 First edition | |
| Author | Nigel Balchin |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Historical |
| Publisher | Collins |
Publication date | 1948 |
| Media type | |
The Borgia Testament is a 1948 historical novel by the British writer Nigel Balchin. It is written in the form of a journal written by Cesare Borgia shortly before he is due to be executed, recounting his life. [1]
Cesare Borgia was an Italian politician and condottiero whose fight for power was a major inspiration for The Prince by Machiavelli. He was an illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI and member of the Spanish-Aragonese House of Borgia.
Lucrezia Borgia was a Spanish-Italian noblewoman of the House of Borgia who was the daughter of Pope Alexander VI and Vannozza dei Cattanei. She reigned as the Governor of Spoleto, a position usually held by cardinals, in her own right.
Pope Alexander VI, was Pope from 11 August 1492 until his death in 1503.
Pope Callixtus III, born Alfonso de Borgia, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 April 1455 to his death. Borgia spent his early career as a professor of law at the University of Lleida; he later served as a diplomat for the kings of Aragon. He became a tutor for King Alfonso V's illegitimate son Ferdinand. After arranging a reconciliation between Alfonso and Pope Martin V, Borgia was made Bishop of Valencia. In 1444, Pope Eugene IV named him a cardinal, and Borgia became a member of the Roman Curia. During the Siege of Belgrade (1456), Callixtus initiated the custom that bells be rung at midday to remind the faithful to pray for the crusaders. The tradition of the Angelus noon bell still exists in most Catholic Churches to this day. He was also responsible for the retrial of Joan of Arc that saw her vindicated. He appointed two nephews as cardinals, one of whom became Pope Alexander VI.
The House of Sforza was a ruling family of Renaissance Italy, based in Milan. They acquired the Duchy of Milan following the extinction of the Visconti family in the mid-15th century, Sforza rule ending in Milan with the death of the last member of the family's main branch in 1535.
Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. was an American actor, director, and producer of film and television, considered a sex symbol and icon of American popular culture.
Burt Freeman Bacharach is an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who has composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Grammy Award winner and three-time Academy Award winner, Bacharach's songs have been recorded by more than 1,000 different artists. As of 2014, he had written 73 US and 52 UK Top 40 hits. He is considered one of the most important composers of 20th-century popular music.
Harold Lane David was an American lyricist. He grew up in New York City. He was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with Dionne Warwick.
The House of Borgia was a Spanish-Aragonese noble family, which rose to prominence during the Italian Renaissance. They were from Aragon, the surname being a toponymic from the town of Borja, then in the Crown of Aragon, in Spain.
Francis Borgia, 4th Duke of Gandía (1510–1572), venerated as Saint Francis Borgia, was a great-grandson of Pope Alexander VI, a Grandee of Spain, a Spanish Jesuit, and third Superior General of the Society of Jesus. He was canonized on 20 June 1670 by Pope Clement X.
Gerald Tommaso DeLouise, better known by his stage name Burt Young, is an American actor, author and painter. He is best known for his role as Rocky Balboa's brother-in-law and best friend Paulie Pennino in the Rocky film series, being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the first film.
The Australian Dictionary of Biography is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's history. Initially published in a series of twelve hard-copy volumes between 1966 and 2005, the dictionary has been published online since 2006.
The Jeweler's Shop is a three-act play, written in 1960 by Karol Wojtyła, that looks at three couples as their lives become intertwined and mingled with one another.
Gli Asolani are dialogues in three books written between 1497 and 1504 by Pietro Bembo in the language of Petrarch and comprise his first important work. Although he had shown a copy to Lucrezia Borgia in 1503, the first edition from 1505 was published by Aldo Manuzio, and the second edition was published, after various revisions, in 1530. They concern a dialogue on love that is supposed to have happened at Asolo near the court of Caterina Cornaro.
Guy Burt is an English author and BAFTA award-winning screenwriter who has worked on series such as The Borgias, and Wire in the Blood and is currently working on adapting the Alex Rider TV series.
François Landriault-Barbeau, known professionally as François Arnaud, is a Canadian film and television actor. He is best known for his work as Cesare Borgia on Showtime's period drama series The Borgias, Manfred Bernardo on NBC's Midnight, Texas, and Tommy Castelli on UnReal.
The Borgias is a historical-fiction drama television series created by Neil Jordan; it debuted in 2011 and was canceled in 2013.
Maria Villavecchia Bellonci was an Italian writer, historian and journalist, known especially for her biography of Lucrezia Borgia. She and Guido Alberti set up the Strega Prize in 1947.
Sarah Mary Malet Bradford, Viscountess Bangor is an English author who is best known for her royal biographies.
"The Confession" is the final episode of the second season of Showtime-Bravo! historical drama The Borgias. It was written by Guy Burt and directed by David Leland. It originally aired on June 17, 2012.
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