Lucrezia Borgia

ITALIAN NOBLE

WRITTEN BY: 

• The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

LAST UPDATED: Apr 17, 2019 See Article History

Lucrezia Borgia, (born April 18, 1480, Rome—died June 24, 1519, Ferrara, Papal States), Italian noblewoman and a central figure of the infamous Borgia family of the Italian Renaissance.

Daughter of the Spanish cardinal Rodrigo Borgia, later Pope Alexander VI, and his Roman mistress Vannozza Catanei, and sister of Cesare, Lucrezia is often accused of sharing in their many crimes and excesses. In historical perspective, however, she seems to have been more an instrument for the ambitious projects of her brother and father than an active participant in their crimes. Her three successive marriages into prominent families helped augment the political and territorial power of the Borgias./.../