Catherine De Medici - The Black Queen of France Documentary 

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It is such a pity that nobody tells about the cultural revolution she has made at the French Court! She taught them to use cutlery, table cloth and her numerous cooks she has brought with her, taught the French about refined recipes! And these are only some examples! The French never liked her and the negative propaganda lasts until today!

breaks my heart. orphaned less than a month after birth. held hostage as a child, moved from convent to convent, death threats and s*xual a*sult threats as young girl. her husband ignoring her most of their marriage, fathering bastards and openly having affairs, having to beg at the feet of her father in law to let her stay at court, first 10 years of her marriage and not children. being hated by the french people, and mistreated by those at court, loosing 3 children as infants and outliving 8 of her 10 children. yes her life is fascinating but, my gosh was it tragic absolutely breaks my heart for her.

Her fight for religious tolerance in a time of high emotional religiosity speaks volumes about her refined character and conscience.

She played the hand she had been dealt with sensitivity and skill. Looking at the slaughters that took place during her lifetime despite her attempts to keep the peace, I wonder how much more blood would have been spilt without har efforts. Her work was repeatedly undermined by men lacking her vision and understanding. This was a documentary that did her justice. Thank you.

What I love most about these biographies is that whether you agree or disagree with much that is presented, they are entirely fair, even-handed, well-researched, and quite factual. I love them. Another great job here.

Amazing history of an amazing woman, who lived long ahead of her time. Who also carried the intelligence and political ability of the Medici's.

She is a person who had a hard life and did her best for her children.

This documentary was fair to Catherine De Medici and that is unusual. Well done. I did not know that Catherine tried so persistently to broker peace between the Catholics and the Huguenots. It’s a tragedy that she didn’t succeed. Maybe nobody could have succeeded.

I believe that Catherine de Medici was a Survivor and as strong Woman could ever hope to be.Her Devotion to her husband and children are evident. I greatly admire her . May She Rest In Peace

Catherine was a great woman of her time. Just being able to survive is amazing and it took an extraordinary woman of rare talent to prevail and maintain power in the midst of so much turmoil.

I'm now 89 years old, a Canadian and a descendant of Huguenots from my mother's side of the family. Apparently, they fled to England in 1573 and became English subjects, as did hundreds of others during that tumultuous period. I remember my great grandmother whom I met when I was 6 years old. That was in 1939. She was tiny with black piercing eyes and black hair. That's all I remember. She was a descendant of the Pussard family whose lineage was Huguenot. As for me, I was born in 1933 and am descended from Irish, Scots, English, French and Norwegian. A true Canadian! This video shone a huge light on the events leading up to their migration to England. Thank you for that.

ALL the Medicis of Florence are fascinating. The Boboli Park was donated by one of the Medicis to the people of Florence. They were once the richest people on earth at one time. Try visiting their palaces in Florence, you won't regret it. 😉

Wow. The most dynamic single mother in history. Not discounting tremendous examples to date, but the level this lady took it to was beyond any other I've heard. Could only imagine what it took to survive. Thank you for sharing.

I see her story as a cautionary tale of how a moderate can slide into radicalism during times of factionalism.

I am a descendant of the French Huguenots, and very proud of this heritage. Catherine tried to maintain some semblance of cooperation between the Catholics and the Huguenots, but alas people couldn’t be persuaded to deal with different religious dogma. Hindsight is 20/20.

Such an extraordinary woman and a complex period. I studied her life as research for two novels I wrote about her and there were so many layers to this woman. Not a particularly pleasant character but vastly underrated as a diplomat and negotiator yet I think she is best judged by the period she lived in. So much of her behaviour and actions are objective and whether or not she was the obsessed schemer who poisoned her enemies as was generally observed by many scholars we will never know for certain. Much was written about her before sources and documents were available to study her in greater depth. “The Serpent Queen” is ridiculous of course, historically speaking, but it’s good to have her name spoken of in any medium. You could study for a lifetime and never truly understand her, but it is that which makes her all the more enigmatic.

We need to stop trying to decide if historical figures were either bad guys or good guys. They were products of their time. Many doing a lot of good and a lot of bad. They aren't heros and they aren't devils, for the most part. We have hindsight and they did not. We are a product of our time and they, theirs. We can admire someone and equally be disgusted at certain things they did.

I love how long your videos are getting. You don't see too many long form videos anymore! Awesome work!

She was a monarch before her time, a true pioneer in diplomacy, which was an alien concept to her warring times.

Very well done. A complex and often ignored part of history that is a key to understanding the age. I am much in your debt. Thank you.

She is a real mother in all sense. Nurturing and protective both to her family and France. She could win a Nobel Peace award in our day for her conciliatory initiatives to have peace between the protestants and the catholics.

