Catherine De Medici Research Paper

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Catherine de Medici, also known as the 'Black' and 'Serpent Queen' has earned her reputation as a 'bad girl' in history. This is due to certain stereotypes of women in society that deemed Catherine was the opposite of what a good wife, mother, and member of the French court should be like. However, the motives behind this infamous reputation were always to protect her husband, children, religion, and the future of France, by whatever means possible, a motivation shared by many monarchs in history.

While Catherine de’ Medici is known for her 20 year-long reign as the ruthless Queen of France, she was originally never meant for this role. Her husband, Henry, was second in line for the throne until his older brother was poisoned, resulting in his …show more content…
This gave her the freedom to make a heavy impact on politics in France (still seen in modern society today), specifically through the manipulation of Francis ll, Charles IX, and Henry ll, Catherine’s sons who became kings. During this time, an opposing religious group called the Huguenots (or the Protestants) arose, rival to Catherine’s own religion: Catholicism. Catherine also was extremely influential in the fashion style of France, thanks to her Italian heritage. While her depiction in all sources as conventionally unattractive, described as “a vulture among peacocks” (____), this may have inspired her introduction of perfumes, expensive gowns, high heels (possibly to make up for her short 5-foot height) and a new way of sitting on a side-saddle on the horse. Moreover, her success in the world of politics (resulting in the ruthless disgrace of multiple opposing figures in power), in addition to jealously aimed at Catherine for her fashionable style, would have contributed to her image being manipulated to show her as a vain, jealous and power hungry person, in summary, a ‘bad girl’ of
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