[127] These included work on the Chteau de Montceaux, Chteau de Saint-Maur, and Chenonceau. Catherine insisted on visiting the field herself and when warned of the dangers laughed, "My courage is as great as yours". Elizabeth I was treated with similar suspicionshe too entertained questionable characters (such as her advisor, John Dee), and produced no official heir. Nevertheless, the wedding did take place, at Nice in 1533. It was designed by Francesco Primaticcio (15041570), with sculpture by Germain Pilon (15281590). She was later captured after villagers accused her of stealing, and she was about to be hanged when King Henry's son Sebastian de Poitiers interceded and decided to bring her to court to face trial. The years during which her sons reigned have been called "the age of Catherine de' Medici" since she had extensive, if at times varying, influence in the political life of France.[1]. [85] Catherine did all in her power to bring Francis back into the fold. "[106] As usual, Catherine advised the king, who had fled the city in the nick of time, to compromise and live to fight another day. The investigators traced the house and horse to the Guises and claimed to have found evidence that the would-be killer was. "If Monsieur de Guise had perished sooner", she told the Venetian ambassador, "peace would have been achieved more quickly". When Jeanne arrived in Paris to buy clothes for the wedding, she was taken ill and died on 9 June 1572, aged forty-three. WebCatherine de Medicis full name is Caterina Maria Romula di Lorenzo de Medici. Catherine was overjoyed at the match, but her joy was overshadowed by the death of her husband. Franois Clouet drew and painted portraits of all Catherine's family and of many members of the court. A poem by Ronsard, engraved on its base, tells the reader not to wonder that so small a vase can hold so large a heart, since Henry's real heart resides in Catherine's breast.[132]. In 1568, she was beaten, punched and had her hair pulled out by Catherine and her brother Charles after a secret affair with Henry of Guise. Born in Florence, she was the granddaughter of Lorenzo de' Medici, niece of Pope Leo X and sister to Lorenzo II de' Medici. Margaret had put up a good show for the Queen and Joan wrote enthusiastically to her son with one point, If she embraces our religions, I may say that we are the happiest persons in the world Margaret could not have opposed this match with Henry more, but it was going to happen whether she wanted or not. It is also necessary to understand this political struggle of the Catholic crown with its own ultramontane extremists and to perceive its fluctuations in changing circumstances, in order to realize the fundamental consistency of Catherines career. Joan became even sicker, and she died, shortly before her son arrived, on 9 June. [38] The English ambassador reported a few days later that "the house of Guise ruleth and doth all about the French king". My name is Moniek and I am from the Netherlands. 500: Catherine de Medici The Mother of three Kings, 500: Catherine de Medici Patron of the arts and follower of the occult. Over the years, Catherine gave birth to ten children of which five were daughters. From that moment, she abandoned compromise for a policy of repression. Claude was raised alongside her sister Elisabeth, the future Queen of Spain, and sister-in-law Queen Mary of Scotland. [86], In 1576, in a move that endangered Henry's throne, Francis allied with the Protestant princes against the crown. Despite her optimism, the resulting Colloquy of Poissy ended in failure on 13 October 1561, dissolving itself without her permission. She was born less than 20 years ago to the couple while the Queen's husband was away. Of the chateaus she designed herselfincluding the TuileriesChenonceaux was her unfinished masterpiece. [8] King Francis wanted Catherine to be raised at the French court, but Pope Leo refused, claiming he wanted her to marry Ippolito de' Medici. [45] Neither saw the need to punish Protestants who worshipped in private and did not take up arms. The Spanish ambassador told Philip II that the abscess was about to burst.