Episode 272: Catherine de Medici, Part Two
Catherine de Medici lived in a century defined by the contributions of remarkable women, and she distinguished herself as one of the most remarkable of them all.
In this second part of Catherine’s story, we follow Queen Mother Catherine beginning as a close advisor to her son, King Francis II. No longer an apprentice or observer in the art of intrigue, when Francis died about a year and a half later, she was named the only regent to her young son, King Charles IX. How was that possible in a court full of men greedy for power? She was sharp, strategic, and brave in ways that defied cultural expectations. She would be this way for the rest of her life with one primary goal: to be the custodian of her family’s legacy on the throne of France against all opponents.
And there were plenty of opponents. For starters, for the rest of her life, the French Wars of Religion, 27 years and eight civil wars, were one battle after another between Catholics and Huguenots (French Protestants.) This long series of conflicts pitted noble families, like the House of Guise and the House of Bourbon in France, and involved other kingdoms, like Spain and England.
Catherine did her best to bring tolerance to her country. Some of her plans were a success, like several stretches of relative peace in France, and marrying her children into politically advantageous unions. Some, like the Saint Barthomew’s Day Massacre, were such violent failures that they polarized the country even further.
Catherine left her imprint on France and the world through art, architecture, and a number of trends that she introduced to the French court. She was also very interested in astrology –Nostrodamus was one of her personal advisors–and she employed a group of smart, attractive, and cunning women known as her Flying Squadron to act as her spies. Her character and actions led to the story of one of the most complex women in history. Love her or hate her, you have to be impressed with her ability to navigate a complicated period of time and keep her wits, and her head, about her.
Catherine de Medici was the mother of three kings and two queens, but, sadly, she buried all but two of her children before her own death at the age of 69 in 1589.
The same year Catherine died, her son, King Henry III, was assassinated. With no more Valois heirs, Henry of Navarre became Henry IV of France- the first Bourbon in a dynasty that would last another 250 years. He was able to do what neither Catherine nor any of her sons could: bring peace to France.
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Time Travel With The History Chicks
Books!
Web!
The Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy, was originally built as administrative offices for Cosimo and the Medici family. It became a museum in the 1700s, and now houses some of the family’s art collection- you should go!
Go to the Loire Valley and visit all three: Chateau de Chenonceau, Chateau de Blois, and Chateau de Chaumont!
You can still visit the gardens (although, for the most part, the ones you see were created after Catherine’s death) but here’s an article about the original Tuileries Palace!
While her remains are no longer there (or identifiable) here is a piece on the stunning rotunda and tombs Catherine had created for King Henry II, herself, and her family at the Basilica of Saint-Denis.
Moving Pictures!
The empire-building game, Civilization VI has Catherine as a character complete with Flying Squadron and quotes! Impressive!
We aren’t fans of the television series Reign and find it hard to say anything nice about it other than it was a soap opera and Megan Follows was the best thing in it, but if it’s your thing, you can find it on streaming services, including Prime.
Finally, Starz series The Serpent Queen. It’s very violent (so was Catherine’s time) and there are enough truths to make Catherine recognizable to us, AND Samantha Morton is very well cast here…we aren’t the boss of you, watch it if you like (espeically if you’ve already listened to our episodes, at least it’s fun to pick out the historical truths of which there are many.
