[67] "We have come to the determination to die, all of us", Jeanne wrote to Catherine, "rather than abandon our God, and our religion. Catherine saw little of her husband in their first year of marriage, but the ladies of the court, impressed with her intelligence and keenness to please, treated her well. Margaret outlived her former husband, her mother, her father and all her siblings. Catherine was overjoyed at the match, but her joy was overshadowed by the death of her husband. The Protestants looked for leadership first to Antoine de Bourbon, King of Navarre, the First Prince of the Blood, and then, with more success, to his brother, Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Cond, who backed a plot to overthrow the Guises by force. Most of the Orsini men were soldiers, a profession which allowed them to amass huge territories around Rome and Naples. 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". Over the years, Catherine gave birth to ten children of which five were daughters. Catherines daughters Elisabeth and Claude bore children who lived into adulthood, including King Charles IX of France, Prince Louis, and Prince Henri of France. After Franciss death, Catherine wrote to her daughter, Ma fille (my daughter) mamie (my friend), commend yourself to God, for you have seen me as happy as you are now, never knowing any sorrow but that I was not loved as much as I wished to be by the King your father, who honoured me more than I deserved, but I loved him so much that I was always in fear, as you know; and God has taken him from me and, not content with that, has deprived me of your brother.. "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. Catherine de Medici was born in Florence, Italy, on April 13, 1519. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Catherine-de-Medici, World History Encyclopedia - Catherine de' Medici, History Learning Site - Biography of Catherine de Medici, Lorenzo di Piero de Medici, duca di Urbino. [129] Poets lauded her as the new Artemisia, after Artemisia II of Caria, who built the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus as a tomb for her dead husband. Catherine would later be referred to contemptuously in France as the shopkeepers daughter. He depended on Catherine and her team of secretaries until the last few weeks of her life. The Guise brothers set about persecuting the Protestants with zeal. 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". Ronsard may be referring to Artemisia, who drank the ashes of her dead husband, which became part of her own body. "[83], Henry was Catherine's favourite son. When King Francis I died on 31 March 1547, Catherine became queen consort of France. He will not be spoken of again. [119] After Catherine's death, a decline in the quality of French portraiture set in. 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[14] In October 1529, Charles's troops laid siege to Florence. Monsieur de Guise is dead. Nevertheless, popular culture frequently attributes Italian culinary influence and forks in France to Catherine. It was designed by Francesco Primaticcio (15041570), with sculpture by Germain Pilon (15281590). [49], She summoned church leaders from both sides to attempt to solve their doctrinal differences. The fourteen-year-old couple left their wedding ball at midnight to perform their nuptial duties. Charles had been largely brought up at the French Court and Claude probably knew him well. She was born with her father's birthmark on Margaret, however, was secretly involved with Henry of Guise, the son of the late Duke of Guise. [55] The royal army struck back quickly and laid siege to Huguenot-held Rouen. He defeated the dukes of Guise and Nemours, but the young Gabriel, comte de Montgomery, knocked him half out of the saddle. 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. [115], Catherine believed in the humanist ideal of the learned Renaissance prince whose authority depended on letters as well as arms. Key Accomplishments: A powerful force during the reigns of three successive kings, Catherine played a major role in 16th-century politics. In 1585, Margaret abandoned her husband and was even imprisoned. I have had him killed. For the first ten years of the marriage, the royal couple failed to produce any children together. Huguenot writers branded Catherine a scheming Italian, who had acted on Machiavelli's principles to kill all enemies in one blow. Her merciful Edict of Amboise (March 1560) was followed in May by that of Romorantin, which distinguished heresy from sedition, thereby detaching faith from allegiance. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. [121] In the last two decades of her life, only two painters stand out as recognisable personalities: Jean Cousin the Younger (c.1522 c.1594), few of whose works survive, and Antoine Caron (c.1521 1599), who became Catherine's official painter after working at Fontainebleau under Primaticcio. She is portrayed by Rebecca Liddiard. 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. WebCatherine de' Medici married Henry, Duke of Orlans, the future Henry II of France, in Marseille on 28 October 1533. As Guise entered the king's chamber, the Forty-five plunged their blades into his body, and he died at the foot of the king's bed. Both of her parents died within weeks of her birth, leaving her an orphan. He planned to block Henry of Navarre's succession and place Henry's Catholic uncle Cardinal Charles de Bourbon on the throne instead. "[79] Historians have suggested that Catherine and her advisers expected a Huguenot uprising to avenge the attack on Coligny. Francis II became king at the age of fifteen. It is essential to understand this in order to discern the coherence of her career. This is the sixth, and it will focus on her relationships with her daughters. She died on January 5th, 1589 in Blois France. Babelon, Jean-Pierre. Catherine visited the deathbed of Antoine de Bourbon, King of Navarre, after he was fatally wounded by an arquebus shot. [34] Their proxy wedding, in Paris on 22 June 1559, was celebrated with festivities, balls, masques, and five days of jousting. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Catherine succeeded in obtaining the regency for Charles IX, with Antoine de Bourbon, king of Navarre and first prince of the blood, as lieutenant general, to whom the Protestants vainly looked for leadership. Born Giulio de' Medici, Catherine's uncle took the name Clement VII upon becoming pope in 1523. [93] On her return to Paris in 1579, she was greeted outside the city by the Parlement and crowds. She was crowned in the Basilica of Saint-Denis on 10 June 1549. Sutherland, Yet on 22 December 1588, Guise spent the night with his current mistress. 