Identities of Catherine de' Medici

Susan Broomhall is Professor and Director of the Gender and Women's History Research Centre at the Australian Catholic University. She has published more than twenty monographs and edited collections on women and gender in the early modern world.

• AcknowledgementsList of FiguresIntroduction1 Scholarly Contexts2 Sources3 Book Structure1 Heir: The Medici Legacy1 Caterina Maria, Child Bride of the Medici2 Feelings for the Medici3 Liberality and Dissimulation: Catherine’s ‘Medici’ Emotions4 Asserting Rights to Medici Financial Inheritance5 Conclusions2 Partner: The King’s Representative1 Intimacy with the King2 Representing a King3 Henri’s Everlasting Partner4 Conclusions3 Mother: Raising Son-Kings1 Ventriloquising the Father2 Bonds of Devotion3 A Life of Sacrifice4 Conclusions4 Friend and Ally: Nurturing Daughter-Queens1 Intimacy and the Confessions of a Mother2 Consorts as Daughters of France3 Allies of the Family4 A Daughter’s Hopes of a Mother5 Conclusions5 Chief Mourner of the Valois: The Exclusivity of Intimacy1 Mourning as a Solitary Affliction I: The Widowed Partner of Henri2 Mourning as a Solitary Affliction II: The Mother of Deceased Children3 Mourning as Motivating Action4 Keeper of Memory5 Conclusions6 Carer: Production and Investment as Protection of France1 Countess of Clermont2 A Demonstrable Practice of Care3 The Pride of France4 A Charitable Labour of Love5 Protection, Investment, and Development of France6 Conclusions: Who Cares?7 Murderer: Histories of Violent Emotions1 The Violence of Emotions2 Narrating Catherine’s Emotions3 Conclusions: Speaking for the Queen8 Spiritual Sister: The Community of Le Murate1 Enclosure: A Hostage of the Florentine Government2 Providers of Reciprocal Assistance3 Community and Memory4 ConclusionsConclusionsBibliographyPrimary SourcesSecondary SourcesIndex