Catherine de' Medici

The Life and Times of the Serpent Queen

Mary Hollingsworth

The life and times of Catherine de’ Medici—the most powerful woman in sixteenth-century Europe—as seen through her often controversial role in religion and the arts.

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 extraordiary woman of the sixteenth-century.

Mary Hollingsworth is a scholar of the Italian Renaissance. She is the author of The Cardinal's Hat; The Borgias: History's Most Notorious Dynasty; and Patronage in Renaissance Italy: From 1400 to the Early Sixteenth Century. She divides her time between Italy and England.

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Endorsements & Reviews

“Catherine de’ Medici serves as a compelling counterpoint to some of the more common disparaging claims against the Gallic ruler. An absorbing narrative about the rise of a determined woman bent on maintaining France’s monarchy, keeping her offspring in power and healing the wounds caused by religious fractures. This book is a treat for fans of well-told history.” The Washington Post

"Catherine built gorgeous palaces and gardens, collected fine paintings and books and works of stone, and commissioned the magnificent Valois Tapestries that now belong to the Uffizi Museum in Florence. She was relentless in diplomacy on behalf of the French crown while also steadfast in her advocacy of religious tolerance. Such becomes clear from Mary Hollingsworth’s Catherine de’ Medici, a granular biography of a woman often maligned as 'the serpent queen.' In her long adult life, Catherine sat at the apex of French power: as queen consort, as regent, as the mother of the last three Valois kings. But her place in history is secured most firmly by her association with the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, an orgy of sectarian butchery that began in Paris in August 1572.” The Wall Street Journal

“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.” Booklist

"Powerful women were a striking feature of 16th-century Europe, and this evocative biography paints a vivid portrait of a prime example. Hollingsworth emphasizes that Catherine de’ Medici (1519-1589) was born a significant figure as the only legitimate child of Lorenzo II, ruler of Florence. The author skillfully keeps track of a huge cast of characters as she describes Catherine’s odyssey. With diversions into her generous patronage of the arts and architecture, Hollingsworth concentrates on dynastic politics and France’s gruesome religious war. A widely vilified queen receives a well-researched, mostly admiring biography.” Kirkus Reviews

Praise for The Family Medici:

“Vivid and well-researched. Hollingsworth's implication is correct and praiseworthy?that we should remember the Medici for what they were, not for what they wanted us to think they were.” Christian Science Monitor

“Hollingsworth’s clear, concise family chronology serves as an excellent introduction or handy reference guide to one of the Renaissance’s most infamous families.” Publishers Weekly (starred)

“A fascinating warts-and-all history of the rise and fall of the Medici. Hollingsworth effectively debunks the myths surrounding this legendary family. A vital acquisition for anyone who studies the Renaissance and seeks the true role of the Medici in the history of Florence.” Kirkus Reviews (starred)

"This forensic study of the Renaissance banking dynasty conjures up a world of art, literature, philosophy—and brutality.” The Daily Telegraph, A Book of the Year

"Likely to become the standard work of reference on the members of the family that dominated Florence.” The Times Literary Supplement

"A beautifully illustrated and scholarly survey of five centuries of the Medici family.” The Literary Review