The royal marriage of Henri II and Catherine de Medici was ruled by Henri's mistress, Diane de Poitiers.
The personal details of royalty have always fascinated me. I guess I am into historical tabloid stories. While researching the current series on the French Royals of the 16th century Renaissance, I have been in my element! Cheating husbands, conniving mistresses, wives to be reckoned with! It is better than any soap opera (no offense Young and the Restless.)
Reading about the early years of Catherine de Medici’s marriage to Henri II was certainly intriguing. Catherine is often known in history as this evil, malicious woman who kept her own fleet of female spies in her household and controlled the French throne through three of her sons. However, her early life in France was certainly no indication of who she would become later on.
Arriving in France at 14 to marry a complete stranger and live in a foreign land, Catherine was quiet and almost invisible. Her husband was so taken with his mistress, Diane de Poitiers, that he barely paid his little brown mousy wife any attention. Unfortunately for Catherine, she fell in love with her husband, and hated her beautiful rival.
Diane was in charge of everything. Henri relied on her for not only love, but advice on running the royal household, the royal nursery, and even the military. Diane, 19 years older than her lover, kept a tight reign on her power during Henri’s 12 year rule. When Henri died unexpectedly after a jousting accident, Catherine wasted no time, swooping in and seizing power.
Check out these articles for information on this royal marriage of three:
Diane & Henri- The early relationship between Diane and Henri
Diane de Poitiers- The first powerful royal mistress
Catherine de Medici- One of the most powerful women of the Renaissance
