Thursday, January 30, 2020

Worldview Essay of Romans Essay Example for Free

Worldview Essay of Romans Essay Introduction In Paul letter to the Romans he provides for us a biblical view of creation, which is our natural world, our human identity as it relates to God, human relationship and how it should be understood and culture. He shows us God’s love for all mankind, regardless of nationality or cultural background through His saving grace found in Jesus Christ. He grants salvation to all by faith in His son, with no favoritism or partiality. Man is incapable of saving himself, it is not earned through his works or good deeds, it’s only found by faith in Christ. It is essential for us today to have a clear and proper biblical understanding of our Creator, our relationship to Him and others, sin and its consequences and also our justification and redemption found in Jesus Christ. The Natural World Our natural world was spoken into existence by God and was perfect in its creation. The bible explains to us how the world was formed in Genesis 1:1-25 and God called His creation good. His purpose for creating our natural world and all that is in it was to worship and glorify Him. Our natural world is clearly a manifestation of His existence, sovereignty and power as stated in (Romans 1:20-21). There is general revelation of God’s creation, which speaks to everyone regardless of their culture and language and regardless of their access to Scriptures or the gospel according to (Psalms 19:1-6). God intended for man to subdue and take dominion of the earth, but man failed because of sin according to (Genesis 1:28). However, according to Romans 8:35-39, there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. This is comforting to know that in a world that has fallen and is extremely sinful, that we have an assurance and hope, which is found by faith in Christ Jesus. Human Identity Our identity originated in God, and in His image were we made (Genesis  1:26-27). We not only have a spiritual image but also a physical image as well. Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, meaning God with us, came in the form of a man to redeem mankind back to the Father. But, since the inception of sin, our physical and spiritual image has been marred and our fellowship with God was broken. We were born with an identity problem, because we are descendants of Adam and Eve who sinned, and their act of independence passed down from generation to generation. In Romans 1:21-24, these people knew God, but their hearts and minds had become darkened and they reveled in wickedness. They thought of themselves to be wise, however they were fools. They even exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man, birds and animals and snakes. They distorted the image of their Creator and God gave them over to their sinful desires and the lust of their own hearts. Man will never fully understand his true identity until he comes to a saving knowledge of who Christ is and what He has done for him. Only then will his eyes be open and his new identity revealed. Human Relationships Our human relationships with each other can be challenging because of sin and its tendencies to put strife between us. God intended for man and woman to be fruitful and multiply, to dwell in peace, love and unity. We are to love and forgive one another, and not stand in judgment against each other. Show kindness to our enemies even those who oppose God. For God is love. However, that changed after sin entered our world. Man began to do what was pleasing and right in his own eyes. Sin took man so far from God’s design that they exchanged their natural affections for each other. They abandoned their natural desire for each other to unnatural ones, although they knew these things were wrong. Therefore God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do what ought not to be done (Romans 1:26-32). Paul states in Romans 6:23 for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. Culture We can clearly see the culture of that time had completely turned from God even though they knew God. They rejected Him and lived life on their own terms and by their own rules. This is the mindset of our culture today. The early church culture also dealt with a lot of legalism. Some believe to be a Christian one must obey the laws of Moses, which I believe is in error. Our  justification is in Christ and not the law. After the cross, the two nations of Jews and Gentiles are now one in Christ. The new covenant is to both the Jews and the Gentiles (Ephesians 2:11-22). There is much division in our world because of different worldviews and how one believes. In Romans, Paul teaches us our sanctification and justification is in Christ alone. The mercy and grace of God has been extended to all mankind regardless of race, creed, color or culture. We have a responsibility to share the love of God with all cultures to bring them to a saving knowledge of God’s grace through Christ. In conclusion, Paul teachings help us to understand how God views sin and its consequences. His message also reveals God’s righteousness and forgiveness through Christ. Our natural world, our human identity, relationships and our culture has been given a glorious opportunity to be renewed and redeemed through the blood of Jesus. We should not conformed to this world, but be transformed by renewing our minds and share that revelation to others through the love of God. Therefore, having a proper biblical worldview are both essential and valuable to us and our world.

