Planner
~ Caterina Maria Romula di Lorenzo de' Medici~
~Victoria Walker~
Information
-Born in Florence, 1519
-Became an orphan at a very young age
-Was very highly educated and used
high position to fill her library with rare
manuscripts
-Marriage was arranged in 1533 by her
uncle, the Pope of the time
-Unable to produce children for first ten
years of marriage
-Became Queen Regent for son who
became king of France at age of ten
-Died January 1589 at age of seventy
-Roman Catholic
-major force in French politics
(especially during thirty years of Roman
Catholic-Huguenots wars)
-dominated son (king) in 1563
-Roman Catholic, but when trying to
create balance with religions sometimes
agreed with Huguenots (created policy
of peace between Catholics and
Protestants)
-had three of sons be made kings
-married daughter to King of Spain in
1560 to create connections
-Great interest in architecture shown in
building of new wing of Louvre
Museum, Tuilleries Gardens and
Chateau Monceau
-great patron of the arts, helping
Renaissance flourish
-two of sons inherit throne in their
teens, so real power lies in Catherine
-Became regent with second son,
Charles IX
Topic
Overview of life
Bibliography
Brianne and Jessica.
Renaissance Woman. March 7,
2010. Web. March 7, 2010.
<http://www.yesnet.yk.ca/scho
ols/projects/renaissance/renais
sancewomen.html>.
Accomplishments/
Impact
Brianne and Jessica.
Renaissance Woman. March 7,
2010. Web. March 7, 2010.
<http://www.yesnet.yk.ca/sch
ools/projects/renaissance/ren
aissancewomen.html>.
Power over sons
(kings) as Queen
Regent
“History of France.” History
World. Web. March 7, 2010.
<http://www.historyworld.net
/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.as
-Francis II (first son) married to Mary,
Queen of Scotts, whose mother is
Guise, but Francis died in 1560, taking
power from the Guises
-instigator of the St. Bartholomew's Day
Massacre
-daughter of Florentine ruler Lorenzo
de' Medici (Lorenzo the Magnificent)
-married the duc d'Orléans, who
became king of France in 1547 as Henry
II
-1560 she arranged for her daughter,
Elizabeth of Valois, to become the third
wife of the powerful Roman Catholic
king of Spain, Philip II.
-married other daughter (Margaret of
Valois) to the Protestant king Henry of
Navarre, who later became Henry IV,
king of France.
-“Later in 1572 she found the growing
Huguenot influence over her son
Charles, the French king, frightening;
accordingly, she instigated the plot to
assassinate the Protestant leader
Coligny that led to his death and the
deaths of an estimated 50,000 other
Huguenots in the St. Bartholomew's Day
Massacre (1572).”
-“After the death of Charles in 1574 and
the accession to the throne of her third
son as Henry III, Catherine's power
declined.
-died in Blois, France, on January 5,
1589
-Library containing many valuable
manuscripts was renowned through
Renaissance France
-daughter of Lorenzo, Duke of Urbino
and Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergne
-parents death left her the sole heiress
to all of the possessions and holdings of
the Medici family
-left with no close relations to care for
p?gtrack=pthc&ParagraphID=h
xn#hxn>.
Things she did/
children (marriage)
“Catherine de Medicis.”
Distinguished Woman of Past
and Present. 1995. Web.
March 8, 2010.
<http://www.distinguishedwo
men.com/biographies/medicic.html>.
Life, wedding,
children and
connection with
French people
Case, Brandon and Tait Tricia.
Catherine d' Medici,
Queen of France. April 9, 2003.
Web. March 8, 2010.
<http://departments.kings.edu
/womens_history/cathymedici
her
-father's distant relative, Cardinal Guilio
de' Medici, came to Florence to take
control of the Florentine government
and to care for the young Catherine
-1527 (eight years old) Medici palace of
Florence was attacked by angry mob
-relatives fled, but were ordered to
leave Catherine as a hostage
-after being taken hostage for future,
she was placed in various convents,
enabling her to become one of the best
educated woman of her time
-after Guilio d'Medici (Pople Clement
VII) ended rebellion, she was sent to
Rome to reside with him
-Clement and King Francis I of France
arranged that Catherine was to be
married to second son of the king,
Henry of Orleans
-“Now at age 14, she was described as,
‘small and slender, with fair hair, thin
and not pretty in face, but with the eyes
peculiar to all the Medici’ (Young 393).”
