Part 2 (2/2)

On the 26th, Lucrezia gave an informal ball at her palace, closely observed by the dutiful El Prete: A n.o.bleman from Valencia and a lady of the court, Niccola, led the dance. They were followed by Don Ferrante and Madonna [Lucrezia], who danced with extreme grace and animation. She wore a camorra camorra [robe] of black velvet with gold borders... Her breast was covered up to the neck with a veil of gold thread. About her neck she wore a string of pearls, and on her head a green net and a chain of rubies... Two or three of her women are very pretty... one, Angela [Borgia, an illegitimate cousin of Lucrezia]... I picked out as my favourite. [robe] of black velvet with gold borders... Her breast was covered up to the neck with a veil of gold thread. About her neck she wore a string of pearls, and on her head a green net and a chain of rubies... Two or three of her women are very pretty... one, Angela [Borgia, an illegitimate cousin of Lucrezia]... I picked out as my favourite.

Over the following days there were the traditional races in various categories for wild boar, buffalo, prost.i.tutes, Jews, young men, old men and boys. Then there were races for three different breeds of horses Barbary horses imported from Morocco via Naples, much prized for their speed, light 'Spanish' horses and the heavy corsieri, corsieri, cavalry chargers. As usual there was a good deal of violence and cheating, notably by Cesare's stable. cavalry chargers. As usual there was a good deal of violence and cheating, notably by Cesare's stable.

On 30 December, to the sound of trumpets and other musical instruments, Lucrezia, dressed in a long robe of golden brocade with a train carried by her damsels, and accompanied by Ferrante and Sigismondo, walked across to the Vatican for the ceremony of the giving of the ring, performed by Ferrante, 'with the greatest reverence and elegance', followed by a tedious oration by the Bishop of Adria which Alexander ordered to be cut short. Then Ippolito ordered a table to be brought forward for presentation of the jewels to Lucrezia: 'Our Reverend Cardinal,' wrote Pozzi and Saraceni, reporting the ceremony to Ercole, made the presentation of the jewels with the greatest grace so that the aforesaid Holiness said the present was fine, but that His Reverend Lords.h.i.+p had made it most beautiful, and in that presentation His Lords.h.i.+p was very well a.s.sisted by Zoanne Ziliolo, treasurer, who in all that was necessary used singular expertise and diligence and it was done very well [in order to] enjoy the preciousness and greatness of the gift. Thus by His Holiness Our Lord and the Most Reverend Cardinals and also by the Most Ill.u.s.trious Madonna Lucrezia it was praised, and was estimated at some 70,000 ducats according to the Most Reverend Cardinal of Santa Praxede, and also the Most Ill.u.s.trious Don Ferrante took the utmost trouble to demonstrate the presentation and goodness of the Jewels, and above all the Most Ill.u.s.trious Madonna Lucretia commended the ornaments and the work surrounding the Jewels, there not being such good masters of the art here...

According to Burchard, Ippolito presented Lucrezia with 'four rings of great value, a diamond, a ruby, an emerald and a turquoise'. He then took out of a box a cap or head ornament studded with fourteen diamonds, as many rubies and about a hundred and fifty large pearls, four collars similarly decorated with jewels and pearls, many bracelets, four of which were of very great value, a pendant for the breast or head made of larger jewels, four long strings of large pearls, four beautiful crosses made of diamonds and other jewels, and finally another cap similar to the first.

