page_title: Bisceglie
section_title: Lucrezia Borgia, Duchess of Bisceglie
hierarchical_section_title: Bisceglie / History / Lucrezia Borgia, Duchess of Bisceglie
caption_attribution_description: Possibly Portrait of Lucrezia Borgia
context_page_description: Bisceglie is a city and municipality on the Adriatic Sea of 55,251 inhabitants in the province of Barletta-Andria-Trani, in the Apulia region, in southern Italy. The city was awarded Blue Flag Beach certification in 2001 for high environmental and quality standards. Scallette and Salsello Beaches were also certified in 2003, 2005 and 2006.
  It is the municipality with the fourth highest population in the province and fourteenth highest in the region.
  It is an important agricultural hub, with manufacturers mainly in the textile industry.
context_section_description: On 21 July 1498 Lucrezia Borgia married Alfonso of Aragon, duke of Bisceglie and prince of Salerno, illegitimate son of Alfonso II of Naples, whose nickname was "most beautiful boy".
  The marriage would be a short one for Lucrezia, just as her previous ones, and would end tragically for the man she loved.
  Cesare Borgia, Lucrezia's brother, refused by Charlotte of Naples, married Charlotte of Albret instead, thereby becoming a cousin of the king of France. He pledged to help the monarch regain the kingdom of Naples. All this Gallicism alarmed Alfonso who sought refuge with his family, abandoning a pregnant Lucrezia and leaving her with a broken heart. At that point, the Pope entrusted her with the post of Governor of Spoleto to raise her spirits.
  On 19 September 1499, Alfonso, pushed by his uncle Frederick Ⅳ who did not want to displease the pope, reunited with Lucrezia and together they returned to Rome. In November, the duchess of Bisceglie gave birth to a boy named Rodrigo.
  On 15 July 1500 Alfonso was seriously injured in an ambush. The ambush was sprung by Cesare, probably eager to eliminate his Spanish kinship. Despite the severity of the wounds Alfonso healed, to Lucrezia's great joy. Cesare, unhappy with how things went, would say, "What has not been done at lunch, can be done very well at dinner.". Alfonso was killed by Cesare's assassin, one Micheletto Corella, on 18 August 1500 in Lucrezia's room when she had been called away on some pretext. The official explanation is that the Duke of Bisceglie broke his head open following a terrible fall while he was still convalescing. The duchy was placed in the hands of little Rodrigo accompanied by a guardian, while his mother became governor of Nepi, and would soon become Duchess of Ferrara.
caption: Lucrezia Borgia in a painting by Dosso Dossi
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