Vanozza de 'Cattanei

Vanozza de 'Cattanei; Detail of the portrait of Innocenzo Francucci ; Borghese Gallery , Rome

Vanozza de 'Cattanei baptized as Giovanna Cattanei (* July 13, 1442 ; † November 26, 1518 in Rome ) was the long-time life partner of Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia (1431-1503), later Pope Alexander VI., And the mother of his four most famous Children.

Life

Origin and early years

There are hardly any reliable facts known about the origin and childhood of the Vanozza de 'Cattanei. The fact that she came from a line of small Roman noblemen can no more be conclusively proven than the claim that she was the child of a respectable, but poor Roman family. The origin from a modest family was even attempted to justify the fact that the first name Vanozza is allegedly a " plebeian family name" common in Rome and not the diminutive of Giovanna. The Venetian historian Marino Sanudo († 1536) in turn reports that Vanozza came from Mantua , which was supported by the fact that the surname Cattaneo is particularly common there. There are also some surviving written testimonies from her that speak of her family's origins in Mantua.

From a document dated January 20, 1483, however, it emerges that Vanozza was the daughter of "Jacopo Pinctoris [translated: 'Jacopos the painter'] from the Ponte district" in Rome and his wife Menica, who at the time the certificate was issued was widowed. Probably the father - like many other less well-off craftsmen and artists back then - had settled in the Tiber city because of the greater professional opportunities. This assumption is also supported by the fact that almost no relatives of Vanozza living in Rome are known from the preserved documents. The thought that if her relatives had existed, the temptation to make any kind of material capital out of Vanozza's relationship with Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia, cannot be dismissed out of hand.

After Jacopo's death, mother and daughter certainly no longer had to worry about material concerns, as Vanozza had been in a relationship with Cardinal Borgia for about ten years and had already given him four children. How and on what Vanozza had lived, however, before she was the cardinal and later Pope Alexander VI. encountered is unknown. That she was the cardinal's mistress for many years is certain, that she was “a famous courtesan ” from a young age , but mere speculation.

Marriages and Relationship with Cardinal Borgia

The defense of Saint Catherine of Pinturicchio. The children of Rodrigo Borgia probably served as models for some of the figures in this painting.

When and where Vanozza first met Rodrigo Borgia, who was around ten years his senior, can no longer be determined. It is most likely that the relationship with him began in the first half of the 1470s, probably between the winter of 1473 and the first half of 1474, after Rodrigo returned from Spain, where he was the legate (ambassador) of Pope Sixtus' IV. Had successful political negotiations.

When Vanozza's liaison with the cardinal began, she was over 30 years old and by the standards of the time she was no longer a young woman. Rodrigo Borgia, of whom it was generally said that he attracts beautiful women as well as a "magnet ... iron filings", had already had a few mistresses and was already the father of three illegitimate children. However, Vanozza was the only woman with whom he had a lasting relationship, and he felt a deeper affection for the four children they shared than for his other illegitimate offspring. The eldest of the four children, Cesare , was born in 1475; this was followed by Juan and Giovanni in 1476 , Lucrezia in 1480 and Jofré in 1481 . The four siblings later also became the most important "figures" in their father's political plans, which aimed to raise his family to a powerful dynasty and to secure permanent rule in Italy. To this end, the father endowed his offspring with offices, benefices and titles, arranged marriages and divorced them as soon as they no longer corresponded to his political intentions.

Rodrigo Borgia not only publicly acknowledged his paternity, but later even had it recognized by a notary, which means that Vanozza was officially recognized as the mother. In doing so, he blatantly violated an unwritten rule in church circles, which said that a cleric who sinned carnal should at least do so without causing a stir. However, a certain minimum of veiling was indispensable in the long run, because a quasi-wife at the side of Cardinal Borgia, who as cardinal dean had also been head of the college of cardinals since 1476 , would undoubtedly not have been conducive to his further ecclesiastical career. Not least because of this, the assumption has been made that Vanozza's marriage to Domenico d'Arignano, an administrative officer of the Papal States, was arranged some time before Cesare's birth in order to cover up the cardinal's paternity. When Domenico died, who - as his contemporaries had smugly remarked - had traveled a lot as part of his professional life, however, a cloak in the form of a husband Vanozza was missing for about five years.

