Nikki K

(* 13 July 1442 – † 24 November 1518) was a Roman courtesan, Rodrigo Borgia's long-term mistress and mother of his children Cesare, Juan, Lucrezia and Joffre. This is also shown on an inscription on her tombstone in Santa Maria Del Popolo. Since the name Cattanei is a common one in the area around Mantua, it was often suggested that Vanozza (short for Giovanna) was related to the House of Candia. However, this is not the case. While Rodrigo surely gave her the financial means to live like a noblewoman, she was indeed the daughter of an artisan who sold his goods on the Campo de' Fiori market. Vanozza was skilfull in dealing with money, so she soon owned several osterie, at first in the Borgo, then in Campo de' Fiori area. Before becoming Rodrigo's mistress, she had an alleged relationship with Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere, the future Pope Julius II. Her liasion with Rodrigo began in 1470, at the time Vanozza was married, and despite it was publicly known that her and Rodrigo lived in a quasi-marital state, she would marry three more times after that in order to keep her good reputation. Their scandalous affair was a violation of the celibacy vows that the then-Cardinal Borgia had taken upon admission to the clerical state, since the renunciation of marriage entails the obligation to abstain from all sexual activity. Before Rodrigo's elevation to the papacy, his passion for Vanozza somewhat diminished. Yet he acknowledged her officially as the mother of his children in the first year of his pontificate. Seven years later, Rodrigo granted Vanozza the privilege to bear his name and the Borgia coat of arms. While Vanozza never played a firmly established role in the social system of the Vatican, she was close to all of her children. On occasion, Cesare asked her to take on administrative tasks in the Papal States. When Rodrigo died in 1503, Cesare took a variety of precautionary measures to protect his mother. However, those proved to be unnecessary. Even the Borgia's biggest enemies would not dare to lay hands on the matron. In 1518 Vanozza, aged 76, died as a well-respected benefactress of several charitable institutions.

K.T. Wills (1969) wrote a novel based on Vanozza's life. Furthermore she is part of many books, movies and television series based on the Borgia's rise and fall. For instance most recently:


Joanne Whalley was born on August 25th, 1964 in Salford, Lancashire, England. She studied at the Braeside School of Speech and Drama and first appeared as a child on UK soap operas like "Coronation Street" or "Emmerdale". In the post-punk era, she flirted with the fringes of the Manchester New Wave scene and was briefly a member of a Stockport-based band called The Slowguns. Later, she was the lead singer of the pop group Cindy & The Saffrons; in 1982, at Abbey Road Studios they recorded the Shangri-Las song "Past, Present and Future" and the next year, "Terry" by Twinkle. The group split up soon thereafter. Whalley came to prominence on British television as Emma Craven in Troy Kennedy Martin's "Edge of Darkness" (1985), quickly followed by Nurse Mills in the Dennis Potter-written serial "The Singing Detective" (1986) both for BBC Television. While filming the fantasy adventure Willow in 1988, she met American actor Val Kilmer. The couple married the same year and moved to Los Angeles. She continued filming in Hollywood. In 1989, Whalley played the role of Christine Keeler in "Scandal" alongside stars John Hurt and Sir Ian McKellen. In 1994 she became the second actress to play "Gone with the Wind" heroine Scarlett O'Hara when she appeared in a made-for-TV adaptation of the sequel novel, "Scarlett". Whalley and Kilmer have two children but separated in 1995. After the divorce, Whalley returned to acting through making television films, including the 2000 movie "Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis" in which she played the title character. She collaborated with the pop-punk band Blink-182 to read a letter at the beginning of the song "Stockholm Syndrome". In 2005, she appeared as Queen Mary I in "The Virgin Queen", a BBC serial about the life of Queen Elizabeth I. In 2008, she was in the ITV mini series "Flood" with Robert Carlyle. The same year, she appeared on stage in Billy Roche's "Poor Beast in the Rain" presented by the Salem K. Theatre Company at the Matrix Theatre, Los Angeles, California. In 2011, Whalley became a series regular on the Showtime television series "The Borgias", portraying Vanozza Cattanei. In 2011/12 she also guest-starred on "Gossip Girl" as Princess Sophie Grimaldi.


«Marry one and have the other. Have them one at a time or two together, it's no matter. After a while you will tire of both and take a lover.» (to Lucrezia)
«Your word is never final, Rodrigo. You are not God!» (to Rodrigo)
«And have you not foresworn intimacy for lent?» (to Rodrigo)
«Affections can be lethal in this Rome of ours.»
«Can love be cured?» - Cesare; «No, it can be endured, embraced and suffered.» - Vanozza
«Well, then change. Change night into day.» (to Cesare)
«So Cesare, what exactly are you celebrating? Your sister's betrothal, or the death of your brother?» (to Cesare)
«Money is not happiness, mother.» - Cesare; «It is a fine substitute, my child.» - Vanozza
«As long as you are with me in spirit.» (to Rodrigo)
«Is this city still called Rome?»
«In a woman's life, a man is like a dress.» (to Lucrezia)
«A cardinal's stocking, Giulia.» - Vanozza; «You are indeed observant.» - Giulia
«I was a courtesan, my dear, never a streetwalker.»
«Each of us over the course of our lives must learn to control our passions, whether it be love, jealousy or power. Ironically, that is where we gain our strengths.»
«Rodrigo, wait! If they kill you I will light a candle in San Giacomo degli Spagnoli and pray for your soul. And if you flee to Spain I will write letters and sign them 'your devoted Vanozza'. And if you stay in Rome I will wait for you here in my bed.»

PhoenixRising

Thanks for the new thread, Nina!

BL.Arinna_1982

tftnt, Nina!

Nikki K

You're welcome. Perhaps one of you can close the old thread?
So when's the next "The White Princess" watch going to happen? It's episode 4, isn't it?

PhoenixRising

I already closed the old thread, Nina. And I'm still waiting for Barbara to get back to me. Yes, the next episode is episode 4, and I'm assuming we'll do it tomorrow, since Fridays and Saturdays are the best days for Barbara.

BL.Arinna_1982

Yes, it's episode 4.

Nikki K

Hm, it doesn't show up as closed for me. Probably another screw up. Yeah, episode 4 – you'll love it. Lots of rage on Joanne's character's side. Excellent acting!

PhoenixRising

I'm sorry, I thought I had closed it. I clicked the damn "close thread" thingy.

Nikki K

It's okay, Alex. Just dotting the i-s and crossing the t-s etc.

PhoenixRising

I know, Nina. And I probably didn't click hard enough.

Nikki K

That's always a possibility.

PhoenixRising

Okay, we will have to postpone The White Princess watch until next week because Arinna can't do the watch today, and Barbara is going out tomorrow and won't be home in time.

BL.Arinna_1982

I think so...

Nikki K

That's a real bummer. Especially since Arinna has already seen it.

Lucresiare

Don't postpone it. Watch it tomorrow without me. I will catch up and watch the next one with you. I really don't mind.