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Home , Antoine Caron, Diane de Poitiers, Francesco Primaticcio, Francis I of France, Germain Pilon, Henry III of France

My Completed Work Wednesday, September 12, 2012 4:49 PM

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Clear introduction

8HP Page 1 Clear introduction

Good details

8HP Page 2 How did Catherine have a lasting impact today?

Did her changes to gov't matter today?

Is she a role model for other women leaders?

8HP Page 3 8HP Page 4 8HP Page 5 Linh Growing up Achievement Tuesday, September 11, 2012 Legacy 10:56 AM

Source Source Material Point Form Notes (Copy / Paste from original, make sure to keep web URL) (key information!) 1 Italian-born French queen, regent and mother of three kings of . She was a powerful • Powerful influence in France (Wars of Religion). influence in 16th century France, particularly during the Wars of Religion. • Born 13 April,1519. - • Full name: Caterina Maria Romola di Lorenzo de Medici. Caterina Maria Romola di Lorenzo de Medici was born in Florence on 13 April 1519. Her father • Father: Lorenzo de Medici - Duke of Urbino and ruler of Florence. was Lorenzo de Medici, Duke of Urbino and ruler of Florence and her mother was Madeleine de la Tour d', cousin of Francis I, King of France. • Mother: Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergn - Francis I (King of France)'s cousin. • Two weeks old parent died. Catherine's mother died when she was two-weeks-old and her father soon afterwards. In 1533, • 1533 arranged marriage duke of Orleans (second son of France's king) - age 14. at the age of 14, Catherine's uncle Clement VII arranged her marriage to the duke of • Ten years after married have first child. Orléans, second son of the king of France. • Eleven years later 1536 - become Henry II (King of France) - Became Queen. • 1559 - Henry II died in a jousting accident. A year after their marriage, the duke began a long affair with Diane de . Diane remained a dominant force in his life for the next 25 years, leaving Catherine sidelined. It was not until • Ten year after married she have a first child. ten years after their marriage that Catherine gave birth to their first child. This greatly • Adopted a conciliatory policy toward the (French Protestants). improved the queen’s position and the couple eventually had seven surviving children. • Continued to help in government. • Died on 5th January 1589 - buried next to her husband in the church St Denis, . In 1536, the duke of Orléans became heir to the throne. Eleven years later he was crowned Henry II of France. Unfortunately it was to be a short as Henry died in a jousting accident in 1559, thrusting Catherine onto the political stage. Their eldest son Francis was proclaimed king, but died after less than a year. Then in 1560, their second son Charles was crowned, aged just ten years old. Catherine acted as regent for the young king and as a result dominated Charles throughout his reign.

She at first adopted a conciliatory policy towards the Huguenots (French Protestants), but in 1562 civil war broke out in France, marking the beginning of the series of conflicts which became known as the .

In 1572, in an effort to bring reconciliation, Catherine arranged the marriage of her daughter Marguerite to the Protestant Henry, King of Navarre. During the wedding celebrations in Paris, the Huguenot leader, Coligny, was murdered, as were hundreds of other Protestants who had gathered for the wedding. This became known as the St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, in which Catherine was probably involved.

Charles IX died in 1574 and Catherine's son Henry succeeded as Henry III of France. She continued to play a central role in government and made further fruitless attempts to reconcile the opposing sides in the ongoing civil war.

Catherine died on 5 January 1589 and was buried next to her husband in the church of St Denis in Paris.

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2 A Clever Politician • Catherine arranged married for her daughter to Henri Navarre (a protestant leader) to Despite her power hungry nature, Catherine’s first concern was keeping the French monarchy intact. She knew that make France better by changing into Catholicism. her last son, Henri II, would never produce heirs for the throne. He, with his effeminate manners, loved dressing up like • Catherine helped save the French monarchy securing Henri of Navarre in the French a woman. Catherine arranged for her daughter, Marguerite, to marry Henri of Navarre, a protestant leader. Catherine succession - seventeenth century. recognized that Navarre would do the right thing for France (by converting to Catholicism) when he was called to the throne. He would also be a strong ruler, something none of her own sons had been. By securing Henri of Navarre in the French succession, Catherine helped save the French monarchy, and laid the foundation for the age of Absolutism, in the seventeenth century.