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Instructional Design :: essays research papers

The ultimate goal of Instructional Design is to quickly and effectively teach people a new skill, or system of thinking. Elliot Masie, editor of TechLearn Trends, suggests  ¡Ã‚ §all training is about behavioral stimulation that changes human beings on some level. ¡Ã‚ ¨ (Masie, 1998, p. 14) This is a tall order  ¡Ã‚ §to change human beings ¡Ã‚ ¨, and therefore, any professional instructor that accepts this challenge must ask plenty of fundamental questions first. These essential questions are part of a process known as Needs Assessment. This critical front-end work is going to 1. Provide information about audience capabilities and preparedness. 2. Establish that, indeed, there is a need for training. 3. Reveal information regarding the company culture. An instructor needs this information to choose tools for the program; the more you know your audience, both customer and learners, the more successful the program will be. There are several need assessment models to follow, but I will use  ¡Ã‚ §The Zemke-Kramlinger Model of the Major Human and Organizational Factors that Affect People Performance in an Organization ¡Ã‚ ¨. Their model asks hard questions in three different categories: Performer Skills „h What Abilities „h What Skill Level „h Job Knowledge „h Objective „h Needs Company Support „h Objective „h Expectations „h Reward „h Punishment „h Feedback „h Support Corporate Culture „h History „h Mission „h Goals „h Strategy „h Tactics „h Plans Without this information, the designer is only guessing. Once a designer is confident the needs assessment has provided a solid foundation to start building a program, different tools, or media, should be considered. The variety of tools ranges from simple (print) to high tech (satellite dish communication). The American Society for Training and Development has published a book that outlines an eight-step process for assisting in selection of the proper tools. The steps are as follows: 1. Understand all the training tools available with the benefits and drawbacks of their use. 2. List the media delivery that WILL WORK FOR YOUR AUDIENCE AT THEIR CAPABILITY LEVEL. 3. Evaluate your media list with the goals of training, and level of audience in mind. 4. Conduct a cost comparison. 5. Synthesize findings and establish  ¡Ã‚ §core media ¡Ã‚ ¨. 6. Consider auxiliary media that would augment your  ¡Ã‚ §core media ¡Ã‚ ¨. 7. Identify any implementation issues, organizational requirements, or technical limitations which could prevent successful use of your  ¡Ã‚ §core media ¡Ã‚ ¨. 8. Prepare your conclusion in a formal report for management. With all the preparation out of the way, just what tools are we talking about? Here is a list of possibilities: Manuals Handouts Video Tape Overheads Data Bases CD Rom Interactive Video Conference Internet Computer Base Training Satellite Distance Learning With information on the objectives, learners, the company, budget, constraints etc.

