The remarkable tale of Catherine de Medici’s climb from the terrible misfortune that had befallen her since birth to become one of the most influential ladies of her time is told in Starz’s “The Serpent Queen.” A tale that will hold the attention of viewers involves an Italian who initially feels entirely out of place in France before ultimately becoming its queen. The show illuminates a variety of topics, but Catherine becomes more fascinating the more one learns about her. Her keen intellect and charming personality, which keep her alive despite the commotion at the French court, are well-depicted in the series. But how does that relate to the show’s name? Why has Catherine earned the moniker “Serpent Queen”? Let’s investigate.
Catherine de Medici’s Association to the Title The Serpent Queen
When someone is venomous, someone who waits their turn before surprising their adversaries, they are referred to as “serpents.” someone who is potentially lethal just by being there. Over the duration of her reign, this idea came to define Catherine. When analysing Catherine’s position in France, it’s important to keep in mind that she was viewed as an outsider. Italians were disliked by the French at the time, who either didn’t take them seriously enough or saw their acts in such a negative light that everything appeared to be their fault.
In Catherine’s case, the French saw her as the embodiment of everything Italian, which made it simpler for people to denigrate her by calling her “the serpent queen,” “the black queen,” and “the maggot from Italy’s tomb.” The destruction of Catherine’s reputation benefited them because she was a woman, and an intelligent and ambitious one at that, with the power that others in the court coveted. Given this, there is a fair possibility that the most, if not all, of the charges and conspiracies made against her were spread by those who wished to see her removed from office.
When Catherine arrived in France, she brought with her a passion for the sciences such as astrology and astronomy as well as the fashion for wearing perfumed gloves among other things. It was assumed that her interest in these items indicated that she had a strong interest in sorcery and that she had invested in the occult and dark arts. People were persuaded that she dabbled in black magic because she patronised figures like Nostradamus, who was well-known for his ominous prophecies regarding the future of the world.
As a result of the controversy surrounding her pregnancy, word began to come out about her “unorthodox” methods for getting what she wanted. Catherine had not been able to have children with Henry, not even after ten years of marriage. Catherine felt herself prepared to go to any lengths to become pregnant as the strain started to build, especially when the prospect of being sent back to Italy was looming. This included swallowing animal pee. Such manipulations on her part were thought to be unnatural, especially because she not only managed to have an heir but also became pregnant ten times in total.
The passing of Jeanne d’Albret, the Queen of Navarre, was the event that captured the public’s attention the most. Jeanne was a devoted Protestant, whilst Catherine was a fervent Catholic. Catherine made the decision to wed her daughter to Jeanne’s son in order to quell the unrest caused by the conflicting religious beliefs that were already causing problems for France. The union of the Catholic and Protestant religions was intended to convey a message of harmony to the general population. But Jeanne passed away unexpectedly two months before the wedding. Some believed Catherine had killed her to keep her plans from falling through since she had begun to doubt her choice and might have changed their minds. The poisoned glove that Catherine had given to her daughter’s mother-in-law was also said to have been the cause of death.
Over the years, the assault against Catherine accelerated. The queen was charged with employing black magic and potions to conquer her enemies and elevate her prestige in the court in a pamphlet titled “Marvellous Discourse on the Life, Actions, and Deportment of Catherine de Médicis, Queen Mother,” which was published in 1576. Additionally, it was said that she sent a squad of ladies to woo French aristocratic men in order to gather information about them that she could use for her own political agenda. Despite the fact that all of these reports were but that—rumors—missteps, Catherine’s such as the St. Bartholomew Massacre, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of people, did little to improve her reputation.
None of the historians who have studied Catherine de Medici have discovered any evidence that backs up the claims made against her. It is believed that tuberculosis, rather than poisoned gloves, is more likely to have caused Jeanne d’Albert’s “suspicious” death. The majority of the accusations made against Catherine, according to individuals like Leonie Frieda, the author of her best-selling biography, have been debunked.
She only needed to point a finger or gaze at someone a certain way to make them dead, for instance. Being in her position, having someone killed would have been far simpler for her than actually poisoning them herself. She was a member of the French court when she engaged in politics. She had to play chess like everyone else in court in order to maintain her position of power at the moment and to keep one step ahead of them all. Most of the accusations made against her are baseless, and labels like “the serpent queen” were more intended to malign her reputation than to accurately describe who she was.
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