[103]. [122], Many of Caron's paintings, such as those of the Triumphs of the Seasons, are of allegorical subjects that echo the festivities for which Catherine's court was famous. According to a contemporary chronicler, when Catherine was born, her parents were "as pleased as if it had been a boy". [118] There were also hundreds of portraits, for which a vogue had developed during Catherine's lifetime. [26] Catherine quickly conceived again and on 2 April 1545 she bore a daughter, Elisabeth. "[94] She was under no illusions, however. When Francis II died in 1560, she became regent on behalf of her 10-year-old son King Charles IX and was thus granted sweeping powers. [46], When Catherine realized Francis was going to die, she made a pact with Antoine de Bourbon by which he would renounce his right to the regency of the future king, Charles IX, in return for the release of his brother Cond. "The Louvre: Royal Residence and Temple of the Arts". "As the daughter of the Medici," suggests French art historian Jean-Pierre Babelon, "she was driven by a passion to build and a desire to leave great achievements behind her when she died. [17] Suitors, however, lined up for her hand, including James V of Scotland who sent the Duke of Albany to Clement to conclude a marriage in April and November 1530. She was born in Florence, Italy, on April 13, 1519. She went on to bear Henry a further eight children, seven of whom survived infancy, including the future Charles IX (born 27 June 1550); the future Henry III (born 19 September 1551); and Francis, Duke of Anjou (born 18 March 1555) and Claude (born 12 November 1547). Heritier, 48, has the twins' deaths the other way round. Please select which sections you would like to print: Also known as: Caterina de Medici, Catherine de Mdicis, Emeritus Professor of Early Modern History, Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, University of London. WebHistorically, by Louis, she had two daughters, who were influential members of the royal household- there's no mention of a son like in the show, Sebastian . Knecht 1998, p. 8 (dates of death); Hritier 1963, p. 15 (cause of Madeleine's death). [57] Catherine, however, was delighted with the death of her ally. WebCatherine's full name is Caterina Maria Romula di Lorenzo de' Medici. The Huguenots retreated to the fortified stronghold of La Rochelle on the west coast, where Jeanne d'Albret and her fifteen-year-old son, Henry of Bourbon, joined them. Not interested? Antonella Campanini, "The Illusive Story Of Catherine de' Medici: A Gastronomic Myth". Meanwhile, Cond raised an army and in autumn 1560 began attacking towns in the south. The Florentine people called her duchessina ("the little duchess"), in deference to her unrecognised claim to the Duchy of Urbino. In desperation, Catherine tried every known trick for getting pregnant, such as placing cow dung and ground stags' antlers on her "source of life", and drinking mule's urine. Once in control of the royal purse, she launched a programme of artistic patronage that lasted for three decades. Three of her sons became kings of France, while two of her daughters married kings and one married a duke. On 12 May 1588, they set up barricades in the streets and refused to take orders from anyone except the Duke of Guise. She even encouraged the king to spend more time with Catherine and sire more children. Also Known As : Caterina Maria Romola di Lorenzo de Medici. [140] Catherine and Henry's inability to produce an heir for the first ten years of their marriage gave rise to suspicion of witchcraft. Over the years, the two Queens were to maintain an energetic correspondence. [87] On 6 May 1576, Catherine gave in to almost all Huguenot demands in the Edict of Beaulieu. This is the sixth, and it will focus on her relationships with her daughters. In 1570, Charles IX married Elisabeth of Austria, daughter of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor. Their sister Mary of Guise had married James V of Scotland in 1538 and was the mother of Mary, Queen of Scots. In 1585, Margaret abandoned her husband and was even imprisoned. She was one of the most influential personalities of the CatholicHuguenot wars (Wars of Religion; 156298). She retreated to her property at Agen and begged her mother for money. On 8 September 1588 at Blois, where the court had assembled for a meeting of the Estates, Henry dismissed all his ministers without warning. She is the younger half-sister of Clarissa and Sebastian, the younger sister of Francis, Louis, Elisabeth, Claude, Charles, Henry, Henrietta and Emone. [60], In 1566, through the ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, Guillaume de Grandchamp de Grantrie, and because of a long-standing Franco-Ottoman alliance, Charles and Catherine proposed to the Ottoman Court a plan to resettle French Huguenots and French and German Lutherans in Ottoman-controlled Moldavia, in order to create a military colony and a buffer