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3 Catherine believed in the humanist ideal of the learned prince whose authority depended on letters as • Believe in Humanist idea. well as arms.[144] She was inspired by the example of her father-in-law, King , who had hosted the • Was inspired by father. leading artists of Europe at his court, and by her Medici ancestors. In an age of civil war and declining respect for the • Catherine spent ruinous sums on the arts. monarchy, she sought to bolster royal prestige through lavish cultural display. Once in control of the royal purse, she • Love architecture in art. launched a programme of artistic that lasted for three decades. During this time, she presided over a distinctive late culture in all branches of the arts. [145] An inventory drawn up at the Hôtel de la Reine after Catherine's death shows her to have been a keen collector. Listed works of art included tapestries, hand-drawn maps, , rich fabrics, ebony furniture inlaid with ivory, sets of china, and Limoges pottery.[146] There were also hundreds of portraits, for which a vogue had developed during Catherine's lifetime. Many portraits in her collection were by Jean Clouet (1480–1541) and his son François Clouet (c. 1510–1572). François Clouet drew and painted portraits of all Catherine's family and of many members of the court.[147] After Catherine's death, a decline in the quality of French portraiture set in. By 1610, the school patronised by the late Valois court and brought to its pinnacle by François Clouet had all but died out. [148] Beyond portraiture, little is known about the painting at Catherine de' Medici's court. [149] 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 (c. 1521–1599), who became Catherine's official painter after working atFontainebleau under Primaticcio. Caron's vivid , with its love of ceremonial and its preoccupation with massacres, reflects the neurotic atmosphere of the French court during the Wars of Religion.[150] 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. His designs for the Valois Tapestries celebrate the fêtes, picnics, and mock battles of the "magnificent" entertainments hosted by Catherine. They depict events held at in 1564; at in 1565 for the summit meeting with the Spanish court; and at the Tuileries in 1573 for the visit of the Polish ambassadors who presented the Polish crown to Catherine's son Henry of .[149] Biographer Leonie Frieda suggests that "Catherine, more than anyone, inaugurated the fantastic entertainments for which later French monarchs also became renowned".[151] The musical shows in particular allowed Catherine to express her creative gifts. They were usually dedicated to the ideal of peace in the realm and based on mythological themes. To create the necessary dramas, music, and scenic effects for these events, Catherine employed the leading artists and architects of the day. Historian Frances Yates has called her "a great creative artist in festivals". [152] Catherine gradually introduced changes to the traditional entertainments: for example, she increased the prominence of dance in the shows that climaxed each series of

8HP Page 6 entertainments: for example, she increased the prominence of dance in the shows that climaxed each series of entertainments. A distinctive new art form, the ballet de cour, emerged from these creative advances. [153] Owing to its synthesis of dance, music, verse, and setting, the production of the Ballet Comique de la Reine in 1581 is regarded by scholars as the first authentic ballet. [154] Catherine de' Medici's great love among the arts was architecture. "As the daughter of the Medici", suggests historian Jean-Pierre Babelon, "she was driven by a passion to build and a desire to leave great achievements behind her when she died."[155] After Henry II's death, Catherine set out to immortalise her husband's memory and to enhance the grandeur of the Valois monarchy through a series of costly building projects. [156] These included work on châteaux at Montceaux-en-Brie, Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, and Chenonceau. Catherine built two new palaces in Paris: the Tuileries and the Hôtel de la Reine. She was closely involved in the planning and supervising of all her architectural schemes. [157] Catherine had of her love and grief carved into the stonework of her buildings. [158] Poets lauded her as the new Artemisia, afterArtemisia II of Caria, who built the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus as a tomb for her dead husband.[159] As the centrepiece of an ambitious new chapel, she commissioned a magnificent tomb for Henry at the basilica of Saint Denis. It was designed by (1504–1570), with by (1528–1590). Art historian Henri Zerner has called this monument "the last and most brilliant of the royal tombs of the Renaissance".[160] Catherine also commissioned Germain Pilon to carve the marble sculpture that contains Henry II's heart. A poem by Ronsard, engraved on its base, tells the reader not to wonder that so small a vase can hold so large a heart, since Henry's real heart resides in Catherine's breast. [161] Although Catherine spent ruinous sums on the arts, [162] most of her patronage left no permanent legacy. [163] The end of the Valois so soon after her death brought a change in priorities.

