This study of Catherine dé Medici is descriptive rather than explanatory, an informed speculation regarding the dynamics and character of one whose history—not presence—is available to us. Although we lack details about Catherine's inner experience, we do have the scope of her entire life on which to base our ideas. From the accomplishments and failures of historical figures in their public and private lives, we can hope to identify salient strengths, deficits, flaws, and patterns (Stein, 1977).

This paper is part of a longer study of three queens—Mary, Queen of Scots, Elizabeth I, and Catherine dé Medici—who were pivotal in the political maelstrom of sixteenth-century Europe. Because these women wielded great power, their accomplishments—or the lack thereof—were glaringly reflected in the magnifying mirror of national events. They become, then, specially suitable