The Serpent Queen

by Leonie Frieda

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.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, France, Renaissance, Historical, European History

544 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Swedish by birth, but educated in Britain, Germany and France, Leonie Frieda speaks five languages. Her researches on Catherine de Medici has taken her to Paris, Florence and Rome, as well as the châteaux of the Loire. Her next book is a biography of the Great War soldier and letter-writer Edward Horner. She lives in London with her daughter Elisabeth and son Jake.

Reviews

[Madeline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Catherine de Medici has always had a pretty bad historical reputation. Like pretty much all women who wielded even a little bit of power, she has been often portrayed as greedy, power-hungry, manipulative, and a general psycho bitch. Add that to the fact that she came from a family known for their Machiavellian power grabs (Machiavelli literally wrote the book on despotism for the Medici family), and then there's the little detail of one of the worst religious massacres in history happening on her watch.

The deck is stacked against Catherine from the beginning, so Leonie Frieda has a difficult task ahead of her: write a fair and balanced account of Catherine's life, explaining her motivations and her point of view, not quite absolving her but seeking to explain and explore her actions. She goes through Catherine's life, from her birth into the Medici family during a time of danger and turmoil (Catherine spent the majority of her childhood being hidden away in a convent so her family's enemies couldn't find her and kill her) to her death after being the regent of France during decades of civil war.

What I found interesting about Frieda's account of Catherine is that she doesn't try to divert blame or make Catherine out to be a victim of historical bias. Leonie doesn't shy away from the, frankly, evil aspects of Catherine's personality: she ordered the assassination of several prominent Protestant leaders who threatened her power, was extremely protective of her crown and wanted to stay in control at any cost, and openly hated her daughter Margot. Most interesting is Frieda's account of the infamous St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, where as many as 20,000 Protestants were murdered. Frieda's explanation is that the massacre started as a carefully orchestrated execution, where about a dozen Protestant leaders were supposed to be quietly and effectively assassinated, which would leave the Protestant cause leaderless and powerless. That, Frieda insists, was all that was intended to happen, and things got out of hand when the targets' bodyguards had to be killed as well, and some of them got away, and then the killing was happening everywhere, and many people used the chaos as an excuse to settle old scores - many of the dead weren't even Protestants.

Okay, so Catherine de Medici didn't order the deaths of 20,000 people, she just ordered the deaths of a selected few. This is not better, and Frieda's justification is basically, "she did what she had to do, and anyway, it was a different time!" Sure, whatever. As far as I'm concerned, if you're going to do a biography of an evil person, just embrace it. Catherine de Medici was a shrewd, smart, power-hungry psychopath, and that doesn't make her any less cool.

Frieda is biased in Catherine's favor, hardcore, and her bias shows most clearly whenever she's discussing Diane de Poitiers. Diane was the mistress of Henri II (Catherine's husband) and she was really cool - smart, politically involved, super hot, and twenty years older than Henri, which you just have to respect. And holy shit, guys, Frieda hates her. The way Frieda tells it, Diane was a greedy whore who kept meddling in politics and keeping Henri away from Catherine while also forcing him to give her all these jewels and castles. She's always throwing in these snide lines about how Diane was so greedy and showed "false humility" whenever she was at court functions (like Diane was somehow upstaging Catherine by keeping to the sidelines?) and it's like, u mad, Frieda? If I was the sort of person to put gifs in my reviews, this is the part where I would insert a "haters gonna hate" gif, but I respect you all too much to do that. Most of Frieda's statements about Diane have no evidence or basis aside from the fact that Frieda just really doesn't like her, and it was disheartening to see her let her own opinions intrude on the book.

All in all, this is a good biography of a complex, admittedly cruel but competent, and fascinating woman. It's a great introduction to the other side of Catherine, and for more information about who she was and why she did what she did. Frieda just needs to step off Diane.

[Timothy Urban · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd read somewhere that Catherine de Medici introduced France to the concept of eating food with a fork. This was a detail I was hoping to learn more about when I started reading this rather huge and thorough book.

There was little mention of forks, it turned out, but there were so many other rich and absorbing details, historical and personal, that this turned into an unexpectedly gripping read. History really came to life for me with this one, especially as it gave context to the Protestant movement and mirrored events of the Elizabethan era (our monarchy murdered Catholics, the French monarchy murdered Protestants, and everyone fretted about Spain).

And I love that this was written by a Swedish former fashion model - confounding all writerly stereotypes - and someone who unashamedly wanted the always demonised C de M to be reappraised.

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

A good and balanced account of Catherine de Medici’s life. The author tries to be fair to the queen, showing her stronger sides, but she admits that Catherine had to be ruthless because the times were violent and cruel and she had few reliable allies.
The author does a good job of describing the context of the bloody religious wars in France. History of this period is very complicated, with many conflicting testimonies and opposite perspectives. Catherine was a “foreigner” who gained too much power in the eyes of many Frenchmen.

Although I found this biography a good and readable introduction into Catherine’s life and the historical period of the French wars of religion, I should add that sometimes Frieda repeats rumors which can’t be supported by documental evidence.

[Colleen Browne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well-written and captivating biography of a woman too often categorized as "the black queen" primarily for the St Bartholomew's Day Massacre which Frieda and other more recent historians have found unfair. By the standards of the day, her plan was acceptable. The leaders of the Huguenots were to be killed but handled poorly, tens of thousands of innocent people lost their lives.

