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[la_bella_farnese]

BIO
PERSONALITY
SKILLS
VISUALS

Bio

Giulia Farnese also know as Giulia la bella (Julia the beautiful) or la bella Farnese (the beautiful Farnese) was one of the mistresses of Rodrigo Borgia. She meets the Pope in confession and start a sexual relationship soon after. This brings upon the wrath of Rodrigo's former mistress and mother to his four children Vanozza Dei Catteni. Lucrezia is on friendly terms with her, though deep down she has more love for her mother. When Cardinal della Rovere heard the rumours of the relationship, he used this so he could have the Pope deposed. But the witness was later found dead (having been murdered by Micheletto Corrella) in the cardinal's room. As of current, the relationship between the Pope and Giulia still continues.

Giulia was sent to check up on Lucrezia at her husband Giovanni's home in Romagne, only to discover her pregnant by someone who is not her husband. Giulia learned that the Sforza are planning to betray Rome, and schemes to remove Lucrezia before the French arrive. Giulia's timetable was slightly off, however, and she and Lucrezia accidentally find themselves in the midst of the French army. Giulia revealed their identities to prevent them for being mistaken for prostitutes, and the pair were entertained by the King of France himself. Giulia's quick thinking enabled Lucrezia to later rescue Juan Borgia's army from the French.

Giulia was away from Rome for several weeks following the birth of Lucrezia's child. Upon her return, she realized that Rodrigo's eyes were beginning to wander. Cautiously, Giulia, disguised as Minerva, approached Vanozza, then dressed as Juno, for advice. Vanozza advised Giulia to let Rodrigo (who was dressed as Janus) to turn one face to whoever he was interested in, but keep the other fixed on Giulia. Giulia took Vanozza's advice and orchestrated a tryst between Rodrigo, herself, and the young artist Vittoria.

After a clandestine visit to the poorer parts of Rome with Vittoria, an incensed Rodrigo put Giulia in charge of reviewing the Curatorial records to ensure that the money earmarked for the poor actually got there. When the Cardinal in charge of this chapter of the Curia discovered her involvement, he protested profusely, but Giulia reminded him that women were quite capable of counting.

Giulia eventually resolved to use her discoveries outwit the Cardinals and do some good for Rome's poor. To this end, she took Lucrezia to visit a slum that had once been a bathhouse and convinced her to recruit Vanozza into their efforts. Vanozza advised them that the best way to gain leverage agains the Cardinals was to locate their courtesans.

Giulia eventually realized that Rodrigo was beginning to tire of her for good. On Vanozza's advice, she secured a palace and pension for herself, but also convinced Rodrigo to make her brother a Cardinal. Giulia apparently hoped that Rodrigo would seize the opportunity to promote a young man beholden to no one and place him in charge of the delicate matters of the Curia's finances, matters which Giulia would be more than willing to assist her brother with. When Giulia's role in her brother's work was discovered, Rodrigo was furious, but softened when Giulia convinced him that the only point of her plan was to keep supporting him (and to give herself something to do). Giulia later organized a voracious sex party under the guise of raising money for the Pope's new crusade, the records of which were later used to blackmail the Cardinals (minus her brother, whom she had pointedly forbidden from attending) into submission.

Shortly thereafter, Giulia met a poet whom she fancied and introduced him to Rodrigo so he might bless their impending marriage. The Pope grumbled about the whole affair, though it isn't clear if he was irritated because he didn't want to let Giulia go or because he disliked poets. He ultimately approved the match, if only to reign in Vanozza, who observed the meeting with far too much amusement for Rodrigo's comfort. - (Taken from the Borgia wiki: Here

Personality

*Intelligent: Through the show, Giulia has shown a high level of intelligence. She is able to read men and sense their motives, first having done so with Rodrigo shortly after they met (as she offers to comfort him when he finds her a place to live in Rome). This later comes to both her and Lucrezia's benefit as, while Lucrezia is unhappily married to Giovanni Sforza, Giulia is gauges that Sforza has no intention of remaining in his alliance with the Pope and intends to side with the French against him. Because of this, she helps Lucrezia escape to return her to Rome. Later in the series as well, Giulia's education came to assist the Pope. While her brother was placed in charge of the Vatican's finances, Giulia helps him with the accounts. Rodrigo is at first angry, but when she explains it gives her something to do, he softens and allows her to continue working, which proves to be a great asset.
*Gracious: Despite the awkward position Giulia is in as mistress to the Pope (replacing his former paramour Vanozza), she has made efforts to keep the peace between them both as well as reaching out as a friend to Vanozza's daughter, Lucrezia. At Lucrezia's wedding feast, Cesare defies his father's orders and brings his mother, which likely will insult Lucrezia's husband. The Pope nearly becomes angry, but a few words from Giulia stop him from making a scene and encourage him to relent and allow Vanozza to stay. From her first meeting with Lucrezia, she has gone out of her way to be kind and gracious to the girl, first commissioning a portrait of her and giving her a necklace as a gift. She does her best to keep the peace in the family, even trying to counsel Lucrezia when her father's will conflicts with her own.
*Charitable: In the second season, Giulia is occupied by the project of aiding the slums of Rome, realizing that much of the money earmarked in the Vatican hadn't been put to that use. Several times, she and Vanozza (as well as Lucrezia) visit the slums, deciding together to repair and ease the lives of those living there, wishing to do some good for the poor.

*Ambitious: Giulia during her first meeting with the Pope makes it clear that she has no desire to live with her husband in the country and believes that she is meant for more. It's implied, as she requested to have the Pope hear her confession, that she intended to seduce him and become his mistress. She drops several hints that this is what she wants, including that she believes her body could give much pleasure. Once she achieves that position, Giulia works hard to keep it, sometimes using ruthless methods to remove rivals or to keep the Pope's attention on her. Even after he grows tired of her, she doesn't stop trying to advance her family. One of her terms is that her brother be made a Cardinal and she finds a husband that will suit her, rather than being stuck in a loveless match. She continues to work the Vatican, appealing to the Pope to give her something to do and to let her still be of some use.
*Manipulative: So much of what Giulia does in the show is because she has ulterior motives. She moves to seduce the Pope from the beginning of her confession and alludes to the possibility when they meet again and he offers her a palazzo for her use. When she begins to suspect that the Pope's eye is wandering, she manipulates the situation to lure both the girl that the Pope wants and herself into having a threesome with him, thereby ensuring that he will always have her in his sight as well. She's not above stooping to dark levels in her schemes, at one point arranging a decadent sex party and using the records of the night to blackmail the Cardinals into submission. Both she and Lucrezia manipulate the King of France when they are held captive by him, using their wiles to enchant him and allowing them special treatment, which later assists Lucrezia in keeping him from attacking Rome.
*Ruthless: From the first time we see Giulia, we see that she is willing to do anything to suit her needs. Her confession to the Pope is that she had no desire to have a child by her husband, both because he disgusts her but because she didn't want her body to change. So rather than give birth, she aborted the child (something unthinkable for a Catholic woman). She's willing to blackmail, to manipulate and use people to get what she wants and to maneuver a situation to where she wants it. She will use people at her pleasure, whether it's women and putting them in the Pope's bed or putting Cardinals in precarious positions. Even her brother she'll use to get ahead, all for the sake of power.

Skills

None save for her wiles, her allures, beauty and charm. She's intelligent and knows sums well, she can also sew and do most of the tasks noblewomen were expected to in this era.

Visuals