"[95], Many leading Roman Catholics were appalled by Catherine's attempts to appease the Huguenots. I see him rushing towards his ruin. WebClarissa Delacroix was born in 1539, the illegitimate daughter of Queen Catherine de Medici of France and King Henry II of Frances boyhood friend Richard Delacroix. In spite of Henrys abiding attachment to his mistress Diane de Poitiers, Catherines marriage was not unsuccessful and, after 10 anxious years, she bore him 10 children, of whom 4 boys and 3 girls survived. Three of her sons became kings of France, while two of her daughters married kings and one married a duke. After Charles died in 1574, Catherine played a key role in the reign of her third son, Henry III. [10], Catherine was first cared for by her paternal grandmother, Alfonsina Orsini. Claude was born on 12 November 1547, and she too suffered from childhood ailments, like her elder sister. He shouted at her, "Your words, Madam, have led us all to this butchery. "Princely Culture and Catherine de Mdicis". She therefore told him: "Since you rely on your forces, we will show you ours". He cared for her and also arranged her union to Henry, Duke of Orlans, the second son of King Francis I of France, in early 1533. Henry arrived in the bedroom with King Francis, who is said to have stayed until the marriage was consummated. Henry hired Swiss troops to help him defend himself in Paris. Clement housed Catherine in the Palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence, where she lived in state. He depended on Catherine and her team of secretaries until the last few weeks of her life. [4] Catherine decided to launch a drive to enforce the Edict of Amboise and revive loyalty to the crown. By 1610, the school patronised by the late Valois court and brought to its pinnacle by Franois Clouet had all but died out. [67] "We have come to the determination to die, all of us", Jeanne wrote to Catherine, "rather than abandon our God, and our religion. After the Edict of Beaulieu, they had started forming local leagues to protect their religion. Jeanne d'Albret wrote to her son, Henry: "I am not free to talk with either the King or Madame, only the Queen Mother, who goads me [, Holt, 83. [46], When Catherine realized Francis was going to die, she made a pact with Antoine de Bourbon by which he would renounce his right to the regency of the future king, Charles IX, in return for the release of his brother Cond. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The Protestants looked for leadership first to Antoine de Bourbon, King of Navarre, the First Prince of the Blood, and then, with more success, to his brother, Louis de Bourbon, Prince of Cond, who backed a plot to overthrow the Guises by force. The wedding, a grand affair marked by extravagant display and gift-giving,[19] took place in the glise Saint-Ferrol les Augustins in Marseille on 28 October 1533. [88] Francis died of consumption in June 1584, after a disastrous intervention in the Low Countries during which his army had been massacred. Catherine succeeded in obtaining the regency for Charles IX, with Antoine de Bourbon, king of Navarre and first prince of the blood, as lieutenant general, to whom the Protestants vainly looked for leadership. Yes, Catherine De Medici has an illegitimate child named Clarissa Delacroix, after her affair with Richard Delacroix. "As the daughter of the Medici," suggests French art historian Jean-Pierre Babelon, "she was driven by a passion to build and a desire to leave great achievements behind her when she died. Now she sought a marriage between Margaret and Henry III of Navarre, Jeanne's son, with the aim of uniting Valois and Bourbon interests. On 11 April 1572, the wedding contract was signed, and Henry headed for France to be reunited with his mother and his new bride. "[111] Catherine's immediate reaction is not known; but on Christmas Day, she told a friar, "Oh, wretched man! "[112] She visited her old friend Cardinal de Bourbon on 1 January 1589 to tell him she was sure he would soon be freed. She may have owed her change of fortune to the physician Jean Fernel, who may have noticed slight abnormalities in the couple's sexual organs and advised them how to solve the problem. Catherine appointed a mixed commission of moderates that devised two formulas of consummate ambiguity, by which they hoped to resolve the basic, Eucharist controversy. Thus occupied, Catherine lived privately though she was appointed regent in 1552 during Henrys absence at the siege of Metz. Catherine herself had been educated by Cosimo Ruggeri in astrology and astronomy, which were closely linked in her day[143] and were an academic rather than a Satanic activity,[144] although his general background and favourite status suggests there was more to it than that. I began this website in 2013 because I wanted to share these women's amazing stories. Catherine delayed her daughters departure as much as she could, but they finally set out of for Spain on 18 November 1559. Nevertheless, she was devastated at Elisabeths loss. [28] Although she sometimes acted as regent during his absences from France, her powers were strictly nominal. Catherines first great political crisis came in July 1559 upon the accidental death of Henry II, a traumatic bereavement from which it is doubtful that she ever recovered. However, he denied ever providing such advice. Catherine pressed Jeanne d'Albret to attend court. After becoming pregnant once, Catherine had no trouble doing so again. Frieda 2003, p. 47 (NY edition). Philip II excused himself from the occasion. The throne of France was held by Francis I, also known as Francis "[131] Catherine also commissioned Germain Pilon to carve the marble sculpture that contains Henry II's heart. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Once in control of the royal purse, she launched a programme of artistic patronage that lasted for three decades. She was just 11 years old when she married Charles, Duke of Lorraine in January 1559 in a splendid ceremony at the Notre-Dame. Catherine de Medici was the daughter of Lorenzo di Piero de Medici, duca di Urbino, and Madeleine de La Tour dAuvergne, a Bourbon princess related to many of the French nobility. The murder triggered an aristocratic blood feud that complicated the French civil wars for years to come. She was born at the royal Chteau de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, where she spent her childhood alongside her sisters, the princesses Elisabeth and Claude. Catherine, Diane, and Prince Francis all fainted. This probably cooled the relationship between Margaret and her mother considerably. On 17 August 1563, Charles IX was declared of age at the Parlement of Rouen, but he was never able to rule on his own and showed little interest in government. WebCatherine and Clarissa have a very complicated relationship. Catherine de Medici was the queen consort of Henry II of France (154759) and regent of France. Despite her considerable power, Leeza is the least favorite of Catherine's children, and underneath her tough facade is a legitimate desire for her mother's affections. He was also a Huguenot while Margaret was a Catholic. [99] "Take care", she wrote to the king, "especially about your person. She was not strictly entitled to a role in Francis's government, because he was deemed old enough to rule for himself. Historica Wiki is a FANDOM Games Community. [129] Poets lauded her as the new Artemisia, after Artemisia II of Caria, who built the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus as a tomb for her dead husband. [35] There is reason to believe she was party to the decision when on 23 August Charles IX is said to have ordered, "Then kill them all! As a Farnese he felt no obligation to keep Clement's promises, broke the alliance with Francis and refused to continue paying her huge dowry. She later did her best to efface or outdo Diane's building work there. [4] Without Catherine, it is unlikely that her sons would have remained in power. Catherine de Medici, also called Catherine de Mdicis, Italian Caterina de Medici, (born April 13, 1519, Florence [Italy]died January 5, 1589, Blois, France), queen consort of Henry II of France (reigned 154759) and subsequently regent of France (156074), who was one of the most influential personalities of the CatholicHuguenot wars. Three days later, Admiral Coligny was walking back to his rooms from the Louvre when a shot rang out from a house and wounded him in the hand and arm. Three of her sons were kings of France: Francis II, Charles IX, and Henry III. Greg Bryk, an actor, played him. 15 Feb 1471, d. 28 Dec 1503. In the Treaty of Nemours, signed on 7 July 1585, he was forced to give in to all the League's demands, even that he pay its troops. Her essentially moderate influence was first perceptible during the Conspiracy of Amboise (March 1560), an instance of tumultuous petitioning by the Huguenot gentry, primarily against Guisard persecution in the name of the King. In 1578, she took on the task of pacifying the south. King Henry took part in the jousting, sporting Diane's black-and-white colours. [89] Catherine wrote, the next day: "I am so wretched to live long enough to see so many people die before me, although I realize that God's will must be obeyed, that He owns everything, and that He lends us only for as long as He likes the children whom He gives us. After Franciss death, Catherine wrote to her daughter, Ma fille (my daughter) mamie (my friend), commend yourself to God, for you have seen me as happy as you are now, never knowing any sorrow but that I was not loved as much as I wished to be by the King your father, who honoured me more than I deserved, but I loved him so much that I was always in fear, as you know; and God has taken him from me and, not content with that, has deprived me of your brother.. Unlike his brothers, he came to the throne as a grown man. Rumours of Henry's inability to produce children were by that time in wide circulation. She was buried, but she went on to escape from her gravesite. 