against the Habsburg. Her relationship with her mother never did improve it was as if Catherine resented Margaret for being the healthiest child. In 1561, with the support of the distinguished chancellor Michel de LHospital, she began by trying to propitiate the leaders of both religious factions, to effect reforms and economies by unassailably traditional methods, and to settle the religious conflict. King Henry took part in the jousting, sporting Diane's black-and-white colours. Margaret outlived her former husband, her mother, her father and all her siblings. Huguenot writers branded Catherine a scheming Italian, who had acted on Machiavelli's principles to kill all enemies in one blow. Catherine sent her only enough "to put food on her table". Where was Catherine de Medici born and raised? Catherine met Coligny, but he refused to back down. [115], Catherine believed in the humanist ideal of the learned Renaissance prince whose authority depended on letters as well as arms. [101] He went into hiding to fast and pray, surrounded by a bodyguard known as "the Forty-five", and left Catherine to sort out the mess. Suspicions of poison abounded, from Catherine to Emperor Charles V.[24] Sebastiano de Montecuccoli confessed under torture to poisoning the Dauphin.[24]. [102] The monarchy had lost control of the country, and was in no position to assist England in the face of the coming Spanish attack. Henry III's assassination ended nearly three centuries of Valois rule and brought the Bourbon dynasty into power. Charles and Claude had a happy marriage, and their close proximity to the French court meant that they were able to visit Catherine often. 15 Feb 1471, d. 28 Dec 1503. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Her three other daughters did survive to adulthood. Born on 13th April 1519, Catherine is still remembered as the 'Black Queen' of France, foe of all Protestants, and the Italian daughter of a merchant who dragged France into a series of bloody, religious civil wars. Hoogvliet, Margriet. For the next two years Catherines policy was one of peace and general reconciliation. Thus began her lifelong struggleexplicit in her correspondencewith these extremists who, supported by Spain and the papacy, sought to dominate the crown and extinguish its independence in the commingled interests of European Catholicism and personal aggrandizement. Both of her parents died within weeks of her birth, leaving her an orphan. Nevertheless, popular culture frequently attributes Italian culinary influence and forks in France to Catherine. Henry VIII was king of England and still (mostly) happily married to Catherine of Aragon. They were usually dedicated to the ideal of peace in the realm and based on mythological themes. L'Estoile wrote: "those close to her believed that her life had been shortened by displeasure over her son's deed. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. At the age of fifty-nine, she embarked on an eighteen-month journey around the south of France to meet Huguenot leaders face to face. [3] In practice, her authority was limited by the effects of the civil wars. On her visit to Rome, the Venetian envoy described Catherine as "small of stature, and thin, and without delicate features, but having the protruding eyes peculiar to the Medici family". [52] On 1 March 1562, however, in an incident known as the Massacre of Vassy, the Duke of Guise and his men attacked worshipping Huguenots in a barn at Vassy (Wassy), killing 74 and wounding 104. On 24 June 1556, Catherine gave birth to twin daughters Joan and Victoire. [24] According to the court chronicler Brantme, "many people advised the king and the Dauphin to repudiate her, since it was necessary to continue the line of France". [47] As a result, when Francis died on 5 December 1560, the Privy Council appointed Catherine as governor of France (gouvernante de France), with sweeping powers. The Queen of France had faced many challenges all her life to have revolutionized what France is today. The Venetian ambassador, Gerolamo Lipomanno, wrote: "She is an indefatigable princess, born to tame and govern a people as unruly as the French: they now recognize her merits, her concern for unity and are sorry not to have appreciated her sooner. When Henry II died in 1559 Catherine de Medici went on to rule France in the name of her sons for the next 3 decades, until her death in 1589. [91] Catherine cut Margaret out of her will and never saw her again. Moving on to the fortress of Carlat, Margaret took a lover called d'Aubiac. [43] Others they drowned in the river or strung up around the battlements while Catherine and the court watched. His dying words were "oh, my mother" The day before he died, he named Catherine regent, since his brother and heir, Henry the Duke of Anjou, was in the PolishLithuanian Commonwealth, where he had been elected king the year before. How old was Catherine de Medici when she got married? In Banished, it is revealed that Diane was responsible for the deaths of Emone and Henrietta . "[90] The death of her youngest son was a calamity for Catherine's dynastic dreams. [5] Catherine has been called "the most important woman in Europe in the 16th century.