The Project Gutenberg EBook of Lucretia Borgia, by Ferdinand Gregorovius

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

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

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LUCRETIA BORGIA ***

Produced by Mark C. Orton, Janet Blenkinship and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

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