Catherine and Marie De Medici: Queen Mothers and Kingmakers

Two Italian banker's daughters married French kings. Both ended up ruling France. Annie Sargent sits down with Elyse Rivin to sort out Catherine de' Medici and Marie de' Medici, cousins who together span the entire 1500s and into the 1600s.

Catherine arrives at 15 to marry the future Henry II. She lives in the shadow of his mistress, buries three sons as kings, and holds France together through brutal religious wars. Marie marries Henry IV by proxy, gets humiliated at court, then loses him to an assassin's blade the day after her coronation.

Annie and Elyse trace the schemes, the scandals, and the gardens these women left behind in Paris. Hit play. Then subscribe so you don't miss what's next.

Table of Contents for this Episode

• Introduction
• Today on the podcast: Catherine and Marie De Medici
• Support and Announcements
• Magazine segment
• Why the Medici Women
• Queens and Power in France
• Medici Wealth and Alliances
• Catherine Arrives in France
• Diane de Poitiers Shadow
• Heir Crisis and Breakthrough
• Henry II Reigns and Tragedy
• Regency and First Son
• Charles IX and Religious Tensions
• Grand Tour and Civil War
• Marriage Politics and St Bartholomew
• Henry III and Catherine Final Years
• Valois Dynasty Ends
• Marie Medici
• Henry IV Needs an Heir
• Marie de Medici Cho