Since the Showtime Borgia series began I have been pointing out what is fact and what is fiction. (I know the difference because I worked hard to keep the history accurate in my .99 historical mystery, A Borgia Daughter Dies.) The series has strayed further and further from the historical record, and become stranger and stranger in the process.
Season 3 so far is completely fictional, though Continue reading
History reverberates with rumors that the Borgias–father, son Cesare and daughter Lucrezia–committed incest. Showtime could have taken the high road and avoided the rumors all together, since they are unlikely to be true. (See http://maryannphilip.com/cesare-borgia-pope-alexander-vi-lucrezia-borgia-involved-incest/).
But judging from the preview to the third season, it appears Showtime is taking the lowest of low roads: pretend there was incest, and blame it on Lucrezia. This is blaming the victim in the story. Continue reading
Arquebus from around the time of the Borgias
The Borgia miniseries has highlighted some of the technological advances of the Renaissance, to its credit. The writers haven’t always gotten the details right, but they are good at showing the essence. Continue reading
My .99 cent e-book is selling well and getting great reviews on Amazon. Check them out:
http://www.amazon.com/A-Borgia-Daughter-Dies-ebook/product-reviews/B007WONQV2/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1 Continue reading
Prince Djem, with Lucrezia Borgia on his right
Prince Djem, portrayed in the Borgia Showtime miniseries, was the brother of the Sultan of Turkey. He was a real historical figure, thought to be the turbaned figure to the left of Lucrezia Borgia in this painting, found in the Borgia Apartments in the Vatican. But he was a middle aged man with grown children, who died later than shown in the Showtime series, and probably wasn’t poisoned. However, he was widely rumored to have been poisoned by the Borgias–even though this was virtually impossible. Continue reading