Catherine de Medici

Renaissance Queen of France

The inspiration for the STARZ original series, The Serpent Queen—second season premiering July 12th!

“A beautifully written portrait of a ruthless, subtle and fearless woman fighting for survival and power in a world of gangsterish brutality, routine assassination and religious mania. . . . Frieda has brought a largely forgotten heroine-villainess and a whole sumptuously vicious era back to life. . . . This is The Godfather meets Elizabeth.” —Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar

Poisoner, besotted mother, despot, necromancer, engineer of a massacre: the dark legend of Catherine de Medici is centuries old. In this critically hailed biography, Leonie Frieda reclaims the story of this unjustly maligned queen of France to reveal a skilled ruler battling extraordinary political and personal odds.

Based on comprehensive research including thousands of Catherine’s own letters, Frieda unfurls Catherine’s story from her troubled childhood in Florence to her tumultuous marriage to Henry II of France; her transformation of French culture to her reign as a queen who would use brutality to ensure her children’s royal birthright. Brilliantly executed, this enthralling biography goes beyond myth to paint a very human portrait of this remarkable figure.

What a history!

Incredible story however, hard to keep up with who’s who since there are so many names and so many changes in names.

Utterly Engrossing and Unflinching.

It is hard to imagine how any work of fiction could rival the true, astonishing drama of Catherine de Medici's life and times. The author unfurls the story with just the right amount of admiration to maintain the reader's engagement with the Queen, tempered with sufficiently unflinching frankness about her chilling flaws to render her narrative credible.

Fascinating

I learned so much about this fascinating time in France. Well written and very interesting.

Fascinating Woman

This biography is an intriguing story of a courageous woman who worked tirelessly to support her sons, kings of France.

Wonderful Narration

Very informative read. Narration is extremely pleasant and easy listening. French pronunciation is stellar. I highly recommend this book.