Borja (better known by the Italian spelling of the name, Borgia) was an influential Spanish family during the Renaissance. Callixtus III was a pope. His nephew, Alexander VI, also a pope, was a brilliant man notorious for his unpontifical private life. Alexander's illegitimate children included Cesare Borgia, a political operator and intriguer, and Lucrezia Borgia, married to the Duke of Ferrara and a patron of learning and art. The Borgias legendarily poisoned people to gain political advantage and wealth, although little documentary evidence for this exists. A later member of this family, Francis Borgia, was canonized as a saint. Callixtus III, né Alphonso de Borgia (December 31, 1378 - August 6, 1458) was born in Xàtiva, Valencia, Spain and was pope from April 8, 1455 to August 6, 1458. ... The current Pope is Benedict XVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger), who was elected at the age of 78 on 19 April 2005. ... Alexander VI, né Rodrigo Borgia (January 1, 1431 - August 18, 1503) pope (1492-1503), is the most memorable of the secular popes of the Renaissance. ... Cesare Borgia. ... Portrait of a Woman by Bartolomeo Veneziano, traditionally assumed to be Lucrezia Borgia. ... Ferrara is a city in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, capital city of the province of Ferrara. ... Saint Francis Borgia, depicted performing an exorcism, served as the third Superior General of the Society of Jesus. ... In traditional Christian iconography, Saints are usually depicted as having halos. ...

Although the Borgia family is closely associated with the Italian Renaissance, they were of Spanish origin and the name is of Valencian/Catalan origin; the family used the Valencian language among themselves, for privacy, even in Italy. There is a town in Spain called Borja which is the seat of the Camp de Borja comarca, in the province of Zaragoza in Aragon. But the Borjas themselves were Valencian. The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 14th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe. ... This page deals with language. ... A county seat is a term for an administrative center for a county, primarily used in the United States. ... Zaragoza province Zaragoza (also called Saragossa in English) is a province of northern Spain, in the central part of the autonomous community of Aragon. ... Capital Zaragoza Official language(s) Spanish Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 4th  47,719 km²  9. ...

Alexander VI created for Giovanni Borgia the title duke of Gandía, a Valencian fief he purchased from King Ferdinand II of Aragon. Giovanni Borgia may refer to several members of the Borgia family. ... Gandia is a city in the Land of Valencia, Eastern Spain on the Mediterranean. ... Under the system of feudalism, a fiefdom, fief, feud or fee, consisted of heritable lands or revenue-producing property granted by a liege lord in return for a vassal knights service (usually fealty, military service, and security). ... Ferdinand II of Aragon. ...

The following members of the Borgia or Borja family have individual entries:

• Pope Callixtus III (born "Alfons de Borja (Italian Alfonso di Borgia)" and his nephew:
• Pope Alexander VI (born "Roderic de Borja (Italian Rodrigo Borgia)" and Alexander's well-known children:
• Giovanni Borgia, 2nd Duke of Gandia
• Cesare Borgia, made archbishop of Valencia and duke of Borja, in Aragon
• Lucrezia Borgia
• Giovanni Borgia, the Infans Romanus
• Saint Francis Borgia

The world-famous Spanish operatic soprano, Lucrezia Bori, whose real surname was Borja and who came from Valencia, was always said to belong to a collateral branch of the famous Borja/Borgia family. Calistus and Calixtus III redirect here. ... Pope Alexander VI (1 January 1431 – 18 August 1503), born Roderic Borja (Italian: Borgia), (reigned from 1492 to 1503), is the most controversial of the secular popes of the Renaissance and one whose surname became a byword for the debased standards of the papacy of that era. ... Giovanni Borgia, 2nd Duke of Gandia Giovanni Borgia, 2nd Duke of Gandia (born Rome 1474- murdered Rome June 14, 1497) was the brother of the famous Cesare Borgia. ... Cesare Borgia. ... Portrait of a Woman by Bartolomeo Veneziano, traditionally assumed to be Lucrezia Borgia. ... Giovanni Borgia (March 1498 – 1548), the infans Romanus (child of Rome), was probably the love-child of Lucrezia Borgia. ... Saint Francis Borgia, depicted performing an exorcism, served as the third Superior General of the Society of Jesus. ... Lucrezia Bori (1887 - 1960) was a celebrated Spanish soprano opera singer. ... // Valencia is the name of two large cities in different parts of the world: Spain: Valencia, capital of the Valencia Autonomous Community. ...

Borja also refers to an espresso drink similar to a café mocha, but with the addition of orange extract. (Valencia province grows famous oranges.)

There exist rumors that the Borgia Family had family ties with the Mastai-Ferretti but they were never proven.

In popular culture

Film and TV

Neil Jordan's proposed film Borgia and the Spanish-Italian 2006 film Los Borgia depict the life of the family. The family were also the subject of the critically-derided BBC series The Borgias. Neil Jordan is an Academy Award winning Irish filmmaker and novelist. ... The Borgias on the cover of Radio Times magazine. ...

Alan Moore's comic book Promethea makes mention of a restaurant named Borgia's, in which five courses are served, followed by an antidote. Alan Moore (born November 18, 1953, in Northampton) is an English writer most famous for his influential work in comics, including the acclaimed graphic novels Watchmen, V for Vendetta and From Hell. ... Promethea is a comic book series created by Alan Moore and J.H. Williams III with Mick Gray, published by Americas Best Comics/Wildstorm. ...

The Godfather Part III refers to The Borgias when Michael Corleone is in the Vatican attempting to receive a ratification from the Pope on a business deal own by the Catholic church. The Godfather Part III (1990) is the third and final film in the Godfather trilogy written by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola, and directed by Coppola. ...

The Third Man (1949) offers a famous quote, penned by Orson Welles for his character Harry Lime, in which he says: "Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock. So long, Holly." The Third Man (1949) is a British film noir directed by Carol Reed. ... George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American theatre, screenwriter and film producer and director, and a theatre, radio and film actor. ... The Third Man (1949) is a film noir directed by Carol Reed. ...

Novels

• The Family by Mario Puzo
• Mirror, Mirror by Gregory Maguire
• De scharlaken stad (The scarlet city) by Hella Haasse
• Borgia by Alejandro Jodorowsky and Milo Manara
• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

The Family is a novel by Mario Puzo. ... Mario Puzo Mario Gianluigi Puzo (October 15, 1920 – July 2, 1999) was an American author known for his fictional books about the Mafia. ... This page may meet Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ... Gregory Maguire (born June 9, 1954 in Albany, New York) is an American author. ... Hella Serafia Haasse (b. ... Alejandro (or Alexandro) Jodorowsky Alejandro Jodorowsky or Alexandro Jodorowsky (IPA: /a. ... Milo Manara (born Maurilio Manara, September 12, 1945, Luson, Italy) is an Italian comic book creator (writer and drawer), best known for his erotic approach to the medium. ... The Count of Monte Cristo (French: Le Comte de Monte-Cristo) is a classic adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas, père. ... Alexandre Dumas redirects here. ...

See also

• The Black Legend, a corpus of books and rumors spreading a bad image of Spain.