Ironically, Henry IV would end the Wars of Religion through the Edict of Nantes (1598), granting broader toleration to Huguenots—a policy Catherine had tried in fits and starts throughout her career.
The ‘Serpent Queen’ or Savvy Survivor?
Why did Catherine de’ Medici become such a hated figure, especially among Protestant writers? Part of it lay in gender: powerful women in the 16th century were almost always viewed with suspicion. Her Italian origins and use of Italian advisors (the so-called “Italianate poisoners” in French propaganda) made her seem foreign, sinister, and decadent.
Moreover, Protestant propaganda needed a villain, and Catherine was the perfect target—a foreign queen mother blamed for massacres and intrigue. Works like François Hotman’s Franco-Gallia and countless pamphlets depicted her as a monstrous Medusa figure.
Yet modern historians argue Catherine was more a realist than a villain. Faced with an impossible situation—a divided kingdom, weak sons, ambitious nobles, and fanatical religious factions—she pursued policies of compromise where she could, repression where she must. Her repeated attempts at peace conferences and marriage alliances showed her preference for political solutions over endless war.Far from being a reckless warmonger, she was often the only force trying to hold France together. shutdown123