Catherine of Florence de Medici ^{1 2 3}

   Another name for Catherine was Caterina Maria Romola de' Medici.

  General Notes:

Catherine de Médicis (1519-1589), queen of France (1547-1559). Catherine was born in Florence, Italy. Her husband became king of France in 1547 as Henry II. Their son Francis II became king in 1559, and on his death in 1560 the government fell entirely into Catherine's hands. She ruled as regent for her second son, Charles IX, until he was of age, and she continued to dominate him for the duration of his reign.

Catherine tried to maintain a balance between the Roman Catholics and the Protestant group known as the Huguenots. During the religious civil wars that began in 1562, Catherine, a Roman Catholic, usually supported the Catholics; for political expediency she sometimes switched her support to the Huguenots. In 1572, to stem the growing Huguenot influence over Charles IX, she instigated a plot to assassinate the leader of the Huguenots. This eventually led to the deaths of an estimated 50,000 Huguenots in the Massacre of Saint Bartholomew's Day. After Catherine's third son, Henry III, became king in 1574, her power declined.

  Noted events in her life were:

• She was employed from 1547 to 1559. Queen of France.

Catherine married Henry II of France de Valois, son of Francis I of France de Valois and Claude de France, on 28 Oct 1533. (Henry II of France de Valois was born on 31 Mar 1519 in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France and died on 10 Jul 1559 in Paris, France.)