Catherine de' Medici

Catherine de' Medici was queen consort of France from 1547 to 1559 and regent for her sons during the French Wars of Religion.

Henry II of France: King of France from 1547 to 1559 and Catherine de' Medici's husband. His death in 1559 began Catherine's central role in governing for their sons.
French regency: A period when a regent exercises royal authority because a monarch cannot govern independently. Catherine's authority rested on regencies for her underage sons.
St. Bartholomew's Day massacre: The 1572 mass killing of Huguenots in Paris and other French cities. Catherine's role in the decision-making before the killings remains debated, while her court was implicated.
Valois dynasty: A branch of the Capetian dynasty that ruled France from 1328 to 1589. Catherine's political priority was preserving this dynasty through her sons' reigns.
Women in power: The exercise of political authority by women in societies where leadership has often been male-dominated. Catherine's authority as queen mother drew praise and hostility shaped by gender expectations.
Francis II of France: King of France from 1559 to 1560, eldest son of Catherine de' Medici and Henry II. Catherine's first regency began after his short reign.
Edict of Saint-Germain: The 1562 French edict that granted limited worship rights to Huguenots outside towns. Catherine's government issued it as an early attempt to manage religious conflict.
French Wars of Religion: A series of civil wars between Catholic and Protestant factions in France from 1562 to 1598. These wars defined the political crisis in which Catherine exercised power.
French monarchy: The system of hereditary kingship that governed France until the French Revolution. Catherine's regencies tested how royal authority could function under weak or young kings.
Queen mother: A former queen consort who holds status and influence as the mother of a reigning monarch. This role gave Catherine political standing beyond her years as queen consort.

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