I know very little about Catherine De Medici but from what I have learnt from this great video, I think she clearly had a massive role to play as a wife, a mother, a woman in royal power. Whilst not all her decisions were necessarily great choices, she ultimately had to make them and do what needed to be done. As another person stated in a comment earlier, being a royal in that era, one automatically had a target on one’s back. I’m keen to learn more and/or rewatch this video, was a lot to absorb without any prior knowledge about her. I am definitely looking into watching the movie someone else had recommended, ‘La Reine Margot’. Apparently it is great. Thank you for this wonderful video/documentary☺️

This guy is my favorite narrator! His voice is so relaxing!

I hear your account of this historical period... and my mind goes back to my beloved Dumas books in which he portraits this time so beautifully.... I was 14 or 15 when I read them... and at that time he ignited in me a passion for history which he was a master at making novels with. ❤

Always happy to learn some history of my city. Regards from Florence, worldwide friends! ❤️⚜️💜

I really like this narrator. Great work!

Very beautifully portrayed! As a researcher, I especially appreciated the presentation as a balanced view, leaving it to each of us to consider for ourselves. A bonus was the exquisite verbal presentation using fluid and natural pronunciation. The latter is sometimes “slaughtered.” Thank you. Dr. Beth McCulloch Vinson

to the narrator - I don’t know who you are, but I love listening to you and I look forward to anything featuring your voice. ❤

An excellent and fair-minded documentary of a powerful woman of dubious reputation. Whether or not she was an instigator of the St. Bartholomew massacre or not, it has stuck to her name like glue. A large number of Huguenots managed to flee to the Netherlands and to the Scandinavian countries who had all become Protestant at this point in time. There are people today in Denmark who are direct descendants of these French Huguenots.

I think that those determined to think the worst of you, will never be swayed by something so insignificant as the truth. I notice that there seems to be some sparing going on between different versions of history, which causes some dissonance in itself, as people prefer to think of history as an unquestionable truth. I find Catherine to be an extremely interesting historical figure. I am interested in all the versions of her. I have learned so much about personality disorders so late in life, sometimes I just sit and ponder my life through this new lens. Catherine was born a woman during interesting times. I cherish her as a visible link between the royal families of Europe and the Papacy. Her life really brings a lot into focus. Imagine having her perspective during that time. It was obvious that those around her had no idea that she believed differently than them or why.

I almost never watch medieval french history. But this was a superb delivery.

Hail to Queen Mother Catherine De Medici. She was all that and more. An inspirational historical lady💐💐

For all the things this lady has passed through on her life, she is incredible!

She was mother to 3 kings of France. she was a staunch catholic and a major buzzsaw about it. She convinced one of her king sons to initiate the night of St Barthlemew where most of the protestants in Paris were killed. Nevertherless she was a very smart woman who had real staying power in a time when being a royal meant you walked around with a target on your back.

Ive been looking for a Documentary on Catherine De Medici. Thank you so much for you're time & efforts. This is amazing historical information 👏.

Waiting so long for this one thank you so much ❤️❤️❤️

I admire the way you talk about history.Thank you!

Margaret Beaufort, the Red Queen, would be really interesting, too. Then, people could complain that she wasn't really "red." Seriously, though, please consider Margaret. Powerful women throughout history are always fascinating and maligned.

About to watch this; I hope they talk about her chateau at Chenonceau. It's the most beautiful chateau I've seen. Not as big as others but so beautiful.

Just discovered this channel. Wow, I'm impressed so subbed! Great narration voice, perfectly spoken and executed. Do you use the same narrator on all these? I haven't watched any others yet, but am already doing a list of those I want to listen to. Brilliant work👍💜💜

Catherine de Medici was not to be messed with, especially not if you were a Protestant Huguenot in France.

The ignorant ppl ruining the comment section,who did not watch the video,taking “Black” and running with it. Causing drama in the comments .

I believe she's also the subject of the new series on Starz called THE SERPENT QUEEN.

I watch her story on Starz, what she went through in her childhood, losing both parents, kidnap, almost killed and forced to married a husband, who never cared for her, then Henry II had a favorite mistress 'Diane de Poitiers', who seduced him in his teens, she was almost 40 years old and remained his mistress for 25 years. Catherine De Medici was smart, I admired her and she had no choice to be ruthless at times, such turmoil in that time period, with 2 religions, who were constantly fighting and killing each other, always the innocent people and children, had to pay that price.

Really excellent! Thanks so much - always top notch! 🙌

Catherine De Medici; a woman of her time, of great ambition and courage. Thanks for uploading.