All was not as it seemed, however. Ippolito had received previous instructions from his father to the effect that he should use a certain form of words which Gian Luca Pozzi would provide for him, so that in case Lucrezia was unfaithful to Alfonso the jewels would remain with the Este. In the envoy's long report of the ceremony on the 30th it was stressed 'concerning the said deponatione deponatione [handing over] there has been made an instrument in which it is said that the wedding ring is given and no mention is made of anything else which may be given: and for this the affair has pa.s.sed off... according to the intention of Your Excellency that it should not be written nor that there should be any idea of a donation, and there is no need for Your Excellency to be suspicious of it'. [handing over] there has been made an instrument in which it is said that the wedding ring is given and no mention is made of anything else which may be given: and for this the affair has pa.s.sed off... according to the intention of Your Excellency that it should not be written nor that there should be any idea of a donation, and there is no need for Your Excellency to be suspicious of it'.22 After the presentation of the jewels, in which Alexander had gleefully partic.i.p.ated, pa.s.sing the jewels through his hands and showing them off to his daughter, he and Lucrezia withdrew to the window to watch the games in the piazza beneath; these included the mock siege of a castle defended by eight gentlemen against a similar number of combatants, during which five of them were wounded. Afterwards the company went up to the Sala del Pappagallo for a party which lasted until five in the morning. Lucrezia was splendidly dressed in a robe (veste) (veste) of curled cloth of gold in the French style with wide sleeves down to the ground, a cloak of crimson satin lined with ermine slashed deep on the left-hand side showing a rich fringe and jewel-studded embroidery. Round her neck she wore a string of pearls with a pendant comprising an emerald, a ruby and a pendant pearl and on her head she wore a cap worked in gold, her floor-length plait bound with a black cord and a covering of gold-striped silk. of curled cloth of gold in the French style with wide sleeves down to the ground, a cloak of crimson satin lined with ermine slashed deep on the left-hand side showing a rich fringe and jewel-studded embroidery. Round her neck she wore a string of pearls with a pendant comprising an emerald, a ruby and a pendant pearl and on her head she wore a cap worked in gold, her floor-length plait bound with a black cord and a covering of gold-striped silk.23 At the Pope's request, Lucrezia danced with Cesare and then her damsels danced in pairs. Two eclogues were recited,' one very boring' and the other more lavish, ordered by Cesare with woods, fountains and hills, animals and shepherds and featuring two young men who represented Alfonso and Cesare, each dominating their lands on different sides of the Po. There was a ballet a ' At the Pope's request, Lucrezia danced with Cesare and then her damsels danced in pairs. Two eclogues were recited,' one very boring' and the other more lavish, ordered by Cesare with woods, fountains and hills, animals and shepherds and featuring two young men who represented Alfonso and Cesare, each dominating their lands on different sides of the Po. There was a ballet a 'moresca' and general dancing.

The Roman carnival that year, the Ferrarese reported, was more splendid than the usual celebrations. There was a parade of armed and mounted Romans and thirteen triumphal cars with representations of Caesar, Hercules and Scipio Africa.n.u.s. The piazza was barricaded off for the next two days for bullfights and at night the Borgias, the Este and their guests danced and feasted in the Vatican.

Behind the gracious smiles and words and splendid ceremony, the business dealings went on. The Bull of Remission of the Census was 'very fine', drawn up with all of Ercole's suggestions, sealed with the papal seal and undersigned by all the cardinals present at the consistory ready to be taken to Ferrara by Lucrezia. The dowry was also all in order, the Ferrarese reported, 'except the 8,000 ducats and because they are lacking that sum here, there is some difference over the payment, which will be made without doubt; and if it is not we will not leave here'. The fault, they considered, lay not with the Pope but with his ministers. They were still wrangling at the beginning of January as to how the dowry should be paid. The Pope got his way with a sweetener for the Este in the form of the promise of a bishopric for Don Giulio and the archbishopric of Bologna for Ippolito.24 All was now sweetness and light between Ercole and the Borgias for the moment. All was now sweetness and light between Ercole and the Borgias for the moment.

Yet, in an interview with Gian Luca Pozzi on the eve of Lucrezia's departure, Alexander experienced last-minute anxiety as to how his beloved daughter might be treated by the Este once she was out of his sphere. At Ercole's instance, Pozzi had raised the subject of the marriage between the Gonzaga heir and Cesare's daughter by Charlotte d'Albret. Alexander put him off, saying that Cesare would do nothing about this at the moment without the permission and goodwill of the King of France, and that he had discussed this with Lucrezia. He then went on to tell Pozzi that he 'loved the aforesaid Madonna [Lucrezia] far more than he did the Duke [Cesare] because she was virtuous and prudent and had always been most obedient to him: and that if she would be well treated in Ferrara, nothing they could ask him would ever be in vain'.25 The sixth of January 1502, the Feast of the Epiphany, was the date of Lucrezia's final departure from the city she had known all her life to face her new future in Ferrara. She spent a long time kneeling at her father's feet in the Sala del Pappagallo where the two of them spoke alone before Alexander summoned Cesare. There was no mention of Lucrezia's farewell to Rodrigo, now just two, which must have been heartbreaking for her, nor of Vannozza, who as always seemed to play little part in her life. Once the Pope had given her leave to go, Lucrezia left the Vatican escorted by Ippolito and Cesare. She was dressed, according to Ferrante, in a robe of curled cloth of gold cut with crimson thread and over it a cloak of cloth of gold lined with ermine. She wore a hat of crimson silk with a golden cap ornament with a large pendent jewel on one side and a necklace of large pearls. At the foot of the steps of the Vatican she mounted a 'very fine mule, harnessed very richly with beaten gold and a long wide cloth of mulberry velvet'.26 It was snowing as she left, followed by her huge company. As she did so, Alexander went from window to window of the palace to catch the last glimpse of his beloved daughter. It was snowing as she left, followed by her huge company. As she did so, Alexander went from window to window of the palace to catch the last glimpse of his beloved daughter.

