Catherine de' Medici: Affairs of the Heart

She was the mother of three kings of France and the legendary Queen Margot. They called her the “Black Widow” and slandered her as a “poisoner” and a “black magician.” She is considered to be to blame for the monstrous slaughter on St. Bartholomew’s Night. But if you look at Catherine de’ Medici’s fate even a little objectively, most of these accusations crumble into dust. “The ruthless poisoner”? But none of the murders she is suspected of has been proven. “Incitement to the St. Bartholomew’s massacre”? But Catholics believed their actions were, quite reasonably, a forced act of self-defense. “Black Widow”? Yet it was precisely thanks to Catherine that the French court acquired the characteristic brilliance, and French cuisine—refinement. She invented pantaloons and high heels, introduced the fashion for corsets and ice cream. This astonishing woman was friends with Nostradamus and… was a mistress of her own husband!

Read the true story of love, motherhood, and losses of the most mysterious French queen—her heartfelt secrets still haven’t been unraveled!

The book was also published under the title “Catherine de’ Medici. Mistress of her own husband.”