Vannozza Dei Cattanei
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Giovanna "Vannozza" (dei) Cattanei (13 July 1442 – 24 November 1518) was an Italian woman who was the chief mistress of Cardinal Rodrigo de Borgia, later to become
Pope Alexander VI Pope Alexander VI (, , ; born Roderic Llançol i de Borja; epithet: ''Valentinus'' ("The Valencian"); – 18 August 1503) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 August 1492 until his death in 1503. Born into t ...
, and mother of four of his children: Cesare, Giovanni, Lucrezia, and
Goffredo Goffredo is an Italian given name, cognate with Godfrey, Gottfried, Galfrid, etc. Notable people with the name include: * Goffredo Alessandrini (1904–1978), Italian script writer and film director * Goffredo Baur, Italian cross country skier who ...
, all publicly recognised by their father.


Early life

Little is known about Vannozza's early life. What is certain is that she was born on 13 July 1442 to parents of Lombard origin (almost certainly from
Mantua Mantua ( ; ; Lombard language, Lombard and ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lombardy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, eponymous province. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the "Italian Capital of Culture". In 2 ...
). From documents of the time it is understood that her mother was named Menica and that in 1483, already elderly, she was the widow of a certain Jacopo Cattanei, a painter by profession and of minor nobility, who was probably the brother or brother-in-law of Andrea da Brescia, a marble worker. According to some historians, she was born in Rome, even if some diarists of the time defined her as "the furrier of Mantua", as Vannozza probably grew up in a family of Lombard painters, marble workers, engineers and decorators who moved to Rome to work in the cardinals' palaces. In Rome, Vannozza worked as an innkeeper, managing some of the most famous and popular inns in the city, such as the Leone o dell'Angelo in the Borgo district. Among these, the best known was the Locanda del Gallo or della Vacca, in the vicolo del Gallo, a few steps from
Campo de' Fiori Campo de' Fiori (, ) is a rectangular square south of Piazza Navona in Rome, Italy, at the border between the ''Rioni of Rome, rioni'' Parione and Regola (rione of Rome), Regola. It is diagonally southeast of the Palazzo della Cancelleria and one ...
, frequented by high-ranking people who loved to entertain themselves with the numerous prostitutes in Vannozza's service; in addition, she lent money on interest. Commentators of the time spoke of her as a woman of great beauty, with blond hair, light eyes, endowed with a disturbing charm and an opulent beauty, in line with the aesthetic canons of the period.


