Catherine Maria Romola di Lorenzo de Medici (born April 13, 1519 - d. January 5, 1589) Queen of France from 1547 to 1559.
For four centuries, her name has excited the imagination of historians, who endow her with various vices and at the same time mourn her tragic fate. For three decades, she single-handedly kept the ship of the French state, sinking in the ocean of turmoil, afloat and died without knowing that the ship had run aground: the dynasty ended, her children died childless, endless conflicts shook the power …
She always believed in fate, and at the same time, she believed that it was possible to turn her course. Her whole life was a continuous series of accidents, where the gifts of fortune alternated with the poisoned apples of failure. And yet she remains in history as one of the most famous rulers, as an unusually strong queen - and as a remarkably unhappy woman. Catherine de 'Medici was born in Florence: her parents were the Duke of Urbino Lorenzo II and the young Madeleine de la Tour, Countess of Auvergne.
Catherine's childhood
In the newborn, the wealth, connections and luck of the Medici banking family were intertwined with the blue blood and influence of the de la Tour d'Auvergne family, the sovereign rulers of Auvergne. It seemed that fate incredibly favored young Catherine - but her mother died when the child was only two weeks old, and his father, who was seriously ill even before her birth, died a few days later. Catherine, who inherited the Duchy of Urbino, immediately became an important figure in political games: the king of France, the Pope and many other influential men fought for influence on her, the last branch of the noble family: the duchy was too rich, Florence was too rebellious, she was too famous the Medici family.
The girl was taken care of at first by the grandmother of Alfonsina Orsini, and when she died, her aunt Clarissa Strozzi, who raised her niece along with her children and two more Medici - Alessandro, the illegitimate son of Lorenzo, and Ippolit, the son of Giuliano Medici.
It was assumed that Hippolytus would marry Catherine and would rule the Duchy of Urbino, but Florence rebelled and expelled all Medicis from the city - except for 8-year-old Catherine, who was probably simply forgotten at first. She turned out to be a hostage: she was locked in the monastery of St. Lucia, and then she spent 2 years in various monasteries in the position of an honorary captive - however, the nun sisters spoiled Catherine as best they could, "a pretty girl with very graceful manners, who aroused universal love," as it is written in the monastery chronicle.
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When Catherine was 10, Florence was besieged by the troops of Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor. Plague and famine broke out in the city, in which they rushed to blame the Medici - the historical "scapegoats" for Florence. They even wanted to hang young Catherine on the walls of the city - so that the besiegers, her relatives, would have the pleasure of killing her themselves or giving her to the soldiers to be torn apart. Only the speedy surrender of the city saved Catherine - she was taken under his wing by her uncle Giulio Medici, who is also Pope Clement VII.
The girl began to live in Rome, in the luxurious Medici palace, famous for its rich decoration of multi-colored marble, an excellent library and a magnificent collection of paintings and statues. This time was the happiest in the girl's life: in the end she was safe, surrounded by love and luxury.
While she was studying ancient tomes in the Medici library or admiring the amazing architecture of Rome, her uncle was concerned about how to arrange the future of her niece more profitably: although the Medici could not boast of the noble blue blood of true aristocrats, they were very rich and influential in order for the young Catherine became one of the most desirable brides in Europe. And although the Duchy of Urbino went to Alessandro, Catherine's dowry was huge: it consisted of 130,000 ducats and vast estates, including Pisa, Livorno and Parma.
And Catherine herself, although she was not considered a beauty, was still quite attractive: thick auburn hair, a chiseled face with large expressive eyes, in which an extraordinary mind shone, a beautiful slender body - however, for those times she was considered too thin and short … Her hand was sought, for example, by the Prince of Orange and the Scottish King James V. But of all the applicants, Clement VII gave preference to Henry de Valois, Duke of Orleans - the second son of King Francis I of France. Catherine was only 14 when she was betrothed to a French prince.
The marriage of Catherine de Medici
The wedding took place in Marseille on October 28, 1533: after a magnificent celebration, which was attended by all the highest clergy of Europe and half of the most noble aristocrats, the 14-year-old newlyweds went to their chambers in order to perform the ceremony of the first wedding night. They say that the next morning, Catherine was already head over heels in love with her husband: this love, though darkened by many insults, she will carry through her whole life.