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

The Business Report of the Australian Major Footwear Retailer

The Australian UGG Company Major Assignment The business report of the Australian major footwear retailer-UGG Table of content 1. 0. Executive summary4 2. 0. Introduction5 2. 1. Background of UGG Company5 2. 2. Assumptions and limitations5 3. 0. Overview of the market5 4. 0. The marketing environment5 4. 1. The Microenvironment5 4. 1. 1. Key competitors6 4. 1. 2. Other environment6 4. 2. The Macroenvironment6 4. 2. 1. Demographic environment6 4. 2. 2. Economic environment7 4. 2. 3. Political environment7 4. 2. 4. Cultural environment7 5. 0. Product7 5. 1. The three level of the product7 5. 1. 1.Core Product8 5. 1. 2. Actual Product8 5. 1. 3. Augmented Product8 5. 2. Brand, packaging and labeling9 6. 0. Target segments9 6. 1. Demographic segment—Gender, Age and life-cycle stage segment9 6. 1. 1. Evaluation the needs and wants of the segment (key users benefit)9 6. 1. 2. The market positioning of the segment10 6. 1. 3. The trend of the segment11 6. 2. Geographic segment11 7. 0. The product categories11 7. 1. Evaluation of the categories11 7. 2. The trend and development of the categories11 8. 0. Conclusion12 9. 0. Recommendations12 10. 0. Reference list13 1. Executive summaryThe following report analyses the demographic segment which is classified by gender and age-cycle is targeted by The UGG Company. Firstly, the report briefly describes the background of UGG. Secondly, it shows a general impression of the footwear market and identifies its microenvironment and macroenvironment. Thirdly, it emphasizes the product of UGG and points out the three levels. Fourthly, it judges the two variable segments and illustrates the demographic segment in detail. Then, the report also exhibits its product categories. Finally, it draws a conclusions sum up and gives the recommendations.The secondary information which has close relationship to marketing is the sources of the report. For example, academic journals, textbook, statistics from formal organizations and company websites and newspaper. There are some assessments to evaluate the field of marketing in The UGG Company after assessing. There are two main recommendations for The UGG Company to improve its business: 1. UGG should improve marketing information system in order to do some research to satisfy customers’ needs and wants. 2. UGG should utilize sustainable material to produce products aiming at undertaking its social responsibility and gaining reputation. 0.Introduction 2. 1. Background of UGG Company The UGG Company was first established in California by Brian Smith, a young surfer from Australia (Deckers Outdoor Corporation, 2009). It was acquired by Deckers Outdoor Corporation in 1995. Thompson (2004) reports that the sale astonishingly increased from $250,000 to $11. 75 million between 2003 and 2004. The brand becomes national and year-round nowadays because of more than 70 shoe styles except its classical-style boots and slippers (Thompson, 2004). He also mentions that the sales project in 2004 was set up at $75 million which was in double growth of 2003’s. 2. Assumptions and limitationsThe limitation of the report is not enough adequate information presenting. With the development of globalization, the company should take actions depending on the varied circumstances to have a strong position in its marketplace. 3. Overview of the market IBISWorld Pty Ltd (2009) defines the footwear retail as a connection between the manufacturing company and customers. It also identifies that the shoe retail is mainly concerned about purchasing and promoting attractive shoes without any change to the customers. Other activities such as customer service, cash handing are also involved in the footwear retail (IBISWorld Pty Ltd, 2009).According to the statistics by IBISWorld Pty Ltd (2009), the industry has revenue of $2475. 0 million between the year 2008 and 2009. But meanwhile, it experienced a real growth of -2. 9%. 4. The marketing environment 1. The Microe nvironment 1. Key competitors Footwear market is a competitive marketplace because of globalization. There are 3,238 retails providing large number of appealing shoes to customers in Australia and there are 48 sheepskin retails among them (Yellow Pages Australia, 2009). Barack (2008) recognizes that in the present environment it is a difficult task for retailing to maintain the same revenue as before.Other famous brands like Chukka boots and Rocky are the direct competitors to UGG (Wikipedia, 2009). IBISWorld Pty Ltd (2009) asserts that Ascendia Retail Pty Limited is the top indirect competitor to UGG because it holds 16% of the Australian market. Followed by that, Betts Group Pty Ltd takes up 6. 