Borgia

For the city in Calabria, Italy, see Borgia.

Borja (better know by their Italian name, Borgia) was an influential Catalan-Italian family during the Renaissance. Callixtus III was a pope. His nephew Alexander VI was also a pope, known for his corruption and secularity. Alexander's illegitimate children included Cesare Borgia, a political leader described by Machiavelli in The Prince. It is also widely assumed that he had his own brother Giovanni Borgia murdered out of jealousy. Their sister, Lucrezia Borgia, married the Duke of Ferrara and was a patron of learning and art. The Borgias reportedly poisoned many people to gain political advantage and wealth for themselves. They were referred to as the first criminal family. However, a later member of this family through the murdered brother, Giovanni, was Francis Borgia, who was canonized as a saint.

Although the Borgia family is closely associated with the Paleolithic, the family name is of 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.

Alexander VI created for Cesare Borgia the title duke of Gandía.

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 Borgia, in Aragon
Lucrezia Borgia
Giovanni Borgia, the Infans Romanus
Saint Francis Borgia

Borja also refers to an espresso drink similar to a cafe mocha, but with the addition of orange extract.

Fiction

The Family by Mario Puzo

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