The Project Gutenberg EBook of Lucretia Borgia, by Ferdinand Gregorovius
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Title: Lucretia Borgia
According to Original Documents and Correspondence of Her Day
Author: Ferdinand Gregorovius
Translator: John Leslie Garner
Release Date: March 13, 2007 [EBook #20804]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
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LUCRETIA BORGIA
[Illustration: LUCRETIA BORGIA.
From a portrait attributed to Dosso Dossi, in the possession of
Mr. Henry Doetsch, London.]
FERDINAND GREGOROVIUS
LUCRETIA BORGIA
ACCORDING TO ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS
AND CORRESPONDENCE OF HER DAY
TRANSLATED FROM THE THIRD GERMAN EDITION
BY JOHN LESLIE GARNER
BENJAMIN BLOM New York/London
TO
DON MICHELANGELO GAETANI
DUKE OF SERMONETA
First published New York 1904
Reissued 1968 by
Benjamin Blom, Inc. 10452
Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 68-20226
Manufactured in the United States of America
TO DON MICHELANGELO GAETANI DUKE OF SERMONETA
MY HONORED DUKE: I am induced to dedicate this work to you by
the historical circumstances of which it treats and also by personal
considerations.
In it you will behold the founders of your ancient and illustrious
family. The Borgias were mortal enemies of the Gaetani, who narrowly
escaped the fate prepared for them by Alexander VI and his terrible son.
Beautiful Sermoneta and all the great fiefs in the Maremma fell into the
maw of the Borgias, and your ancestors either found death at their hands
or were driven into exile. Donna Lucretia became mistress of Sermoneta,
and eventually her son, Rodrigo of Aragon, inherited the estates of the
Gaetani.
Centuries have passed, and a beautiful and unfortunate woman may be
forgiven for this confiscation of the appanages of your house. Moreover,
it was not long before your family was reinstated in its rights by a
bull of Julius II, which is now preserved--a precious jewel--in your
family archives. To your house has descended t
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