What did Catherine de Medici have to confess? The book title is qualified with a caption which is the only one I have had courage to highlight:
None of us is innocent
We all have sins to confess.
Today is mother's day 2014 and it was an opportune moment for me to complete the fictionalized historical version of the life of Caterina Maria Romelo di Lorenzo de' Medici (Queen of France) from her perspective. Married at fourteen to Henry II of France (second in line to the French Throne after his brother) who did not love her, who disrespected her and who did not consummate the marriage for the longest time possible, she nonetheless became the mother of eleven children eight who survived into adulthood. She boasts of her children, Three French Kings (Francois II, Charles IX & Henri III), One French Queen (Marguerite), One Spanish Queen (Elisabeth). She - of "humble" background - became known as the most powerful woman in sixteenth century Europe given that she held the key to the continuation of the House of Valois during a very daunting time. She was thrust into the role of Queen Mother and Regent for her son when her husband dies. It was her duty as her Husband King of France died young, before their sons were of age.
Life is tragic for Caterina de' Medici and fate is not kind to her. Her sole duty on earth was to sire [male] children who would perpetuate the Valois dynasty. This took place at a time when girls were expected to be brood mares and to assure the continuation of power through appropriate matches. Infant & maternal mortality was high and life was generally precarious through wars & treachery. Life was not easy for Caterina as the matriarch to the House of Valois and history has judged her harshly in the same way it judges most women for the mistakes that they make. Widowed at forty, Caterina de' Medici, rises (and exceeds expectations) to save her dynasty and her adopted country France. As I read through the book, I thought about the words of Celine Dion's song that:- There is no other love like a mother's love for her child... a love so complete. A mother (most mother's) will do anything to safeguard their children. It is said that without Caterina, her three son's might not have ascended to power to the French Throne as Kings since there was so much against them. In one of her letters she is quoted to have indicated that she held onto power (as Queen Mother) to preserve France for her sons. To add insult to injury, each of her reigning sons died - one after the other - without heirs.
I must say, that the book taught me about a period of European History of which I was not very conversant. The constant battles between the Huguenots and the Catholics were eye opening and remind me of the current battle between Christians and Muslims. Is it really about God or is it about Power? It seems ironical that both the Huguenots and the Catholics waged war in the name of God yet, as Caterina says towards the end that she had stopped paying too much attention about her religion's promise of everlasting life as 'I have witnessed too much treachery in the name of religion'. I have always wondered why men {it is mostly men} think they must wage war in the name of God instead of letting God defend himself.
Margot (Marguerite)'s relationship with her mother Caterina de' Medici is the most interesting. Actually Caterina's relationships with all her children can be books of their own. Like most mothers, she is not a bad mother but she does what she thinks is best for them to secure their futures. That she arranged a dynastic marriage for Margot to the Protestant Henri de Bourbon, King of Navarre brought undying enmity between them because Margot loved another, Henri, the Duc de Guise. Margot became Queen of France when her husband King Henri III of Navarre became heir to the French throne. So although she could not inherit the crown, she nonetheless became Queen of France because none of her brothers had children and her husband was next in line to the throne. Margot was least interested in a loveless marriage to the King of Navarre...However she was ahead of her time as in those days marriages were not arranged for love but for duty. What interested me was the importance of children in European Royal houses not just to perpetuate the lineage and dynasty but to ensure peace in the realm through appropriately matched marriages. However, perhaps Margot had seen the challenges in her parents loveless union and wanted something different for herself.
Although eight of Caterina's children survived to adulthood, none of her sons sired any children bringing an end of the House of Valois through the male line and brought an end to the House of Valois. However Henri, King of Navarre (Margot's husband) - though previously having fought for the Huguenot cause and a protestant, ascended to the French throne. He is quoted as saying "Even France is worth a mass" and therefore converted into Catholicism for expediency to save his own kingdom from being run over by Catholic Spain. Unfortunately, there was no issue between Margot and the King of Navarre although the House of Bourbon continued through Henri's marriage to Maria de' Medici.
As for me - in reading the book - I can only repeat the words of Christ, "let he who is without sin, cast the first stone." I empathize with Caterina's version of events as recounted in this novel and pardon whatever mistakes she may have made in her role as Regent for her three sons. The life of women has always been hard and women - without the benefit of a network & with other women making life difficult for them - have had to struggle to remain standing.
The Confessions of Caterina de' Medici is "the extraordinary untold journey of one of the most maligned and misunderstood women ever to be queen". Caterina Maria Romelo di Lorenzo de' Medici does not ask for absolution but simply explains her side of the story.
Happy Mother's Day.
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