Women of Controversy: Catherine de’ Medici

Catherine de’ Medici (1519-1589) ruled France for decades, whether through her husband or her sons. Her attempts to create peace during the French wars of religion were futile– and, ultimately, undercut by her own reputation as the “Serpent Queen” and the possible conspirator behind the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre.

For Further Reading:

• Catherine de’ Medici: Renaissance Queen of France by Leonie Frieda

• The Many Myths of Catherine de’ Medici
• Queens of Infamy: The Reign of Catherine de’ Medici

This month we're talking about women who found themselves at the center of controversy -- whether deserved or not.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hello from Wonder Media Network. I'm Jenny Kaplan, and this
is Wamanica. This month, we're talking about women who found
themselves at the center of controversy, whether deserved or not.
On the morning of August twenty fourth, fifteen seventy two,
blood ran in the streets of Paris, a few nights
prior a long awaited wedding ceremony between two families, the

(00:23):
Protestant House of Navarre and Catholic Balois, began with nuptials
and devolved into all out bloodshed. The violence continued in
the city and in the countryside. It would be dayed
before anyone could begin to count the dead. In the aftermath,
all eyes turned to a woman dressed all in black.

(00:45):
For centuries to come, historians would debate whether she was
the instigator of this massacre. She was the serpent Queen
Catherine de Medici. Catherine would eventually reign over France for decades,
but she was born on April thirteenth, fifteen nineteen, in Florence.
Her father was the Duke of Orbino, and her mother

(01:07):
was a distant cousin of the King of France. While
her birthright might sound very noble, Catherine herself didn't have
any royal blood. She was a Medici, part of the
powerful Italian banking family, but even that claim to power
quickly vanished. Within a month of her birth, Catherine was orphaned.

(01:28):
Before she was ten years old. Rebels ousted the Medicies
from power and took Catherine captive in a convent. She
grew up under the watchful eye of the nuns there
until in fifteen thirty the rebels surrendered and the Mediceese
returned to power. Still, Catherine was an orphan with no
claim to power. While she had one recourse, her uncle

(01:49):
was the Pope. That connection came in handy when the
Pope arranged fourteen year old Catherine's marriage to fourteen year
old Henri, Duke of Orleans of the French king. Now
Catherine had a stable royal connection to the Valois lineage,
but her marriage was just about the only thing keeping
her afloat. Soon after her wedding, her uncle, the Pope, died,

(02:14):
which undercut Catherine's own importance as a strategic match. Then,
just a year into their marriage, Henries started up what
would become a lifelong affair with an influential noble woman.
To top it all off, Catherine wasn't exactly well off
in society. She was a foreigner, a medici in a
court of French royals, and a woman in a hierarchy

(02:35):
where wives held power through their husbands and sons. For
a decade, she and Henri went without a child, and
Catherine bore the brunt of anxieties and gossip over the
future of the Valois dynasty. Finally, in fifteen forty four,
Catherine gave birth to their first son, Francis the second.

(02:55):
Catherine would eventually have ten children, seven of whom lived
to adulthood. She dedicated herself to their education until in
fifteen forty seven her father in law, the King of France, died,
and Catherine added being Queen of France to her daily duties.
The main conflicts in Europe during Henry and Catherine's reign
were a series of religious wars. Protestant sects continued popping

(03:18):
up across France, which posed a threat to the rule
in Catholics. The most significant of these Protestant groups was
called the Huguenots. Henry's reign, though, was short. In fifteen
fifty nine, while taking part in a celebratory jousting ceremony,
an opponent's lance shattered against his helmet. He died of
his wounds, leaving the throne to his oldest son, Francis,

(03:40):
who was married to Mary, Queen of Scots. But Francis
and Mary were teenagers, and Mary's uncles, the more extreme
Catholics from the House of Geese, intended to usurp the
young king's reign for their own agenda. Catherine wasn't going
to let go so easily. She stepped in. Tapping into
her role as go grieving widow and Francis's concerned mother,

(04:03):
Catherine tempered the Gheese brothers more extreme anti Protestant edicts.
She attempted to keep relative peace, though she didn't always succeed.
Less than a year after coming to power, Francis died
of an ear infection. Again, Catherine had to fend off
other family members vying for the throne. She eventually convinced
them they'd be at greater risk with one of their

(04:24):
own wearing the crown instead. Catherine's son, Charles the Ninth,
came to power. Charles was just ten years old. Catherine
acted as his regent and therefore essentially as the ruler
of France. This reign was rife with more religious wars.
The tempers that brewed under Henri's reign and were stoked

(04:45):
under Francis's came to a head. Between fifteen sixty two
and fifteen ninety eight, France saw a series of eight
civil wars, collectively called the French Wars of Religion. Catherine
ended most of the conflicts with uneasy peace agreements, only
to find another civil war brewing elsewhere in the country.
Catherine's main goal was to create stability, usually through exercising

(05:08):
religious tolerance towards Protestants. In fifteen seventy two, Catherine attempted
reconciliation in the tried and true manner of European monarch marriage.
She arranged for her daughter Marguerite to marry Henry of Navarre,
a Protestant. Not only did the marriage fail to bring
an end to the civil wars, it led to a massacre.

(05:30):
During celebrations in Paris, a Huguenot leader was murdered. From
that point on, it was carnage for the hundreds of
Protestants who gathered for the wedding. It would become known
as the Saint Bartholomew's Day massacre. Thousands died in the
following weeks as the conflict rippled out to the countryside.
To this day, there's no direct evidence to tie Catherine

(05:51):
to the massacre. Certainly Catherine and her Ghee's allies stood
to gain from such an attack on Protestants. Whether or
not Catherine actually instigated the convent, rumors flew. There were
also accusations of witchcraft and killing a Protestant noble woman
from Afar with a pair of poisoned gloves for good measure.
Catherine continued to watch over the wars of religion for

(06:13):
the rest of her life. She stayed on as regent
when Charles died at the age of twenty three and
her third son, Henry, took the throne. Catherine continued to
advocate for resolution, but her efforts were futile. Before she died,
she saw Henry orchestrate the assassination of Gee's leaders. Catherine
died in fifteen ninety eight at the age of sixty nine.

(06:35):
Henry was assassinated a few months later. With his death
came the end of the Valoa dynasty on the French throne.
All month we're talking about women of controversy for more information.
Find us on Facebook and Instagram at Wamanica Podcast special
thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co creator.
As always, will be taking a break for the weekend.

(06:56):
Talk to you on Monday.