Catherine de' Medici: The Life and Times of the Serpent Queen

by Mary Hollingsworth Narrated by Rachel Bavidge

Overview

During an age of heightened religious conflict, Catherine de' Medici lived her life at the center of sixteenth-century European and French politics. Daughter of Lorenzo II, the Medici ruler of Florence-and then wedded to a French prince by papal decree at the age of fourteen-Catherine first became queen consort of France and then mother to three French kings (Francis II, Charles IX, and Henry III) who reigned in an era of almost continuous civil and religious strife.



A lavish promoter of the arts, Catherine patronized poets, painters, and sculptors; lavished ruinous sums on the building and embellishment of monuments and palaces; and masterminded spectacular entertainments and tournaments that prefigure the splendor and ritual of the court of Versailles. Catherine maintained eighty ladies-in-waiting at court; it was rumored she used these women as bait to seduce courtiers for her political ends. Her admiration for the seer Nostradamus fueled claims of her love for the occult and the dark arts. Posterity has condemned her as the epitome of the scheming royal matriarch, her reputation tainted forever by her role in instigating the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre of Protestants in 1572. Catherine de' Medici: The Life and Times of the Serpent Queen is Mary Hollingsworth's evocative, authoritative biography of the most extraordinary woman of the sixteenth-century.

Editorial Reviews

The Literary Review

"A beautifully illustrated and scholarly survey of five centuries of the Medici family.

Country Life

"Drawing on impeccable documentary research [this] is a lively and accessible new account of the House of Medici."

Booklist

This myth-dispelling account delves into primary sources, including Catherine’s letters, to uncover a woman who had blind spots but continually promoted tolerance and compromise. Thanks to her thorough research, Hollingsworth frequently documents Catherine’s whereabouts throughout her life. Hollingsworth separates truth from rumor and lays out facts with the tension of a courtroom drama. An admirable scholarly portrait.

A Book of the Year The Daily Telegraph

"This forensic study of the Renaissance banking dynasty conjures up a world of art, literature, philosophy—and brutality.

Christian Science Monitor

Praise for The Family Medici:

“Vivid and well-researched. Hollingsworth's implication is correct and praiseworthyfithat we should remember the Medici for what they were, not for what they wanted us to think they were.

The Times Literary Supplement

"Likely to become the standard work of reference on the members of the family that dominated Florence.

The Times (London)

"A well-illustrated history of the rise and fall of the House of Medici.

Choice Magazine

"The Medici family dominated political and cultural life in Florence, but the received wisdom—that they were beneficent, enlightened rulers—is challenged by scholar Mary Hollingsworth in this engrossing, fully illustrated account.

Library Journal

06/01/2024

Italian Renaissance scholar Hollingsworth's (Conclave 1559) biography of Catherine de' Medici (1519–89) portrays her as one of the most influential people of her time. She was the queen consort of King Henri II of France and the mother of three kings and two queens, but she too had real power, in an era when most women had little influence. The book indicates, however, that she was perceived to be a vicious and corrupt leader. For example, she plotted the 1572 St. Bartholomew's Day massacre of French Huguenots (Protestants) by Catholics, a civil war that lasted two months and killed thousands. Hollingsworth expertly details Catherine's background and upbringing. Her parents, the duke and duchess of Urbino, died—her mother from a fever, her father from wounds and complications from other diseases—within a month of her birth, so guardians raised her. She and Henry had been married for 14 years when he inherited the crown in 1547, at which point she became queen of France. After Henry's death in 1559, she became an influential regent. This title also chronicles her contributions to the arts and includes bibliographical references and family trees. VERDICT An intriguing, highly recommended look at a powerful queen and her life.—Lucy Heckman

Kirkus Reviews

2024-04-20
Powerful women were a striking feature of 16th-century Europe, and this evocative biography paints a vivid portrait of a prime example.

Hollingsworth, a scholar of the Italian Renaissance and author of The Family Medici and The Borgias, emphasizes that Catherine de’ Medici (1519-1589) was born a significant figure as the only legitimate child of Lorenzo II, ruler of Florence. Her uncle was pope, and other Medicis were cardinals, generals, and political figures in the many duchies, republics, and fiefdoms that made up Italy. The author skillfully keeps track of a huge cast of characters as she describes Catherine’s odyssey. Married to French king Francis I’s second son, Henry II, she left Italy and led a life of royal luxury until the first son and then Francis died; after her husband died, she became queen from 1547 until 1559. With three young sons who eventually succeeded their father, Catherine was thrust into the limelight as regent and remained a formidable presence for the next 30 years. The reformation was well underway in 1559, but within a few years, France descended into a barbaric civil war that lasted until the century’s end. During its course, many French leaders urged toleration between Catholics and Protestants, but leaders who proclaimed that compromise was for weak-willed individuals found a more eager audience. Catherine was a compromiser, hated by extremists on both sides, and in the chaos of the following decades, there was no risk in blaming her for the unspeakable atrocities that occurred regularly. With diversions into her generous patronage of the arts and architecture, Hollingsworth concentrates on dynastic politics and France’s gruesome religious war. Months before the murder of her third son, Henry III, she died. Her son-in-law became king and ultimately ended the war.

A widely vilified queen receives a well-researched, mostly admiring biography.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940192129548
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	08/27/2024
Edition description:	Unabridged