COMPANION

Catherine de' Medici

1519 - 1589

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Catherine de' Medici (Italian: Caterina de' Medici, pronounced [kateˈriːna de ˈmɛːditʃi]; French: Catherine de Médicis, pronounced [katʁin də medisis]; 13 April 1519 – 5 January 1589) was an Italian Florentine noblewoman of the Medici family and Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to King Henry II. She was the mother of French kings Francis II, Charles IX, and Henry III. She was a cousin of Pope Clement VII. The years during which her sons reigned have been called "the age of Catherine de' Medici" since she had extensive, albeit at times varying, influence on the political life of France. Catherine was born in Florence to Lorenzo de' Medici, Duke of Urbino, and his wife, Madeleine de La Tour d'Auvergne. In 1533, at the age of 14, Catherine married Henry, the second son of King Francis I and Queen Claude of France, who would become Dauphin of France (heir to the throne) upon the death of his elder brother Francis in 1536. Catherine's marriage was arranged by Clement VII. Read more on Wikipedia

Her biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Catherine de' Medici is the 10th most popular companion (up from 11th in 2019), the 76th most popular biography from Italy (up from 80th in 2019) and the most popular Italian Companion.

Catherine de' Medici was a powerful Italian noblewoman who became queen consort of France in 1547 by marrying King Henry II. She was the mother of three kings of France, including Francis II, Charles IX, and Henry III. Catherine was also the last direct descendent of Lorenzo de' Medici, the ruler of Florence.

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Among COMPANIONS

Among companions, Catherine de' Medici ranks 10 out of 784. Before her are Khadija bint Khuwaylid, Fatimah, Anne Boleyn, Mumtaz Mahal, Helena, and Joséphine de Beauharnais. After her are Mary of Teck, Theodora, Imelda Marcos, Eva Braun, Aspasia, and Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1519, Catherine de' Medici ranks 1. After her are Henry II of France, Pope Innocent IX, Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset, Francis, Duke of Guise, Gaspard II de Coligny, Isabella Jagiellon, Occhiali, Theodore Beza, Imagawa Yoshimoto, and Andrea Cesalpino. Among people deceased in 1589, Catherine de' Medici ranks 1. After her are Henry III of France, Alessandro Farnese, Christophe Plantin, Jacques Clément, Benedict the Moor, Anna Maria of the Palatinate, Johannes Sturm, Jean-Antoine de Baïf, Bernard Palissy, Julius, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, and Michael Baius.

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In Italy

Among people born in Italy, Catherine de' Medici ranks 76 out of 5,161. Before her are Joseph-Louis Lagrange (1736), Lorenzo de' Medici (1449), Titus (41), Mark Antony (-83), Saint Lucy (283), and Lucretius (-94). After her are Pope Pius VIII (1761), Vespasian (9), Gioachino Rossini (1792), Domitian (51), Pope Urban VIII (1568), and Pope Pius VI (1717).

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Among COMPANIONS In Italy

Among companions born in Italy, Catherine de' Medici ranks 1. After her are Messalina (17), Livia (-58), Zita of Bourbon-Parma (1892), Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily (1772), Julia (-76), Amalasuntha (495), Scribonia (-70), Julia the Elder (-39), Caterina Sforza (1463), Marie Adélaïde of Savoy (1685), and Maria Luisa of Parma (1751).

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