PART TWO.

d.u.c.h.ess of Ferrara 150219

7. The Road to Ferrara

'She kept always to her room to wash her hair but also because she is rather solitary and remote by nature'

The Ferrarese envoys accompanying Lucrezia to Duke Ercole describing her embarra.s.sing experience in finding herself in her former city of Pesaro

A list preserved in the archives at Modena details Lucrezia's company on the long hard journey northwards. She rode either her mule or a white jennet, or, when she was tired, in a handsome litter provided by her father. She was accompanied by her old friends and relations, Geronima Borgia, Adriana de Mila and her ladies, each with her personal servant. Headed by the beautiful Angela Borgia, always known as Dona Angela, they included 'Elisabetha senese [of Siena] and her daughter, Elisabetha perusina [from Perugia], Catherina Spagnola [from Spain], Alexandra, Geronima [who later married Lucrezia's favourite doctor, Lodovico Bonaccioli], Nicola [who married into the Ferrarese aristocratic family of Trotti], Camilla, Catherinella negra [a favourite black slave], four chambermaids, la Napolitana [the Neapolitan] with two daughters, Samaritana, and Camilla greca [the Greek] and two handmaids ['ancille ['ancille'], and a 'Madonna Joanna' (possibly Juana de Moncada, married to one of Alexander's nephews), with four personal servants. Unmentioned in the archive list or in the list provided by the Ferrarese chronicler Zambotti was a woman named Drusilla, reputed to be Cesare's lover. The only evidence for this Drusilla is an epigram by the poet Fausto Evangelista Maddaleni ent.i.tled 'On the sorrow of Cesare for the departure of Lucrezia Borgia and Drusilla'. and a 'Madonna Joanna' (possibly Juana de Moncada, married to one of Alexander's nephews), with four personal servants. Unmentioned in the archive list or in the list provided by the Ferrarese chronicler Zambotti was a woman named Drusilla, reputed to be Cesare's lover. The only evidence for this Drusilla is an epigram by the poet Fausto Evangelista Maddaleni ent.i.tled 'On the sorrow of Cesare for the departure of Lucrezia Borgia and Drusilla'.1 Cesare's biographer, Gustavo Sacerdote, hazards a guess that this Drusilla may have been the mother of his two illegitimate children, Girolamo and Camilla, who followed Lucrezia to Ferrara. Cesare's biographer, Gustavo Sacerdote, hazards a guess that this Drusilla may have been the mother of his two illegitimate children, Girolamo and Camilla, who followed Lucrezia to Ferrara.

While Ippolito had returned to Rome, Cardinal Cosenza was to accompany Lucrezia as far as Gubbio. Three bishops rode with her household, one of whom, the Bishop of Venosa, was Alexander's favourite doctor. Also among the party were the major-domo, or master of Lucrezia's household (bearing the sword and biretta destined for Alfonso from the Pope); 'Messer Christoforo' Piccimini, her secretary; il bacilliere, il bacilliere, an obscure t.i.tle, literally meaning 'the bachelor', i.e. a graduate, who was probably designated to read to her during her journey or possibly also to compose gracious speeches for her; her master of ceremonies; two chaplains (who may also have been chapel singers); her master of the stables; 'Vincentio guardaroba' (probably the same Vincenzo Giordano of her letters from Nepi); Sancho, her an obscure t.i.tle, literally meaning 'the bachelor', i.e. a graduate, who was probably designated to read to her during her journey or possibly also to compose gracious speeches for her; her master of ceremonies; two chaplains (who may also have been chapel singers); her master of the stables; 'Vincentio guardaroba' (probably the same Vincenzo Giordano of her letters from Nepi); Sancho, her scalco scalco (steward); her master of horse; and Balda.s.sare, her cup-bearer. Also in the party were the man in charge of the knives; the (steward); her master of horse; and Balda.s.sare, her cup-bearer. Also in the party were the man in charge of the knives; the credenciero, credenciero, responsible for her plate; the undercup-bearer; the doorkeeper; 'Martin who reads the book'; ten pages; ten grooms; the man in charge of her chapel; the candlemaker; the responsible for her plate; the undercup-bearer; the doorkeeper; 'Martin who reads the book'; ten pages; ten grooms; the man in charge of her chapel; the candlemaker; the spenditore spenditore who oversaw the expenses of her kitchen; the tailor; upholsterer who oversaw the expenses of her kitchen; the tailor; upholsterer (repostero); (repostero); the dispenser of her cellar; two cooks; Alonso, the goldsmith; stable boys; coachmen; the locksmith; the saddler, 'mastro Alvisi da cremona'; and Navarrico, the Spanish Borgia henchman who featured as a trusted messenger in the Vatican correspondence of 1494 and remained with Lucrezia at Ferrara. For this household alone, she travelled with one hundred and fifty carriages and mules and fifty muleteers. the dispenser of her cellar; two cooks; Alonso, the goldsmith; stable boys; coachmen; the locksmith; the saddler, 'mastro Alvisi da cremona'; and Navarrico, the Spanish Borgia henchman who featured as a trusted messenger in the Vatican correspondence of 1494 and remained with Lucrezia at Ferrara. For this household alone, she travelled with one hundred and fifty carriages and mules and fifty muleteers.

