María Enríquez de Luna

Maria Enriquez de Luna was the wife of Juan (Giovanni) Borgia, second Duke of Gandia. Her father was, Enrique Enríquez de Quiñones, making her paternal grandfather Fadrique Enríquez. Her aunt, Juana Enríquez, was Queen of Aragon by marriage to John II of Aragon. Therefore, she was a first cousin of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile, and therefore of the House of Trastamara. She married Juan somewhere between 1493 and 1494, and together, they had three children: twins Juan de Borja y Enriquez, who became the 3rd Duke of Gandía, and Francisca de Jesus Borja, who became a nun at a convent in Valladolid. The younger Juan was the father of Saint Francis Borgia. Their third child, Isabel de Borja y Enriquez, was born after her father was killed. She grew up to be abbess of Santa Clara in Gandia. In personality, Maria was very intelligent, devout, financially shrewd, and devoted to her husband and children, in contrast to her husband, who was regarded by many as a womanizer, a gambler, a drunkard, and an incompetent general.