The Untold Truth Of Catherine De Medici 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. In 1537, he had a brief affair with Philippa Duci, who gave birth to a daughter, whom he publicly acknowledged. Clarice Orsini (c. 1453 29 July 1487) was the daughter of Jacopo (Giacomo) Orsini (see Orsini family), lord of Monterotondo and Bracciano, and his wife and cousin Maddalena Orsini. Catherine was also eager for a match between one of her two youngest sons and Elizabeth I of England. [15] The city finally surrendered on 12 August 1530. Rumours of Henry's inability to produce children were by that time in wide circulation. Sutherland, Yet on 22 December 1588, Guise spent the night with his current mistress. 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. 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. Anyone who tells you differently is a liar. Blunt, 98, 100. Author of. Margaret of Valois, Frances Slandered Prince Henry showed no interest in Catherine as a wife; instead, he openly took mistresses. 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". [25] Divorce was discussed. [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. The surgery removed part of the birthmark, but left Clarissa greatly disfigured due to the use of potions. She retreated to her property at Agen and begged her mother for money. [138], The earliest known reference to Catherine as the popularizer of Italian culinary innovation is the entry for "cuisine" in Diderot and d'Alembert's Encyclopdie published in 1754, which describes haute cuisine as decadent and effeminate and explains that fussy sauces and fancy fricassees arrived in France via "that crowd of corrupt Italians who served at the court of Catherine de' Medici. Omissions? 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. He shouted at her, "Your words, Madam, have led us all to this butchery. Clarissa Catherine outlived all her children except Henry III, who died seven months after her, and Margaret, who inherited her robust health. "The Louvre: Royal Residence and Temple of the Arts". WebHenry II was the philandering king of France who carried out an affair with Kenna, lady-in-waiting to the queen of Scotland, despite already being married to Catherine de' Medici.He was an ambitious man, especially when it came to taking England, which he spent years trying to do.Following his son's marriage to Mary Stuart, Henry descended into madness Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription. At times he even felt well enough to dictate letters and listen to music. When King Francis I died on 31 March 1547, Catherine became queen consort of France. 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. Catherine de' Medici After Alfonsina's death in 1520, Catherine joined her cousins and was raised by her aunt, Clarice de' Medici. The murder triggered an aristocratic blood feud that complicated the French civil wars for years to come. Over the years, the two Queens were to maintain an energetic correspondence. 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. Catherine de Medici was the queen consort of Henry II of France (154759) and regent of France. She was not primarily responsible for the more far-reaching Treaty of Saint-Germain (August 1570), but she succeeded in disgracing the Guises. She was not strictly entitled to a role in Francis's government, because he was deemed old enough to rule for himself. 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 . In 1578, she took on the task of pacifying the south. [146] As a result, some (more extreme) authors[147] believe Catherine to be the creator of the Black Mass, a Satanic inversion of the traditional Catholic Mass, although there is little to prove this aside from Jean Bodin's account in his book De la dmonomanie des sorciers. Clarissa educated Catherine, along with her own children, and Catherine was happy in her new atmosphere living with her aunt. She gave birth to ten children, of whom four sons and three daughters survived to marriageable age. [19] Clement visited the newlyweds in bed the next morning and added his blessings to the night's proceedings. Rumours immediately spread that Catherine had ordered Joans death, but she had nothing to gain the wedding contract had already been signed. Clement summoned Catherine from her beloved convent to join him in Rome where he greeted her with open arms and tears in his eyes. She therefore told him: "Since you rely on your forces, we will show you ours". One of her first acts was to force Diane de Poitiers to hand over the crown jewels and return the Chteau de Chenonceau to the crown. By 1587, the Catholic backlash against the Protestants had become a campaign across Europe. Catherine de Medici [110] Immediately after the murder of Guise, Henry entered Catherine's bedroom on the floor below and announced, "Please forgive me. On one occasion, in March 1578, she lectured him for six hours about his dangerously subversive behaviour. Catherine could not hold back her sobs. The investigators traced the house and horse to the Guises and claimed to have found evidence that the would-be killer was. Biography Early Life From the notorious to the half-forgotten, Queens of Infamy, a Longreads series by Anne Thriault, focuses on badass world-historical women of centuries past. [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". This she envisaged in terms of the marriage of her daughter Marguerite to the young Protestant leader, Henry of Navarre (later Henry IV of France), and alliance with England through the marriage of her son Henry, duc dAnjou, or, failing him, his younger brother Franois, duc dAlenon, to Queen Elizabeth. 