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.
One of the first things Catherine did was take Chateau de Chenounceau back from her husband’s long-time mistress, Diane de Poitiers.
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.
As the last legitimate heir to a powerful family, Catherine de Medici was married at only 14 into one of the most powerful royal houses in Europe. The two halves of her story are VASTLY different, and here in Part One, we’re going to tell you about how her only resources were INNER resources – and the character that developed from the circumstances in which she was placed.
In late June, 2025, 50 people gathered to tour places we’ve talked about on the podcast, and learn more about the women of the Philadelphia area. Here we are at one of the favorite stops: The Alice Paul Center for Gender Justice in Mount Laurel, New Jersey!
Our Field Trip to Philadelphia was what we call a “long weekend.” From Wednesday evening until Sunday morning, we packed a lot of learning, exploring, general merriment , and LOTS of women’s history into our days. In this episode, we let our travelers call in from the road, or after they returned home, to share their experiences.
Suzanne’s first self-portrait, 1883 age 18How Pierre-August Renoir painted her that same year, 1883 (You’ve seen this one, right?) How Renoir saw her two years later, 1885Casting the Nets, Suzanne Valadon, 1914
Shownotes are under construction, please come back later for all the things Beckett talked about in this episode!
Time Travel With The History Chicks
Books!
by Rosinsky Therese Diamond (The “small” biography)by June Rose (the “middle” book)by Catherine Hewitt ( the “big” book)by Henri Perruchot
Web!
You can visit one of her studios (and the original Le Chat Noir poster) at the Musée de Montmartre! It’s a “must-see” from us for a day spent in Montmartre!
The chateau she lived with Andre Utter, Château de Saint-Bernard, you can visit or even have your wedding there.
We have a Pinterest board for every subject, you should check it out and maybe start with Suzanne’s!
Moving Pictures!
Once again, we have the perfect subject for a movie and Suzanne’s is a story ripe for a biopic! Scandal! Relationships! The rise of an underdog! A woman in a man’s world! Art! Paris! A scoundrel son! Invite us to the premier, please and thank you! Until such a film exists, the only documentary we could find was one in French, Suzanne Valadon, peintre sans concession , here’s the IMDB page.
