Poisoner, despot, necromancer - the dark legend of Catherine de Medici is centuries old. In this critically hailed biography, Leonie Frieda reclaims the story of this unjustly maligned queen to reveal a skilled ruler battling extraordinary political and personal odds - from a troubled childhood in Florence to her marriage to Henry, son of King Francis I of France; from her transformation of French culture to her fight to protect her throne and her sons' birthright. Based on thousands of private letters, it is a remarkable account of one of the most influential women ever to wear a crown.
INTRODUCTION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
PROLOGUE: Death of a King 1559
Chapter 1: Orphan of Florence 1519–33
Chapter 2: ‘The Greatest Match in the World’ 1515–34
Chapter 3: A Barren Wife 1533–47
Chapter 4: The Eclipsed Consort 1547–49
Chapter 5: Catherine’s Growing Importance 1548–59
Chapter 6: An Uneasy Partnership 1559–60
Chapter 7: ‘Gouvernante de France’ 1560–62
Chapter 8: The First Religious War 1562–64
Chapter 9: The Grand Tour 1564–66
Chapter 10: Conciliator No Longer 1566–70
Chapter 11: Margot’s Marriage Is Arranged 1570–72
Chapter 13: The Last Years of Charles IX 1572–74
Chapter 14: Henri III, King of France 1574–76
Chapter 15: Alençon’s Treachery 1576–84
Chapter 17: So Perish the Race of the Valois 1588–1615