500: Catherine de Medici The Mother of three Kings, 500: Catherine de Medici Patron of the arts and follower of the occult. The Queen of France had faced many challenges all her life to have revolutionized what France is today. Nevertheless, popular culture frequently attributes Italian culinary influence and forks in France to Catherine. Religious reconciliation was the conveners purpose of the Colloquy of Poissy (SeptemberNovember 1561). At first Catherine kept him very close to her, and even slept in his chamber. D'Aubiac was executed, though not, despite Catherine's wish, in front of Margaret. [116] She was inspired by the example of her father-in-law, King Francis I of France, who had hosted the leading artists of Europe at his court, and by her Medici ancestors. Catherine de Medici was the daughter of Lorenzo di Piero de Medici, duca di Urbino, and Madeleine de La Tour dAuvergne, a Bourbon princess related to many of the French nobility. Catherine did not hesitate to exploit her new authority. [21] King Francis lamented, "The girl has come to me stark naked."[22]. During the period 156468, Catherine was unable, for complex reasons, to withstand the cardinal Lorraine, statesman of the Guises, who largely provoked the second and third civil wars. Charles and Claude had a happy marriage, and their close proximity to the French court meant that they were able to visit Catherine often. "[94] She was under no illusions, however. In the words of historian R. J. Knecht, "she underestimated the strength of religious conviction, imagining that all would be well if only she could get the party leaders to agree". On 5 January 1589, Catherine died at the age of sixty-nine, probably from pleurisy. Hoogvliet, Margriet. On 8 September 1588 at Blois, where the court had assembled for a meeting of the Estates, Henry dismissed all his ministers without warning. Catherines letters were often filled with advice and instructions. Within a month of Catherine's birth, both her parents were dead: Madeleine died on 28 April of puerperal fever, and Lorenzo died on 4 May. [130] As the centrepiece of an ambitious new chapel, she commissioned a magnificent tomb for Henry at the basilica of Saint Denis. [108] Henry did not tell Catherine of his plan for a solution to his problems. She was born in Florence, Italy, on April 13, 1519. WebClarissa is the love child of the Catherine de' Medici, and her secret lover Richard Delacroix. She is also known for her involvement in the Massacre of St. Bartholomew's Day (1572)part of the CatholicHuguenot wars (Wars of Religion; 156298)and for being mother to three kings of France. The most famous of Catherines daughters was born on 14 May 1553. [105] When Catherine tried to go to Mass, she found her way barred, though she was allowed through the barricades. WebCatherine de' Medici married Henry, Duke of Orlans, the future Henry II of France, in Marseille on 28 October 1533. Sutherland, Yet on 22 December 1588, Guise spent the night with his current mistress. He remarried to Marie de Medici and had several children by her. After Alfonsina's death in 1520, Catherine joined her cousins and was raised by her aunt, Clarice de' Medici. After her brother's premature death in 1519, she educated his daughter Catherine, the future Queen of France . Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). [135] Barbara Ketcham Wheaton and Stephen Mennell provided the definitive arguments against these claims. Joan became even sicker, and she died, shortly before her son arrived, on 9 June. It is also necessary to understand this political struggle of the Catholic crown with its own ultramontane extremists and to perceive its fluctuations in changing circumstances, in order to realize the fundamental consistency of Catherines career. Catherine ended the first civil war in March 1563 by the Edict of Amboise, an attenuated version of the Edict of January. Catherine de' Medici was born Caterina Maria Romula de' Medici[7] on 13 April 1519 in Florence, Republic of Florence, the only child of Lorenzo de' Medici, Duke of Urbino, and his wife, Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergne, the countess of Boulogne. The years during which her sons reigned have been called "the age of Catherine de' Medici" since she had extensive, if at times varying, influence in the political life of France.[1]. Henry of Navarre, son of Jeanne dAlbret, and Margaret of Valois, Catherines daughter. As dauphine, Catherine was expected to provide a future heir to the throne. To avoid questions about the baby's distinguishing birthmark, she gave the baby to Nostradamus' father. On 12 May 1588, they set up barricades in the streets and refused to take orders from anyone except the Duke of Guise. WebHistorically, by Louis, she had two daughters, who were influential members of the royal household- there's no mention of a son like in the show, Sebastian . "[72] When Jeanne did come to court, Catherine pressured her hard,[73] playing on Jeanne's hopes for her beloved son. Seeing as they didn't know the other existed for the first 18 - to 20 years of their lives. [146] As a result, some (more extreme) authors[147] believe Catherine to be the creator of the Black Mass, a Satanic inversion of the traditional Catholic Mass, although there is little to prove this aside from Jean Bodin's account in his book De la dmonomanie des sorciers. WebBorn into the one of the great families of the Italian Renaissance, Clarice Orsini was the daughter of Jacopo Orsini of Monterotondo, a man whose family had made its fortune as mercenaries. The death of her husband's older brother in 1536 made Henry and Catherine next in line for the throne. Essentially, however, there exists no concrete proof that either woman took part in the occult, and it is now believed that Catherine's trouble in providing an heir was in fact due to Henry II's penile deformity.