[6]. In 1556, Catherine nearly died giving birth to twin daughters, Jeanne and Victoire. He often hid from state affairs, immersing himself in acts of piety, such as pilgrimages and flagellation. [21] King Francis lamented, "The girl has come to me stark naked."[22]. She died on January 5th, 1589 in Blois France. They witnessed the first three civil wars and her desperate struggle against the Catholic extremists for the independence of the crown, the maintenance of peace, and the enforcement of limited toleration. Knecht 1998, p. 28, gives likely incorrect dates of 25 September 1533 for the death of Pope Clement VII and 12 October for the election of Pope Paul III. [117], An inventory drawn up at the Htel de la Reine after Catherine's death shows her to have been a keen collector. [10], Catherine was first cared for by her paternal grandmother, Alfonsina Orsini. [31] The surviving daughter, Victoire, died seven weeks later. In early 1572, Joan Henrys mother and Queen regnant of Navarre arrived in France feeling ill and tired but determined to see the marriage negotiations through. Three of her sons were kings of France: Francis II, Charles IX, and Henry III. In the Treaty of Nemours, signed on 7 July 1585, he was forced to give in to all the League's demands, even that he pay its troops. Her essentially moderate influence was first perceptible during the Conspiracy of Amboise (March 1560), an instance of tumultuous petitioning by the Huguenot gentry, primarily against Guisard persecution in the name of the King. She begged him to ensure that Elisabeth eats but two meals each day and only bread in between meals. Tragically, Elisabeth had died two weeks earlier after giving birth prematurely. Her marriage to Henry would remain childless. On 11 April 1572, Margaret was betrothed to Henry of Navarre, the future King of Navarre and also in line for the French throne after Margarets brothers. "[68] Catherine called Jeanne, whose decision to rebel posed a dynastic threat to the Valois, "the most shameless woman in the world". To save Catherines life, baby Joan dead or dying had her legs broken to remove her from her mothers womb. Labouvie suggested that women's power was believed to be the ability to create and sustain life, whilst witches were believed to have the opposite power; that of attacking health, life and fertility. She therefore told him: "Since you rely on your forces, we will show you ours". She was not primarily responsible for the more far-reaching Treaty of Saint-Germain (August 1570), but she succeeded in disgracing the Guises. To avoid questions about the baby's distinguishing birthmark, she gave the baby to Nostradamus' father. As time passed and the likelihood of children from the marriage receded, Catherine's youngest son, Francis, Duke of Alenon, known as "Monsieur", played upon his role as heir to the throne, repeatedly exploiting the anarchy of the civil wars, which were by now as much about noble power struggles as religion. In what has been called a coup d'tat, the Cardinal of Lorraine and the Duke of Guisewhose niece, Mary, Queen of Scots, had married Francis II the year beforeseized power the day after Henry II's death and quickly moved themselves into the Louvre Palace with the young couple. Catherines daughters Elisabeth and Claude bore children who lived into adulthood, including King Charles IX of France, Prince Louis, and Prince Henri of France. Nevertheless, she was devastated at Elisabeths loss. The last two daughters were twins; one of the twins, Joan, died during the delivery and the other, Victoire, died a few weeks later. WebPrincess Claude of Valois was born on November 12, 1547 in Fontainebleau, France, as the 2nd daughter & 3rd child born to King Henry II & his wife Queen Catherine de Medici. The surgery removed part of the birthmark, but left Clarissa greatly disfigured due to the use of potions. In this cause, he