Juan Borgia lived in Italy in the 15th century. He was the son of Alexander VI, pope. His mother was the lover of the pope, whose name is Vannotsa dei Cattanei. He had two brothers - Joffre and Cesare Borgia, as well as sister Lucretia.
Family relationships
His father wanted him to become a warrior, and his brother Cesare - a cardinal. Juan was also called Giovanni Borgia (in the Italian manner). He also had a half-elder brother, Pietro Luigi, who died in 1488.
Juan, thanks to the agreement of his father with King Ferdinand, received the Duchy of Gandia after Luigi in Valencia. In 1493, he married Maria de Luna, the bride of his half-brother, who died. They had two children: a son, Juan de Borja, and a daughter, Isabelle. The first was the duke of Gandia, and the second was tonsured as a nun.
Character
Not much is known about the personality of Juan. He was considered a frivolous and narrow-minded person. In one of the letters, Cesare urged him to behave appropriately. In 1493, his brother wrote that he was not so happy about gaining a new cardinal rank as he was saddened by the news of Giovanni's bad behavior in Barcelona.
This was reported to dad. It became known that Juan runs around the streets, destroys cats and dogs, visits brothels, and plays big. And this, instead of obeying your father-in-law and honoring your wife.
In war and politics
In the summer of 1496, Juan Borgia, having received permission from King Ferdinand, returned to Rome from Spain. There he received the title of Gonfalonier of the Church, which assumed command of the entire army of the pope. He took part in hostilities aimed at pacifying hostile clans, in the first place, it was the Orsini clan. Since Juan was not a great connoisseur of military affairs, the duke of Urbinsky assisted him in command of the army.
The campaign against Orsini was unsuccessful. An attempt to capture the castle of Bracciano, owned by Orsini, in the winter of 1497 was a failure. The Duke of Urbinsky was captured, and Giovanni was wounded soon after.
Then Pope Alexander sent his son to González de Córdoba, in the Spanish army. At that time, she fought for the Neapolitan kingdom against the French. Alexander VI for Giovanni Borgia created a hereditary duchy in the papal region. Benevento and Terracino are two bishoprics that were included in its composition.
Murder
Juan Borgia was killed in June 1497, this happened near the square of Judecca. That evening, together with his brother Cesare, as well as with another relative, the cardinal, he left the house where his mother lived. He then separated from the company along with the servant who wore the mask. His companions returned to the papal palace.
Soon, his body was caught from the Tiber River, nine puncture wounds were found on it. Witnesses to the murder could not be found. But they found a firewood collector who at night saw five people throw a corpse into the Tiber. Since a purse with thirty gold ducats was found on the body, it was concluded that the robbery was not the purpose of the murder.
Different versions
After several years, rumors circulated that Giovanni's killer was Cesare, his own brother, who three years later took up the post of commander of the papal forces. It was believed that this death was beneficial to Cesare, who was not interested in the church career prepared for him by his father.
There was another version, which was that the killer was Antonio Mirandola, whose house was not far from the Tiber. He was the father of a young girl. Shortly before his death, Giovanni boasted more than once that he had managed to dishonor the daughter of a noble Roman.
The most realistic hypothesis is that the revenge kill for the death in prison of one of the members of the hostile Borgia family of Orsini - Virginio. It was his possession that dad wanted to transfer to his son. In addition, many other people had reasons for revenge. So, for example, Giovanni Sforza, husband of Lucretia, was disgraced by the pope's family. He often quarreled publicly with the deceased.
Juan Borgia was also in a bad relationship with Cardinal Ascanio Sforza, their servants slaughtered each other right on the streets of Rome. He did not get along with the Duke of Montefeltro, accusing the latter of a recent military defeat and not redeeming him from captivity. His younger brother Joffre also had a grudge against him, as rumored that Juan was in connection with his wife. In the end, the killer was never found.
The widow of Giovanni outlived him for 42 years, she no longer married, was engaged in raising children, patronized monasteries, tonsured a nun.