My Aunt Francis was born in Abruzzi. Her birth name was Alfonsina. My grandmother named my mother after the Princess of Italy, Yolanda, because we have ties to The Duke Of The Abruzzi. When I was in Italy in 1972 I was invited to have dinner at Princess Orsini’s home in Rome. The legend came full circle. 👑 Thank you for sharing the historical information about Catherine De Medici.

Alexandre Dumas' novel "La Reine Margot" also contributed a lot to her bad reputation. The novel was made into a good movie in the 1990s, with Isabelle Adani, Asia Argento et al. Good actors, filmed in the right locations, great story (though not a documentary).

Thank you for this documentary. Now I understand so many missing gaps that I had about this time in France's history.

she was 14 when married , went through grief by the court, I hope she gave them all hell. She was an amazing, intelligent woman and played politics like an ace.

Thank you for this documentary. It cleared up a lot of the questions I had. Hello as a Huguenot from SA 👋 Mothers side, De Le Grange. 🙏

So much information . What a brave woman she became to after going through so much heartache. I'm glad drinking mules urine didn't catch on. Great work

I think Catherine was a devoted mother and did what she had to do to ensure her sons' reign. People always bad mouth women that are inspiring change and going against the grain. Frankly, I like her.

Not only was she a devoted mother but also an astute statesman.

She was one hell of a woman and her family, the Medicis, I have always admired them for what they did for the city of Florence. Despite the racism I have suffered in that city, I still love that wonderful city ❤️ Long live the name Medici 🙏

I don't have a multitude of knowledge about Florence and France, but listening to this story, Catherine's life was no bed of roses, it started with challenges, she married a man who spent more time with his mistress and only wanted to be with her to produce heirs. Then upon his death, she ascended to the throne, but didn't have the power she needed until her sickly oldest son took the throne. She then became a dedicated mother who helped her first born son rule the kingdom. She then dealt with the harsh realities of her son's health which eventually took the lives of all of her boys who, all ascended to the throne and became kings. What an accomplishment!! My thoughts about her is that she was a fierce leader, a woman who ruled with her sons to make life better for the people of France and stop the growing and ongoing violence spearheaded by the Roman Catholic Church. She was no saint but, she tried to rule with honesty and fairness according to the times she lived in.

What an awesome documentary 👏 I truly enjoyed it. Please keep on making more interesting and educational documentaries!!

Thanks for this upload .

The picture of choice is misleading to the black Queen

The paintings of the events of her life in the Louvres were the most impressive things there. Huge paintings! As I recall 6 or 8 of them. Huge! HUGE!

I've been watching "The Serpent Queen" so I had to watch this of course to get the real story.😁

Thank you for producing such a well researched programme and thank you for your balanced assessment of a much misunderstood Queen

Beautifully told. I think Catherine was extraordinary for her time. The resurrection of her story helps to demonstrate the marginalized as a great untapped resource. The patriarchal form taken by societies has served humanity very little.

Problems in this documentary, calling Italy a country in the 16th century. It was a region not a country. There wasn't a country called Italy until the 19th century.

Reign brought me to this woman

HISTORY IS ALWAYS GOOD TO KNOW!! THANK YOU !!!

Man, you learn something new everyday!!! So much of true history is being revealed each day.

Wow what a documentary! The best one I have ever watched on this amazing channel!

This is wonderful! More more about Catherine!

Wonderful portrayal of an amazing woman.

A very interesting and informative show.. a clever,educated, determined lady ahead of her time.

She was intelligent, fearless, proud, and prideful. A woman like Catherine de Medici, should be loved and feared.

I am amazed every time I read or hear about her. I first saw her in Raign, the actress that played Catherine both was both ruthless,cunning and and extremely, intelligent. My true love is Mary queen of the Scott's!!! . I went on to learn so much about the medicis medicis, and other ruling kings and queens. Thank you so much for this documentary! The person who spoke was also amazing! Thank you again

So nice to see some quality videos on history devoid of the nonsense that passes for biography today. What we can't prove we can't say.

What a traumatic childhood and adolescence. History of monarchies becomes much more clear when you realise how badly traumatised many princes and princesses were in their formative years - despite our fantasies of their pampered upringing.

As a 'Typical' Aries Ruler...She had the very best brains for ruling as long as she did. My most Favorite Queen!

Catherine de Medici was remarkable woman in her times. She managed to make 3 of her sons King's of France amidst civil wars between Catholics and protestants and the powerful and fanatical Guise family who were consistently conspiring against her alongside Spain and England. She tried mediation between her Catholic and protestant subjects. But the Guise family sabotaged her efforts with Spanish backing. I don't condone St Bartholomews massacre which she played a major part. But you have to understand as to what were the circumstances that led to it.

The story was done amazing on Netflix. I go back all the time and watch the show Medici.

