{"product_id":"catherine-de-medici-renaissance-queen-of-france","title":"FRIEDA, LEONIE- Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe inspiration for the STARZ original series, The Serpent Queen — second season premiering July 12th!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A beautifully written portrait of a ruthless, subtle and fearless woman fighting for survival and power in a world of gangsterish brutality, routine assassination and religious mania. . . . Frieda has brought a largely forgotten heroine-villainess and a whole sumptuously vicious era back to life. . . . This is The Godfather meets Elizabeth.” —Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePoisoner, besotted mother, despot, necromancer, engineer of a massacre: the dark legend of Catherine de Medici is centuries old. In this critically hailed royal biography, Leonie Frieda reclaims the story of this unjustly maligned queen of France to reveal a skilled ruler and master of Renaissance statecraft battling extraordinary political and personal odds.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBased on comprehensive research including thousands of Catherine’s own letters, Frieda unfurls Catherine’s story from her troubled childhood in Florence to her tumultuous marriage to Henry II of France; her transformation of French culture to her reign as a queen who would use brutality to ensure her children’s royal birthright. Brilliantly executed, this enthralling historical biography goes beyond myth to paint a very human portrait of this remarkable figure.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHow did a Florentine merchant’s daughter become the most powerful woman in sixteenth-century France?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e * Political Intrigue: Uncover the intricate web of alliances and betrayals Catherine navigated, using her intelligence to survive a court where assassination was commonplace.\u003cbr\u003e * A Woman in Power: Explore the story of a queen who, denied power for years, ultimately seized control to protect her children’s legacy and transform French culture forever.\u003cbr\u003e * Primary Source Research: Draws on thousands of Catherine’s own letters, revealing her personal thoughts and strategies in her own words.\u003cbr\u003e * The Woman Behind the Myth: Separates fact from the dark legend of the poisoner and necromancer to present a human portrait of a complex and formidable ruler.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"LittleFreeBookshop.com","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48057472221342,"sku":"9780060744939","price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0774\/9091\/3438\/files\/9780060744939.jpg?v=1785275296","url":"https:\/\/littlefreebookshop.com\/products\/catherine-de-medici-renaissance-queen-of-france","provider":"LittleFreeBookshop.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}