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Piero II de Medici+ b. Catherine's marriage was arranged by her uncle Pope Clement VII. She was not strictly entitled to a role in Francis's government, because he was deemed old enough to rule for himself. She was born at the royal Chteau de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, where she spent her childhood alongside her sisters, the princesses Elisabeth and Claude. Frieda 2003, p. 48 (NY edition): "J'ai reu la fille toute nue." [19] Clement visited the newlyweds in bed the next morning and added his blessings to the night's proceedings. Catherine travelled to Chtellerault where she bid farewell to her 13-year-old daughter. [141] This may be particularly true for Catherine as an Italian woman ruling in France; several historians argue that she was disliked by her French subjects, who labelled her "the Italian woman". On 24 June 1556, Catherine gave birth to twin daughters Joan and Victoire. [26] Catherine quickly conceived again and on 2 April 1545 she bore a daughter, Elisabeth. Simply click 'close' in the top right corner to continue reading! Copyright 2023 | MH Magazine WordPress Theme by MH Themes. 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. Her relationship with her mother never did improve it was as if Catherine resented Margaret for being the healthiest child. 15 Feb 1471, d. 28 Dec 1503. "[100], Henry was unable to fight the Catholics and the Protestants at once, both of whom had stronger armies than his own. Artistic, energetic, and extraverted, as well as discreet, courageous, and gay, Catherine was greatly esteemed at the dazzling court of Francis I, from which she derived both her political attitudes and her passion for building. "[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. 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. The regency was traditionally the preserve of the princes of the blood. [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. [127] These included work on the Chteau de Montceaux, Chteau de Saint-Maur, and Chenonceau. After Charles died in 1574, Catherine played a key role in the reign of her third son, Henry III. She shared the same birthmark as her father, so Catherine had Nostradamus father, a physician, attempt to remove the birthmark from Clarissa. [4] Catherine decided to launch a drive to enforce the Edict of Amboise and revive loyalty to the crown. They were usually dedicated to the ideal of peace in the realm and based on mythological themes. Rumours of Henry's inability to produce children were by that time in wide circulation. The last two daughters were twins; one of the twins, Joan, died during the delivery and the other, Victoire, died a few weeks later. Some historians have excused Catherine from blame for the worst decisions of the crown, but evidence for her ruthlessness can be found in her letters. At the age of five and a half, Mary was brought to the French court, where she was promised to the Dauphin, Francis. At times he even felt well enough to dictate letters and listen to music. [45] Neither saw the need to punish Protestants who worshipped in private and did not take up arms. [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. [10], Catherine was first cared for by her paternal grandmother, Alfonsina Orsini. 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. 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. Many historians have blamed Catherine for the attack on Coligny. Three of her sons became kings of France, while two of her daughters married kings and one married a duke. Seeing as they didn't know the other existed for the first 18 - to 20 years of their lives. The legend that de' Medici introduced a long list of foods, techniques and utensils from Italy to France is discredited by food historians. As dauphine, Catherine was expected to provide a future heir to the throne. He called her not only the mother of the king but the mother of the state. [89] Catherine wrote, the next day: "I am so wretched to live long enough to see so many people die before me, although I realize that God's will must be obeyed, that He owns everything, and that He lends us only for as long as He likes the children whom He gives us. However, Catherine's ability to bear children failed to improve her marriage. WebCatherine's mother died when she was two-weeks-old and her father soon afterwards. However, he denied ever providing such advice. They finally married on 18 August, but Margaret persisted until the end, she offered no resistance, she gave no assent. Her head was pushed down by her brother as if she were nodding yes and so she became the Queen of Navarre. However, the death of her uncle Clement on 25 September 1534 undermined Catherine's standing in the French court. For the next thirty years, France found itself in a state of either civil war or armed truce.[54]. 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. Her marriage to Henry would remain childless. Catherine was born in Florence to Lorenzo de' Medici, Duke of Urbino, and Madeleine de La Tour d'Auvergne. He often hid from state affairs, immersing himself in acts of piety, such as pilgrimages and flagellation. Historica Wiki is a FANDOM Games Community. She was educated by nuns in Florence and in Rome. Also Known As : Caterina Maria Romola di Lorenzo de Medici. "[113] He added that she had no sooner died than she was treated with as much consideration as a dead goat. She retreated to her property at Agen and begged her mother for money. Catherine now rallied both Huguenot and Catholic forces to retake Le Havre from the English. [38] The English ambassador reported a few days later that "the house of Guise ruleth and doth all about the French king". [104] Philip II of Spain prepared for an invasion of England. At first, Catherine compromised and made concessions to the rebelling Calvinist Protestants, or Huguenots, as they became known. [41] When the Guises heard of the plot,[42] they moved the court to the fortified Chteau of Amboise. His interest in the tasks of government, however, proved fitful. The most famous of Catherines daughters was born on 14 May 1553. WebClarice di Piero de' Medici (14891528) [1] was the daughter of Piero di Lorenzo de' Medici and Alfonsina Orsini . At the same moment, eight members of the Guise family were rounded up, including the Duke of Guise's brother, Louis II, Cardinal of Guise, who Henry's men hacked to death the next day in the palace dungeons. Nevertheless, she was devastated at Elisabeths loss. She died on 27 March 1615.2. Knecht, 272. Then he set about the business of finding her a husband.[16]. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription. When Jeanne arrived in Paris to buy clothes for the wedding, she was taken ill and died on 9 June 1572, aged forty-three. Clarissa educated Catherine, along with her own children, and Catherine was happy in her new atmosphere living with her aunt. In 1570, Charles IX married Elisabeth of Austria, daughter of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor.