Catherine De Medici: Madame Snake

Born Caterina Maria Romula di Lorenzo de Medici on 13 April, 1519, her parents were Lorenzo de Medici, Duke of Urbina and Madeleine de la Tour d’Auvergne, Countess of Boulogne. She was, then, a child of the most loathed family in Renaissance Europe – the Medici – who governed Florence, patronised the arts, made war on their neighbours, and provided Popes.

In 1527, when Catherine was aged just 8, the Medici were temporarily overthrown by the mob (as they were from time to time) and forced to flee Florence. To make good their escape they were willing to leave Catherine behind as a hostage. Though she remained unharmed it was a frightening experience. The rebellion was soon crushed by the forces of Giulio de Medici, now Pope Clement VIII, and the Medici restored. But Catherine never forgot, not just her sense of terror, but her feelings of abandonment. She was now sent away to Rome for her own safety. There she remained until 1533, when aged 14 she was betrothed to Henry of Orleans, the second son of King Francis 1 of France.

Catherine was by no means a beauty. Described as “small and slender with fair hair, thin and not pretty in the face, but with the eyes peculiar to all the Medici” (described in some quarters as protruding or bug eyes). Despite her physical disadvantages Catherine was determined to make an impression on the French Court. She employed an artisan to devise something that would disguise her lack of stature and slightness of build and give her a grander appearance. What he designed was the first high-heeled shoes. They caused a sensation.

Even so being an Italian, and even worse a Medici, she was not popular in France. Indeed she was referred to as – that Italian woman. She didn’t endear herself further by scorning French manners and French cuisine. She employed only Italian cooks and ate only Italian food. She was an unambiguous lover of luxury and magnificence and could be said to have introduced a culture and sophistication to the French Court that it had never previously experienced, though it wasn’t seen that way at the time.

In 1536, the King’s eldest son died, leaving Catherine’s husband Henry, heir to the throne. But her marriage was not a happy one. She was neither loved by her husband or the French people, and over time she became ever closer to the elderly King Francis. When he died in 1546 she was devastated. Her elevation to Queen did little to alleviate her misery.