Giovanni Borgia, 2nd Duke of Gandia

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Giovanni Borgia, 2nd Duke of Gandia : biography

1475 – 14 June 1497

Giovanni Borgia, (Valencian: Joan, ), II Duke of Gandía (1475–1497) was the son of Pope Alexander VI and the brother of Cesare Borgia, Gioffre Borgia, and Lucrezia Borgia. Giovanni, also known as Juan or Joan, was the eldest of the Pope’s four children by Vannozza dei Cattanei.Christopher Hibbert: The Borgias and their enemies. Harcourt, Inc. 2008, p. 30Sarah Bradford: Cesare Borgia. His Life and Times. London 1876, p. 17 Due to a number of papal bulls issued after his murder, it is unclear whether Giovanni was born in 1476 or 1477, but it was long thought that he was the eldest son instead of Cesare.

Giovanni Borgia was probably born in Rome to then-cardinal Rodrigo Borgia, later to become Pope Alexander VI, and his mistress Vannozza dei Cattanei, who was married to Domenico da Rignano. Giovanni married Maria Enriquez de Luna, the Spanish betrothed of his deceased older half-brother, Pedro Luis, in September 1493. He was made 2nd Duke of Gandia, Duke of Sessa, Grand Constable of Naples, Governor of St. Peter’s, and Gonfalonier and Captain General of the Church.

He was murdered the night of 14 June 1497 near what later became the Piazza della Giudecca in the Ghetto of Rome. His grief-stricken father launched an intensive investigation into the murder, only to end it abruptly a week later. While the Orsini family had ample motive to kill Giovanni, it was later rumored that his own brother Cesare Borgia had him murdered. However, there is another rumor which says that his younger brother Gioffre Borgia murdered him due to Giovanni’s relationship with Gioffre’s wife, Sancia. His richly-attired body was recovered from the Tiber River with 30 golden ducats untouched in the purse at his belt. To the immense grief of the pope, this act occasioned the epigram by Sannazzaro on the pope as "fisher of men". Borgia’s only attendant was also slain, so there were no known witnesses.Sabatini, II.4.

Giovanni and Maria had two children: Juan de Borja y Enriquez (known as Juan Borgia), who became the 3rd duke of Gandía, and Francisca de Jesus Borja, who became a nun at a convent in Valladolid. This second Juan was the father of Saint Francis Borgia.

Currently, the only patrilineal family Borja or Borgia (Duke of Gandia, papal lineage straight from John Borja and Cattanei) is found in Ecuador and Chile. One of his prominent descendants is Dr. Rodrigo Borja Cevallos, former president of Ecuador.

Notes

In fiction

In Mario Puzo’s historical novel The Family, Giovanni Borgia’s murder by his younger brother Geoffre is central to the drama and plot of the story.

In the 2010 animated short film, Assassin’s Creed: Ascendance, a fictionalised version of Giovanni’s death is depicted by the hand of Cesare Borgia, who hires a prostitute to murder him.

In the 2011 Showtime series, The Borgias, Giovanni is played by David Oakes. He dies in the second season of the series, in the episode "World of Wonders".

In the 2011 French/German series, Borgia, Giovanni is played by French actor Stanley Weber. In both series, he is referred to by his Spanish name, Juan.

The CBBC television show Horrible Histories features a song portraying the Borgia family, with Ben Willbond as Giovanni Borgia.