-arrival in France for wedding
preparation was a time of great
celebration
-Catherine wanted a great impression
on Royal Court of France (grand
entrance). She consulted Florentine
artisan who presented her with first
example of modern high-heeled shoe,
which caused quite a stir upon her
arrival in France
-after marriage, she traveled and saw
much of France
-her husband’s father realized how
great a traveling companion she was
-he was probably her only friend in
court
-she was not looked upon highly by the
French people or nobles who called her
“the Italian woman”
-King Francis' eldest son, the Dauphin
.html>.
Francis, died in 1536, leaving Henry of
Orleans as the heir to the French throne
-caused commotion because French did
not want an Italian woman to be their
queen (hoped for her to do something
wrong and not be put on the throne)
-between the years 1543 and 1555
Catherine had ten children, three of
which died in infancy
-1547, Catherine's beloved father in
law, Francis I died
-Although Catherine loved her husband
deeply, he was much more in live with
his mistress, Diane de Poitiers
-Diane had almost complete control
over weak-minded Henry
-this relationship deeply bothered
Catherine, but she did not cause a stir
and kept her feelings to herself
-1559 King Henry died accidentally in a
joust and son Francis II became king
-Francis (weak-minded like father) only
ruled for 17 months until his death in
1560 when his younger brother Charles
IX became king at age ten
-with him Catherine became Queen
Regent of France until his death
-she was also Regent for third son,
Henry III
-overcame obstacles, upheld power of
monarchy and protected claims of the
Valois dynasty
-Catherine wears shoes with two-inch
heels to her wedding
-High heel may have been invented by
Leonardo de Vinci
-important part in 16th century France
-seemed happy in role of mother
-nobility attempted to grasp power in
Catherine’s first son’ rule; an attempt
which she stopped
-she succeeded in ousting powerful
Guise family from court
High heeled shoes
“History of High Heels.” March
8, 2010. Web. March 8, 2010.
<http://users.powernet.co.uk/
wingett/History1.htm>.
“Catherine de Medici.”
Ask.com. March 8, 2010. Web.
March 8, 2010.
<http://www.historylearningsi
te.co.uk/catherine_de_medici.
htm>.
-Guise family could use fact that 90% of
France was Catholic to their advantage
-“By removing the Duke of Guise from
court, Catherine had made a powerful
enemy who could play on defending the
nation's faith as a away to gain support
from the people. He could also try to
get aid from Catholic countries such as
Spain, Bavaria and the Papal States. The
removal of the Guise family from court
was a huge blow to their prestige in
France, and the family's humiliation was
made worse by the fact that their
removal had been done by a woman. In
a society where women were seen as
being subservient to men, this was a
painful blow to the family.”
-put interest in children above all else
-tried to create religious compromise
-“Would a victorious Guise family
tolerate a woman who appointed a
Huguenot as Lieutenant-General of
France?”
-
Bibliography
Brianne and Jessica. Renaissance Woman. March 7, 2010. Web. March 7, 2010.
<http://www.yesnet.yk.ca/schools/projects/renaissance/renaissancewomen.html>.
Case, Brandon and Tait Tricia. Catherine d' Medici,
Queen of France. April 9, 2003. Web. March 8, 2010.
<http://departments.kings.edu/womens_history/cathymedici.html>.
“Catherine de Medicis.” Distinguished Woman of Past and Present. 1995. Web. March 8, 2010.
<http://www.distinguishedwomen.com/biographies/medici-c.html>.
“History of France.” History World. Web. March 7, 2010.
<http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?gtrack=pthc&ParagraphID=hxn#
hxn>.
King Henry II of
France
Other Person
Friend, enemy, sibling,
family…
Connection…
How does my
person know this
person?
Catherine and Henry were husband and
wife. She was ignored and unappreciated by
him for most of their marriage which lasted
from when they were fourteen until his
death. He never allowed her all the proper
political rights of a queen. Despite his
nonchalance for her, Catherine was
supposedly deeply in love with her husband.
Catherine di’
Medici
Connection…
Diane was the favorite mistress and one of
the largest influences of King Henry the