Cardinal Borgia's lover and marriages

There is no certain information on how and when Rodrigo and Vannozza met. Between 1465 and 1469, she met Cardinal
Rodrigo Borgia Pope Alexander VI (, , ; born Roderic Llançol i de Borja; epithet: ''Valentinus'' ("The Kingdom of Valencia, Valencian"); – 18 August 1503) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 August 1492 until his death ...
, about ten years older than her, who had risen to the position of vice-chancellor of the Holy Roman Church at only 26 years of age through the intercession of his uncle, Pope Callixtus III. She established a long relationship with him, first sentimental and then emotional. Despite her position as the recognized and respected lover of one of the most powerful cardinals of the Church of Rome, Vannozza necessarily had to have a legitimate husband. Rodrigo therefore took care of this personally, arranging all the marriages that the woman contracted during her life to his liking. Thus in 1474, at the age of 32, Vannozza married the apostolic official Domenico Giannozzo, lord of Arignano, who was about fifty years old. In 1475 Vannozza gave birth to her first son, Cesare, Borgia's second son since he was born after Pier Luigi de Borgia, whom Borgia had had around 1458 from an unknown woman. Her relationship with Borgia was intense, almost daily, as demonstrated by the second pregnancy that Vannozza faced a few months after the birth of Cesare: in 1476, having been widowed by Domenico Giannozzo, she gave Borgia another son, Giovanni. Shortly afterwards Rodrigo arranged for her to marry Giorgio della Croce, of Milanese origins, appointed by Borgia as apostolic secretary to
Pope Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV (or Xystus IV, ; born Francesco della Rovere; (21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 until his death in 1484. His accomplishments as pope included ...
. During this period Vannozza's wealth increased considerably thanks not only to the favours she enjoyed as the concubine of the very powerful Spanish cardinal, but also to her undoubted business acumen, which allowed her to make always advantageous and profitable investments. Her husband at that time was also wealthy, the owner of a splendid villa with a garden near the church of San Pietro in Vincoli, on the Esquiline Hill. This residence remained for a long time one of the places most closely linked to Vannozza's name and memory. When, towards the end of 1479, Vannozza learned that she was pregnant again, she decided to go and spend the rest of her pregnancy in the Borgia fortress in Subiaco, where on 18 April of the following year she gave birth to Lucrezia, destined to become one of the leading figures of an entire era, discussed and controversial like few other figures of those years. A year later, in 1481, Vannozza gave birth to
Goffredo Goffredo is an Italian given name, cognate with Godfrey, Gottfried, Galfrid, etc. Notable people with the name include: * Goffredo Alessandrini (1904–1978), Italian script writer and film director * Goffredo Baur, Italian cross country skier who ...
, the last of the children she would give to Borgia, although the frequentation between her and Borgia became more sporadic, so much so that Borgia, although recognizing the son, always suspected that he was in reality the son of Vannozza's legitimate husband, Giorgio della Croce. After her relationship with Borgia ended, Vannozza was able to devote herself more attention to her married life: thus around 1482 Ottaviano, son of Giorgio della Croce, was born, but in 1486, within a few days of each other, both her husband and son died. At 44 years of age, Vannozza was once again a widow. Borgia did not lose heart and in a few weeks he once again arranged the marriage of the mother of many of his children, planning for her what would have been by far the most successful union. On 8 June 1486 Vannozza married Carlo Canale (?-1500) from Mantua, a learned humanist, with a profound knowledge of literature and poetry, he had been chamberlain of Cardinal Francesco Gonzaga for many years. The new marriage marked in some way a turning point in Vannozza's life, who together with her husband and children decided to leave the palace in Piazza Pizzo di Merlo, given to her by Borgia at the beginning of their relationship, to move to a new home in Piazza Branca. During the summer or rest periods, the family loved to stay in a large villa in the Suburra district, today's Monti district, where there is still a staircase called Salita dei Borgia. Carlo Canale soon became genuinely and unconditionally attached to the children of Cardinal Borgia, especially to little Lucrezia, to whom he transmitted all his love for the humanities, initiating her to the study of Greek, Latin, poetry and the arts in general. At this point the strictly sentimental bond between Borgia and Vannozza could be said to have ended. However, in the years to come, a bond of deep affection and esteem would remain between the two, of which the fundamental glue was the visceral love that both felt for their children, even though they were destined to troubled and often painful existences. American author G. J. Meyer claims that the birth dates of their four children in comparison with Alexander's known whereabouts actually preclude him having fathered any of them.