8%. And 77. 2% of the market is made up of other companies such as NIKE Australia and Foot Locker. 2. Other environment The footwear retail industry including UGG often depends on resellers which belong to marketing intermediaries like Myer to promote its goods.And the market for UGG is con sumer markets which individuals purchase shoes for personal use. 2. The Macroenvironment 1. Demographic environment According to the research by IBISWorld Pty Ltd (2009), the demand of footwear retail is affected by age which involves three generations: Generation X, Generation Y and Baby Boomers. Generation X and Y stand for aged 32 to 43 and 14 to 31 respectively. The former group accounts for 42. 0% of the footwear sales in the end of 2007; the latter group has 30. 0% of that. Baby boomers which have aged 44 to 62 account for 25. 0% of the share (IBISWorld Pty Ltd, 2009). . Economic environment Consumer sentiment index, trade weighted index and Real Household Disposable Income play vital roles in the footwear retail industry. Firstly, IBISWorld Pty Ltd (2009) points out that consumer sentiment index represent the consumers’ confidence of economy. It also mentions that trade weighted index has a significant effect on customer demand for imported footwear. Furthermore, incom e is closely related to customer’s purchasing power. For instance, wealthy customers have more buying power to choose whatever they like. 3. Political environmentThe Australian government performed a policy which led to an enormous change in the world of Australian footwear retail. It reduced the protection of the Australian footwear sector in the mid-1980s (Webber &Weller, 2001). They indicate that the footwear industry has to restructure in the modern world in Australia because of globalization. 4. Cultural environment Cultural issues also shape the marketing decisions. Wikipedia (2009) asserts that boots was originally invented by the people who live in cold countries to protect their foot in low temperature environment. Australians form a habit of wearing boots in winter to keep warm. . Product Footwear can be classified into the category of shopping products which are evaluated in the aspect of comfort, quality, price and style. 1. The three level of the product 1. Core Product The core benefit that consumers are really purchasing in the market of footwear is to protect their foot. According to what customers actually want, UGG provides sheepskin footwear which can control the temperature of the bare feet to close to the body regardless of the temperature outside, especially in winter in order to keep customers warm (Deckers Outdoor Corporation, 2009). . Actual Product Actual product defines as â€Å"a product’s parts, styling, features, brand name, packaging and other attributes that combine to deliver core product benefits† (Kotler, Brown, Adam, Burton and Armstrong, 2007, p. 388). Deckers Outdoor Corporation (2009) claims that the philosophy of UGG is to provide comfortable, high quality, attainable as well as fashionable products aiming to deliver core benefits. It also points out that UGG ®Australia is relatively well-known brand because it is the world’s largest purveyor of grade-A sheepskin.Furthermore, actual product of UGG includes its relevant sheepskin care product which is a unique product to retain customers. 3. Augmented Product A number of authors propose that augmented product is â€Å"additional consumer services and benefits built around the core and actual products† (Kotler et al. , 2007, p. 388). UGG creates a website to give convenience for customers searching information and knowing more about UGG. Moreover, UGG provides not only sales service telephone number and e-mail address, but also aftersales service to maximize customer satisfaction (Deckers Outdoor Corporation, 2009).These intangible augmented products contribute the value to the core product in order to gain competitive advantage. 2. Brand, packaging and labeling UGG achieves in the selection of brand name because its brand name can be distinguished from its competitor and easy to recognize. Currently, UGG uses brand extension strategy to launch new products in men’s footwear. In addition, UGG labels â€Å" made in Australia† in the packaging to differentiate from others. 6. Target segments Due to differential needs and wants, the market can be divided into three segments: Gender, Age and life-cycle stage and Geographic segmentation (IBISWorld Pty Ltd, 2009).The target group for UGG is the demographic segment which classified by gender and age-cycle. 