a letter to her family that Mariana of Austria had lost faith to the Venerable Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, and her court doctors. Asking for the best German specialist available. Lancier, The bavarian ambassador wrote to the Elector that Mariana could live longer if, the doctors did not complicate her illness with their treatment, which alas, they were already doing, Their dosing made her vomit and increased her fever and had no good effect on her whatsoever. 

Despite the doctors best efforts, By the month of May 1696, The tumor opened up and reached a more than considerable size (the head of a seven-year-old child).

The doctors brought a shaman from La Mancha to perform a ritual on the Queen Mother. By May 10 1696, It’s clear that the Queen’s end is near. The ritual of royal beds began to be performed. 

She received the Viaticum in the presence of Carlos and Maria Anna. She bid farewell to Carlos and Maria Anna, though her farewell to her was less affectionate. Mariana could feel the end approaching, a cold certainty settling in her bones. Carlos clutched her frail hand, his fingers trembling. Tears welled in his eyes, spilling onto his cheeks as he whispered, "Mother, please, don't leave me." Mariana's gaze softened as she looked at her son, the boy she had fought for, the king she had raised. With the last of her strength, she squeezed his hand and managed a weak smile. 

"You must be strong, Carlos," she said. "For Spain… for our family…" Carlos sobbed, resting his forehead against her hand, unwilling to let go. The room was silent except for his quiet cries. Carlos eventually let go of his mother’s hand and left. She then sent her confessor into the crowded antechamber to ask forgiveness to those she offended. She wrote a will and signed it with seven grandees as witness. The body of San Isidro arrived, still intact thanks to her, and the miraculous image of Our Lady of Atocha. The cross of Pope Puis V was placed on her hand and she waited for her death. But death did not come until six days later on May 16, 1696. 

[isadomna]

THE BORGIAS ʚ♡ɞ LUCREZIA & JUAN BORGIA "This ,dear sister, is a gift for you like no other."

[isadomna]

“Lucrezia Borgia was the daughter of Rodrigo Borgia, the powerful Renaissance figure who later became Pope Alexander VI, and Vannozza dei Cattanei. Her brothers included Cesare Borgia, Juan Borgia, and Gioffre Borgia. She served for a time as de facto ruler of the Holy See during her father's absence. The fall of the power of the Borgias followed with her father's death in 1503 despite Cesare's immense capabilities. Cesare, gravely ill, was planning the conquest of Tuscany, but could do nothing without continued papal patronage. The new pope, Pius III, supported him, but his reign was short and was followed with the accession of the Borgias' deadly enemy, Julius II. While moving to Romagna to quell a revolt, Cesare was seized and imprisoned near Perugia. All Borgia lands were subsequently acquired by the Papal States. After exile to Spain, in 1504, followed by imprisonment and escape, Cesare joined his brother-in-law, King John III of Navarre; dying in his service during a military campaign in 1507. Meanwhile, Lucrezia, no longer needing to play a major political role at the court of Ferrara — which became a center for the arts and letters of the Italian Renaissance —was able to live a more normal life and turned to religion in her final years. She died on June 24, 1519 at the age of 39, due to complications occurring during the birth of her eighth child.”

[isadomna]

"Lucrezia received the news of her mother’s death while she was acting as regent. After giving orders that no one was to speak of it to her, she sought refuge in San Bernardino. “She will not speak of it in case she disturbs the state. She will wear her mourning alone,” said one of the courtiers. The loss of her mother was painful, not because she had been close to her, but because she hadn’t. “Your happy and unhappy mother,” Vannozza had signed herself. Happy to have a daughter who was Duchess of Ferrara, unhappy to have had to give her up when she was little more than a baby, and unhappier still to have outlived three sons. All this Lucrezia would understand as she reflected upon her mother’s life. But she could not mourn her as she had mourned Alexander, for she had never really known her and had so few memories on which to base her grief. What she must have mourned instead was the passing of the last member of her original family and the feeling of unutterable aloneness this gave her." — Emma Lucas, Lucrezia Borgia (2014)

[isadomna]

"On March 15, 1498, according to the reports of the Ferrarese ambassador in Venice, [Lucrezia] gave birth to a boy who was christened Giovanni (Juan), in memory of her beloved brother, the murdered Duke of Gandía. The official bull declared that the child, delicately described therein as 'the Roman infant' (infans Romanus)." — The Borgias and their enemies 1431-1519 by Christopher Hibbert