Eight squires in the service of the Pope, almost all of them Spaniards, also accompanied her, and a party of Roman barons (those not yet dispossessed by Alexander), including Francesco Colonna of Palestrina and his wife, Giuliano Orsini di Stabia, Guillen Ramon, a nephew of the Pope and captain of the papal guard, and Ranuccio degli Ottoni, shortly to be deprived of his property in Macerata by Alexander in favour of the infant Giovanni Borgia. In addition there were four Roman amba.s.sadors; eight Roman n.o.blemen; more than thirty of Cesare's gentlemen, including the gallant Yves d'Alegre, Ugo de Moneada, Cesare's right-hand man, Juan Castellar, Remolins, Juan Marrades, and many distinguished Italian n.o.blemen such as the Genoese Ottaviano Fregoso (who featured among the cast of characters in Castiglione's The Courtier) The Courtier) accompanied by thirty trumpeters, six jesters and 'Nicolo the musician'. Sanudo computed the Borgia contingent as 753 people, 426 horses and 234 mules. accompanied by thirty trumpeters, six jesters and 'Nicolo the musician'. Sanudo computed the Borgia contingent as 753 people, 426 horses and 234 mules.

The five-hundred-strong Ferrarese party, headed by Ferrante and Sigismondo d'Este, included many Este connections, such as Annibale Bentivoglio who was married to Duke Ercole's illegitimate daughter, Lucrezia; Ercole d'Este, son of the Duke's brother, Sigismondo; Niccol da Correggio, whose mother was an Este (as was the mother of Lodovico Pico della Mirandola); Uguccione dei Contrari, the leading Ferrarese n.o.bleman, married to Diana d'Este, daughter of the elder Sigismondo; and many of the n.o.bility with whom Lucrezia was to become familiar and who were to become part of her new life, both Ferrarese and local lords, bound to the Este not only by ties of kins.h.i.+p but by the gift of lands and city palaces, offices and military service. The party included the two Ferrarese envoys Gian Luca Pozzi and Gherardo Saraceni.

Ippolito d'Este, whom both Cesare and Lucrezia had known as a young cardinal, had remained behind in Rome. The third son of Ercole by his wife, the d.u.c.h.ess Eleonora d'Aragona, and just a year older than Lucrezia, he was the cleverest of the Este brothers and the most ruthless. Like Cesare, he had been destined for the Church from an early age: at only three he was given the abbey of Casalnovo in commendam, in commendam, an early start even for those days. Aged seven, thanks to his aunt, Beatrice d'Aragona, Queen of Hungary, he was given the rich archbishopric of Esztergom in Hungary, with an annual income of 50,000 ducats. Created cardinal in his absence in Hungary by Alexander in 1493, he later spent some time with Ludovico Sforza in Milan where he landed the archbishopric worth 5,000 ducats a year. He also acted as Governor of the city in the absences of Ludovico, but spent most of his time hunting and feasting outside the city. Like Cesare, he was clearly unsuited to the ecclesiastical life and, like him, preferred the exercise of arms and political intrigue to his priestly duties. His father Ercole had frequent occasion to reprove him for wearing armour instead of his priestly robes and for his generally unsuitable behaviour. In 1493 he had adjured the fifteen-year-old cardinal 'to bear yourself in such a way that you be reputed a wise and prudent Cardinal... to give evidence of the virtue of your disposition and of the constancy that a prelate of your rank should have, and one raised to such a dignity as is the Cardinalate'. an early start even for those days. Aged seven, thanks to his aunt, Beatrice d'Aragona, Queen of Hungary, he was given the rich archbishopric of Esztergom in Hungary, with an annual income of 50,000 ducats. Created cardinal in his absence in Hungary by Alexander in 1493, he later spent some time with Ludovico Sforza in Milan where he landed the archbishopric worth 5,000 duca

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