1. Demographic segment—Gender, Age and life-cycle stage segment 1. Evaluation the needs and wants of the segment (key users benefit) Classifying segments effectively can bring success to the company (Dibb and Simkin, 1991). Kotler et al. , (2007) assert that gender segmentation has been widely used in the business of footwear. Therefore, the category of footwear retail can be categorized into three main parts: women, men together with children and infants footwear.IBISWorld Pty Ltd (2009) evaluates that women’s footwear occupies a dominant position in the market because it holds 50. 0% of the Australian market share. Ho wever, men’s footwear as well as children’s and infants’ footwear has the same percentage which takes up only half of the percent of women’s footwear in the market share (25. 0%). UGG Company uses differentiated market-coverage strategy to target several market segments and offers several different products. UGG sells the shoes of women as well as men, but it started from women boots originally.It seems apparent that the frequency of purchasing shoes for women is much higher than men. Consequently, UGG focuses on women want initially. Women select their desired shoes in the aspect of styles and colors (IBISWorld Pty Ltd, 2009). Typically, women regard the styles and colors as fashion. Most of them will try their best to follow the current fashion. Deckers Outdoor Corporation (2009) declares that providing fashionable products is one of the objects of UGG Company to satisfy the women want of fashion.In the modern world, many famous stars like Julia Roberts wearing the boots of UGG causes a fashion of wearing UGG boots (Blakeley, 2004). Compared with women, men are more concerned with the price and quality of the shoes. According to Deckers Outdoor Corporation (2009), UGG Company offers the footwear which value comfortable and the highest quality in order to attract men customers. It also claims that UGG Company only use the perfect material to produce products such as the highest quality leathers, suede and the world’s finest sheepskin to keep user warm and comfortable.For instance, the company only uses vegetable-based dyes and put shoes in refrigerated container to prevent melting when transfer (Palmeri, 2006). 2. The market positioning of the segment The UGG Company chooses product differentiation as its positioning strategy. Deckers Outdoor Corporation (2009) promises that it produces accessible luxury products to differentiate from other competitors. For example, Women’s footwear of UGG is range from $60 to $400 (H irshlag, 2006). As a result, the behaviors of buyers who buy the products of UGG are affected by their economic situation. 3.The trend of the segment Currently, men prefer casual and fashionable street shoes rather than athletic shoes (IBISWorld Pty Ltd, 2009). This trend brings new opportunity to the company. O’Loughlin (2005) demonstrates that UGG Company expands its business by crossing gender lines to target men. Sales to men of UGG are up to $53. 4 billion in 2006 (Thompson, 2006). 2. Geographic segment IBISWorld Pty Ltd (2009) lists the footwear retailing locations in Australia by states. A number of authors claim that the geographic segmentation brings benefit in satisfying local differential needs (Kotler et al. 2007). For example, Victoria can be thought of a competitive and mature market in terms of high average income. According to the data by yellow pages Australia (2009), there are 13 retails selling the products of UGG in Victoria. 7. The product categories 1. E valuation of the categories The UGG Company supplies a strong market for unique footwear to outwear (Wilson, 2007). In brief, it involves a variety of boots, casual, slippers and accessories (Deckers Outdoor Corporation, 2009). The category satisfies a variety of customers’ desires. The unique boots bring warm and luxury to buyers.The series of casual shoes meet the expectation of customers who prefer casual lifestyle. The slippers and accessories offer a varied choice for customers. Moreover, the company also provides care products for customers to take great care of the sheepskin shoes for the sake of retaining customers. 2. The trend and development of the categories Edelson (2009) reports that the company will focus on its outwear line in future to appeal more customers who seek sheepskin outwear. She also mentions that the company is interested in expanding the collection of accessories and designing handbags for UGG fans. . Conclusion From analysing and evaluating the s tatistics searched, we can conclude that UGG can target the demographic segment which is classified by gender and age-cycle effectively. It takes the microenvironment which includes marketing intermediaries, customers and competitors together with macroenvironment which involves demographic, economic, political and cultural environment into consideration. Furthermore, it identifies the emerging trend of the product categories and discovers the opportunity for attracting potential customers to make the profit as high as possible.However, UGG still lacks efficient information about marketing intelligence and research. 