[142]. Charles had been largely brought up at the French Court and Claude probably knew him well. This lends some weight to the suggestion that people were labelled 'witches' simply because they did not act the way a woman would have been expected to act, or simply to suit personal or political agendas. [51] In January 1562, Catherine issued the tolerant Edict of Saint-Germain in a further attempt to build bridges with the Protestants. At first, Catherine compromised and made concessions to the rebelling Calvinist Protestants, or Huguenots, as they became known. In an age of civil war and declining respect for the monarchy, she sought to bolster royal prestige through lavish cultural display. During his reign, Henry excluded Catherine from state affairs and instead showered favours on his chief mistress, Diane de Poitiers, who wielded much influence over him. Victoire died just under two months later on 17 August. On 34 April 1559, Henry signed the Peace of Cateau-Cambrsis with the Holy Roman Empire and England, ending a long period of Italian Wars. As the siege dragged on, voices called for Catherine to be killed and exposed naked and chained to the city walls. 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[122], Many of Caron's paintings, such as those of the Triumphs of the Seasons, are of allegorical subjects that echo the festivities for which Catherine's court was famous. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and stay up to date on History of Royal Women's articles! [77] Whatever the truth, the bloodbath that followed was soon beyond the control of Catherine or any other leader. WebHenry II was the philandering king of France who carried out an affair with Kenna, lady-in-waiting to the queen of Scotland, despite already being married to Catherine de' Medici.He was an ambitious man, especially when it came to taking England, which he spent years trying to do.Following his son's marriage to Mary Stuart, Henry descended into madness Inquisition was where he made his one and only cameo. [8] King Francis wanted Catherine to be raised at the French court, but Pope Leo refused, claiming he wanted her to marry Ippolito de' Medici. [2] In return, she was blamed for the persecutions carried out under her sons' rules, in particular the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre of 1572, during which thousands of Huguenots were killed in France. Henry was a prize catch for Catherine, who, despite her wealth, was of common origin. At the same moment, eight members of the Guise family were rounded up, including the Duke of Guise's brother, Louis II, Cardinal of Guise, who Henry's men hacked to death the next day in the palace dungeons. To this end, she set out with Charles and the court on a progress around France that lasted from January 1564 until May 1565. Not much later, she actually married Philip himself when he was widowed upon the death of Queen Mary I of England. This is the sixth, and it will focus on her relationships with her daughters. [93] On her return to Paris in 1579, she was greeted outside the city by the Parlement and crowds. WebClarissa Delacroix was born in 1539, the illegitimate daughter of Queen Catherine de Medici of France and King Henry II of France's boyhood friend Richard Delacroix. Thus began her lifelong struggleexplicit in her correspondencewith these extremists who, supported by Spain and the papacy, sought to dominate the crown and extinguish its independence in the commingled interests of European Catholicism and personal aggrandizement. It was designed by Francesco Primaticcio (15041570), with sculpture by Germain Pilon (15281590). [121] In the last two decades of her life, only two painters stand out as recognisable personalities: Jean Cousin the Younger (c.1522 c.1594), few of whose works survive, and Antoine Caron (c.1521 1599), who became Catherine's official painter after working at Fontainebleau under Primaticcio. His dying words were "oh, my mother" The day before he died, he named Catherine regent, since his brother and heir, Henry the Duke of Anjou, was in the PolishLithuanian Commonwealth, where he had been elected king the year before. It is essential to understand this in order to discern the coherence of her career. Catherine's daughter, Marguerite, was understandably not thrilled with a scheme that involved her mother seducing her husband by proxy. The last two daughters were twins; one of the twins, Joan, died during the delivery and the other, Victoire, died a few weeks later. Catherine de Medici was best known for being the queen consort of Henry II of France (154759) and regent of France. Clarice Orsini (c. 1453 29 July 1487) was the daughter of Jacopo (Giacomo) Orsini (see Orsini family), lord of Monterotondo and Bracciano, and his wife and cousin Maddalena Orsini. He was also healthier, though he suffered from weak lungs and constant fatigue. In 1556, Catherine nearly died giving birth to twin daughters, Jeanne and Victoire. [64] The Surprise of Meaux marked a turning point in Catherine's policy towards the Huguenots. Born on 13th April 1519, Catherine is still remembered as the 'Black Queen' of France, foe of all Protestants, and the Italian daughter of a merchant who dragged France into a series of bloody, religious civil wars. Her efforts won Catherine new respect from the French people. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Victoire and Jeanne were twin daughters born in 1556; Jeanne was stillborn due to surgeons breaking her legs to save her mother's life;[a] Victoire survived, dying less than two months later. [120], Beyond portraiture, little is known about the painting at Catherine de' Medici's court. From this time dates the legend of the wicked Italian queen. [125], Catherine de' Medici's great love among the arts was architecture. This rejection was one basic element in the outbreak of civil war in 1562, in whichas she had predictedCatherine fell, politically, into the clutches of the extremists, because the Catholic crown might protect its Protestant subjects in law but could not defend them in arms. [87] On 6 May 1576, Catherine gave in to almost all Huguenot demands in the Edict of Beaulieu. On 20 August 1560, Catherine and the chancellor advocated this policy to an assembly of notables at Fontainebleau. About 1538, at the age of 19, Henry had taken as his mistress the 38-year-old Diane de Poitiers,[27] whom he adored for the rest of his life. His life was saved by the illness and death of the king, as a result of an infection or an abscess in his ear. Catherine de Medici, wife to one French king and mother to three more, died at Blois in 1589. WebThe marriage was not popular in France. [78], The St. Bartholomew's Day massacre, which began two days later, has stained Catherine's reputation ever since. Later, she resorted in frustration and anger to hardline policies against them. Catherine outlived all her children except Henry III, who died seven months after her, and Margaret, who inherited her robust health. It has been suggested that Catherine educated her son, Henry III, in the dark arts,[145] and that "the two devoted themselves to sorceries that were scandals of the age". Franois Clouet drew and painted portraits of all Catherine's family and of many members of the court. Anyone who tells you differently is a liar. * * *. Born in Florence, she was the granddaughter of Lorenzo de' Medici, niece of Pope Leo X and sister to Lorenzo II de' Medici. [15] The city finally surrendered on 12 August 1530. His choice thwarted Catherine's plans for a political marriage to a foreign princess. Learn how your comment data is processed. [53] Guise, who called the massacre "a regrettable accident", was cheered as a hero in the streets of Paris while the Huguenots called for revenge. Your email address will not be published. Huguenot writers branded Catherine a scheming Italian, who had acted on Machiavelli's principles to kill all enemies in one blow. Catherine de' Medici (Italian: Caterina de' Medici, pronounced[katerina de mditi]; French: Catherine de Mdicis, pronounced[katin d medisis]; 13 April 1519 5 January 1589) was a Florentine noblewoman born into the Medici family. Their sister Mary of Guise had married James V of Scotland in 1538 and was the mother of Mary, Queen of Scots. Clarissa Delacroix(1539-1557) was the illegitimate daughter of Queen Catherine de Medici and the French noble Richard Delacroix. They finally married on 18 August, but Margaret persisted until the end, she offered no resistance, she gave no assent. Her head was pushed down by her brother as if she were nodding yes and so she became the Queen of Navarre. She wrote to her daughter Elisabeth: "My principal aim is to have the honour of God before my eyes in all things and to preserve my authority, not for myself, but for the conservation of this kingdom and for the good of all your brothers". WebCatherine's mother died when she was two-weeks-old and her father soon afterwards. The last two daughters were twins; one of the twins, Joan, died during the delivery and the other, Victoire, died a few weeks later. Orphaned within days, Catherine was highly educated, trained, and disciplined by nuns in Florence and Rome and married in 1533 by her uncle, Pope Clement VII, to Henry, duc dOrlans, who inherited the French crown from his father, Francis I, in April 1547. Henry wrote a note to Villeroy, which began: "Villeroy, I remain very well contented with your service; do not fail however to go away to your house where you will stay until I send for you; do not seek the reason for this my letter, but obey me." Babelon, Jean-Pierre. When Henry II died in 1559 Catherine de Medici went on to rule France in the name of her sons for the next 3 decades, until her death in 1589. In 1536, Henry's older brother, Francis, caught a chill after a game of tennis, contracted a fever and died shortly after, leaving Henry the heir.

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