Scandalous Facts About Catherine De Medici, The Deadly Queen Mother Of France
From her untimely birth, “security” was perhaps a foreign concept to Catherine de Medici. She went from a prisoner of war in Italy to a fertility-challenged princess of France—but nothing was going to keep this ruthless manipulator from the power she craved. Catherine fought and clawed her way to the highest echelon of European society, no matter who or what stood in her way. Read on for scandalous facts about Catherine de Medici, the deadly Queen Mother of France.
Catherine de Medici Facts
1. The Orphaned Duchessia
Within a month of her birth, illness killed both of Catherine’s parents. For the rest of her childhood, the vulnerable Medici heiress would be shuffled between relatives and convents to protect her from the family’s enemies in an increasingly volatile Italy.
2. More Deaths in the Family
Catherine de Medici never knew a stable childhood. After her parents died, her grandmother, Alfonsina Orsini, took custody of her, but more tragedy was on the horizon. Alfonsina died just a year later, and Catherine was sent off again. She jumped around from family member to family member for the first years of her life, but by 1523, everything was about to change…
3. Uncle Pope to the Rescue...For Now
Catherine’s fortunes shifted when her uncle Giulio de Medici became Pope Clement VII. Clement brought his young niece to live in an extravagant palace in Florence, where the people took to fondly calling her “The Little Dutchess". It seemed as though Catherine had finally found peace—but it was all about to be ripped away.
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