lucrezia borgia † daughter of the holy roman pope (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
pontificus) wrote2014-07-06 03:25 pm
pontificus) wrote2014-07-06 03:25 pm
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Name: Lucrezia Borgia
Canon: The Borgias
Age: Late teens
Personality:
It is the middle of the Renaissance, and Rome is the pinnacle of the world. At the height of Rome is the Vatican. Lucrezia is the daughter of the newly established Pope Alexander, whose birth name is Rodrigo Borgia. She has been born into status and wealth, though both of her parents did not come from quite the same status. Her mother was one of the many mistresses of the Pope, though she lasted the longest and Rodrigo claimed all four children as his including Lucrezia.
And she is ever her father's daughter. While growing up as a good, Christian girl she is taught all that a young lady must be taught. She is afforded every greatness of the time. She is well versed and clever, and very much the apple of her father's eye. She is still young and eager to please, thinking as any daughter would that her father has her best interests at heart.
But suddenly there is a shift when Rodrigo becomes Pope and plots start to form against him. He must maintain his power and status, "for the family". Lucrezia soon learns that this means at a cost to her. Living in a man's world where very few women have any authority, she is a pawn in her father's game. Not only does Lucrezia quickly learn how to play when her father not only offers her up to Giovanni Sforza, a man over double her age, but does not allow her mother to her own wedding.
But Lucrezia is not alone. She has two very intelligent and manipulative women as teachers, both of whom she is close to. The first is her own mother. While Vannozza is often looked at as just a whore of Rodrigo's, she not only knows how to play him but she knows how to play this game of power, even through Rodrigo's infidelity. Later is basically her mother who says that so long as she marry a man who allies himself with the Borgias that Lucrezia can sleep with whomever she wishes.
Secondly it is the Pope's second mistress, Guilia Farnese, who Lucrezia also takes great advice from. Guilia learned how to weasel her way in and very much teaches Lucrezia how to use her assets to her advantage. If these are the rules in a very sexist game, they can still be own by a women who knows how to find the weakness of a man.
Lucrezia is still young though, not yet crushed by the world she lives in. This is best seen with her older brother Cesare, also a Cardinal. Cesare has his own aspirations, but Lucrezia is perhaps one of the very few things he loves, and while he has already learned the value of the phrase "for the family", he does not want the same for his sister. They are very close, often touching, gossiping, and joking. She cares very much for her older brother, and he would do anything for her.
She is still childlike in manner, youth at her heels. The world is at her fingertips and while the marriage to Giovanni Sforza is very much an eye opener (as well as what the actual marriage entails), she is not yet burned or cynical. She hopes for the best and sees the beauty in the world. She has been taught to be good, that good things happen to those who follow God's word. She knows little of the sins of the world or sins of her own family. She is still whole.
Besides her father there are others who will see to her ruin. Her husband is one. She knows very little about him, but her father needs his pledge and the help of Milan (of which is family is the ruling family) in case there is an invasion (which inevitably happens later). Lucrezia does not know yet just what this man is capable of, though he pays her no mind during her actual wedding and thinks little enough of the Borgias to not allow Vannozza to come to the wedding.
There is also Juan. While being his father's favorite, at first Juan is only a spoiled child looking out for only himself. Juan and Lucrezia are not nearly as close as her and Cesare, though once upon a time Cesare and Juan were. But Juan continues to screw up, not great at battle strategy nor is he a good person at all. It is only later that his actions become so abhorrent that Lucrezia breaks all ties with him and tries to kill him herself. Things are strained at best with Juan now though since all he truly cares about is wealth and status. It is he who kills the Sultan Djem, a friend of Lucrezia's, and all he cared about during her wedding is his lewd wedding play and the feasting and wine.
She is also clever. She isn't given much to shine with in the beginning, and she has yet to truly work her own manipulations, yet, but she allies herself with Guilia Farnese while quizzing her to see what she is like. She can do very little when it comes to being married off, but she finds delight and beauty when she can. It is only through being treated like a pawn that she truly learns how to be a Borgia, but that is only beginning to manifest itself.
