Caterina Sforza

Caterina Sforza (1463 - 28 May 1509) was the Countess of Forlì and Imola and the daughter of Galeazzo Maria Sforza. She married the Pope's nephew, Girolamo Riario, at only 14 years of age. She is depicted as a strong, fierce woman with a dirty mouth, but also seems to be quite maternal and caring. Her actions of being foul mouthed were depicted during the Battle of Forli.

History

Close to the departure of Leonardo da Vinci from Forlì, Caterina somehow managed to trap herself on a small rock in the middle of a lake. Luckily for her, Ezio Auditore da Firenze came and helped her back to land. Because he helped her, Caterina thanked Ezio by telling the captain of the Venetian ship to grant Ezio passage on the ship in order to get to Venice, and to use it whenever he wants to or needs to.

While sailing away from Forlì, Ezio stated that Caterina was "his next conquest", before being reprimanded by Leonardo, who explained Caterina's importance to Ezio and remarked that seducing her would not be such a good idea. Leonardo described her as being "as powerful and dangerous as she is young and beautiful." Ezio replied that makes Caterina his "type" of lady.

Caterina and Ezio met again during the Battle of Forlì accompanied by Niccolò Machiavelli. Caterina tells Ezio that she had her most recent husband, Girolamo Riario, killed by the Orsi brothers because he was a Templar, but also because he was "boring in bed", "a lousy father" and a "pain in her ass". When Ezio came to store the Piece of Eden in Forlí, the Orsi brothers came to the city once again to steal the Piece of Eden and take control of Forlì, forcing Ezio to sneak inside the city and open its gates. Caterina took her soldiers to fight and retrieve her city, while Ezio served in the battle as both a soldier and protector to Caterina. When the battle was won, the Orsi Brothers took Caterina's children hostage as a guise to steal the Piece of Eden. When they threatened to kill her children if she did not relinquish the Apple, she lifted her skirt, showing her genitals, and cried that she "had the instrument to make more." She didn't want the brothers to think they were victorious, but she was desperate to get her children back and requested Ezio retrieve them for her. Ezio left the city immediately, found the children, and managed to kill the Orsi brothers before having the Apple stolen from him by Girolamo Savonarola.

Caterina and Ezio's relationship was more intimate as of 1499, as they were sleeping together, when Monteriggioni was besieged by Cesare Borgia and his men. Caterina was captured by Cesare's men during the attack and held captive by Juan Borgia.

Caterina died on May 28th, 1509 at the age of 46, from pneumonia, after being exiled from Florence for 3 years.

Trivia

• In the novel Assassin's Creed: Renaissance, the scene where Ezio first meets her is a little different. She walks on the port as she is arguing with her husband, Girolamo Riario. Tired of her, he tells Caterina to sit in the nearest gondola. While she enters the boat, Girolamo then gives a powerful shove to the prow and walks away. As the gondola drifts farther away from land, she begins to shout and Ezio, who had watched the scene unfold, came to her rescue.
• In the Battle of Forli sequence she used the Sultan's Knife as her weapon.
• Her daughter Biana's database states that Caterina was raped by Cesare and Rodrigo Borgia in 1500. According to the Assassin's Creed history this must have occurred after Cesare took Caterina prisoner during the siege of Monteriggioni.

Gallery

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  Concept art.
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  Caterina Sforza
• Caterina Sforza being saved by Ezio.
  Caterina Sforza being saved by Ezio.
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  A painting of Caterina Sforza by Lorenzo di Credi.