Giulia Farnese (; 1474 – 23 March 1524) was an Italian noblewoman, a mistress to Pope Alexander VI, and the sister of Pope Paul III. Known as , she was a member of the noble Farnese family, who were prominent leaders in the Italian regions of Parma and Piacenza. After marrying into the noble Orsini family in the Papal States, Farnese soon acquainted herself with, and initiated an affair with, the Spanish Cardinal Rodrigo de Borja. When the cardinal was elected Pope, Farnese continued the increasingly advantageous liaison, which enabled her to have her brother Alessandro made a cardinal, until losing Alexander's favor at the turn of the century.
Farnese spent most of her later years governing the castle of Carbognano, previously a property which Alexander had given to her husband. She died in 1524 in Rome at the residence belonging to Alessandro, who would later be elected Pope Paul III.
Lorenzo Pucci described her as "most lovely to behold". Cesare Borgia, the son of Alexander VI, described her as having "dark colouring, black eyes, round face and a particular ardor".
Biography
Family
Giulia Farnese was born in Canino, then within the Papal States, to Pier Luigi Farnese, Signore di Montalto (1435–1487), and his wife, Giovanna Caetani. One earlier member of the Caetani dynasty was Pope Boniface VIII (1294–1303). Giulia had four siblings. Her oldest brother, Alessandro, was a notary who embarked on an ecclesiastical career. Her second brother, Bartolomeo, became Lord of Montalto in Alessandro's place, married Iolanda Monaldeschi, and had issue. Her third brother, Angelo, was a lord, married Lella Orsini, and had female issue. Her other sibling was a sister, Girolama.
At the age of fourteen, Giulia was sent to Rome by her mother in order to complete an education in the hopes of integrating herself into the Roman aristocracy.
First marriage and papal concubinage
On 21 May 1489, Giulia married Orsino Orsini in Rome (the signing of the marriage contract had taken place the previous day). Her dowry for the match was 3,000 gold florins (around 500,000 USD). Orsini, who was described as being squint-eyed and devoid of any meaningful self-confidence, was the son of Adriana de Mila, a third cousin of Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia, who was then Vice-Chancellor of the Church. According to Maria Bellonci, it is uncertain when Rodrigo Borgia (Pope Alexander VI) fell in love with Giulia and decided to make her his mistress. What is known is that Adriana de Mila eventually gave her approval to Rodrigo Borgia and Giulia Farnese's relationship in order to win a higher status for her son within the Vatican. By November 1493, Giulia was living with Adriana de Mila and the Pope's daughter Lucrezia Borgia, who she became a friend of, in a recently built palace next to the Vatican from where the Pope could easily make his clandestine visits. The affair was widely rumored among gossips of the time, and Giulia was referred to as "the Pope's whore" or sarcastically as "the bride of Christ". However, writers like Michael de la Bedoyere dispute her alleged status as mistress.
Giulia enriched herself as a result of her relationship with the Pope. For instance, Lorenzo Pucci noted in 1494 that "she has an intent goldsmith that makes rings for one thousand ducati." Through her intimacy with the Pope, Giulia was able to get her brother Alessandro (the future Pope Paul III) created Cardinal in 1493. Even so, Alessandro had a precarious financial situation. Records from the Apostolic Chamber from autumn of 1500 put Alessandro's annual income at just two thousand ducats, making him one of the poorest members of the Sacred College. Consequently, Giulia almost certainly helped sustain her brother financially, enabling him to purchase Cardinal Pedro Ferris' Roman palace in early 1495 for 5,500 ducats - a purchase otherwise outside of Alessandro's means.