Language: Dialectal Italian, Latin, French, Spanish, possibly Arabic
Useful Links:
Historical Lucrezia
wiki
Canon: The Borgias
Age: Late teens
Personality:
It is the middle of the Renaissance, and Rome is the pinnacle of the world. At the height of Rome is the Vatican. Lucrezia is the daughter of the newly established Pope Alexander, whose birth name is Rodrigo Borgia. She has been born into status and wealth, though both of her parents did not come from quite the same status. Her mother was one of the many mistresses of the Pope, though she lasted the longest and Rodrigo claimed all four children as his including Lucrezia.
And she is ever her father's daughter. While growing up as a good, Christian girl she is taught all that a young lady must be taught. She is afforded every greatness of the time. She is well versed and clever, and very much the apple of her father's eye. She is still young and eager to please, thinking as any daughter would that her father has her best interests at heart.
But suddenly there is a shift when Rodrigo becomes Pope and plots start to form against him. He must maintain his power and status, "for the family". Lucrezia soon learns that this means at a cost to her. Living in a man's world where very few women have any authority, she is a pawn in her father's game. Not only does Lucrezia quickly learn how to play when her father not only offers her up to Giovanni Sforza, a man over double her age, but does not allow her mother to her own wedding.
But Lucrezia is not alone. She has two very intelligent and manipulative women as teachers, both of whom she is close to. The first is her own mother. While Vannozza is often looked at as just a whore of Rodrigo's, she not only knows how to play him but she knows how to play this game of power, even through Rodrigo's infidelity. Later is basically her mother who says that so long as she marry a man who allies himself with the Borgias that Lucrezia can sleep with whomever she wishes.
Secondly it is the Pope's second mistress, Guilia Farnese, who Lucrezia also takes great advice from. Guilia learned how to weasel her way in and very much teaches Lucrezia how to use her assets to her advantage. If these are the rules in a very sexist game, they can still be own by a women who knows how to find the weakness of a man.
Lucrezia is still young though, not yet crushed by the world she lives in. This is best seen with her older brother Cesare, also a Cardinal. Cesare has his own aspirations, but Lucrezia is perhaps one of the very few things he loves, and while he has already learned the value of the phrase "for the family", he does not want the same for his sister. They are very close, often touching, gossiping, and joking. She cares very much for her older brother, and he would do anything for her.
She is still childlike in manner, youth at her heels. The world is at her fingertips and while the marriage to Giovanni Sforza is very much an eye opener (as well as what the actual marriage entails), she is not yet burned or cynical. She hopes for the best and sees the beauty in the world. She has been taught to be good, that good things happen to those who follow God's word. She knows little of the sins of the world or sins of her own family. She is still whole.
Besides her father there are others who will see to her ruin. Her husband is one. She knows very little about him, but her father needs his pledge and the help of Milan (of which is family is the ruling family) in case there is an invasion (which inevitably happens later). Lucrezia does not know yet just what this man is capable of, though he pays her no mind during her actual wedding and thinks little enough of the Borgias to not allow Vannozza to come to the wedding.
There is also Juan. While being his father's favorite, at first Juan is only a spoiled child looking out for only himself. Juan and Lucrezia are not nearly as close as her and Cesare, though once upon a time Cesare and Juan were. But Juan continues to screw up, not great at battle strategy nor is he a good person at all. It is only later that his actions become so abhorrent that Lucrezia breaks all ties with him and tries to kill him herself. Things are strained at best with Juan now though since all he truly cares about is wealth and status. It is he who kills the Sultan Djem, a friend of Lucrezia's, and all he cared about during her wedding is his lewd wedding play and the feasting and wine.
She is also clever. She isn't given much to shine with in the beginning, and she has yet to truly work her own manipulations, yet, but she allies herself with Guilia Farnese while quizzing her to see what she is like. She can do very little when it comes to being married off, but she finds delight and beauty when she can. It is only through being treated like a pawn that she truly learns how to be a Borgia, but that is only beginning to manifest itself.
Language: Dialectal Italian, Latin, French, Spanish, possibly Arabic
Useful Links:
Historical Lucrezia
wiki