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 royal biography, Leonie Frieda reclaims the story of this unjustly maligned queen of France to reveal a skilled ruler and master of Renaissance statecraft 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 historical biography goes beyond myth to paint a very human portrait of this remarkable figure. How did a Florentine merchant’s daughter become the most powerful woman in sixteenth-century France? Political Intrigue: Uncover the intricate web of alliances and betrayals Catherine navigated, using her intelligence to survive a court where assassination was commonplace. - A Woman in Power: Explore the story of a queen who, denied power for years, ultimately seized control to protect her children’s legacy and transform French culture forever. - Primary Source Research: Draws on thousands of Catherine’s own letters, revealing her personal thoughts and strategies in her own words. - The Woman Behind the Myth: Separates fact from the dark legend of the poisoner and necromancer to present a human portrait of a complex and formidable ruler. “This intelligent and well-researched biography is a worthy testament to Catherine’s formidable strength. Catherine de Medici reveals Frieda, a first-time biographer, to be a writer of tremendous skill and talent.” - The Observer “As Leonie Frieda relates in this well-researched and immensely readable first biography, from her turbulent home in Florence Catherine found herself presiding over perhaps the nastiest period in all French history. Frieda is much to be praised for painting a wonderfully rich canvas.” - London Times “Intelligent and well-researched . . . Catherine de Medici reveals Frieda, a first-time biographer, to be a writer of tremendous skill and talent.” - Amanda Foreman, author of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire “Vivid and entertaining. . . . a convincing human portrait against the backdrop of a brutal age.” - Wall Street Journal “A carefully nuanced portrait. . . [Leonie Frieda] achieves remarkable balance as she freshly interprets Catherine. . . a revealing biography.” - Booklist “A smart, revisionist biography. . . [Leonie Frieda] does a splendid job unraveling the maddeningly complex political-religious context of Catherine’s time.” - Bloomberg News “”Riveting and dramatic . . . there is no mistaking the abiding pleasure of this book.” - Washington Times “A stunning biography, which brings to vivid life a heroic woman and the tumultuous, cruel and gaudy times in which she lived. An outstanding first book by a newcomer to the ranks of English historians.” - Paul Johnson “Leonie Frieda does this remarkable woman full justice. Refusing to play judge, she reveals her to us through the best of means, which is narrative. The skill with which Frieda finds her way through the maze of this confusing period is exemplary. You read on eagerly. An enthralling book.” - Literary Review Leonie Frieda is the author of a bestselling biography of Catherine de Medici and The Deadly Sisterhood: A Story of Women, Power and Intrigue in the Italian Renaissance . She lives in London. Catherine de Medici Renaissance Queen of France By Leonie Frieda HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. Copyright ©2006 Leonie Frieda All right reserved. ISBN: 0060744936 Chapter One Orphan of Florence She comes bearing the calamities of the Greeks 1519-33 Caterina Maria Romula de Medici was born at around eleven o'clock on the morning of Wednesday, 13 April 1519. Her father, Lorenzo II de Medici, Duke of Urbino, scion of the ruling House of Florence, had married her mother, Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergne, the previous year. This royal-blooded French countess and great heiress made a brilliant catch for the Medici, who were considered by many in France to be merely nouveaux riches merchants. Since their magnificent wedding, hosted by the bride's kinsman, King Francis I of France, and the couple's glorious return to Florence, there had been lit