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. According to a contemporary chronicler, when Catherine was born, her parents were "as pleased as if it had been a boy". Nevertheless, the Peace of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, signed on 8 August 1570 because the royal army ran out of cash, conceded wider toleration to the Huguenots than ever before. The Parisians, however, claimed the right to defend the city themselves. [104] Philip II of Spain prepared for an invasion of England. [135] Barbara Ketcham Wheaton and Stephen Mennell provided the definitive arguments against these claims. The last two daughters were twins; one of the twins, Joan, died during the delivery and the other, Victoire, died a few weeks later. She took to her bed with a fever. Also Known As : Caterina Maria Romola di Lorenzo de Medici. [45] Neither saw the need to punish Protestants who worshipped in private and did not take up arms. Catherines dowry was considered too small and alliances between royalty and merchant families like the Medicis, however rich, were still unusual. [5] Catherine has been called "the most important woman in Europe in the 16th century.[6]. Over the years, Catherine gave birth to ten children of which five were daughters. Three of her sons were kings of France: Francis II, Charles IX, and Henry III. The challenges Catherine faced were complex and in some ways difficult for her to comprehend as a foreigner. Catherines second great political crisis came with the premature death on December 5, 1560, of Francis II, whose royal authority the Guises had monopolized. Catherine, who was said to have received the news without emotion, made a tearful visit to Coligny and promised to punish his attacker. She later kidnapped her half-brothers, Princes Charles and Henry, and attempted to drown them to punish her mother for abandoning her, but Mary hit Clarissa in the head with a rock, believing her to be dead. What has he done? Her eldest daughter was Elisabeth, and she was born on 2 April 1545. In August 1563 she declared the King of age in the Parlement of Rouen and, from April 1564 to January 1566, conducted him on a marathon itinerary round France. Catherine de' Medici & her daughters [14] In October 1529, Charles's troops laid siege to Florence. [96] The death of the heir to the throne in 1584 prompted the Duke of Guise to assume the leadership of the Catholic League. Queen Leeza Princess Henriette, Princess Henriette, Princess Margaret, and Clarissa all died young, leaving Catherine with an illegitimate daughter. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. [26] Catherine quickly conceived again and on 2 April 1545 she bore a daughter, Elisabeth. Diane de Poitiers Piero II de Medici+ b. Catherine's marriage was arranged by her uncle Pope Clement VII. His troops surprised the rebels and killed many of them on the spot, including the commander, La Renaudie. Victoire died just under two months later on 17 August. She travelled widely across the kingdom, enforcing his authority and trying to head off war. As a baby, she was given to Nostradamus' father who tried to remove the mark but only ended up making it worse. 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. 42 Scandalous Facts About Catherine de Medici Medici Huguenot writers branded Catherine a scheming Italian, who had acted on Machiavelli's principles to kill all enemies in one blow. WebDuring this time, Catherine had an affair with Richard, and had a baby girl with him, who became the castle 'ghost', Clarissa. However, three months after his coronation at Wawel Cathedral, Henry abandoned that throne and returned to France in order to become King of France. [48], Charles IX was nine years old at the time of his coronation, during which he cried. 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? At first, Catherine compromised and made concessions to the rebelling Calvinist Protestants, or Huguenots, as they became known. 