9. Recommendations 1. UGG should improve marketing information system in order to do some research to satisfy customers’ needs and wants. †¢ David (1989) emphasizes that marketing research can assist marketing managers perform and recognize the market segments well. For UGG, the company should design some survey to collect primary data to analysis customer pr eference such as the colors, size and length. 2. UGG should utilize sustainable material to produce products aiming at undertaking its social responsibility and gaining reputation. UGG should continue using vegetable-based dyes and healthy material. 10. Reference list Barack, L. (2008). From Ugg to Utterly Impressive. On Wall Street, 18(9), 64. Blakeley, K. (2004). Foot Fetish. Forbes Global, 7(1), 20. David, C. (1989). Trends of Marketing Research. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 7(9/10), 17-24. Deckers Outdoor Corporation. (2009, September 29). Retrieved November 05, 2009, from http://www. uggaustralia. com. au Dibb, S. & Simkin, L. (1991). Targeting, Segments and Positioning. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 19(3). Edelson, S. (2009).Ugg Taps Nichols for Outwear Line. Women’s Wear Daily, 197(103), 9. Hirshlag, J. (2006). Ugg’s First Boutique Set to Bow in SoHo. Women’s Wear Daily, 192(116), 16. IBISWorld. (2009, October 14). Footw ear Retailing in Australia (G5222). Retrieved from IBISWorld database. Kotler, P. , Brown, L. , Adam, S. , Burton, S. and Armstrong, G. (2007). Marketing (7th ed. ) French Forest, NSW: Pearosn Education Australia. O'Loughlin, S. (2005). UGG Step up Licensing, Tries Appealing to Men. Brandweek, 46(21), 11. Palmeri, C. (2006). Sensitive Soles. Businessweek, 3987, 14. Thompson, S. (2004). Ugg Australia.Advertising Age, 75(44), 19. Thompson, S. (2006). Ugg, others take a shot at gender bending. Advertising Age, 77(21), 4-6. Webber, M. & Weller, S. (2001). Trade and inequality: Australia's textile, clothing, and footwear industries, 1986-1996. Journal of Economic Geography, 1(4), 381. Wilson, B. (2007). Ugg goes for Gold Coast. WWD: Women's Wear Daily, 194(80), Wikipedia Foundation. (2009, November 14). Retrieved December 12, 2009, from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Boot Yellow Pages. (copyright 2006). Retrieved November 06, 2009, from http://www. yellowpages. com. au

Monday, January 6, 2020

Vannozza dei Cattanei Mother of Borgias

Known for: mother of Lucrezia Borgia, Cesare Borgia and two (or maybe one) other child of Cardinal Rodrigo Borgia, who later became Pope Alexander VIOccupation: mistress, innkeeperDates: July 13, 1442 - November 24, 1518Also known as: Vanozza dei Cattenei, Giovanna de Candia, Countess of Cattenei Vannozza dei Cattanei Biography Vannozza dei Cattanei, as she was called, was born Giovanna de Candia, daughter of two nobles of the house of Candia. (Vannozza is a diminutive of Giovanna.) We know nothing of her early life, other than that she was born in Mantua. She may have been an innkeeper with several establishments in Rome when she became the mistress of Rodrigo Borgia, then a Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church (or the inns may have been property obtained with his support). He had many other mistresses before, during and after their relationship, but his with Vannozza was his longest relationship. He honored his children by her above his other illegitimate offspring. Rodrigo Borgia had been appointed a cardinal by Pope Callixtus III in 1456, his uncle, born Alfonso de Borja, who died in 1458. Rodrigo Borgia did not take Holy Orders and become a priest until 1468, but that did include a vow of celibacy. Borgia was not the only cardinal to have mistresses; one rumor at the time had Vanozza being the mistress first of another cardinal, Giulio della Rovere. Rovere was a rival of Borgia in his papal election in 1492, and later was elected pope, taking office in 1503 as Julius II, known among other things in his papacy for his opposition to the Borgias. Vannozza bore four children during her relationship with Cardinal Borgia. The first, Giovanni or Juan, was born in Rome in 1474. In September 1475, Cesare Borgia was born. Lucrezia Borgia was born in April of 1480 in Subiaco. In 1481 or 1482, a fourth child, Gioffre, was born. Rodrigo publicly acknowledged