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4 On the death of Francis (5th of December 1560), Catherine became regent during the minority of her • Catherine failed because of the massacre of St. Bartholomew. second son,Charles IX and now found before her a career worthy of the most soaring ambition. She was • She quickly repented, Charles II build the trust and in depended for the admiral. then forty-one years old, but, although she was the mother of nine children, she was still very vigorous • Became reconciled with the Protestant . and active. She retained her influence for more than twenty years in the troubled period of the wars of • Enraged married to Son (Duke og Anjou) to queen and daughter (Margaret of religion. At first she listened to the moderate counsels of l'Hôpital in so far as to avoid siding definitely Anjou) to Henry of Navarre. (to stop war) with either party, but her character and the habits of policy to which she had been accustomed, rendered • 1570 - resumed the policy of peace negotiation, failed the battle with Protestant. her incapable of any noble aim. She had only one virtue, and that was her zeal for the interests of her • 1567 - dismissed l'Hôpital and joined Catholic party . children, especially of her favorite third son, the Duke of Anjou. Like so many of the Italians of that time, • Retained her influence for more then 20 years - the war of religion. who were almost destitute of a moral sense, she looked upon statesmanship in particular as a career in which finesse, lying and assassination were the most admirable, because the most effective weapons. By habit a Catholic, but above all things fond of power, she was determined to prevent the Protestants from getting the upper hand, and almost equally resolved not to allow them to be utterly crushed, in order to use them as a counterpoise to the Guises. This trimming policy met with little success: rage and suspicion so possessed men's minds, that she could no longer control the opposing parties, and one civil war followed another to the end of her life. In 1567, after the "Enterprise of Meaux", she dismissed l'Hôpital and joined the Catholic party. But, having failed to crush the Protestant rebellion by arms, she resumed in 1570 the policy of peace and negotiation. She conceived the project of marrying her favorite son, the Duke of Anjou, toQueen Elizabeth I of England, and her daughter to Henry of Navarre. To this end she became reconciled with the Protestants, and allowed Coligny to return to court and to re - enter the council. Of this step she quickly repented. Charles IX conceived a great affection for the admiral and showed signs of taking up an independent attitude. Catherine, thinking her influence menaced, sought to regain it, first by the murder of Coligny, and, when that had failed, by the massacre of St. Bartholomew. The whole of the responsibility for this crime, therefore, rests with Catherine; unlike the populace, she had not even the excuse of fanaticism. This responsibility, however, weighed but lightly on her; while her son was overwhelmed with remorse, she calmly enjoyed her short -lived triumph. After the death of Charles in 1574, and the succession of Anjou under the name of Henri III, Catherine pursued her old policy of compromise and concessions; but as her influence is lost in that of her son, it is unnecessary to dwell upon it. She died on the 5th of January 1589, a short time before the assassination of Henri, and the consequent extinction of the . In her taste for art and her love of magnificence and luxury, Catherine was a true Medici; her banquets at Fontainebleau in 1564 were famous for their sumptuousness. In architecture especially she was well versed, and Philibert de l'Orme relates that she discussed with him the plan and decoration of her palace of the Tuileries. Catherine's policy provoked a crowd of pamphlets, the most celebrated being the Discours merveilleux de la vie, actions et déportemens de la reine Catherine de Médicis, in which Henri Estienne undoubtedly collaborated.

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