Are these famous families (or clans) still around ?
And are they as prominent today as they were in the Renaissance ?
shareYes, there are. You have full information here Casa de Borja (in Spanish, but much more detailed and updated) - or here, House of Borgia.
Remember that the Borgias were from Valencia (Spain), the name being a toponymic from Borja, Zaragoza. Borgia is the italianized version of Borja, the family name.
Also remember that they had a "nice" representative: Saint Francis Borgia S.J., 4th Duke of Gandía (Spanish: San Francisco de Borja) (1510-1572) who was a Spanish aristocrat and Jesuit, and third Superior General of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). He was canonized on 20 June 1670 by Pope Clement X. "Borja" is a common first name in Spain, because of this Saint.
Currently there are two main branches:
The Borgia/Borja Dukes of Gandía, the current Duchess is Ángela María Téllez-Girón y Duque de Estrada, a Spanish aristocrat.
Within this broad line there is a well known recent descendant: Rodrigo Borja Cevallos, who was President of Ecuador (1989-1992).
The Borgia/Borja Borbón-Busset, that includes the "Borbón Parma" family, considered by a very small minority (known as "Carlists") the legitimate heirs to the throne of Spain. The most significant living representative is Carlos, Duke of Parma.
The Medici are still around also.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Maria_Luisa_de%27_Medici
Thanks, lots of info to look up ! How about the Sforzas ?
shareThere are several sources which state that the late Diana, Princess of Wales may have been a descendant of Caterina Sforza through her Stuart ancestors (the Spencer family is descended from an illegitimate line of Charles II), though this may be incorrect, as I keep finding her associated with Borgia rival Caterina Sforza, Countess of Forlì (so much so, I’ve decided to write a post about her connections). As I mentioned before, Royal family trees can be exceedingly difficult to narrow down, and there is conflicting evidence from one book and website to the next. As Caterina is the ancestor, her line will continue with William and Catherine’s baby.
Kelly: I'm under Evelyn Waugh.
Charlotte: Evelyn Waugh was a man.
That's good to know. I wondered the same thing.
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