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Catherines first great political crisis came in July 1559 upon the accidental death of Henry II, a traumatic bereavement from which it is doubtful that she ever recovered. Babelon, Jean-Pierre. She reappeared after a few hours and declared that she would offer her other daughter Margaret in marriage to King Philip. A distinctive new art form, the ballet de cour, emerged from these creative advances. Heritier, 48, has the twins' deaths the other way round. She also met her daughter Elisabeth at Bayonne near the Spanish border, amidst lavish court festivities. "[126] After Henry II's death, Catherine set out to immortalise her husband's memory and to enhance the grandeur of the Valois monarchy through a series of costly building projects. [85] Catherine did all in her power to bring Francis back into the fold. Clarissa Delacroix(1539-1557) was the illegitimate daughter of Queen Catherine de Medici and the French noble Richard Delacroix. Margaret would later write that she trembled whenever she was summoned by her mother. In 1533, at the age of 14, Catherine married Henry, the second son of King Francis I and Queen Claude of France, who would become Dauphin of France upon the death of his elder brother Francis in 1536. It was only after Leo's death in 1521, that his successor, Adrian VI, restored the duchy to its rightful owner, Francesco Maria I della Rovere. However, she was never in a position to control the country as a whole, which was on the brink of civil war. The most famous of Catherines daughters was born on 14 May 1553. She was buried, but she went on to escape from her gravesite. "[94] She was under no illusions, however. Despite her optimism, the resulting Colloquy of Poissy ended in failure on 13 October 1561, dissolving itself without her permission. Their sister Mary of Guise had married James V of Scotland in 1538 and was the mother of Mary, Queen of Scots. It was designed by Francesco Primaticcio (15041570), with sculpture by Germain Pilon (15281590). "[111] Catherine's immediate reaction is not known; but on Christmas Day, she told a friar, "Oh, wretched man! Princess Margaret of Valois, also known as Margot,is the daughter of Catherine de Medici and Henry II. Greg Bryk, an actor, played him. Even so, he respected Catherine's status as his consort. 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]. "[113] He added that she had no sooner died than she was treated with as much consideration as a dead goat. [105] When Catherine tried to go to Mass, she found her way barred, though she was allowed through the barricades. * * *. Suspicions of poison abounded, from Catherine to Emperor Charles V.[24] Sebastiano de Montecuccoli confessed under torture to poisoning the Dauphin.[24]. 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. [31] The surviving daughter, Victoire, died seven weeks later. Margaret, however, became almost as much of a thorn in Catherine's side as Francis, and in 1582, she returned to the French court without her husband. The death of Pope Leo in 1521 briefly interrupted Medici power until Cardinal Giulio de' Medici was elected Pope Clement VII in 1523. WebCatherine de' Medici married Henry, Duke of Orlans, the future Henry II of France, in Marseille on 28 October 1533. The Spanish ambassador told Philip II that the abscess was about to burst.[103]. Henry was carried to the Chteau de Tournelles, where five splinters of wood were extracted from his head, one of which had pierced his eye and brain. She shared the same birthmark as her father, so Catherine had Nostradamus father, a physician, attempt to remove the birthmark from Clarissa. For the next ten days, Henry's state fluctuated. Most of the Orsini men were soldiers, a profession which allowed them to amass huge territories around Rome and Naples. [86], In 1576, in a move that endangered Henry's throne, Francis allied with the Protestant princes against the crown. [53] Guise, who called the massacre "a regrettable accident", was cheered as a hero in the streets of Paris while the Huguenots called for revenge. The League took control of much of northern France to secure French ports for his armada. This probably cooled the relationship between Margaret and her mother considerably. 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. Catherines letters were often filled with advice and instructions. The members of the Flying Squadron were supposedly so beautiful and so good at their jobs that they were known to make men see God, or at least worship Him in a different way. On 25 November 1579, she wrote to the king, "You are on the eve of a general revolt. "[123] Catherine gradually introduced changes to the traditional entertainments: for example, she increased the prominence of dance in the shows that climaxed each series of entertainments. About 1538, at the age of 19, Henry had taken as his mistress the 38-year-old Diane de Poitiers,[27] whom he adored for the rest of his life. [93] On her return to Paris in 1579, she was greeted outside the city by the Parlement and crowds. Charles and Claude had a happy marriage, and their close proximity to the French court meant that they were able to visit Catherine often. 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.
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