Introduction

The truth is, not one of us is innocent. We all have sins to confess. So reveals Catherine de Medici, the last legitimate descendant of her family’s illustrious line. Expelled from her native Florence, Catherine is betrothed to Henri, son of François I of France. In an unfamiliar realm, Catherine strives to create a role for herself through her patronage of the famous clairvoyant Nostradamus and her own innate gift as a seer. But in her fortieth year, Catherine is widowed, left alone with six young children in a kingdom torn apart by the ambitions of a treacherous nobility. Relying on her tenacity, wit, and uncanny gift for compromise, Catherine seizes power, intent on securing the throne for her sons, unaware that if she is to save France, she may have to sacrifice her ideals, her reputation, and the secret of her embattled heart.

Editorial Review

C.W. Gortner on The Confessions of Catherine de Medici

I found Catherine de Medici to be both a perfect subject and enormous challenge for my next work of historical fiction. Though Iâ??d known about her for years, I soon discovered during my research how little I had truly understood her. Few queens are as notorious as this woman who ruled France during the 16th century, renowned for her ruthlessness and accused of heinous crimes, including the Massacre of St. Bartholomew. Obscured by her own dark legend, Catherine lurks in the shadows of history as the perennial black widow, weaving intrigue in her Louvre palace apartments even as outside her window, Paris lies bathed in blood.

Catherine was born in a time of deep religious conflict, when the idealism of Europeâ??s early Renaissance had given way to the zealous Protestant Reformation. England, Germany, and the Low Countries embraced this new faith, while imperial Spain tenaciously combated the spread of what was seen as heresy. France found itself trapped between the tenets of the old faith and innovation of the new one--and the struggle that ensued is marked by its fervor and savagery. It is also dominated by the widowed queen-mother, Catherine de Medici.

When someone lives an eventful life in a tumultuous time, thereâ??s always more to her story than history can tell us. Catherine de Medici is a figure of lurid speculation but she had dreams and aspirations; hopes and disillusions. Yet unlike Elizabeth I, who commands our respect with her virginal splendor; or Mary of Scots, who elicits sympathy for her romantic martyrdom, Catherine has not been allowed much compassion. We forget that in the end, like all of us, she was human.

This is the flesh-and-blood Catherine de Medici readers will meet in my book: the teenage Florentine heiress sent to France to marry a prince she does not love; the determined wife enduring years in the shadow of her husbandâ??s icy mistress; the powerful regent fighting for her country; the fierce mother with her brood of children; and the bold queen whose alliance with an enigmatic rebel plunges her into a labyrinth of passion, betrayal, and murder. You will also meet the seer Nostradamus, who shares a prophetic gift with Catherine; the haughty duke of Guise, whose ambitions could bring about Franceâ??s ruin; and Catherineâ??s own children--weak Francois, married to Mary of Scots yet terrified of becoming king; fervent Charles, scarred by the fears of his childhood; gallant Henri, whose courage hides a secret; deformed Hercule, frantic to prove his worth; and beautiful Margot, whose thwarted desires will wreak terrible vengeance.

Unlike the legend, Catherineâ??s true story is full of drama, courage, triumph and tragedy; set in a complex era of glamorous spectacle and lethal deceit, where one woman faced the conflict between faith and survival and did everything she had to, to protect those she loved.

I hope that once you read her words, you will find her as fascinating as I did. I hope you enjoy The Confessions of Catherine de Medici.

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Excerpt

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Discussion Questions

From the Publisher:

1. This novel is told in the point of view of a woman. Do you think the author does a convincing job of immersing the reader in Catherine’s thoughts and emotions?
2. The Confessions of Catherine de Medici is set mainly in France. What did you learn about life in France at this time? How does the French court differ from other courts you may have read about?
3. When Catherine is told she must marry Henri, she realizes it is useless to fight it. How did you react to Pope Clement V’s decision to marry her to a stranger and send her to France? Did you think he was motivated by political revenge?
4. Princesses often did not have a choice in whom they married nor could they willingly leave their spouses. How does this influence Catherine in her struggle to conceive a child? Did you believe the novel’s explanation for her documented years of barrenness?
5. How did you feel about the relationship between Catherine and Diane de Poitiers?
6. When Catherine is suddenly left a widow with children to care for, she realizes she must fight for them. Do you think she made the right choice, knowing what lay ahead for her? What are your impressions of her conflicts with the Guises?
7. Catherine was an extraordinary woman for her time, because she exercised power fully in the name of her sons. How does her conflict with men and the prejudice she encountered compare to gender relations today?
8. Catherine makes a terrible choice to rid herself of Admiral Coligny. Do you think her act was justified? How might you have acted in her position?
9. Catherine de Medici is famous in history for being an evil queen who poisoned her enemies and orchestrated the St Bartholomew Day’s Massacre. Do you agree with history’s verdict? What are your impressions of Catherine as a person and as a ruler?
10. Henri III, Catherine’s favorite son, is an enigmatic personage in this novel, who struggles with his own nature. How do you feel about him and his actions?
11. Which of the characters in this novel were your favorites? Which did you dislike the most? Do you think the characters were portrayed as people true to their time?

Weblinks

»	Publisher's Book Info
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