Catherine was a Florentine, one of the deMedici's, wealthy bankers and patrons of the arts. Machiavelli's "Prince" was written about her uncle. Her marriage to Henry II, of the Valois dynasty was an arranged one but even though he died only 12 years after taking the crown, she loved him dearly although he did not reciprocate, taking a mistress who was treated more like a queen than the queen herself. Still, Catherine bore Henry 10 children and through a long widowhood, steered her incompetent, sickly, and spoiled children through their lives. She was the mother of three kings, acting as regent through their young lives and maintaining influence as they reached their majority. Unfortunately, none of the three made good rulers despite their mother's attempts to steer them in the right direction.

The Sixteenth Century was a time strife with plague, and other diseases, violence, and short lives and Catherine's attempts to create the growing differences between Catholics and Protestants (Huguenots) was a losing battle. According to the author, she did not have the same abilities of Elizabeth I (although it must be remembered that Elizabeth tolerated only one religion and the people of Ireland paid dearly for it).

This is a fascinating read and I highly recommend it.

[Katya]

Teria concordado com o inglês que observou a respeito de Catarina: «Possui demasiada inteligência para uma mulher e muito pouca honestidade para uma rainha.» Outro contemporâneo afirmou sobre ela: «Mente mesmo quando está a dizer a verdade.»

Catarina de Médici sobrevive no imaginário ocidental como a infame orquestradora da matança de São Bartolomeu. Como todas as mulheres que conquistaram e souberam gerir o poder, ganhou epítetos que vão de Rainha Bruxa, a Rainha Negra, Madame La Serpente etc. Mas serão estes epítetos realmente fiéis ao caráter de Catarina?

Órfã desde tenra idade, Catarina de Médici foi desde logo, enquanto joguete político na mão dos familiares mais próximos, condenada a uma infância de segregação. Enviada para junto das emparedadas de Murane, foi educada no bafio religioso. Mera descendente de banqueiros acabou rainha de França. Esposa preterida pela amante de Henrique II, fez o que pôde por ressuscitar a pompa e circunstância da corte de Francisco I. Relegada para os bastidores durante o reinado do marido, Henrique II, foi já enquanto viúva que demostrou saber congregar o poder do estado na sua figura:

Pela primeira vez, Catarina estava destinada a um papel que lhe pertencia exclusivamente. Tivera de partilhar o marido com Diana de Poitiers. Partilhara, em larga medida, o estatuto de rainha de França com Diana, fora mesmo obrigada a partilhar a educação dos filhos pequenos com a favorita. Contudo, a sua viuvez seria unicamente sua. Até ao fim dos seu dias, protegê-la-ia zelosamente. Dedicaria a sua vida à memória de Henrique e aos filhos, pois eles representavam o legado que ele deixara à França. Seria a guardiã da monarquia e do mito do marido, aprendendo a moldar a História de acordo com as suas necessidades. Depois de uma vida apagada atrás da máscara de uma discrição servil, a rainha-mãe, então com quarenta anos, envolta em trajes de viúva, dava cautelosamente os primeiros passos para se tornar senhora de França.

Enquanto mãe do herdeiro, Catarina soube apresentar-se também como mãe da nação. Num país que mudara de monarca duas vezes em dezassete meses, Catarina, a régia matriarca vestida de luto, tornara-se uma reconfortante figura familiar e conseguira mesmo representar a continuidade. Por fim, com a idade de quarenta e um anos, atingira o pináculo do poder natural e da proeminencia. Os perigos que a França enfrentava não haviam diminuído, mas agora ela podia finalmente tentar atacá-los à sua maneira.

Na intimidade, embora conservando a máscara de guerreira, Catarina lá baixava a guarda. Entre os seus (leia-se Florentinos) procurava algum conforto, fazendo amizade para a vida:

A rainha forjou uma das suas mais íntimas amizades femininas com Marie-Catherine Gondi, a esposa francesa de Antonio Gondi, um mercador florentino, que vivia exilado em França. (...)Madame Gondi era extraordinariamente pragmática e aconselhava Catarina sobre todos os assuntos, desde a gravidez e cuidados maternais a questões financeiras. Mais tarde, a rainha recompensou esta admirável mulher e a família dela, atribuindo-lhe responsabilidade pelas suas finanças pessoais e nomeando-a, entre outros cargos, administradora-geral dos seus projetos e obras de construção. Com efeito, Catarina escolheu Madame Gondi para sua tesoureira, uma posição altamente invulgar para uma mulher no século XVI. Mais importante ainda, a amizade entre ambas foi provavelmente uma das poucas que Catarina alguma vez cultivou. Para sobreviver às intrigas do reinado anterior e para manter uma réstia de dignidade como rainha, perante os inúmeros triunfos de Diana, Catarina tinha de assumir uma postura indiferente, distante e silenciosa. Marie-Catherine Gondi podia talvez contar-se entre as raríssimas pessoas que alguma vez ouviram a rainha revelar a sua verdadeira angústia.

A fidelidade, marca de Catarina enquanto rainha, viúva e mãe (exceção feita à relação que mantinha com a única filha com quem praticamente não partilhava características, a princesa Margot) e a sobriedade que revela politicamente, contrastam com o seu caráter perdulário, o seu apetite por luxo e festa, e o olhar mundividente com que encara tudo aquilo que não seja politica:

