- "Kings and Popes and Emperors belong to their peoples, not to their families."
- ―Vanozza Cattaneo
Vanozza Cattaneo is a main character in the first, second and third seasons. She is portrayed by Joanne Whalley, and makes her debut in the series premiere.
Vanozza is the former mistress of Rodrigo Borgia. They have four children together; Cesare Borgia, Juan Borgia, Lucrezia Borgia and Joffre Borgia.
Information[]
The refined, aging mistress of Rodrigo, Vanozza is the mother of his children. Although she no longer shares the Pope's bed, she is still the matriarch of his household and a vital member of his family. When a younger woman catches the Pope's eye, Vanozza unleashes a fury that threatens to unseat him. She is later barred from her own daughter's wedding because of the impropriety of the Pope acknowledging an affair that produced children.[1]
Appearances[]
| Season one appearances | ||||
| The Poisoned Chalice | The Assassin | The Moor | ||
| Lucrezia's Wedding | The Borgias in Love | The French King | ||
| Death, on a Pale Horse | The Art of War | Nessuno (Nobody) | ||
| Season two appearances | ||||
| The Borgia Bull | Paolo | The Beautiful Deception | Stray Dogs | The Choice |
| Day of Ashes | The Siege at Forli | Truth and Lies | World of Wonders | The Confession |
| Season three appearances | ||||
| The Face of Death | The Purge | Siblings | The Banquet of Chestnuts | The Wolf and the Lamb |
| Relics | Lucrezia's Gambit | Tears of Blood | The Gunpowder Plot | The Prince |
Photos[]
Every photo of Vanozza Cattaneo on this wiki can be seen here.
Family tree[]
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 |  |  (b. 1477/1478) |  Deceased |  |  (d. 1498) |  |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Deceased |  Deceased | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Historical notes[]
- Vanozza was not a courtesan, as the series claims, but an Italian noblewoman from the House of Candia.[2]
- Vanozza's husband Theo is a fusion of her three historical husbands.[2]