recruited the great Catholic princes, nobles and prelates, signed the treaty of Joinville with Spain, and prepared to make war on the "heretics". The last two daughters were twins; one of the twins, Joan, died during the delivery and the other, Victoire, died a few weeks later. [80], The slaughter in Paris lasted for almost a week. Catherine travelled to Chtellerault where she bid farewell to her 13-year-old daughter. The death of Pope Leo in 1521 briefly interrupted Medici power until Cardinal Giulio de' Medici was elected Pope Clement VII in 1523. He defeated the dukes of Guise and Nemours, but the young Gabriel, comte de Montgomery, knocked him half out of the saddle. WebCatherine and Clarissa have a very complicated relationship. Slowly, however, he lost his sight, speech, and reason, and on 10 July 1559 he died, aged 40. From this time dates the legend of the wicked Italian queen. He planned to block Henry of Navarre's succession and place Henry's Catholic uncle Cardinal Charles de Bourbon on the throne instead. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription. WebDid Queen Catherine have an illegitimate daughter? Francis II became king at the age of fifteen. [81] On 29 September, when Navarre knelt before the altar as a Roman Catholic, having converted to avoid being killed, Catherine turned to the ambassadors and laughed. On 25 November 1579, she wrote to the king, "You are on the eve of a general revolt. After Charles died in 1574, Catherine played a key role in the reign of her third son, Henry III. The treaty became known as the Peace of Monsieur because it was thought that Francis had forced it on the crown. The start of Season One, in 1557, Diane de Poitiers was actually 58 years old. Catherine de Medici was born in Florence, Italy, on April 13, 1519. [65] She told the Venetian ambassador in June 1568 that all one could expect from Huguenots was deceit, and she praised the Duke of Alba's reign of terror in the Netherlands, where Calvinists and rebels were put to death in the thousands. [136][137] They point out that Catherine's father-in-law, King Francis I, and the flower of the French aristocracy had dined at some of Italy's most lite tables during the king's Italian campaigns (and that an earlier generation had done so during King Charles VIII's invasion of 1494); that a vast Italian entourage had visited France for the wedding of Catherine de' Medici's father to her French-born mother; and that she had little influence at court until her husband's death because he was so besotted by his mistress, Diane de Poitiers. WebFrance Catherine de Medici was born in Florence (Firenze), Italy on April 13th and is known to be one of the most important women during the Renaissance period. Died in infancy. She was also an influential patron [] In short, she was a true daughter of France, having good mind and ability, which she proved by seconding wisely and ably her husband, M. de Lorraine, in the government of his seigneuries and principalities.1. [55] The royal army struck back quickly and laid siege to Huguenot-held Rouen. Jeanne d'Albret wrote to her son, Henry: "I am not free to talk with either the King or Madame, only the Queen Mother, who goads me [, Holt, 83. [88] Francis died of consumption in June 1584, after a disastrous intervention in the Low Countries during which his army had been massacred. For a summary of the fluctuations in Catherine's historical reputation, see the preface to R. J. Knecht's. [9] Leo made Catherine Duchess of Urbino but annexed most of the Duchy of Urbino to the Papal States, permitting Florence to keep only the Fortress of San Leo. Claude died in childbirth in 1575 and Catherine was truly devastated. Catherine had no more children. Catherine was unable to control Henry in the way she had Francis and Charles. Margaret retained her titles and was financially taken care of, and perhaps for the first time, she had a good relationship with her husband. The most famous of Catherines daughters was born on 14 May 1553. [50] Catherine failed because she saw the religious divide only in political terms. Just six days after the wedding the St. Bartholomews Day massacre a group of assassinations followed by a wave of violence after the Huguenots who were there for the wedding took place. Her three other daughters did survive to adulthood. "Princely Culture and Catherine de Mdicis". Now she sought a marriage between Margaret and Henry III of Navarre, Jeanne's son, with the aim of uniting Valois and Bourbon interests. She was left in the care of Nostradamus, who secretly brought her to the French court and allowed for her to live in the secret passageways of the castle, out of the sight of her family, who believed that she had died. