{"product_id":"catherine-de-medici-book-leonie-frieda-9780060744939","title":"Catherine de Medici","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe inspiration for the STARZ original series, \u003ci\u003eThe Serpent Queen\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e -- \u003cb\u003esecond season premiering July 12th!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"A beautifully written portrait of a ruthless, subtle and fearless woman fighting for survival and power in a world of gangsterish brutality, routine assassination and religious mania. . . . Frieda has brought a largely forgotten heroine-villainess and a whole sumptuously vicious era back to life. . . . This is \u003ci\u003eThe Godfather\u003c\/i\u003e meets \u003ci\u003eElizabeth\u003c\/i\u003e.\" --Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of \u003ci\u003eStalin: The Court of the Red Tsar\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePoisoner, besotted mother, despot, necromancer, engineer of a massacre: the dark legend of Catherine de Medici is centuries old. In this critically hailed royal biography, Leonie Frieda reclaims the story of this unjustly maligned queen of France to reveal a skilled ruler and master of Renaissance statecraft battling extraordinary political and personal odds.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBased on comprehensive research including thousands of Catherine's own letters, Frieda unfurls Catherine's story from her troubled childhood in Florence to her tumultuous marriage to Henry II of France; her transformation of French culture to her reign as a queen who would use brutality to ensure her children's royal birthright. Brilliantly executed, this enthralling historical biography goes beyond myth to paint a very human portrait of this remarkable figure.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHow did a Florentine merchant's daughter become the most powerful woman in sixteenth-century France?\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003ePolitical Intrigue:\u003c\/b\u003e Uncover the intricate web of alliances and betrayals Catherine navigated, using her intelligence to survive a court where assassination was commonplace.\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eA Woman in Power:\u003c\/b\u003e Explore the story of a queen who, denied power for years, ultimately seized control to protect her children's legacy and transform French culture forever.\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003ePrimary Source Research:\u003c\/b\u003e Draws on thousands of Catherine's own letters, revealing her personal thoughts and strategies in her own words.\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eThe Woman Behind the Myth:\u003c\/b\u003e Separates fact from the dark legend of the poisoner and necromancer to present a human portrait of a complex and formidable ruler.\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49884296085777,"sku":"CIN0060744936VG","price":5.23,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ WELL_READ \/ SBYB","offer_id":50117470486801,"sku":"CIN0060744936A","price":5.18,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":50983029276945,"sku":"NIN9780060744939","price":21.79,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51443719930129,"sku":"GOR005691569","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":52102607143185,"sku":"CIN0060744936G","price":4.58,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53217101545745,"sku":"GOR002086906","price":21.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0060744936.jpg?v=1751036050","url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/products\/catherine-de-medici-book-leonie-frieda-9780060744939","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}