Lucrezia Borgia – Quadruple Taurus

Lucretia – more correctly, Lucrezia – Borgia has become a byword for feminine villainy and sexual depravity. But even aside from the standard sexist slander, if you had her family you’d probably embrace villainess logic as well.

Not only that, she was born into one of the most lurid, complex and treacherous societies in history – the aristocratic milieu of the Italian renaissance. The art was fantastic, the hypocrisy next-level and poisoning your rivals was a more or less acceptable managerial technique.

Everyone had spies and girls of ‘good birth’ were essentially pawns to be played in an infinite quest for more power and riches.

Lucrezia was born with Leo Rising and the Sun, Venus, Midheaven and Mars aligned in Taurus  – an attention magnet even without the controversy of her birth. Presumably the astrologers (above) predicted brilliant things for her because the chart ruler – the Sun – was at the zenith/midheaven?

Perhaps it was also because she was the illegitimate daughter of Rodrigo Borgia, a wild-living, womanizing, war-mongering pope.

Married and engaged multiple times before the age of 22, Lucrezia was fantastically useful for his avarice and manipulations. From age 12, she lived in the papal palace with him and his teenage mistress, Giula Farnese – the unicorn girl.

An older history book explains: “they all lived in an atmosphere of duplicity, intrigue and bloodshedding. The favourite entertainments at the Vatican were Bacchanalian dances of courtesans, occasionally followed by a performance of a torneo d’amore.”

Lucrezia was said to have become an adept poisoner, with rings that had special compartments to store the poison – an arsenic-like substance called centanella that could presumably be slipped into bejewelled goblets of wine while she bedazzled. She was also accused of non-stop adultery, sleeping with her brother and the death of at least one husband.

But there’s more…

It was actually more likely to have been her corrupt, power-lusting Pope-father carrying out the poisoning and the brother was later proven to have murdered Lucrezia’s second husband. Note, however, that aside from all the resilient Taurus, she had Uranus conjunct Neptune in Sagittarius opposite Jupiter in Gemini – wily and an innovator.

Interestingly, with her multi-Taurus, the father’s Sun-Saturn in Capricorn Rising and her brother’s (Cesare Borgia) Sun, Lilith and Pluto Rising in Virgo – the most notorious members of the Borgia clan make up a Grand Earth Trine.

Cesare Borgia was renowned for viciousness, extraordinary good looks, his regard for his sister and swordsmanship. He’s one of Machiavelli’s* main ‘role models’ in The Prince. “Never presume that I will not act on my worse instincts,” he told a coterie of fellow leaders during an apparent diplomatic mission.

Sadly but commonly for the era, Lucrezia died at just 39, after giving birth to her eighth child. Despite her notoriety and highly politicized life, she did enjoy a great love with Pietro Bembo, a Taurean poet. Also, apparently – her third husband’s sister’s husband – a mercenary.

Cynics say Borgia’s affair with the poet was merely because he was politically influential yet Lord Byron, the poet, described the correspondence between them as the “prettiest love letters in the world.”

She was also unusually entreprenurial for her era, although the proceeds of her businesses were generally confiscated and applied to war funds or similar – her marriages were all arranged and any money belonged to the men. Much is said of her ‘radiance and gaiety’ or – from enemies – general villainy but less of her investments in canal construction and reclaiming wetlands.

At one point, in an entirely Renaissance Taurean move, she pawned her jewellery to buy water buffalos.

Oh and there is an asteroid Lucretia – number 281, currently in Aquarius.

Perhaps, when faced with a situation of complexity, intrigue and high power stakes, you could ask yourself “what would Lucretia Borgia do?”

*Niccolo Machiavelli – another Taurus!

Images: Lucrezia Borgia as Flora – Bartomoleo Veneto
The Borgias – 2011
The Nights of Lucretia Borgia – 1959