9 OCTOBER 2004, Page 42

Beauty, not a beast

Anne Somerset

LUCREZIA BORGIA: LIFE, LOVE AND DEATH IN RENAISSANCE ITALY by Sarah Bradford Penguin/Viking, £25. pp. 421, ISBN 0670913456 t 123 (plus £2.25 p&p) 0870 800 4848 I 4 ucrezia Borgia is one of the most notorious women in history. Fabled as a poisoner and sexual

temptress, her reputation is so fearsome largely because she was unjustly associated with the misdeeds of her brother, the truly appalling Cesare Borgia. Lucrezia has had her defenders, but even these have done her few favours. They tend to be dismissive of her, exonerating her of serious crimes on the grounds that she was an utterly passive figure, manipulated by her male relations. Having already written a biography of Cesare Borgia, Sarah Bradford is well qualified to ensure that Lucrezia is no longer unfairly overshadowed.

In her own lifetime Lucrezia was dogged by controversy and scandal, She was the illegitimate daughter of Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia, who became Pope Alexander VI in 1492. The following year, 13-year-old Lucrezia was married to Giovanni Sforza whose family ruled Milan. Before very long this union became politically inconvenient, so the Pope annulled it on the grounds of non-consummation. Lucrezia was declared to be still a virgin, but the claim 'set all Italy laughing', not least because she was rumoured to he having an affair with her father. That report was probably false, hut it seems likely that she had been sleeping with one of Alexander's servants, a handsome young Spaniard named Perotto. When his body was fished

out of the Tiber, it was universally assumed that he had been murdered on the orders of Cesare Borgia, himself suspected of incest with his sister.

Her second husband, the Duke of Biseglie, was still more unfortunate than his predecessor. He was a member of the Neapolitan ruling dynasty, but when his family fell from power Cesare Borgia decided that the marriage must be terminated. Poor Biseglie was attacked and wounded by an unknown assailant on the steps of St Peter's, but survived this first attempt on his life. Lucrezia nursed him back to health, preparing all his food as a precaution against poison, but ultimately proved unable to protect him. Cesare arranged for her to be called out of the room, and then had his brother-in-law suffocated by a henchman. Since Lucrezia had been fond of her husband she was naturally upset that he had been dispatched in this manner. However, the incident does not seem to have shaken her affection for Cesare, to whom she remained devoted until he predeceased her, aged 30.

Within months of Biseglie's murder the Borgias were trying to negotiate a more advantageous match for Lucrezia, this time with Alfonso d'Este, eldest son of the Duke of Ferrara, Her prospective fatherin-law was understandably reluctant to ally his heir to a woman 'stained with great infamy', but he dared not insult Cesare Borgia by rejecting the proposal. Accordingly the marriage went ahead, and proved surprisingly successful. One visitor to Ferrara enthused that Lucrezia was 'a pearl', who did her husband 'great service' by being 'beautiful and good, gentle and amiable'.

One of the few people not won over by Lucrezia was her supercilious sister-in-law, Isabella cl'Este, wife of Francesco Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua. Irked that Lucrezia was her superior in both rank and glamour, she criticised her brother's new bride for oversleeping and spending too much time washing her hair. Lucrezia revenged herself by becoming Francesco Gonzaga's mistress, conducting an affair lasting several years while remaining on good terms with her own husband.

Sarah Bradford writes with cool authority and her research in Italian archives is exemplary. No other biography is likely to bring us closer to Lucrezia, even if some aspects of her personality remain indistinct. The sources are wonderfully full on matters such as Lucrezia's taste in clothes, food and interior decoration, but do not always afford more intimate insights. Even Lucrezia's letters to her lover Gonzaga are (understandably, given the risks of adultery) so circumspect that they are less revealing than one might wish. To the end, therefore, Lucrezia retains an air of mystery, but Bradford is wholly successful in showing that she was far from being the monster of legend, and much more than a vacuous blonde.