Catarina sempre fora uma colecionadora entusiástica, se bem que eclética. Possuía sete crocodilos embalsamados, suspensos do teto, no seu enorme cabinet de travail e minerais de todos os tipos estavam expostos por todo este salão. Os armários que cobriam as paredes estavam cheios de jogos: xadrez, bilhares em miniatura e outros brinquedos ajudavam a passar o tempo em dias de mau tempo. Belas coleções de porcelana, vidro veneziano e esmaltes emparelhavam com antigas e estimadas recordações, objetos de devoção, bonecas com trajes diferentes e bugigangas de valor sentimental . Nas estantes estavam os seus preferidos: obras dedicadas ao falecido marido, fólios contendo plantas de construção, genealogias dos seus antepassados maternos, os condes de Boulogne, e livros com conselhos sobre jogos. Eram todos favoritos que ela gostava de ter à mão. A biblioteca propriamente dita possuía uma espantosa coleção de 4500 obras, incluindo 776 manuscritos. Alguns destes eram antigos (incluindo alguns em papiro) e outros eram obras contemporâneas. Os seus tópicos eram tão diversos como as restantes coleções da rainha-mãe, mas os seus temas preferidos estavam mais abundantemente representados, incluindo história, obras clássicas, ocultismo, matemática, filosofia, direito e astronomia. Em Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, Catarina criou a sua outra biblioteca principal, que continha quase 4000 livros. Estas duas coleções juntas constituíram a base da Biblioteca Nacional dos dias de hoje.

Hábil mulher de estado, Catarina consegue a regência para o filho mais velho, reservando para si mesma a imagem trágica de uma mulher inconsolável, com filhos pequenos órfãos de pai, e figura maternal do reino. Na realidade, mulher culta, mas fria e calculista, Catarina nunca esquecia uma boa ação como nunca perdoava uma ofensa. Tinha planos para a paz que unificasse uma França dividida pela religião - e, nesse sentido, foi sempre uma adepta da neutralidade, preferindo ceder pouco a pouco, ora a católicos, ora a protestantes. Ela própria profundamente pragmática, não consentia encarar a guerra civil como um ato de justiça, jogando cartas com ambas as fações.

Para ela, Deus Todo poderoso devia ser invocado como protetor e não como vingador. Nas questões religiosas, não era fanática, exceto quando os filhos e os seus direitos de progenitura estavam envolvidos. A missa católica convinha-lhe, um hábito de toda a vida de que retirava conforto, quase como se fosse outro talismã para afugentar o mal. Infelizmente, não conseguiu distintamente compreender que as questões escaldantes não passavam por insignificantes divergências doutrinais entre cristãos, mas por uma profunda rejeição pelos reformadores de duas verdades fundamentais sobre as quais a Igreja Católica assentava, a Eucaristia e a autoridade doutrinal do pontificado.

Porém, as pressões da divisão religiosa estão em crescendo e Catarina lamenta: «Podeis imaginar com que angústia vejo o reino regressar aos conflitos e aflições de que me esforcei por libertá-lo.»
Por essa razão cede preparando-se então para tomar medidas drásticas para proteger o trono do filho e a paz do reino. Todavia, o ataque que devia ser cirúrgico foge-lhe das mãos e [o]s tumultuosos acontecimentos de agosto de 1572 que se seguiram mancharam o seu nome durante mais de 430 anos, criando a lenda da Rainha Negra. Antecipando os acontecimentos da Revolução Francesa, a noite de São Bartolomeu degenera numa orgia sangrenta levando consigo milhares de pessoas - sobretudo de classes privilegiadas - e marca o princípio do fim da dinastia Valois por cuja sobrevivência Catarina tão fortemente se bateu (e ainda se baterá até à morte).

«Sinto-me extremamente infeliz por viver o suficiente para ver tantas pessoas morrerem antes de mim, embora compreenda que devemos obedecer à vontade de Deus, que Ele é dono de tudo e que nos empresta, somente pelo tempo que deseja, os filhos que nos dá.»

Já com o segundo filho entronado, Catarina é, para todos os efeitos, e pelos padrões da época, uma mulher de idade avançada. Estamos já no fim do século XVI (Catarina nascera em 1519), mas a rainha viúva conserva ainda traços da juventude:

Era sem dúvida obesa, embora não bebesse álcool. A sua capacidade de consumir alimentos nutritivos em quantidades apreciáveis espantava toda a gente e, uma ou outra vez, quase morreu de indigestão e das perturbações que eles causavam no seu organismo. No entanto, continuava ágil e alerta como sempre. Continuou a montar até depois dos sessenta anos e adorava caçar - embora tivesse dado várias quedas graves ao longo dos anos - e ainda era uma exímia atiradora. Os seus interesses e passatempos mais femininos ainda eram evidentes. Bordava excelentemente(...).
Catarina permanecia aberta e curiosa em relação a novas ideias, invenções e inovações, com uma mente ávida e inquiridora.(...)Tal como introduzira em França o silhão muitos anos antes e popularizara uso de veneno garfos, a sua influência permitiu o florescimento de muitas inovações. Outro uso que Catarina trouxe consigo de Florença e tornou popular foi o das ceroulas femininas.(...)Catarina introduziu também o leque de fechar, que trazia pendurado numa fita presa à cintura e podia ser elaboradamente decorado. Este fez furor em Inglaterra. Outra peça cuja promoção lhe é atribuída, muito querida dos cortesãos, é o lenço, considerado um acessório de moda essencial no Renascimento.

Longe de "deitar a toalha ao chão", Catarina ainda intenta subir ao trono português. Após a morte sem sucessor do cardeal D. Henrique (em 1580) - que assumira o trono após o desaparecimento de Dom Sebastião em Alcácer Quibir dois anos antes -, Catarina reclama a sua descendência, em linha materna, de D. Afonso III e de sua mulher D. Matilde de Borgonha e, não fora a derrota dos seus homens frente ao genro Filipe II de Espanha, a nossa história seria hoje totalmente diferente (Catarina, aliás, tentara casar Margot com D. Sebastião, mas o rapaz, claro, não estava para aí virado).
Sobre a sua pretenção ao reino de Portugal, escreveu: «Seria importante se isto acontecesse e eu tivesse a alegria de juntar este reino à França por mim própria e com base na minha pretensão (que não é pequena).

