DRAMATIS PERSONAE Pope Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia
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DRAMATIS PERSONAE Pope Alexander VI (Rodrigo Borgia) History’s most worldly and venal Pope, Rodrigo Borgia bought the papacy in 1493, promising deeds and conquests worthy of Alexander the Great. As Pope Alexander, he ambitiously expanded the Church’s temporal power under the aegis of his son Cesare (see Valentino), the most gifted of his seven acknowledged illegitimate children. Agapito da Amelia Valentino’s confidential secretary and official spokesman. Antonio Benivieni The prominent Florentine physician who documented his many post- mortem examinations in a collection, De abditis nonnullis ac mirandis morburum et sanationum causis (The Hidden Causes of Disease), regarded as the foundational work of scientific pathology. Juan Borgia, Duke of Gandia (deceased) The murder of Pope Alexander’s favorite son on June 14, 1497 was the most notorious crime of the Renaissance--and remained conspicuously unsolved as of autumn 1502. Camilla Maid and attendant to the courtesan Damiata. Damiata A cultured, highly desirable Roman courtesan of the class known as cortigiana onesta, or “honest courtesan,” often interpreted more colloquially as “honest whore.” Her relationship with the Duke of Gandia and her suspected role in his murder are matters of historical record. “Damiata,” however, was almost certainly an alias. Oliverotto da Fermo An orphan trained for the soldier’s profession by Vitellozzo Vitelli (see below), he became Lord of the city of Fermo after brutally usurping his uncle. Oliverotto first served Valentino as a condottiero (mercenary general), then became instrumental in the conspiracy against him. Giacomo (Gian Giacomo Caprotti) Leonardo da Vinci’s servant/apprentice/companion. Adopted by Leonardo when he was ten years old, Giacomo was in his early twenties in 1502. His nickname, “Salai ,” meant “little devil.” Francesco Guicciardini The close friend and frequent correspondent to whom Machiavelli addresses his narrative. At the time of Machiavelli’s writing (1527), he was Lieutenant-general of the armies of Pope Clement VII. Guicciardini would later become a pioneer of modern historical method, as author of the classic History of Italy. Ramiro da Lorca A Borgia family retainer of long standing, Ramiro earned both respect and notoriety as the harsh military governor of the Romagna, before being assigned to less politically sensitive duties in the autumn of 1502. Niccolo Machiavelli Machiavelli’s official titles in 1502 were Second Chancellor of the Republic of Florence (a second-tier civil service position) and Secretary of the Ten of War. Although he was the ranking Florentine diplomat at the court of Duke Valentino, Machiavelli had no authority to conduct direct negotiations and was regarded as nothing more than a mouthpiece for his government. He was thirty-three years old at the time, and would not write The Prince for another eleven years (1513). Michelotto ( Michele de Coreglia) Valentino’s most trusted intimate. Paolo Orsini Scion of one of Italy’s most powerful and ruthless families, Orsini became a leader of the condottieri who first worked for and then conspired against Valentino in 1502. Tommaso (Tommaso di Giovanni Masini) A student of alchemy and other occult arts who frequently went by the alias Zoroastre, Tommaso joined Leonardo’s entourage during the latter’s long tenure (1482-99) at the court of Lodovico Sforza in Milan. Giacomo Salai Leonardo da Vinci’s servant/apprentice/ companion. Adopted by Leonardo when he was ten years old, Giacomo was in his early twenties in 1502. His nickname, Salai, meant “little devil.” Valentino (Cesare Borgia) Duke of the Romagna and Captain-General of the armies of the Holy Roman Church. Designated Duke of Valentois by the French king in 1498 (in a deal that bought Louis XII a divorce), Pope Alexander’s gifted bastard son was commonly known as Duke Valentino or, in a shorthand that spoke to his celebrity throughout Europe, simply Valentino. Leonardo da Vinci Officially designated Duke Valentino’s “Engineer-General and Architect,” Leonardo was fifty years old in 1502. His Map of Imola, drawn that year, is regarded as one of his most revolutionary works; presently in the collection of the Royal Library at Windsor Castle, it was the first map to have been made with precise measurements and the use of a magnetic compass, anticipating by centuries the advent of modern cartography. Vitellozzo Vitelli One of Italy’s most experienced condottieri and maestro of a new technology, artillery, Vitellozzo essentially invented the modern infantry rifleman. He was Valentino’s most effective subordinate prior to leading the conspiracy against him. GLOSSARY all’antica Literally, “in the style of the ancients,” i.e. the Greeks and Romans. The rebirth of classical civilization gave the Renaissance its name, so anything from architecture to typefaces done in the all’antica style was considered, paradoxically, the height of