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Was she not compelled to play strange parts to deceive first one and then the other, in order to guard, as she did, her sons, who successively reigned through the wise conduct of that shrewd woman? Catherine delayed her daughters departure as much as she could, but they finally set out of for Spain on 18 November 1559. By 1587, the Catholic backlash against the Protestants had become a campaign across Europe. However, she failed to fully grasp the theological issues that drove their movement. [121], The musical shows in particular allowed Catherine to express her creative gifts. Catherine was one of his godparents and was overjoyed to see her daughter again. Orphaned within days, Catherine was highly educated, trained, and disciplined by nuns in Florence and Rome and married in 1533 by her uncle, Pope Clement VII, to Henry, duc dOrlans, who inherited the French crown from his father, Francis I, in April 1547. [75] A smoking arquebus was discovered in a window, but the culprit had made his escape from the rear of the building on a waiting horse. Catherine ended the first civil war in March 1563 by the Edict of Amboise, an attenuated version of the Edict of January. [35] Henry reeled out of the clash, his face pouring blood, with splinters "of a good bigness" sticking out of his eye and head. In 1537, he had a brief affair with Philippa Duci, who gave birth to a daughter, whom he publicly acknowledged. Inquisition was where he made his one and only cameo. Henry wrote a note to Villeroy, which began: "Villeroy, I remain very well contented with your service; do not fail however to go away to your house where you will stay until I send for you; do not seek the reason for this my letter, but obey me." royal 28. In 1578, she took on the task of pacifying the south. The treaty was sealed by the betrothal of Catherine's thirteen-year-old daughter Elisabeth to Philip II of Spain. [128], Catherine had emblems of her love and grief carved into the stonework of her buildings. Not much later, she actually married Philip himself when he was widowed upon the death of Queen Mary I of England. [28] Although she sometimes acted as regent during his absences from France, her powers were strictly nominal. Upon the death of her brother Henry in 1589, her husband became the King of France and she the Queen. It has been suggested that Catherine educated her son, Henry III, in the dark arts,[145] and that "the two devoted themselves to sorceries that were scandals of the age". Catherine now rallied both Huguenot and Catholic forces to retake Le Havre from the English. The Duke of Guise launched an attack into the woods around the chteau. Art historian Henri Zerner has called this monument "the last and most brilliant of the royal tombs of the Renaissance. Catherine de Medici was the daughter of Lorenzo di Piero de Medici, duca di Urbino, and Madeleine de La Tour dAuvergne, a Bourbon princess related to many of the French nobility. Most of the Orsini men were soldiers, a profession which allowed them to amass huge territories around Rome and Naples. [84], Henry married Louise de Lorraine-Vaudmont in February 1575, two days after his coronation. [141] An infertile woman, and in particular an infertile queen, was therefore regarded as 'unnatural' and a small step from supernatural. Catherine was born in Florence to Lorenzo de' Medici, Duke of Urbino, and Madeleine de La Tour d'Auvergne. Catherine believing her daughter had died in the forest, while Clarissa never knew who her birth parents were. "[112] She left in tears. Catherine adopted a moderate stance and spoke against the Guise persecutions, though she had no particular sympathy for the Huguenots, whose beliefs she never shared. Jeanne finally agreed to the marriage between her son and Margaret, so long as Henry could remain a Huguenot. Catherine sent Pomponne de Bellivre to Navarre to arrange Margaret's return. She was Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to King Henry II and the mother of French kings Francis II, Charles IX, and Henry III. Her ability and eloquence were acclaimed after the Spanish victory of Saint-Quentin in Picardy in 1557, possibly the origin of her perpetual fear of Spain, which remained, through changing circumstances, the touchstone of her judgments.
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