num_pages: 440
description: 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.
language: English
title: Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France
titlecomplete: Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France
characters: Catherine de Medici, Diane de Poitiers, Henri II of France
genres: France, Historical, History, Italy, European History, Biography Memoir, Biography, 16th Century, Nonfiction, Womens
ratings_count: 7435
publisher: Harper Perennial