Overview

Catherine de Medici (April 13, 1519 - January 5, 1589) became a power in world politics after the death of her husband, King of France Henry II. She was finally able to wrestle power away from those close to Henry and she later went on to manage the Kingdom as regent while her sons were too young to truly wield power. She was able to maintain power often by scrupulous deeds and her use of [poison] on her rivals is well documented.