Catherine de Médicis
Queen · 1547-1559 · born on 13 April 1519, died on 5 January 1589
A scion of the great Florentine Medici family, Catherine married the future Henry II in 1533. Queen of France in 1547, she was at first overshadowed by the royal favourite Diane de Poitiers, then, after her husband’s death in 1559, became one of the central figures of the kingdom.
Mother of three kings (Francis II, Charles IX, Henry III), she exercised major influence during the Wars of Religion. A pragmatic and diplomatic sovereign, she tried to reconcile Catholics and Protestants, notably arranging the Peace of Saint-Germain (1570) that spared the Huguenots.
The Saint Bartholomew’s Day massacre (August 1572) erupted in this context, and her responsibility remains debated by historians. Until her death in 1589 she strove to preserve the Valois crown, undermined by religious crises and the rivalry of the great houses.
In the tree of power
- Spouse: Henri II (1547-1559)