312:. Post cenam posita fuerunt candelabra communia mense in candelis ardentibus per terram, et projecte ante candelabra per terram castanee quas meretrices ipse super manibus et pedibus; unde, candelabra pertranseuntes, colligebant, Papa, duce et D. Lucretia sorore sua presentibus et aspicientibus. Tandem exposita dona ultima, diploides de serico, paria caligarum; bireta, et alia pro illis qui pluries dictas meretrices carnaliter agnoscerent; que fuerunt ibidem in aula publice carnaliter tractate arbitrio praesentium, dona distributa victoribus.
103:
candelabra with the burning candles were taken from the tables and placed on the floor, and chestnuts were strewn around, which the naked courtesans picked up, creeping on hands and knees between the chandeliers, while the Pope, Cesare, and his sister
Lucrezia looked on. Finally, prizes were announced for those who could perform the act most often with the courtesans, such as tunics of silk, shoes, barrets, and other things.
164:
by his ejaculative capacity… After everyone was exhausted, His
Holiness distributed prizes." Professional historians, however, have dismissed or ignored the book because of its numerous factual errors and its dependence on interpretations that have not been accepted by experts since the 1930s at the
124:
Alexander Lee notes that "The so-called 'Banquet of the
Chestnuts'… is, for example, attested only in Burchard's memoirs, and not only was intrinsically implausible, but also was dismissed as such by many contemporaries." Henry A. Brann, a Catholic priest and historian, argues that "courtesans" is an
120:
in
Burchard's memoirs, arguing that the Pope could not be capable of such "truly bestial" behavior. Other historians, however, have criticized de Roo's biography, describing it as "a vast apologetic work in which much useful material is often almost undetectable under the coat of white-wash" and as
102:
On the evening of the last day of
October, 1501, Cesare Borgia arranged a banquet in his chambers in the Vatican with "fifty honest prostitutes", called courtesans, who danced after dinner with the attendants and others who were present, at first in their garments, then naked. After dinner the
112:
Both contemporary and modern authors have questioned the accuracy of
Burchard's account. Two independent contemporary sources confirm that a social event occurred on the date given by Burchard, but give fewer details of the festivities.
138:
is "a deeply serious work", Burchard is generally a reliable source not prone to exaggerations, and that the events described are not out of character for
Alexander VI, known for fathering the most illegitimate children of any pope.
175:, Jeremy duQuesnay Adams remarked that Manchester's work contained "some of the most gratuitous errors of fact and eccentricities of judgment this reviewer has read (or heard) in quite some time."
196:, and witnessed by Burchard who chronicles the debaucheries of the Cardinals while hidden behind a screen. None of the Borgia family are seen to be present, and loyal Cardinals such as
125:
improper translation of a word better understood as "courtiers", and that references to "nudity" merely describe "a throwing off of the outer robes."
81:
opened the archive, although Leo expressed specific reluctance to allow general access to a document which might harm the reputation of
Alexander VI.
570:
324:
470:
762:
299:
Johannis
Burchardi Argentinensis capelle pontificie sacrorum rituum magistri diarium, sive Rerum urbanarum commentarii (1483-1506)
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cortegiane nuncupate, que post cenam coreaverunt cum servitoribus et aliis ibidem existentibus, primo in vestibus suis, denique
630:
397:
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347:
260:
116:
Vatican researcher Peter de Roo, in his five-volume history of
Alexander VI, speculates that the passage may be a later
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Matarazzo (Arch. Stor. Ital., t. xvi, p. 189) says that the dance was performed by ladies and gentlemen of the court -
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Pope Alexander VI and his Court: extracts from the Latin diary of the Papal Master of Ceremonies, 1484–1506
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were in attendance for the entertainment of the banquet guests. Burchard describes the scene as follows:
73:
and Master of Ceremonies. This diary, a primary source on the life of Alexander VI, was preserved in the
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817:
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277:
152:
673:
Adams, Jeremy duQuesnay (January 1995). "Review of William Manchester, A World Lit Only By Fire".
442:
156:, embellishes the story: "Servants kept score of each man's orgasms, for the pope greatly admired
812:
188:. In the show, the Banquet is shown to be a trap to blackmail otherwise disloyal members of the
807:
787:
599:, vol. 44, New York: Paulist Fathers, The Catholic Publication Society, p. 13, 1886,
74:
297:
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609:. The Florentine orator Francis Pepi says they were courtiers, not 'courtesans,' who danced.
