No pope is definitively recorded as marrying his sister, but Pope Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia) faced strong rumors of incest with his daughter, Lucrezia Borgia, during his papacy, fueling accusations and scandals, though historians debate the extent of these alleged relationships. These rumors, spread by rivals, claimed Alexander VI wanted Lucrezia back for sexual relations, leading to her annulment from Giovanni Sforza, but concrete proof of a papal marriage to a sister is lacking, with most scandals involving lust and illegitimate children, not marriage.
Pope Sixtus IV: Had six illegitimate children, including one from an incestuous relationship with his sister.
Lucrezia retired to Nepi, and during this period the mysterious Infans Romanus (Roman Infant) was first seen, the three-year-old boy named Giovanni, with whom Lucrezia appeared in 1501. Two papal bulls recognized the child as the illegitimate son first of Cesare, then of Alexander, who was probably the true father.
Lucrezia Borgia was b. 1480, married 3 times in 1493, 1498 + 1501. The first marriage was annulled so she could marry the second, and when widowed she married the third the following year.
In this series, Giovanni is portrayed as being very brutish and cruel. In fact, he actually rapes Lucrezia on their wedding night and continues to sexually abuse her until she engineers an accident in which he breaks his leg.
Lucrezia also had a love affair with the poet Pietro Bembo during her third marriage. Their love letters were deemed "the prettiest love letters in the world" by the Romantic poet Lord Byron when he saw them in the Ambrosian Library of Milan on 15 October 1816.
Famous are the cases of Cesare Borgia (1476–1507), son of Pope Alexander VI, who had to wear a leather mask covering half of his face, which had been disfigured by syphilis in his later years (25), and of Francesco II Gonzaga (1466–1519), Marquis of Mantua, who had a form of tertiary syphilis (23).
Historical notes. Giovanni was only 26 years old at the time he married Lucrezia Borgia, not in his 40s as the series depicts him.
Pope Francis says homosexuality is a sin but not a crime. VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis criticized laws that criminalize homosexuality as "unjust," saying God loves all his children just as they are and called on Catholic bishops who support the laws to welcome LGBTQ people into the church.
Pope Francis did not have any children given his vow of celibacy. However, he was very fond of children and even authored a children's book titled "Dear Pope Francis," in which he answered questions from children around the world.
Essentially, the day we find out who will be saved and who will be damned. According to the 12th-century book credited to Irish bishop Saint Malachy, it's going to take place in 2027.
The leader of the Roman Catholic Church does not get paid what many consider a traditional salary. Instead, the Vatican provides for the pontiff's needs, from housing, food, transportation and other expenses in the form of stipends and allowances.
Pope Victor I (died 199) was a Roman African prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the Bishop of Rome in the late second century. The dates of his tenure are uncertain, but one source states he became pope in 189 and gives the year of his death as 199. He was born in the Roman Province of Africa.
A "Prophecy of the Popes" is attributed to Malachy, which is claimed to predict that there would be only 112 more popes before the Last Judgment. Benedictine Arnold de Wyon discovered and published the so-called "Doomsday Prophecy" in 1590. Most scholars consider the document a 16th-century elaborate hoax.
Cesare Borgia and Lucrezia Borgia are two of the most infamous people in the Italian Renaissance. Two illegitimate children of Pope Alexander VI, the first things many think when they hear the names of these siblings are that they were incestuous, murderous and evil incarnate. That couldn't be further from the truth.
Her pupils were fixed. A report in 1999, reviewing the work of her 4 physicians, concluded that hers was a clear case of tabes dorsalis. Abraham Lincoln told his biographer, friend, and law partner of 18 years, William Hearndon, that he had been infected with syphilis in 1835 or 1836.
Some authors blame syphilis for his brutal behavior [26,28,29]. King Henry III and Charles V of France, Henry VIII and George IV of England, Paul I of Russia and Maximilian I of Holy Roman Empire are other examples.
Juan boasts to his father that his wife is pregnant with a son. In private, however, he suffers from an unspecified venereal disease (most probably syphilis), which his physician instructs him to medicate with mercury and opium; Juan soon becomes addicted to the latter, frequently visiting a Muslim-owned opium den.
Cesare Borgia briefly employed the artist Leonardo da Vinci as a military architect and engineer between 1502 and 1503. Cesare provided Leonardo with an unlimited pass to inspect and direct all ongoing and planned construction in his domain.
Are there any descendants of the Borgias alive today? With several illegitimate children, Pope Alexander VI (Roderic/Rodrigo de Borja) certainly has surviving descendants today. Many of them might not be aware of the connection, or otherwise not be particularly visible. The examples below are just a few among many.
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
Why it was banned: Blatant homosexual characters and themes. Baldwin's American publisher, Knopf, suggested that he “burn” the book because the theme of homosexuality would alienate him from his readership among black people. He was told, “You cannot afford to alienate that audience.
Leonardo da Vinci: His portrait-painting of Lucrezia Borgia in 1498. Leonardo da Vinci who created this portrait drawing, shows her with her typical characteristics, her golden hair and her favourite pearl necklace.
The new interests of the already pontiff Alexander VI ended up formalizing the marriage between Lucrezia, who was barely 13 years old, and the Count of Pesaro, Giovanni Sforza, nephew of the powerful Duke of Milan and twenty years her senior. The ceremony is held in the Vatican on June 12, 1493.