Catherine de'Medici

Wife of one French king and mother of three others (Francis II, Charles IX and Henry III), Catherine de'Medici was, as Regent and Queen Mother, a key figure in French politics for 30 years. This text studies her historical influence.

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Catherine de' Medici (1518-89) is one of the most controversial of all historical figures. Wife of one French King and mother of three others she was a key figure Renaissance France and ineradicably associated with the St Bartholomew Massacre. Professor Knecht goes behind the familiar Black Legend to assess the real Catherine and reveals a more sympathetic figure than most of her contemporaries. This study - the first recent biography of her in English - by a leading scholar, is a major event.