modernity. alla turca In the Turkish style. Despite the geopolitical tension between Christian Europe and the Ottoman empire, Turkish-style costumes, masqued balls and decorative motifs had a fashionable cachet among Renaissance Italians. allucciolati Loops of gold or silver thread woven into velvet to produce a rich sparkling effect. alta band A music ensemble consisting of one trombone (a trumpet with a slide much like the modern instrument) and two piffari (a large woodwind known in English as a shawm, a precursor of the oboe). amica (m. amico) Girlfriend, friend. Avemaria The “Hail Mary,” the traditional Roman Catholic prayer for the intercession of the Virgin, particularly “at the hour of our death.” ballo A dance; more specifically a term encompassing various dances performed by large groups at varying tempos, but all somewhat quicker than the traditional bassadanza. bellezza Beauty. berretta A generic term for a wide variety of round caps, but most commonly a brimless style worn by men. bollettino A card or scrap of paper worn around the neck, on which is written a prayer or spell to protect against illness, accidents, and bad luck. bottega An artist’s or artisan’s workshop, studio and place of business, typically opening onto a busy street. braccio (pl. braccia) A unit of measurement based on an arm’s length, roughly 22 to 24 inches. bravo (pl. bravi ) Knife-wielding young thugs employed as bodyguards or street enforcers, often by more respectable citizens. cacca Shit; excrement. cacapensieri Literally, “shit-thinker”; shit-for-brains. cacasangue Bloody shit, an extremely popular and puissant expletive in Renaissance Italy. calcio The precursor of soccer, though it featured heavy contact similar to rugby. In calcio-mad Florence the games were major civic events. camera obscura Literally a “dark room.” Basically a large pinhole camera, the dark room was completely closed off except for a tiny hole in one wall, through which an inverted image of whatever was outside could be projected on the opposite wall, or even on a sheet of paper. Leonardo did a number of diagrams, accompanied by notes, showing how the camera obscura worked, and it is highly likely that he experimented with the technology. camora Originally a simple, tight-fitting dress worn directly over a chemise by women of all classes, by the late fifteenth century the camora had become a sumptuous, daringly formal gown that revealed ample expanses of the shoulders and breasts. candle-seller; candle-shop girl Streetwalkers often sold candles on the side or worked out of candle shops, thus the name became generic for lower class prostitutes. cantafavola Literally a “sung story,” such as those recited by street-corner minstrels. The connotation, however, was similar to “tall tale” or “song-and-dance”--a story of dubious reliability. carlino A silver coin minted in Rome, worth about one tenth of a ducat. cassone A woman’s large wardrobe chest, in which a bride usually brought her trousseau to her husband’s house. These were elaborately painted and intended to be displayed in the bedroom. Catullus The 1st century B.C. Roman poet noted for his extravagantly romantic, highly erotic, and often shockingly vulgar verses in praise of the pseudonymous “Lesbia,” a married Roman noblewoman. Catullus’s oeuvre might have been entirely lost if not for the discovery of a single manuscript in Verona early in the fourteenth century; subsequently, Renaissance publishers made him one of the era’s most popular poets. cazzo Penis; prick. cioppa A rich overgown or coat with long, full sleeves, often lined with fur. Various forms of the cioppa were worn by both sexes. coazzone Chignon. The hair was typically drawn back and tied in a large knot behind the head, with the excess falling down over the back of the neck; usually worn with a decorative, often elaborately bejeweled hairnet. compare Technically a fellow member of the same civic confraternity, or a godfather to one’s child, but sometimes used rhetorically to denote a strong feeling of friendship. condottiero (pl. condottieri) A mercenary general (translated as Captain-General). While this profession sometimes provided an avenue for gifted, low-born men to enter the nobility, by the end of the fifteenth century it was much more likely to provide a relatively secure living for incompetent hereditary nobles who made Italy decidedly less safe. confetti Spun sugar figurines similar to modern cake decorations. contado The countryside around a town. corne The sign of the horns, made with only the first and fourth fingers extended; intended to ward off spells and the evil eye. coro A primero hand consisting of four cards of the same face value (four of a kind). cortigiana onesta Literally “honest courtesan,” though more colloquially interpreted as “honest whore.” The term began to be used in Rome at the end of the fifteenth century, to describe the cultured, elegant prostitutes who addressed the needs of the Vatican curia. Rome was renowned for its thriving community of high-class hookers, as was Venice.