No entrementes, a guerra civil tornara-se um hábito mortal em França e Catarina começava a acusar o cansaço de uma vida longa:

As vidas breves, em que o século XVI foi fértil, possuem laivos de tragédia, mas as vidas longas também acarretam as suas próprias desilusões. Dos dez filhos que teve - as suas dádivas à França -, Catarina assistiu à morte de todos exceto um e à desgraça em que caiu a única filha sobrevivente. A sua coragem foi extraordinária, a sua sagacidade e astúcia lendárias. O seu otimismo e energia desafiaram as negras realidades que a rodeavam.

Sem mão sobre o filho, agora rei Carlos IX, Catarina de Médici começava a aliviar a sua influência. Da outrora grande mulher de estado, restava agora, ironicamente, a faceta de ocultista que a acompanha até aos últimos dias:

Não devemos escarnecer de todas as superstições de Catarina; muitos antes, ela recebera um aviso de um dos seus videntes para que tivesse cuidado com «Saint-Germain», que pressagiava uma ameaça mortal. Embora tendo construído o seu Hôtel de la Reine fora da paróquia de Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois e não frequentasse muito o Castelo de Saint-Germain-en-Laye recebeu a extrema-unção do confessor do filho e não do seu padre habitual O nome deste homem era Julien de Saint-Germain.

Embora nunca tendo reinado em nome pessoal, Catarina de Médici, Florentina de gema, descendente de uma classe de meros banqueiros foi capaz de suster a monarquia francesa em alguns dos seus momentos mais periclitantes. Regente, viúva, mãe, era uma figura temível para inimigos e admirável para amigos (não tinha muitos). Fruto da sua educação e das circunstâncias que a levaram a França, Catarina é uma rainha sem trono e sem pátria, mal compreendida pelos seus e mal amada por muitos, a quem Léonie Frieda faz devida justiça.

Catarina apresentava uma poderosa combinação de fortes contradições: lutava pelos filhos, mas não era capaz de intimidade com eles, não compreendia as paixões religiosas, mas observava rigidamente os rituais da Igreja Católica Romana e parecia confundi-la que se sentisse a necessidade de os questionar; era uma pragmatista assolada por medos supersticiosos: era majestosa mas acessível, sem nunca descer do alto pedestal que a coroa the proporcionava.
Catarina aliciou homens brilhantes e corajosos ao seu serviço e inspirou a sua lealdade. Espantosa perdulária, achava-se constantemente acometida de preocupações com o tesouro pois a sua generosidade era lendária. Podia ser feminina e estranhamente atraente, montava, caçava e enfrentava perigos mortais com a coragem de um homem. Numa época dominada pelos homens, pedia que não lhe fossem feitas concessões por causa do seu sexo. Para parafrasear a sua contemporânea Tudor, tinha o coração e o estômago de um rei. Não se encolhia perante decisões difíceis nem perante a sua aplicação.

O ano não podia inaugurar de melhor forma que com o término desta leitura!

[Jennifer (JC-S) · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘I wonder that she did not do worse’

I very much enjoyed this biography. Catherine deMedici is so often painted in the blackest of terms that it is actually a delight to read a more balanced account.


This is a biography of Catherine de Medici (1519 -1589). Her husband became King Henri II of France, and three of their sons in their turn became Kings of France after Henri’s death in 1559. As Queen Mother, Catherine was both important and powerful in France for thirty years.
Catherine was orphaned as an infant and imprisoned as a child. As heiress to an ancient name and a vast fortune, Catherine was brought up in the Florentine court and married off by her self-styled uncle (Pope Clement VII) to Henri, Duke of Orleans son of King Francis I of France. The history itself, full of dynastic and political intrigues, is fascinating, and it is a credit to Ms Frieda’s style that she is able to accurately render the history without confusing it.
At various times it has been fashionable to paint Catherine de Medici in the darkest of hues as a murderer, and as a self serving intriguer who presided over the St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre of 24 August 1572 when thousands of French Protestants were slaughtered. Such a picture of Catherine is incomplete. She was a contemporary of Queen Elizabeth I of England and while she may have lacked some of Elizabeth’s ability and skill, she equalled her in courage and determination.
This is a very readable biography which puts some much needed context around the life and times of Catherine de Medici. The Valois dynasty ended some months after Catherine’s death with the death of Henri III. The French crown then passed to Henri IV (Henri of Navarre): a fascinating monarch in his own right.
I recommend this book both as an example of a wonderfully written biography but also as a study of a multi-dimensional woman who was fascinating in her own right.


Jennifer Cameron-Smith

[Lois · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is well researched and interesting.
It's not a biography of Catherine de Medici though. Catherine is not the center of this very interesting narrative. The men in her life are.
This is a detailed account of the politics that led to Catherine becoming queen and what happened during her reign.

I gave this one star because the author makes a bizarre reference to 'white slaves'. Slavery is not tied to Black skin or West African ancestry. Furthermore, 'white' people do not even exist in the time period in which this occurred. Neither Catherine nor any of her contemporaries worldwide would know what a 'white' person was or whom it referred to. These people would've been identified by their country or city state of origin. Even West African Enslaved Peoples were referred to as 'Angolans' during this period, not Black.

So it's shocking to me that someone who speaks 5 languages and has a Ph.D would make this kinda of racist error. Yikes.

