25. Giulia Farnese became the lover of a Pope and set her brother on the road to the papal throne
Giulia Farnese was a fifteenth/sixteenth Italian noblewoman of the Farnese family who became the mistress of Pope Alexander VI. Known as “Giulia la Bella or “Julia the Beautiful” Giulia was married to Orsino Orsini when her affair with the Borgia pope began. However, it seems the relationship had full family support. Orsino’s stepmother was also Pope Alexander’s cousin. She encouraged Julia’s affair, hoping it would further her stepson’s career. For ease, Giulia moved into a palace next door to the Vatican with the Pope’s daughter, Lucrezia. However, it was Giula’s brother Alessandro who benefited most from the liaison. He became a Cardinal in 1493 — setting him well on the road to his eventual inauguration as Pope Paul III.