Cardinal Vanozza married again in 1480 or 1481. The new husband was Giorgio di Croce, an apostolic secretary of Sixtus IV from Milan , who was also often on the road. The couple lived in a house in Rome that is said to have been not too far from the cardinal's domicile, and they had a son who was baptized Ottavio. After di Croce died in 1486 - his son Ottaviano succeeded his father shortly afterwards - Cardinal Borgia established another marriage, this time with Carlo Canale, who came from Mantua and had a humanistic education, the former secretary of Cardinal Francesco Gonzaga († 1483). However, this third marriage, which was concluded in June 1486, no longer had an alibi function, but merely served to provide for the cardinal's ex-lover, who was now 44 years old, in the event of his death. This connection brought the poor spouse not only a handsome sum of money, but also an office in the curia .

Last decades of life

Vannozza Cattanei, coat of arms, Vicolo del Gallo, Rome

At the time of her third marriage, Vanozza had long since had to relinquish her position as Cardinal Borgia's favorite to younger “comrades-in-arms”, of which only Giulia Farnese was to emerge from anonymity. Nevertheless, she continued to be generously cared for by her former lover, even after he became Pope in 1492. His financial contributions made it possible for Vanozza to live like a noblewoman who she was almost certainly not by birth. Over time she became a wealthy woman who owned three hostels and several houses in Rome. She also ran a profitable side business as a pawnbroker. The social rise of Vanozza was finally crowned with the bestowal of the name and the coat of arms of the Borgia, which adorned a bull. However, it was not given a permanent place in the power structure of the Curia. In contrast to her children, "who went in and out of the power center of the church ... Vanozza remained spatially and functionally marginalized." The letters to Alexander VI also changed this. nothing in which she reminded of the old days and the former intimate bond between the two.

In the last phase of her life, Vanozza was primarily active as a donor and benefactress, who supported numerous charitable institutions and hoped to atone for her once committed “sins” through “works of piety”. Although Vanozza never concealed her connection with the Borgia family, she was not bothered by the countless enemies the Borgia had made. The protective measures that Cesare took in 1503 after the death of Alexander VI. and the collapse of power the Borgia seized for the mother, proved completely unnecessary. Vanozza has long had a reputation for being an honorable woman. This was not denied by the historian Paolo Giovio (1483–1552; Latinized: Jovius), who had met Vanozza personally but was hostile to the Borgia family. He even wrote of her that "she was a righteous woman."

Tomb slab of Vannozza Cattanei

Vanozza died on November 26th, 1518 in Rome at the age of 76 - for that time, a very old woman. Her funeral could rival that of a cardinal in pomp. Not only did the brotherhood of the Gonfalone , of which many respected citizens of Rome belonged and of which she was a member, also paid the deceased , but also members of the court of Pope Leo X. Vanozza was buried next to her second husband Giorgio di Croce and her sons Juan and Ottavio in the family chapel that she had built in the prestigious church of Santa Maria del Popolo . The inscription on her tombstone proudly proclaimed that she was the mother of the four most famous children of Alexander VI. was. The calm she had in life, however, was not given to her in death. In 1594 her tomb was demolished by order of Pope Clement VIII . The reformed papacy no longer allowed these dead people to be remembered. However, her grave slab was preserved and was later placed in the portico of the Basilica of San Marco .

Personality and appearance

Vanozza de 'Cattanei as a benefactress

Two portraits have survived which, according to ancient and credible traditions, are representations of the Vanozza de 'Cattanei. They are very similar and both show a middle-aged woman with an oval face, a long, narrow nose, which can also be found in Cesare Borgia, and a small, beautifully shaped mouth. In one of the portraits Vanozza is shown with a scarf wrapped around his head and a look that looks slightly melancholy, while that of Innocenzo Francucci shows a woman with an alert, critical eye. The depiction of Francucci is, however, a work of the memoria , which should keep the memory of the deceased alive. What is interesting about this picture is that Vanozza is depicted with a double coral bracelet on the right wrist: In their time corals were considered a means of defense against the " evil eye " and - in view of the bad reputation of the Borgia from the point of view of the painter - against defamation .

The conclusion that Vanozza de 'Cattanei "must have been a remarkable woman to gain and keep [Rodrigo Borgia's] affection" is certainly correct. This is also supported by the fact that the future Pope remained connected to her even after their physical relationship had long since ended. The “real” feelings behind this relationship are very difficult to fathom on the basis of the sources that have been preserved, since even documents that seemed completely “private” were generally written according to certain literary rules at the time, and therefore a large proportion of empty phrases and platitudes exhibit. The fact that the couple "[lived] together in a romantic togetherness for twenty years" is in any case an assertion for which the sources do not provide sufficient confirmation.

