Pier Luigi Borgia
Encyclopedia
Pier Luigi de Borgia, 1st duke of Gandía (1458 or 1460 - 1488 or 1491) was a Valencian noble. Pier Luigi was the son of Pope Alexander VI
and the older brother-german or half-brother of Cesare Borgia
, Gioffre Borgia
, Giovanni Borgia and Lucrezia Borgia
.
He was betrothed to María Enríquez de Luna of the House of Candia
. Due to Pier Luigi's untimely death, she would later wed his younger brother Giovanni (also known as Juan) in September 1493.
Pier Luigi Borgia fought alongside the Spanish armies during the Granada War
(Reconquista
). Following his heroic triumph during the Battle of Ronda, King Ferdinand II
rewarded him with the title of 'grandee of Spain
' on 18 May 1485.
The lands of Gandia
, the ancestral home of the Borgia family, were initially inherited by Pier Luigi (Pedro Luis). However, before becoming duke of Gandía, he purchased the duchy through a financial agreement with local nobles Andrés de Cabrera, Marquis of Moya, and his wife, Beatriz de Bobadilla. Through this agreement, Pier Luigi was required to provide the marquis an unknown sum, albeit considered small, and accept certain rights pertaining to the crown and of Valencia over the lands of the duchy. Some sources state that Pedro Luis' father gave him 50,000 ducats in order to purchase the territory. In late 1485, King Ferdinand II
officially elevated Pier Liugi's status to duke of Gandía.
In his will, Pier Luigi ceded the duchy to his younger brother Giovanni and demanded a dowry of 10,000 florins to be given to his sister, Lucrezia.
Pope Alexander VI
Pope Alexander VI , born Roderic Llançol i Borja was Pope from 1492 until his death on 18 August 1503. He is one of the most controversial of the Renaissance popes, and his Italianized surname—Borgia—became a byword for the debased standards of the Papacy of that era, most notoriously the Banquet...
and the older brother-german or half-brother of Cesare Borgia
Cesare Borgia
Cesare Borgia , Duke of Valentinois, was an Italian condottiero, nobleman, politician, and cardinal. He was the son of Pope Alexander VI and his long-term mistress Vannozza dei Cattanei. He was the brother of Lucrezia Borgia; Giovanni Borgia , Duke of Gandia; and Gioffre Borgia , Prince of Squillace...
, Gioffre Borgia
Gioffre Borgia
Gioffre de Candia Borgia, in Italian, or Jofré Borja in Valencian, was the youngest son of Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza dei Cattanei, sibling to Lucrezia Borgia, Cesare Borgia and Giovanni Borgia....
, Giovanni Borgia and Lucrezia Borgia
Lucrezia Borgia
Lucrezia Borgia [luˈkrɛtsia ˈbɔrʤa] was the illegitimate daughter of Rodrigo Borgia, the powerful Renaissance Valencian who later became Pope Alexander VI, and Vannozza dei Cattanei. Her brothers included Cesare Borgia, Giovanni Borgia, and Gioffre Borgia...
.
He was betrothed to María Enríquez de Luna of the House of Candia
House of Candia
The House of Candia is a European dynastic house, created by a junior branch of the House of Anjou originally from "Castrum Candiaco" in the Dauphiné of the nobility of Savoy and Piemont...
. Due to Pier Luigi's untimely death, she would later wed his younger brother Giovanni (also known as Juan) in September 1493.
Pier Luigi Borgia fought alongside the Spanish armies during the Granada War
Granada War
The Granada War was a series of military campaigns between 1482 and 1492, during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, against the Nasrid dynasty's Emirate of Granada...
(Reconquista
Reconquista
The Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...
). Following his heroic triumph during the Battle of Ronda, King Ferdinand II
Ferdinand II of Aragon
Ferdinand the Catholic was King of Aragon , Sicily , Naples , Valencia, Sardinia, and Navarre, Count of Barcelona, jure uxoris King of Castile and then regent of that country also from 1508 to his death, in the name of...
rewarded him with the title of 'grandee of Spain
Grandee
Grandee is the word used to render in English the Iberic high aristocratic title Grande , used by the Spanish nobility; Portuguese nobility, and Brazilian nobility....
' on 18 May 1485.
The lands of Gandia
Gandia
Gandia is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Eastern Spain on the Mediterranean. Gandia is located on the Costa del Azahar, 65 km south of Valencia and 96 km north of Alicante....
, the ancestral home of the Borgia family, were initially inherited by Pier Luigi (Pedro Luis). However, before becoming duke of Gandía, he purchased the duchy through a financial agreement with local nobles Andrés de Cabrera, Marquis of Moya, and his wife, Beatriz de Bobadilla. Through this agreement, Pier Luigi was required to provide the marquis an unknown sum, albeit considered small, and accept certain rights pertaining to the crown and of Valencia over the lands of the duchy. Some sources state that Pedro Luis' father gave him 50,000 ducats in order to purchase the territory. In late 1485, King Ferdinand II
Ferdinand II of Aragon
Ferdinand the Catholic was King of Aragon , Sicily , Naples , Valencia, Sardinia, and Navarre, Count of Barcelona, jure uxoris King of Castile and then regent of that country also from 1508 to his death, in the name of...
officially elevated Pier Liugi's status to duke of Gandía.
In his will, Pier Luigi ceded the duchy to his younger brother Giovanni and demanded a dowry of 10,000 florins to be given to his sister, Lucrezia.