I am realizing that I prefer documentaries that also include a presenter and/or other academic contributors (historians). Currently, some of favorite historian presenters are Dr. Lucy Worsley, Dr. Suzannah Lipscomb, Dr. Eleanor Janega, Dr. Tracy Bormand, Dan Jones, and Prof. Kate Williams. They are engaging.

And I was so eager and excited to watch the series The Serpent Queen every weekend not knowing it was actually the life of Catherine de Medici. I thought the series was so well made. It was actually a real life story. I'm blown away.

Being married at 14 then getting cheated on 😭😭😭 Christ people have had terrible lives

The birth of the French Cuisine took place under her reign. She brought the grand brigade with her when she moved to France.

Great video again mate!

Excellent work ❤

Bellísimo video , históricamente precíso el inglés bellísimo perfecto frances y precioso italiano estoy encantada y admirada , agradezco mucho este precioso documental , lo aprecio y de nuevo agradezco Catherine de Medicici es una de las mujeres extraordinarias de la Historia , buena o mala … gran Reina y mujer. Gracias

Great narrative, yes, "Catherine de' Medici earned her nickname of “the Black Queen” because of her fascination with mysticism and astrology. Also, "The Château of Chaumont was witness to a legendary event in which the fall of the Valois dynasty was predicted".

Brilliant narration

There is a Chinese saying “When a person is placed in the current of history (Jiang Hsu),his body is not his own “. Only God can have the ability yo see the whole picture and be the rightful judge of a person’s soul and his or her actions. For the world we were and are living is so much broken.

Very nice documentary on Cathetine de Medici.I asked myself recently why there were not any dicumentaries on such a historically important person.

Great content, thank you

Love listening to this after reading Ken Follett’s A column of fire. Thank you!

what a fascinating story. Somebody should create a TV series around her life.

I believe that Catherine perhaps also got a bad wrap - like Marie Antoinette. When one studies these people in-depth you realise there are more facets to their story than what many history books relate.

Wait, making sure I heard that right. She was 14 when she married in 1533. Which made her 10 in 1529 while the city was under siege. There were calls for what to be done to a 10 year old? Surely someone was taking names of those recommending this so they could be "taken care of" when the smoke cleared.

Catherine wanted to be free of religion, which theologian Karl Barth of Switzerland, in my time called the worst thing in the world, but she failed, not only outwardly, but also inwardly reverting to her Italian Catholic ancestors. The Protestants, Huguenot's in particular, remembered fondly in my home town of Pelham, New York, by the Huguenot Memorial Church which I attended and loved, and out of which arose my career as a theologian, such as it was, were as bad or worse. People get the government they deserve.

Extremely well done. My knowledge of French and Italian nobility was sketchy at best. This really was a massive help for putting the pieces together, for me - thank you. I agree with what Henry lV said, " I'm surprised she never did worse". Anyone in her position would have done the same. I also wonder if her persistence at bringing peace between the religious factions, was more than just political.. Yes she may have believed in the 'stick' but that was only the last resort. How different Europe would have been had she been successful! I knew the French were ruthless but wow, the resulting massacres of Bartholomew's really underlines that. Fascinating stuff.

A DEFENSE OF CATERINA de' MEDICI, How this woman, driven by a utopian dream of peace, did consent to violence to the point of becoming one of the actors in the Saint-Barthélemy massacre. even if there is debate on this subject, Saint-Barthélemy went against her will although she played a decisive role with her son Charles IX. The great motive is that of the "constrained" will. The planned marriage between Henri de Navarre and his daughter Marguerite de Valois was intended to stabilize the situation of precarious peace imposed by the treaty of 1570. But the assassination attempt of which Coligny was the victim on August 22, 1572, turned this dream of monarchical peace into tragedy and left the royal government faced with an inextricable choice: to initiate a procedure to investigate responsibility for the attack. to incriminate the Guises and set up against the king the partisans of ultracatholicism then very powerful in Paris; not doing justice to the Protestants gives them an argument to denounce the iniquity of the sovereign and thus justify a war that they could lead soon against a power considered tyrannical. The fragile edifice of peace arranged by Charles IX and his mother to bring Protestants back to the Court behind Coligny and make them dialogue with the Catholic princes threatens to collapse. It is because of the "secret necessities of the State" that the massacre is ordered by the king in agreement with his mother. There is here the evocation of a "political reason" which pushes to have some sixty Protestant captains assassinated, in order to say to behead the heads of military Protestantism, not to annihilate the Protestant reform, but for the compel it to remain in peace.

Loving this one thanks for sharing very information blessed love to all knowledge is power hopefully everyone pays attention keep up the good work 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲

This documentary was a revelation. Thank you.