What is certain, however, is that Vanozza had an intimate relationship with her children throughout her life - although they only spent part of their childhood in their mother's house. The children stayed as guests at Vanozza's house in Rome from time to time. Cesare even entrusted his mother with administrative tasks in the Papal States and the connection to her daughter Lucretia kept her up to the end of her life. But even in this context, Vanozza seems to have been aware of the class boundaries. She knew how to keep the form in public and in her letters by never failing to show respect for the children, all of whom had been made spiritual and worldly greats by the Father.

literature

• Sarah Bradford: Cesare Borgia. A life in the Renaissance. German by Joachim A. Frank. Hoffmann and Campe, Hamburg 1979, ISBN 3-455-08898-8 . (well-founded presentation with extensive bibliography).
• Orestes Ferrara: Alexander VI. Borgia. Translated by Anna Katharina Debrunner. With an afterword by Reinhold Schneider. Artemis, Zurich 1957. (extensive, but partly very outdated illustration).
• Ferdinand Gregorovius : History of the City of Rome in the Middle Ages , 4 volumes; CH Beck, Munich 1978, ISBN 3-406-07107-4 . (New edition of the work from the 19th century; details often unreliable).
• Kari Lawe: Vannozza de Cattanei och påven Alexander VI. En renässanspåvefamilj i relation till samtidens och eftervärldens syn på celibat, prästerskap, konkubinat och prästbarns rättsliga och sociala ställning [= Vannozza de Cattanei and Pope Alexander VI. A historical study of a Renaissance papal family in relation to celibacy, priestly marriage, concubinage and the legal and social status of priests' children]. Almqvist & Wiksell International, Stockholm 1997, ISBN 91-628-2606-9 . (Printed dissertation from Uppsala University with a summary in English).
• Uwe Neumahr: Cesare Borgia. The Prince and the Italian Renaissance. Piper, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-492-04854-5 . (Overall too little critical and often incorrect in details).
• Volker Reinhardt: The uncanny Pope. Alexander VI. Borgia. 1431-1503 (= Beck series). CH Beck, Munich 2007; ISBN 978-3-406-54753-9 . (scientific and legible representation).
• Alois Uhl: Pope children. Life pictures from the time of the Renaissance. Piper, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-492-24891-4 .
• Roberto Zapperi:  Catanei, Vannozza. In: Alberto M. Ghisalberti (Ed.): Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (DBI). Volume 22:  Castelvetro – Cavallotti. Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, Rome 1979.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Roberto Zapperi:  Vanozza de 'Cattanei. In: Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (DBI).
2. ↑ The spelling of the family name differs from source to source and from author to author. In addition to the one used here, the following variants are often found: Catanei, Cataneis, Cathaneis and dei Cattanei. The first name is also often written Vannozza.
3. ↑ Ferrara: Alexander VI. P. 153. In the eighth chapter of this book (p. 151–165), which is dedicated to Vanozza de 'Cattanei, the author gives an overview of the numerous assertions and assumptions that have been made up to then about their origin, but also supplements them by some equally crude conclusions and speculations of their own.
4. ↑ For example, the use of “basar” instead of “baciare” in a letter to Alexander VI. (Vocabulario Mantovano - Italiano, Milano 1827) or “tozeti” instead of “fanciuletti” in a contract with Andrea Bregno (Dizionario del Dialetto Veneziano, Venezia 1829).
5. ↑ Quoted from Bradford: Cesare Borgia , p. 29.
6. ^ Bradford: Cesare Borgia , p. 30.
7. ↑ Ferrara: Alexander VI. , P. 154, which here reproduces one of many unproven claims.
8. ↑ Reinhardt: The uncanny Pope , p. 52.
9. ↑ In older literature he is consistently mentioned as the firstborn, but this is not true.
10. ↑ The spelling differs from author to author. In addition to the one used here, there are also the name variants Domenico Arignano, Domenico Giannozzo da Rignano and Domenico Giannotti. See also Ferrara: Alexander VI. P. 154.
11. ↑ Reinhardt: The uncanny Pope , p. 54.
12. ^ Bradford: Cesare Borgia , p. 368.
13. ↑ It reads: DOM - The Vannozza Cathanei, ennobled by their children, the dukes Cesare of Valence, Juan of Gandìa, Jofred of Squillace and Lucrezia of Ferrara; distinguished by great righteousness and equally by piety, also by age and extraordinary cleverness, highly deserved by the Lateran Hospital, set Hieronymus Picus on the basis of a vow (this plate) as entailer and executor of the will. She lived seventy-six years, four months, thirteen days; she died in 1518 on November 26th.
14. ^ Bradford: Cesare Borgia , p. 29.
15. ↑ Neumahr: Cesare Borgia , p. 21