Catherine de'Medici

Half French, half Italian, this 16th century queen of France was a fascinating figure in many aspects. This book focuses on Catherine's struggle to survive and maintain herself as the head of the French Monarchy for almost 30 years. Witchcraft,massacres,poison, but also culture, arts, and architecture characterized the reign of Catherine.This book explores such myths, and places Catherine in the 16th century mentality. however, I do not believe a 300 page book is enough to explain the life of such a controversial woman who lived 70 years. Also I disagree with Knecht when he says that Catherine was an insignificant member of the Medicis clan. She was in fact the legitimate heiress of the Medicis, the great grand daughter of Lorenzo the Magnificent... how is that insignificant? Also Knecht minimizes Catherine's French roots. Francis the 1st of France surely wanted Italian territories, but he also wanted the rich and wealthy Auvergne region in the center of France. Who was the heiress of that noble and rich French family? Catherine herself, from her mother's side.Catherine was indeed countess of Auvergne, countess of Boulogne, countess of Clermont, and Baroness of de la Tour. In other words, she did have royal blood and she was Diane de Poitiers, Francois of Guise, Mary Stuart and the future Henry IV's relative. This is a good book for people who have not read a anything about Catherine: it is brief and quite easy to understand. Hopfully there will be a better edition in the future.

I agree completely with the previous reviewer from Florida and I, too, would like to know why all of Catherine's children were considered bad. Professor Knecht has done a very admirable job in this well-researched book and it is quite obvious that he knows his subject well. Catherine de'Medici was an interesting woman--a member of the Florentine Medici, but an insignificant one. All that changed when she married the man who was to become Henry II, King of France. Although she may have been a peripheral member of the Italian aristocracy, Catherine was of pre-eminent importance to French history. She was controversial, but, as the previous reviewer states, Professor Knecht was very fair. He explores both Catherine's virtures and faults in a level-headed fashion. This book, however, is far more than a biography of one of France's most controversial and enigmatic figures. It is also a fascinating narrative heavily laced with French history. If you like your biographies a little light, I wouldn't recommend this book. But if you really want to understand this period in French history, and this fascinating woman, I would recommend it highly.

I enjoyed Prof. Knecht's profile of Catherine de' Medici. It was carefully written and humanized this lady who was, first and last, a mother. A number of her own writings (letters) are used, which shed light on her courage and determination. This treatment is balanced and even-handed, whatever the reader's preconceptions may be. I appreciated the author's fairness. However, the preface says that "there is no denying that her children were all dreadful." I'm still uncertain...why? Maybe the author will follow up and explore the dreadfullness of Catherine de' Medici's offspring? I would love to know more.