After 34 days of constant festivities, the young eventually went to Paris. For the first time in Catherine's retinue, a professional chef arrived in France, who amazed the spoiled courtyard with his exquisite and unusual dishes, a perfumer (and at the same time, as they said, a poison-maker), as well as an astrologer, a tailor and many servants. Catherine was able to amaze the Parisians: her beautiful legs were shod in the amazing work of high-heeled shoes, and luxurious jewelry could outshine the sun. Francis I, fascinated by an intelligent and well-read daughter-in-law, from the very first days took her under his protection.
But a year later, Pope Clement died, and his successor Paul III refused to pay Catherine's dowry, and also broke off all relations with France. Catherine instantly lost all her value: King Francis in a letter complained that "the girl came to me completely naked." The court, which until recently favored the young princess, turned its back on her: they began to call her "Italian" and "merchant's wife" and ridicule her for her secular inexperience and bad French.
In those days, the French court was a place where sophistication of taste, nobility of manners, poetic games and refined conversations were valued, and Catherine could not boast of either a brilliant education or secular education and felt like a stranger at court. In addition, her beloved husband fell in love with another: as if in a mockery of the young duchess, Henry's chosen one was the beautiful widow Diane de Poitiers, almost 20 years older than him. Diana immediately gained such a strong influence on Henry that he practically forgot about his lawful wife.
Meanwhile, in 1536, the heir to the throne, Dauphin Francis, suddenly died: hot after playing with a ball, he drank ice water and a few days later died of a cold. Even then, there were rumors that the Dauphin was poisoned, and Catherine was called the culprit, for whom his death, of course, was very beneficial - but these assumptions were rejected even by King Francis himself, who still favored his daughter-in-law.
Birth of children
And now she faced the main problem: it was necessary to give France an heir. For more than 10 years, Catherine tried to get pregnant: she used all possible means - from cow dung on her stomach to the help of astrologers. To this day, it is unclear what exactly helped her - most often they write that Henry had some kind of physical disability and was forced to either have an operation or make love to his wife in a strictly defined position. The famous Michel Nostradamus, a doctor and diviner, is also often mentioned: as if it was his art that finally helped Catherine get pregnant.
Henry II and Diane de Poitiers
Be that as it may, on January 20, 1544, Catherine gave birth to a son, baptized in honor of her grandfather Francis - they say that he even shed a tear when he found out about this. Over time, she gave birth to nine more children, of which 7 survived: 4 sons and 3 daughters. After the last birth - two girls were born, one of whom died in the womb, and the second did not live a week - Catherine was advised not to have any more children. It would seem that Catherine reliably provided the dynasty with heirs; but time has shown that this was not at all the case.
Savor. Intrigue
Abandoned by her husband, Catherine was consoled by the fact that she had gathered the brightest talents at her court: she patronized artists and poets, collected books and art objects, not only honing her education, but also increasing the prestige of the French court in the face of Europe, and also taking care of her reputation. Soon it became known to everyone that Catherine is one of the most intelligent, understanding and sophisticated women in the world. Everyone except her own husband, who still loved only Diana.
It is believed that it was to Catherine that the French owe the haute cuisine that developed at court under the influence of her Italian chefs. She also invented the ladies' saddle - before her, women rode horseback, sitting on a kind of bench, which was rather uncomfortable. Catherine, on the other hand, introduced pantaloons into fashion, which made it possible not only to ride, but also to hide behind colds and dirt. In addition, France owes her ballet, tight corsets and acquaintance with the book of the Italian Machiavelli, whose faithful student Catherine was throughout her life.
Intrigues, which at first were only a means to escape from boredom, eventually became a way of life for Catherine. They say that she organized a whole spy network, it included beautiful maids of honor, whom Catherine planted the right men, nosy scouts and skilled poison makers. Cold, calculating, hypocritical and power-hungry Catherine for the time being hid herself - but she believed that someday her hour would come.
Queen without a kingdom
During the celebrations of the 28th birthday of the Dauphin Henry, his father, King Francis, passed away suddenly, and Henry inherited the crown. However, Diana de Poitiers rather than Catherine de 'Medici became queen: the favorite of the new king received not only all the lands and jewels of her predecessor, the mistress of Francis Duchess d'Etampe, but also the right to receive some taxes, as well as the Chenonceau castle and the title of Duchess de Valentinois … Diana seized all power in the kingdom: Henry did not make a single decision without her knowledge and approval.
