The Confessions of Catherine de Medici

Name: The Confessions of Catherine de Medici
Rating: 4.4 (1656 reviews)

by C. W. Gortner

First published 2010

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4.4(1,656)

Catherine de' Medici remembers an orphaned childhood in Florence, captivity during political revolt and an arranged marriage to the future Henry II of France. Marginalised by Henry’s devotion to Diane de Poitiers, she becomes indispensable after his death as the mother and adviser of successive Valois kings. Religious conflict between Catholics and Huguenots forces Catherine into negotiation, regency and increasingly desperate efforts to preserve the monarchy. The narrative follows the French Wars of Religion through court faction, the St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre and the collapse of her dynasty, reconsidering the reputation of a ruler long portrayed simply as a poisoner and schemer.

Historical Periods

Early Modern France1498–1789 CE St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre1572 CE

Genres

Biographical Fiction Court & Political Fiction Dynastic & Royal Fiction Historical Sagas

Historical people

Mary, Queen of Scots1542–1587 Henry II of France1519–1559 Catherine de’ Medici1519–1589 Francis II of France1544–1560 Diane de Poitiers1499–1566 Henry III of France1551–1589