[Juliew. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has a good mix of the personal as well as the political.I could automatically within the first chapter tell it was painstakingly researched and I found it really readable for a general reader.Unfortunately, I also found the writing a bit plodding and dull but otherwise I would recommend it if French history is your thing.

[Orsolya · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is much more to Catherine de Medici than just her adversity to her husband’s popular mistress (Diane de Poitiers) or her involvement with the St. Bartholomew Day Massacre. Not only was she an important political figure for over 30 years; but she also has “fun facts” (such as introducing and popularizing nicotine, handkerchiefs, female pantaloons, forks, and side saddles) and had two VERY interesting children amongst her 10 (transvestite –tendency induced Henri III and independent but scandalous Margot). Leonie Frieda attempts to bring all of Catherine to light in her biography, “Catherine De Medici”. Sadly, “attempt” should be emphasized.

Leonie Frieda’s “Catherine de Medici” begins in a dry and overly scholarly style, albeit in an easy-to-understand language. Starting with a background description of the Medicis, Francis I, Charles (Holy Roman Emperor), etc; Frieda’s knowledge is extensive and all-inclusive. Unfortunately, the reader doesn’t feel closeness to Catherine and more to the events surrounding her. Although this is supposed to be a biography; it is merely a window-look at events with Catherine as a mere side-character. Frieda’s work lacks the desired amount of quotes or insights into Catherine’s actions and/or feelings. I kept feeling like I had to wait to REALLY get to Catherine… and that never arrived. Despite this, the “Catherine de Medici” encourages page-turning due to Frieda’s evident knowledge and passion on the topic.

The flow isn’t smooth, as the writing is filled with dry moments, exciting parts, and back to dryness without a clear intertwined effect. Most often, the focus revolved too much on the political landscape versus on Catherine’s role or how she was affected. Again, she felt too much like an afterthought. On the plus side, it was very well annotated and noted with pieces of compelling information (even if these facts didn’t involve Catherine, directly).

The point being that Frieda depicts each of Catherine’s sons’ reigns to an all-encompassing level but the claim of the book to present the enigmatic woman that she is, never shined through. Yes, her actions are described at times, but there is a massive filter between her and the reader. The rare moments when Catherine did stand in the spotlight only (sadly) lasted a few pages at a time. Frieda’s work is an excellent resource and history account but not a complete Catherine biography. I have read better representations of Catherine in historical fiction books, even. This lack of getting to know Catherine’s true nature leads too much frustration and a void in feline an emotional tie to her personality. Only ¼ of the book is truly about Catherine. “Catherine de Medici” isn’t a terrible book; just very lofty, large in scope, and is presented as something that it isn’t.

The best part? Not one, not two, but three sections of glorious colorplates. However, I was seeking to read a biography that would bring Catherine to life; not a coffee table picture book. Another positive note was the lack of glittery bias and truer focus on factual accounts.

One thing is for certain: unlike many females with slandered reputations known for their romantic or sexual liaisons; Catherine was known for the political arena which demonstrates her sense of character and strength. There is always a reason to look beyond propaganda.

The best way to sum up this book is a conversation between myself and my boyfriend, Michael:

Me: “This Catherine book is poo. Well, it isn’t REALLY poo. It just doesn’t really focus on Catherine’s psyche or an insight into her life. It is a GREAT resource for a student writing a paper on the events of her husband’s reign or that of her children but I thought this was supposed to be a biography on Catherine. So, it isn’t poo, per se…”

Michael: “No, it sounds like poo”.

[Skallagrimsen]

Scorned by the nobility as a foreigner, as a lowly banker's daughter who married above her station, and as a woman who meddled in the male realms of politics and war, Catherine de Medici ruled France like a mafioso behind the facade of three successive degenerate sons. Leonie Frieda distills deep research into enthralling prose to tell the story of this remarkable woman and her tumultuous times. Frieda redeems Catherine from the most sinister legends that have accrued around her, but thankfully without sugarcoating the ruthlessness of which she was demonstrably capable. In the brutal feudal world Catherine was born to, ruthlessness was a requisite for survival.

[Elentarri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not so much a dedicated biography as it is a history book about the life and times of Catherine de Medici who became Queen of France and essentially the ruler of France when her sons became king.  Frieda provides a fairly balanced overview of Catherine's life and her response to the various political and personal turmoils she had to deal with.  Much of Catherine's time was taken up with matchmaking for her children and trying to find a way to resolve the hostilities between the Huguenots and the Catholics, while fending off the meddling King of Spain who had very direct ideas on what to do with "heretics".  What was rather interesting was Frieda's rendition of the infamous 1572 St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre where targeted assassinations of the opposing Huguenot leadership devolved into outright slaughter of the Huguenots by the Catholics.  Frieda has written a book that provides a straightforward and interesting account of Catherine de Medici's life, her devotion to her sons and France, and the messy politics of the time. 

[Nel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book can be tedious, but it also had its moments.
I don't know what to think about Catherine, honestly. Life wasn't kind to her and turned her into political animal putting survival above else. But it seems she got her just deserts after all by seeing her line fizz out of existence. Still she was one of the most outstanding women of her time along with Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots.
Also there is a tv show apparently based on the book, The Serpent Queen, but after watching S1 I'd say it's rather loosely based, but still is worth watching in my opinion.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was really rough for me to get through which, given the reviews and my fondness for historical biographies, was a surprise. It may be one of those cases that it just wasn't the right time for me to read this book. However, there was also a sort of bloodlessness and pedantry about the way the text read that was off-putting. The events were quite exciting, and sometimes even scandalous, but the dry tone of the narration put them at a remove and made them read like a textbook. Frieda also had an irritating habit to referring to items it seems "everyone" knows (or assumes they know) about Catherine de' Medici, but she never goes on to elaborate. Perhaps I didn't pay attention to this section in school, but I didn't know (or assume) much of anything at all about her. It would have been nice for her to fill in the gaps of how Catherine is painted and then contrasted with the actual historical record.

I may give this book a try again later. I did make it several hundred pages in before completely losing interest.

[Somia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 MEH STARS

The start of this had me HOOK LINE & SINKER, and I found myself eager to read on and delve into the complex and rich life/history of Catherine de Medici, who has been called 'The Maggot from Italy's Tomb', 'The Black Queen' and 'Madame La Serpente'. To many she [was and] is the very incarnation of evil’. Whilst there were some interesting points in this, the rich tapestry telling the tale of Catherine de Medici’s life as a woman, mother, queen etc didn’t manifest and I found myself loosing interest. I did find Frieda’s account of Catherine interesting – the author never tries to divert blame away from her.

[Farrah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nearly everyone in the 16th century had some sort of disgusting and leaky abscess or fistula in an inconvenient location. Also, France’s history is defined by deadly and EXTREME religious intolerance, savage and barbaric violence, cruelty, and bitter war.

I admire Catherine/ Katarina de Medici and am disappointed in her at the same time. This book was fascinating.

Lastly, renaissance Europe was not a romantic and enlightened time. It was like a festering, stinking, foul boil on the ass of a hateful, foolish, and murderous psychopath.

[Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Compelling Revisionist Take on the "Serpent Queen"

I discovered this book thanks to the recent Starz network drama series The Serpent Queen (2022), played admirably by Samantha Morton. Catherine de Medici is regularly reviled as a ruthless, scheming woman who seized and maintained power through any means, including poisonings and witchcraft used against her own family and allies. However, this is a revisionist biography that points out, and rightly so, that the historical accounts of that period were mostly written by her rivals and enemies, and there is also the obvious element of resentment by powerful men at the time of the affront of a woman of those times daring to try and rule when their normal role was largely to have male children to ensure the succession of various dynasties, and not to have independent thoughts or (god forbid) actually be involved in the politics of the royalty and nobility.

What we learn from this alternative take is that Catherine faced some very difficult circumstances very early on in her initially privileged life as a Medici as the political winds of fate blew against her family, and she spent time raised as a hostage by her enemies. She was then forced into a dynastic marriage aimed to unite the Florentine and French powers, and her only way to survive was to get pregnant and produce a male heir, while having to endure the humiliation of her husband’s open love affair with his mistress Diane de Poitiers, who he treated as his personal confidant and partner, while keeping her pregnant with ten successive children. 



Catherine then has to face a seemingly endless series of crises between rival factions within France, conflicts with the Spanish crown, and then most damaging is the massive rift in society that emerges with the Protestant Reformation and Hugenot rebellions against oppressive Catholic rule. She is forced to take sides against the Huguenots to preserve stability, but at great costs of lives and the loss of her own children to intrigue and illness and war. Throughout all the adversities, so remains determined, cool-headed (on the surface), and ruthless, when many other male leaders are vain, foolish, and hot-headed. This if anything makes her even more hated by her rivals and enemies, and certainly would explain why they would excoriate her later in the historical annals, and blame her for the infamous Bartholomew’s Day Massacre.



The book does pummel the reader with names and details that are quite overwhelming, so I ended up letting much of them just slide past me and try to just focus on the overall flow of events, as it’s impossible to really follow and remember each person’s allegiances, position, and motivations. 

The drama has apparently been green-lighted for a second season, which should cover the latter half of this book, and that is a very exciting prospect that I look forward to.

[Elizabeth Sulzby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a real history, full of facts, relationships, and events that filled the long life of Catherine de Medici who became queen (consort) of France's Henri II and then was the queen regent of three of their sons during the era of France's Religious Wars. Fortunately, there are numerous records, letters, and memoirs from this era. This Italian descendant of the de Medici family was hard to "marry off" in France because she was not of royal lineage, but from a "merchant family." The book begins with a summary of the Medici family but did not stress the contributions to the arts by the family, especially Lorenzo "The Magnificent." Catherine herself continued the family history of sponsoring the arts.

Catherine de Medici was treated as an evil manipulative queen and she certainly was manipulative, including using her voice and statements to ingratiate herself when needed. Childless for 10 years, she then rapidly had 10 children and she made certain that her sons inherited the crown but she was the real ruler of France. As Freida portrayed her, the real period of evil was the Massacre on Saint Barthalomew's day in which Huguenots and Royal armies battled gruesomely under her rule. Prior to that time she had led to many treaties that were intended to pacify the land. Frieda distinguished the treaties that allowed for freedom of religion and, later in Catherine's reign, freedom of thought.

While Catherine was regent, she continued to rule and advise her sons long after they reached a normal age of rule on their own (18 usually but "contracts" could set different ages). While her Catholicism would have led her to support Mary, Queen of Scots, she and England's Queen Elizabeth communicated quite often near the end of Catherine's life.

After finishing this history, I read the historical fiction by Jeanne Kalogridis, The Devil's Queen: A Novel of Catherine de Medici. The novel appears to be based on much of the documentation of this history with two large differences. In the novel, pages and pages are based on Catherine's meetings with astrologers and other students of magic throughout her life. In the history, it is barely mentioned and the characters of the astrologers and Nostrodamus are not mentioned. In the novel, the author says she only depicted 5 of the children because it would "take up too much space" to have the others born. Ironically, the history deals with the births and names of all the children on ONE PAGE.

[LibraryCin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

In the 16th century, Catherine de Medici came to France from Italy to marry the future king of France, Henri II. She loved him, but had to share him with a mistress, the woman he loved, Diane de Poitiers. Over the years, Catherine and Henri had ten children and Catherine outlived all except two of them. Three of her sons became kings of France, and Catherine was always there to help them rule. There were a number of religious wars in France over the years she ruled.

I’ve only read a little bit of fiction about Catherine (this is nonfiction). It was good. Being nonfiction, though, there were dry parts to it, but there were plenty of interesting things going on, as well. It’s funny, from the fiction I read, I remember the rivalry between Catherine and Diane more than anything else, yet she is apparently best remembered for her part in a massacre pitting Protestants against Catholics (which I don’t recall from the fiction at all, though it must have been there!). I did feel particularly bad for her when Henri was alive and she had Diane de Poitiers to contend with, but she did have a ruthless side, particularly when it came to protecting the crown for her sons.

[Freesiab BookishReview · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little slow in some bits but a well researched and interesting non fiction book worth reading!

[Mme Forte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this on my bookshelf for years, and as our county libraries are closed to the public, I figured it was time to pull it out and get to work.

Catherine de Medici is known to history as a conniver, a climber full of ambition for her children, a woman suspected of doing away with troublesome associates, and possibly a force behind the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre. She is -- at least to some degree -- all of these, except probably for the doing away with people thing. Catherine was far too subtle to put a contract out on someone and hang around waiting for the murder.

Catherine came to France in 1533, to be the wife of the man who would become Henri II of France. She was grateful to Henri and to his father, Francis I, for raising her from her mercantile beginnings (rich, but in BANKING, how bourgeois) to the heights of glamour and power. Henri II died at 40 -- Catherine's age then too -- and she spent the rest of her life protecting the French throne for her sons, promoting her children's interests through advantageous marriages, and ensuring that her sons enjoyed power for as long as possible, once they sat on the throne. She lived through no fewer than EIGHT religious wars, as the Protestant faith grew throughout Europe and encroached on the formerly monolithic French monarchy. In 1572, on the occasion of the marriage of her daughter Marguerite (la reine Margot) to Henri of Navarre (eventually to rule France as Henri IV), Catherine and her coterie plotted a surgical strike to decapitate the Protestant movement by assassinating its leaders. That did happen, but it exploded into a massacre of innocent French subjects that lasted for days in Paris and spread throughout the country over several months. This was not the only time that Catherine's plans spun out of control, but it is the one that she's become known for.

I'm not going to tell Catherine's life story here, because there's far too much to tell. Let's just say that it was a rich life, and a long one (compared to her children, all ten of them, only two of whom outlived her), and she was a daughter of Florence, and a queen of France, and the wife and widow and mother of kings, and a stateswoman and a regent of a kingdom and a builder of palaces and a presenter of magnificent pageants and a collector of art and artifacts...far from a typical life in Renaissance Europe but one that has come down to us because of the events that she brought about and those that she witnessed. As Europe passed through the Renaissance and France moved into the Grand Siecle, Catherine was there to see it all -- and to bring some of it about.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has more drama than Us Weekly and Star combined---and all of it is true. (Well, I am sure in the next life we'll discover parts that were not true, but that's for another day.)

Catherine Medici, wife of a cheating king (who dies after a large splinter enters his eye) and mother of three kings of France, is best known for her involvement or lack of involvement (it's a complicated situation, especially since all of her solutions were for the moment) in the St. Bartholmew's Day Massacre in 1572. The author Frieda does an excellent job of presenting a balanced, fair portrait of Catherine, but unfortunately, Catherine is not a woman easy to empathize with. By the end of the book, you're eager to say goodbye to Catherine and her obnoxious, spoiled children and say hello to Henry of Navarre---"Paris is worth mass."

And Henry of Navarre has his own dramatic story to tell. Or rather his wife, Margot, Catherine de Medici's daughter, does. Margot had several affairs, attempted to kill her husband Navarre with a pistol (she was fed up with his other women and their marriage), and was greatly disliked by her mother and her brothers. In the end, she and Navarre divorced with her keeping her title Queen of France and a lot of palaces. She even became good friends with Navarre and his second wife and their children. Incredible.

She's definitely a woman I look forward to getting to know better.

[Rox · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm giving the book 2 stars because I did learn a lot, but overall there were too many things that made it a bit of a slog to get through.

From a technical standpoint, the long, awkwardly structured sentences, coupled with a lack of commas/semi-colons/the word "and" when they were sorely needed, made it necessary for me to have to re-read them in order to understand. At other times, it was unclear to which person the author was referring, as pronouns would be used instead of names when there were multiple people mentioned in a preceding sentence, or words like "the king" when the author had just mentioned three kings, for example.

I also felt that, given that the book is a biography rather than a general history, it went into too much detail about battles and other events (e.g. an entire chapter devoted to describing a two-year tour of France), as well as Catherine's sons' time spent as kings. There were also long and tedious descriptions of festivities (weddings, coronations, processions, etc.), as well as objects like clothing, accessories, buildings, props used in the aforementioned festivities, and so on.

[Kiesha ~ Gwenllian ferch Gruffydd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy learning about Catherine de Medici... The wife of one King and the mother of 3. My only gripe about this book is it's too short as it's Abridged (eww). Great narration by Anna Massey...She has the raspy voice like Davina Porter but not quiet as talented. ♥

[Melisende · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this re-telling of the life of Catherine de Medici - this was my third reading - and still happy to indulge my interest.

[Emmie Marigold · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Catherine De Medici, how they managed to make this ungodly boring is really almost impressive because she was incredibly cool and interesting.