Catherine could only come to terms. Stepping on the throat of her own pride, she not only did not interfere in the heart affairs of her husband - she even made friends with Diana, who sometimes deigned to "lend" the queen to her lawful husband. Only once did Catherine dare to express to Diana her true attitude towards her. She was reading a book, and the favorite asked what exactly Her Majesty was reading. “I read the history of France and find undeniable evidence that in this country harlots have always ruled the affairs of kings,” the queen replied.
This behavior, unexpectedly for everyone, earned her considerable respect from her husband: having ceased to see an unwanted burden in his wife, he, in the end, was able to see in Catherine a considerable mind and state talent. And even entrusted her with the country during his absence - while her husband was at war with the German emperor, Catherine de Medici ruled France with unexpected force and tact for everyone.
Death of the king
Henry's constant wars bore fruit: in April 1558, peace was concluded in Cato Cambresi between France and England and France and Spain: the long Italian wars were finally over. As a pledge of the future peace, the Duke of Savoy, Emmanuel Philibert, was married to Margaret, Henry's sister, and the Spanish king Philip II was to marry his eldest daughter Elizabeth. In honor of the conclusion of peace, at the suggestion of Diana de Poitiers, a knightly tournament was organized, at which, by an absurd accident, King Henry received a serious wound: during a duel with Gabriel Montgomery, a fragment of the enemy's spear entered the king's eye and pierced the brain. After 10 days, he died in the arms of Catherine, never saying goodbye to his beloved Diana.
Heinrich was still alive when Catherine told Diana to leave the courtyard, having given all the jewelry that Heinrich had given her before. Diana retired to her castle Ane, where she died quietly after 7 years. They say she retained her beauty until the last days …
The widowed Catherine was heartbroken. As a sign of sorrow, she chose as her emblem the image of a broken spear with the inscription Lacrymae hinc, hinc dolor ("From this my tears and my pain"). Until the end of her days, she did not take off her black mourning clothes: it is believed that Catherine was the first to make black the color of mourning - before, mourning clothes were white. Until her death, Catherine mourned her husband, who was her only man and only love.
Board history
15-year-old Francis became the king of France: a sickly and lethargic young man took little interest in state affairs, Catherine was engaged in them. But she had a chance to share power with the dukes of Guise: Francis was married to Mary Stuart, the daughter of their sister Maria de Guise, and those who owned Lorraine of Giza were one of the most influential families in the state. They were opposed by the Bourbons who ruled Navarre: the rivalry was aggravated by the fact that the Giza remained faithful to Catholicism, while the Bourbons were Protestants: the teachings of Martin Luther spread like fire across Europe, threatening schism and wars.
Supporters of both parties spread many ominous rumors about Catherine: perhaps, with their light hand, she is still being haunted by accusations of all the unexpected deaths, of which there were many among her loved ones. However, it may be that these rumors were true - Catherine, who had tasted power, with no one else and never wanted to share it.
1560 - Francis died suddenly: an abscess in the brain was officially named as the cause of his death, which happened due to an abscess in the ear, but Catherine did not fail to blame his young wife, the Scottish Queen Mary Stuart, for the death of her son: as if she was so eager for bed pleasures that completely deprived the king of his strength. Mary had a chance to immediately leave France, and 10-year-old Charles IX ascended the throne.
Karl, very similar to his father both externally and in character, adored his mother: he listened to her in everything, he already at the coronation publicly announced to Catherine that “she would always be by his side and retain the right to rule, as it was until now”. And Catherine ruled almost completely. She found the soft and obedient Elizabeth of Austria as a wife to her son - the daughter-in-law was good to everyone, except for one thing: she never had a son.
Catholics and Huguenots
But Catherine de Medici was not very upset: she gave birth to enough children to ensure continuity. She was much more worried about the growing religious strife between Catholics and Huguenots: for the time being, she skillfully maneuvered between the two camps, giving no preference to anyone and maintaining a balance of power. Although she grew up under the papal throne, she was not very worried about the issues of faith: she sincerely considered religious disputes only an echo of political differences, which can be reconciled with intelligence and tact.
Finally, Catherine took a decisive step: she promised her daughter Margaret to wife Henry, the king of Navarre and the leader of the Huguenots. She hoped by this to weaken the Gizov party, which had too much power, but over time, her plans changed.
The Huguenots raised one revolt after another, and the Catholics immediately responded to each with massacres and pogroms. At the same time, King Charles more and more fell under the influence of Admiral Coligny - the actual head of the Huguenot party. Tom even managed to persuade Charles to unite with England and declare war on Spain - which Catherine could not allow. She convinced her son that Coligny had plotted against him: the only salvation is to kill Coligny and his Huguenot supporters. They say that King Charles, crushed by her arguments, exclaimed: "In the name of the Lord, kill them all!"
