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Beauty, not a beast LUCREZIA BORGIA: LIFE, LOVE AND DEATH IN RENAISSANCE ITALY by Sarah Bradford Penguin/Viking, £25, pp. 421, ISBN 0670913456 £23 (plus £2.25 p&p) 0870 800 4848
Lucrezia Borgia is one of the most notorious women in history. Fabled as a poisoner and sexual temptress, her reputation is so fearsome largely because she was unjustly associated with the misdeeds of her brother, the truly appalling Cesare Borgia. Lucrezia has had her defenders, but even these have done her few favours. They tend to be dismissive of her, exonerating her of serious crimes on the grounds that she was an utterly passive figure, manipulated by her male relations. Having already written a biography of Cesare Borgia, Sarah Bradford is well qualified to ensure that Lucrezia is no longer unfairly overshadowed.
In her own lifetime Lucrezia was dogged by controversy and scandal. She was the illegitimate daughter of Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia, who became Pope Alexander VI in 1492. The following year, 13-year-old Lucrezia was married to Giovanni Sforza whose family ruled Milan. Before very long this...