Catherine de' Medici (1519

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Biography

Catherine de' Medici was an Italian Florentine noblewoman of the Medici family and Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to King Henry II. She was the mother of French kings Francis II, Charles IX, and Henry III, and a cousin to Pope Clement VII. The years during which her sons reigned have been called "the age of Catherine de' Medici" since she had extensive, albeit at times varying, influence on the political life of France.

Timeline

The story of Catherine de' Medici, told in moments.

1533 Event

Married Henry, Duke of Orleans, second son of King Francis I of France. She was 14. The marriage was arranged by Pope Clement VII.

Was marriage at fourteen to a French duke a political transaction? Did you have any say?

1559 Event

Her husband Henry II died after a jousting lance splintered through his visor. Catherine, now 40, assumed power as regent for her sickly 15-year-old son Francis II.

What was it like watching your husband die from a jousting lance through his visor? Did assuming power as regent feel like destiny or desperation?

1572 Event

The St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre. Thousands of Huguenots were killed in Paris and across France. Catherine's role remains debated. The bloodshed stained her reputation for centuries.

How much of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre was your doing? Does the debate about your role matter, or does the bloodshed speak for itself?

1589 Death

Died at Blois at age 69. Three of her sons had been king. None produced an heir. The Valois dynasty died with them.

Does three sons as king and no grandchildren to show for it feel like a dynasty's curse? Was the Valois ending with your family the cruelest irony?

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