St. Bartholomew's night
On the night of August 24, 1572, the massacre began, which went down in history under the name of St. Bartholomew's Night: Admiral Coligny and many other Huguenots who came to the wedding of Henry and Margaret were brutally killed. They began to kill ordinary townspeople, guilty or suspected of the Huguenot heresy. Henry of Navarre survived - Margarita hid him in her chambers, and when the murderers came after him, he vowed to convert to Catholicism. The massacre in Paris lasted for a week, and in France its echoes were heard for a month. According to various estimates, from 3 to 10 thousand people died, and not all of them were Huguenots.
According to historians, at first, Catherine de Medici and her supporters did not plan a mass massacre, they intended to eliminate only Coligny and two dozen of his closest supporters, but the blood-thirsty crowd got out of control. Since that time, the name of Catherine de Medici has forever stained with blood - and despite all her state talents, in human memory she remained the one who staged the Bartholomew Massacre.
Meanwhile, the Catholic rulers of Europe welcomed Catherine's initiative: she received congratulations from the Pope, the King of Spain and many others, who rejoiced at the blow that was dealt to the hated heretics. Only her own son Karl, shocked by the sight of the bloody massacre, accused his mother of murder. His health, already weak, began to deteriorate every day. Finally, Karl, exhausted by fever, died at the Vincennes castle on May 30, 1574, not having lived a month before his 24th birthday. The cause of his death was pleurisy, which developed due to advanced tuberculosis. His last words were: "Oh, my mother …"
There is a version that Karl was accidentally killed by his mother: she prepared a poisoned book for Henry of Navarre, but Karl was the first to open the poisonous pages.
Henry III became the king of France - the third son of Catherine de Medici, her adored boy, "Everything is mine", as she called him in letters. For the sake of the French throne, Henry gave up the Polish crown, which he put on in May 1573. However, the Poles did not favor the new king so much: he was a spoiled, selfish child, hung with jewelry and - according to rumors - preferred men in bed. Once Catherine planned to marry him to Elizabeth of England, but she broke off the engagement. During his Polish reign, he fell in love with Louise of Lorraine, whom he married in February 1575, two days after his coronation.
Unlike his brothers, Henry ascended the throne when he was already quite an adult. He was able to run the state himself and did not intend to yield power to his mother. She, who adored Henry beyond measure, was ready to reconcile: she took on the role of his messenger and tirelessly traveled around the country, trying to reconcile Catholics and Huguenots.
Her youngest son François, Duke of Alencon, brought her the greatest grief: he constantly intrigued against his brother, started conspiracies and waged unsuccessful wars. The military campaign in the Netherlands, led by François, failed - and six months later, François died. The next day, Catherine wrote: “I am so unhappy, having lived long enough, seeing how many people die before me, although I understand that God's will must be obeyed, that He owns everything and that He lends us, only until then. as long as He loves the children He gives us."
Death of Catherine
The death of the youngest son knocked down Catherine: of all her children, only two survived - Margarita, who had long quarreled with her husband and led a dissolute lifestyle, and Henry - and both had no children. The future of the dynasty was suddenly in jeopardy - and Catherine de Medici, always so active, could no longer do anything.
She realized that she had outlived her time. The all-powerful queen mother once just went to bed and never got up from her again, calmly awaiting inevitable death. One of the memoirists wrote: "Those who were close to her believed that her life had been cut short by frustration at the actions of her son." Catherine de Medici died in Blois on January 5, 1589. According to the testimony of her servant, before her death, she whispered: "I was crushed by the rubble of the house …"
One of the astrologers once prophesied to her that "Saint Germain is the first to know about her death." Since that time, she has always avoided places bearing this name, but a blind chance justified the prediction: Catherine de 'Medici died in the arms of a royal preacher named Saint Germain. Henry III was indifferent to the death of his mother who adored him and did not even take care of her burial.
She was buried there, in Blois - only a few years later her ashes were reburied in the Abbey of Saint-Denis, the ancestral tomb of the French kings.
After only 8 months, Henry III was killed by a religious fanatic, and Henry of Navarre, so hated by Catherine, ascended the throne. All that she devoted her life to has sunk into oblivion …
W. Wolfe