Pontificate of Alexander VI

After the death of
Pope Innocent VIII Pope Innocent VIII (; ; 1432 – 25 July 1492), born Giovanni Battista Cybo (or Cibo), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 August 1484 to his death, in July 1492. Son of the viceroy of Naples, Cybo spent his ea ...
on 25 July 1492, the cardinals gathered in
conclave A conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to appoint the pope of the Catholic Church. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church. Concerns around ...
in the
Sistine Chapel The Sistine Chapel ( ; ; ) is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the pope's official residence in Vatican City. Originally known as the ''Cappella Magna'' ('Great Chapel'), it takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who had it built between 1473 and ...
on 6 August to elect his successor. Only at dawn on 11 August, at the end of the fifth ballot, did the cardinals elevate Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia to the throne of
Saint Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...
, who took the name of Alexander VI. In the front row, on the steps of St. Peter's Basilica, Vannozza witnessed, together with Lucrezia and Rodrigo's cousin, Adriana Mila, the jubilation with which the city acclaimed the new Pope. Upon his ascension to the papal throne, Alexander had already for some time turned his attention to the very young Giulia Farnese, daughter-in-law of his cousin Adriana, known throughout Rome and beyond as "Giulia the Beautiful" for the extraordinary beauty of her appearance. The girl, wife of Orsino Orsini, ended up definitively replacing Vannozza in the role of Alexander's official concubine, so much so that with Alexander's election many began to nickname her, with no little irony, ''Concubina Papae'' or even ''Sponsa Christi''. Soon Vannozza would be estranged from her children, called to the destiny that their father had designed for them. Vannozza was not even allowed to attend the wedding of her daughter Lucrezia with Giovanni Sforza, lord of Pesaro and this was only the beginning of her exclusion from her children's lives. In the eleven years of Alexander's pontificate, Vannozza was kept substantially on the margins of what, despite the glaring anomalies, was still her family. The destinies of her children would have increasingly distanced them from her. Cesare would have lived a life entirely dedicated to building an imperial dream that he would never be able to realize, engaged for years in fighting wars until he fell miserably after the death of his father, the only support for his political aims. Even more unfortunate was the fate of Giovanni, who, upon the death of Pier Luigi, had inherited the title of Duke of Gandia in 1492. Handsome and vigorous in appearance, Giovanni was by far the favourite son of Alexander VI, who placed in him the greatest hopes of a glorious future for the House of Borgia, but the young man was in reality only a lover of entertainment and luxury and not at all inclined to the art of war and politics. After a dinner at Vannozza's house, on 14 June 1497, the Duke of Gandia, recalled to Rome by his father for a failed military expedition, was mysteriously assassinated with numerous stab wounds and his body found only two days later in the waters of the
Tiber The Tiber ( ; ; ) is the List of rivers of Italy, third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by the R ...
. Alexander and Vannozza's pain was immense and many were suspected of being guilty of the murder, probably of political motivation. Lucrezia, perhaps the most profitable pawn in the hands of the Pope for the construction of his designs for power, would have contracted three political marriages, at whose celebration Vannozza would always have been absent: the first with Giovanni Sforza Count of Pesaro, later annulled, then with Alfonso, Duke of Bisceglie, assassinated on the orders of Cesare, and finally with Alfonso I d'Este, who would make her the most famous Duchess of
Ferrara Ferrara (; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, capital of the province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main ...
. As for Goffredo, he lived essentially at the court of
Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
as Prince of
Squillace Squillace (; ; ) is an ancient town and in the Province of Catanzaro, part of Calabria, Southern Italy. Squillace is situated near the east coast of Calabria, facing the shores of the eponymous Gulf of Squillace (), which indents the coast of ...
through the marriage contracted with Sancha of Aragon, daughter of King Alfonso II and sister of Alfonso, Duke of Bisceglie. Upon Alexander's death, Vannozza followed Cesare and Goffredo to Nepi, then returned to Rome when the situation had calmed down. Vannozza would see almost all of her children die: after Giovanni's mysterious assassination, Cesare died during the siege of Viana on the night between 11 and 12 March 1507. Ten years later, Goffredo died in January 1517 in an unclear circumstance. Only Lucrezia survived her, even if only by a few months, dying after giving birth on 24 June 1519 at the age of 39.


Later life

In the last years of her life, Vannozza led a life of penance, atonement and charity, so much so that Paolo Giovio, who knew her in that period, described her as a "good woman". She joined the Gonfalone
confraternity A confraternity (; ) is generally a Christian voluntary association of laypeople created for the purpose of promoting special works of Christian charity or piety, and approved by the Church hierarchy. They are most common among Catholics, Lu ...
, to which she left all her possessions. Vannozza Cattanei died on 26 November 1518, at the age of 76. The instructions she gave about her burial were not respected: instead she was buried "with pomp almost equal to a cardinal", as reported by Marino Sanudo. She was interred in the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo, where her son Giovanni was buried. The entire papal court attended the funeral by order of Pope Leo X. Arnold Mathew wrote: Vannozza's tombstone was found in 1948, after centuries of being used upside down as flooring; it was reassembled and walled up in the portico of the Basilica of San Marco, in front of Capitoline Hill, where it is still preserved today.


In popular culture

In film, Vannozza dei Cattanei was portrayed by Nora Tschirner in the 2006 Canadian-German film '' The Conclave'' and by Ángela Molina in the 2006 Spanish-Italian film '' The Borgia''. In television, she was portrayed by
Barbara Shelley Barbara Shelley (born Barbara Teresa Kowin; 13 February 1932 – 3 January 2021) was an English film and television actress. She appeared in more than a hundred films and television series. She was particularly known for her work in horror film ...
in the 1981 British miniseries '' The Borgias'', by Joanne Whalley in the 2011-13 Canadian television series '' The Borgias'' and by Assumpta Serna in the 2011-14 French-German miniseries '' Borgia''. She is featured in the manga '' Cesare'' by Fuyumi Soryo.


Notes


References

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Sources

* *''Los Borgia'', Juan Antonio Cebrián, Temas de Hoy, 2006. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cattanei, Vannozza dei 1442 births 1518 deaths Nobility of Mantua 16th-century Italian nobility Papal mistresses 15th-century Italian women 15th-century Italian nobility Pope Alexander VI