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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
slow-paced
‘I wonder that she did not do worse’
I very much enjoyed this biography. Catherine deMedici is so often painted in the blackest of terms that it is actually a delight to read a more balanced account.
This is a biography of Catherine de Medici (1519 -1589). Her husband became King Henri II of France, and three of their sons in their turn became Kings of France after Henri’s death in 1559. As Queen Mother, Catherine was both important and powerful in France for thirty years.
Catherine was orphaned as an infant and imprisoned as a child. As heiress to an ancient name and a vast fortune, Catherine was brought up in the Florentine court and married off by her self-styled uncle (Pope Clement VII) to Henri, Duke of Orleans son of King Francis I of France. The history itself, full of dynastic and political intrigues, is fascinating, and it is a credit to Ms Frieda’s style that she is able to accurately render the history without confusing it.
At various times it has been fashionable to paint Catherine de Medici in the darkest of hues as a murderer, and as a self serving intriguer who presided over the St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre of 24 August 1572 when thousands of French Protestants were slaughtered. Such a picture of Catherine is incomplete. She was a contemporary of Queen Elizabeth I of England and while she may have lacked some of Elizabeth’s ability and skill, she equalled her in courage and determination.
This is a very readable biography which puts some much needed context around the life and times of Catherine de Medici. The Valois dynasty ended some months after Catherine’s death with the death of Henri III. The French crown then passed to Henri IV (Henri of Navarre): a fascinating monarch in his own right.
I recommend this book both as an example of a wonderfully written biography but also as a study of a multi-dimensional woman who was fascinating in her own right.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
I very much enjoyed this biography. Catherine deMedici is so often painted in the blackest of terms that it is actually a delight to read a more balanced account.
This is a biography of Catherine de Medici (1519 -1589). Her husband became King Henri II of France, and three of their sons in their turn became Kings of France after Henri’s death in 1559. As Queen Mother, Catherine was both important and powerful in France for thirty years.
Catherine was orphaned as an infant and imprisoned as a child. As heiress to an ancient name and a vast fortune, Catherine was brought up in the Florentine court and married off by her self-styled uncle (Pope Clement VII) to Henri, Duke of Orleans son of King Francis I of France. The history itself, full of dynastic and political intrigues, is fascinating, and it is a credit to Ms Frieda’s style that she is able to accurately render the history without confusing it.
At various times it has been fashionable to paint Catherine de Medici in the darkest of hues as a murderer, and as a self serving intriguer who presided over the St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre of 24 August 1572 when thousands of French Protestants were slaughtered. Such a picture of Catherine is incomplete. She was a contemporary of Queen Elizabeth I of England and while she may have lacked some of Elizabeth’s ability and skill, she equalled her in courage and determination.
This is a very readable biography which puts some much needed context around the life and times of Catherine de Medici. The Valois dynasty ended some months after Catherine’s death with the death of Henri III. The French crown then passed to Henri IV (Henri of Navarre): a fascinating monarch in his own right.
I recommend this book both as an example of a wonderfully written biography but also as a study of a multi-dimensional woman who was fascinating in her own right.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
adventurous
informative
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
slow-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced
i support women’s rights, but more importantly, i support women’s wrongs
While it took me two tries to get into this, by the time Henry II got a splinter in the eye I was hooked. It was very detailed, which made it both heavy and interesting. I thought that was well researched and very interesting. Now I have to go back to my old Reformation Europe notes and piece it all together!
challenging
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
informative
slow-paced
Really helps put the revolution that came two centuries later into perspective. Also inadvertently illustrates the wonders of modern medicine - how could anyone expect their dynasty to survive when they all suffered so many ailments and illnesses? And how is it, amid so much pus and stench emanating from their warped bodies, did these men protest so vehemently at their proposed (healthy, totally normal) brides? The audacity.
slow-paced