paternity of all four children but more privately expressed doubts about whether he fathered the fourth, Gioffre. As was common, Borgia saw that his mistress was married to men who would not object to the relationship. He officiated at her marriage in 1474 to Domenico dArignano, the same year her first Borgia child was born. dArignano died after a few years, and Vannozza then was married to Giorgio di Croce about 1475, the dates are given differently in different sources. There may have been another husband, Antonio de Brescia, between dArignano and Croce (or, according to some histories, after Croce). Croce died in 1486. Sometime around or after 1482, with Vannozza turning forty years old, the relationship of Vannozza and Borgia cooled. That was around the time that Borgia expressed his belief that Croce was the father of Gioffre. Borgia no longer lived with Vannozza, but he continued to take care that she was comfortable financially. Her property, much acquired during her relationship with Borgia, speaks to that. She, in turn, kept his confidences. Her children were raised apart from her after the relationship ended. Lucrezia was given into the care of Adriana de Mila, a third cousin of Borgia. Giulia Farnese, as Borgias newest mistress, moved into the household with Lucrezia and Adriana no later than 1489, the year Giulia was married to the stepson of Adriana. That relationship continued until after Alexander was selected Pope in 1492. Giulia was the same age as Lucrezias eldest brother; Lucrezia and Giulia became friends. Vannozza had one more child, Ottaviano, by her husband Croce. After Croce died in 1486, Vannozza remarried, this time to Carlo Canale. In 1488, Vannozzas son Giovanni became the heir of the Duke of Gandia, inheriting the title and holdings from an older half-brother, one of Borgias other children. In 1493 he would marry a bride who had been betrothed to that same half-brother. Vanozzas second son, Cesare, was made a bishop of Pamplona in 1491, and early in 1492, Lucrezia was betrothed to Giovanni Sforza. Vannozzas former lover Rodrigo Borgia was elected Pope Alexander VI in August of 1492. Also in 1492, Giovanni became the Duke of Gandia and Vannozzas fourth child, Gioffre, was given some land. The next year, Giovanni married a bride who had been betrothed to the same half-brother from whom hed inherited his title, Lucrezia married Giovanni Sforza and Cesare was appointed a cardinal. While Vannozza was apart from these events, she was building her own status and holdings. Her eldest son Giovanni Borgia died in July 1497: he was killed and his body thrown into the Tiber River. Cesare Borgia was widely thought to have been behind the assassination. That same year, Lucrezias first marriage was annulled on the grounds that her husband was unable to consummate the marriage; she remarried the next year. In July of 1498, Vannozzas son Cesare became the first Cardinal in church history to renounce his office; resuming secular status, he was named a Duke the same day. The next year, he married a sister of King John III of Navarre. And about that time, Giulia Farneses time as the Popes mistress had ended. In 1500, Lucrezias second husband was assassinated, likely on the orders of her older brother, Cesare. She appeared in public with a child in 1501, named Giovanni Borgia, probably the child that she was pregnant with at the end of her first marriage, probably by a lover. Alexander muddied already muddy waters about the childs parentage by issuing two bulls saying he was fathered by an unknown woman and Alexander (in one bull) or Cesare (in the other). We have no record of what Vannozza thought about this. Lucrezia remarried in 1501/1502, to Alfonso dEste (brother of Isabella dEste). Vannozza was occasionally in touch with her daughter after during her long and relatively stable marriage. Gioffre was appointed Prince of Squillace. In 1503, the Borgia family fortunes reversed with the death of Pope Alexander; Cesare was apparently too ill to move quickly to consolidate fortune and power. He was asked to be away during the subsequent election of a Pope, one who lasted mere weeks. The following year, with yet another Pope, this one, Julius III, with decidedly anti-Borgia sentiments, Cesare was exiled Spain. He died in a battle at Navarre in 1507. Vannozzas daughter, Lucrezia, died in 1514, probably of childbed fever. In 1517, Gioffre died. Vannozza herself died in 1518, surviving all four of her Borgia children. Her death was followed by a well-attended public funeral. Her tomb was at Santa Maria del Popolo, which she had endowed along with a chapel there. All four of the Borgia children are mentioned on her tombstone.