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When Churchill Slaughtered Sheep and Stalin Robbed a Bank: History's Unknown Chapters
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368:
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318:
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Pope Alexander VI and His Court: Extracts from the Latin Diary of Johannes Burchardus
256:
48:
494:"Review of Material for a History of Pope Alexander VI., his Relatives and his Time"
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518:
513:
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In sero fecerunt cenam cum duce Valentinense in camera sua, in palatio apostolico,
36:
390:
Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia: Brother & Sister of History's Most Vilified Family
84:
According to Burchard, the banquet was given in Cesare Borgia's apartments in the
740:
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are warned not to accept the invitation. In the series, the event takes place in
66:
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The nudity does not mean absolute nudity, but a throwing off of the outer robes
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uncritically accepting all praise and rejecting all criticism of Alexander VI.
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652:. Boston, New York & London: Little, Brown and Company. pp. 79–80.
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Material for a History of Pope Alexander VI, His Relatives and His Time
95:
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161:
157:
77:; it became available to researchers in the mid-19th century when
419:. Vol. 5. Bruges, Desclée, De Brouwer. pp. 195–197.
16:
Legendary 16th-century celebration held in the Vatican Palace
40:
178:
The banquet is depicted in episode 4 of season 3 of the
605:, improperly translated in this case 'courtesans'.
754:
365:Reprehensible: Polite Histories of Bad Behaviour
276:Burchard, Johann (1921), Glaser, F.L. (ed.),
253:The Borgia Family: Rumor and Representation
133:
60:
645:
639:
323:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
251:DeSilva, Jennifer Mara (11 October 2019).
128:Defending the historicity of the account,
517:
342:. Pen & Sword History. pp. 7–9.
282:, New York: N.L. Brown, pp. 154–55,
59:An account of the banquet appears in the
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35:) was a supper purportedly held at the
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722:. New York: Knopf, 1984; p. 106
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388:Morris, Samantha (28 December 2020).
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542:from the original on 5 December 2023
473:from the original on 5 December 2023
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302:, vol. 3, Paris, p. 167,
13:
749:, Bonanza Books, 1960, p. 106
715:; ed. F. L. Glaser, New York, 1921
340:The Sixteenth Century in 100 Women
14:
829:
573:from the original on 1 March 2016
563:"Were the Borgias Really So Bad?"
561:Lee, Alexander (1 October 2013),
763:History of Catholicism in Italy
705:
666:
621:Milton, Giles (November 2016).
614:
585:
554:
423:from the original on 2012-04-26
363:Robins, Mikey (5 August 2020).
306:quinquaginta meretrices honeste
498:The American Historical Review
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406:
289:
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43:and hosted by former Cardinal
1:
443:"Review of Book: The Borgias"
441:Passmore, N. W. (July 1970).
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222:List of sexually active popes
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646:Manchester, William (1992).
492:Church, Frederic C. (1925).
7:
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173:Medieval Academy of America
10:
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459:10.1177/001258067008829215
783:16th-century Christianity
392:. Pen and Sword History.
296:Burchard, Johann (1885),
778:16th-century Catholicism
768:Sexuality in Catholicism
711:John (Johann) Burchard,
649:A World Lit Only by Fire
284:fifty honest prostitutes
165:latest. In a review for
153:A World Lit Only by Fire
519:2027/mdp.39015013144061
192:, and is officiated by
413:de Roo, Peter (1924).
367:. Simon and Schuster.
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75:Vatican Secret Archive
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51:, on 31 October 1501.
803:History of the papacy
338:Licence, Amy (2023).
217:List of dining events
171:, the journal of the
160:and measured a man's
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71:Protonotary Apostolic
29:Festival of Chestnuts
798:1501 in Christianity
793:16th century in Rome
730:; another issue has
718:Barbara W. Tuchman,
232:Route of the Borgias
190:College of Cardinals
21:Banquet of Chestnuts
746:A History of Orgies
447:The Downside Review
25:Ballet of Chestnuts
720:The March of Folly
148:William Manchester
143:In popular culture
87:Palazzo Apostolico
55:Burchard's account
632:978-1-250-07875-9
593:"The Borgia Myth"
399:978-1-5267-2441-0
374:978-1-76085-300-6
349:978-1-39908-382-9
262:978-0-429-56030-9
49:Pope Alexander VI
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681:(1): 173–74.
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185:The Borgias
108:Historicity
92:prostitutes
23:(sometimes
757:Categories
603:cortigiane
546:5 December
477:5 December
427:2012-08-12
238:References
182:TV series
96:courtesans
528:0002-8762
467:0012-5806
47:, son of
675:Speculum
571:archived
540:Archived
471:Archived
421:Archived
319:citation
211:See also
180:Showtime
168:Speculum
162:machismo
158:virility
150:'s book
90:. Fifty
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627:ISBN
579:2016
548:2023
524:ISSN
479:2023
463:ISSN
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369:ISBN
344:ISBN
325:link
310:nude
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