[Daniel Ronan · Rating 4 out of 5]

People just died all the time back then. There's about 8.5 billion people on earth right now, and we just had a global pandemic that upended so many things, and only like 10 million people died. And that's a lot, don't get me wrong, but there were so few people back in the 16th century. There was like 500 million people on earth and they just died all the time, for so many reasons.

There's a part in this book that describes Catherine de Medici going on a sort of royal progress, touring the land of France, a bit of domestic diplomacy. So she's in Lyon, and she goes to the market, and she's looking at all this fancy stuff like she's going to buy a bunch of beautiful art and clothing, and then all of a sudden there's rumor of plague. So they pack everything up and high tail it out of there. But Catherine is constantly borrowing money and taking out huge loans, so clearly this is a ruse. She just doesn't want to actually buy anything and go further into debt. She's got a country to run, and they are always struggling for money, and taxing the poorest people so the richest people can kill all the slightly less rich people. But it's the perfect excuse. She gets to look like she was going to help the local economy, but oh no, they have to be safe about avoiding the plague, wink wink.

But no, it wasn't a joke. 20,000 people died the next day. A city of like 80k people, and 20,000 of them just dead. Imagine if that happened today? It would be international news if a quarter of the city of Lowell MA just died. But back then? They said fuck it and started a religious war.

Twenty thousand people died and they said, "you know how Catholicism and Protestantism are essentially the same exact religion with no discernable differences and the main point of both of them is to love thy neighbor and be good people? Let's murder everybody for having slightly different opinions!"

[Lady Megan Fischer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book.

I knew little of Catherine de Medici before reading it. I knew she was often referred to as a black queen, or a queen of serpents, and I had read about the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre that helped gain for her such an infamous reputation, but that was about it.

Catherine was a Florentine, and she became queen when her husband ascended the throne, becoming King Henri II. She had 10 children with Henri, and as he died only 12 years into his rule, she spent most of her life as Queen Mother and regent - her sons would be the next three kings of France. In spite of her efforts, none of them proved to be successful monarchs.

Her time was one of turbulence. Poverty and plague were abundant, and there was great division due to the conflict between the Catholics and the Huguenots. It is this conflict for which Catherine is most maligned, as thousands of people needlessly died at the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre. Many historians now, including the author of this book, see the blame for that massacre as falling on many heads and circumstances, and the result of that is a new light for Catherine — one that still recognizes her shrewdness and manipulative nature, but also gives her some long overdue credit for navigating such a difficult time as a woman.

Catherine is often compared to her contemporary, Elizabeth I of England, and fails in that comparison. And while I agree that she lacked some of Elizabeth’s skill, I think it’s note worthy that Elizabeth tolerated only one religion, and that the people of Ireland paid a dear price for that. Perhaps it is time to look at Catherine with new eyes.

This was a fascinating read for me, and I learned so much. This book is the basis for the Starz series, The Serpent Queen, and we have started watching it — it’s really great!

[MM Suarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Catherine presented a powerful mixture of bold contradictions: she fought for her children yet could not be intimate with them; she did not comprehend religious passions though she held rigidly to the forms of the Roman Church and seemed baffled that anyone should feel the need to question them; she was a pragmatist racked by superstitious fears; she was majestic yet approachable, without once stepping off the high pedestal that her crown afforded her."

In modern day lingo, "She's complicated"😰 There has to be quite a bit of research attached to the biography of someone who lived several centuries ago, and this author has done a heck of a job bringing Catherine de Medici to life. This book is dense, with lots of details and a myriad of characters, and while it is billed as a biography at times it feels more like a political history of France/Europe at the time. Some interesting things I learned from this book:

1) These people rarely bathed or washed their garments, they used loads of perfume to hide the stench;
2) They are an unhealthy bunch, open, suppurating fistulas were as common as a mole;
3) Dear, trusted friends apparently got to sleep in the King's bed, and did not step out when the king used the commode!

Seriously though, if you're a history buff this is very well done and enjoyable. Catherine de Medici was nothing if not interesting, to quote the author "The Renaissance ethos - that no matter how bad things really were, an awe-inspiring show must be put on – was one that the Queen Mother pursued, personified and perfected."

[Shanequa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whew! This was a bit of a doozy to read. Frieda definitely did her research and it shows. While this is a long read I do appreciate the effort Frieda put into telling Catherine's story. I also appreciate her perspective on Catherine. I could still be smarting from The Rival Queens: Catherine de' Medici, Her Daughter Marguerite de Valois, and the Betrayal that Ignited a Kingdom (where I did not like Catherine's portrayal at all) which could be making me a bit more generous than if I hadn't read that book but I think Frieda was very fair in her portrayal of Catherine. I thought there was a good balance of admiring her intelligence and determination and acknowledging her shortcomings and missteps. If you can get past that this is a bit of a slower read I think it is a great book to read if you want to learn more about Renaissance France and Catherine de' Medici.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book because I enjoyed the soundtrack for the Starz show, which seems like a silly reason to read a book, especially because I did not actually watch the Starz show and only listened to the soundtrack. But I also enjoy Italians so it seemed like a good move anyway.

Even though Catherine de Medici was born in Italian she was very French, and I have no love of anyone French except for Claude Monet. However, it was easy to read this book because her children were complete and utter train wrecks except for Margot. And this, I admit, was entertaining.

Also, one of the names of cities in this book sounds like "bleuaurgh" and it's hilarious. French is such a fake language.

One star has been removed because of France but four stars have been allowed to remain because this book was well written and her children were disasters.

Total score: 4/5 stars