She poisoned some, persuaded others of the dangers of individuals, hired assassins, used doctors, clergymen and noblemen to influence the lives of so many. To obtain it she would do what she had to do to gain influence. It was hard to read at times but I did want to know what she would do next. Reading this book introduced me to the most scheming and wicked woman that I believed ever lived. None of her children-mad Charles, perverted Anjou, deformed Alencon, or the wanton Margot-trusted the Queen Mother. Worshiping no god save power she lived only to rule through her tainted offspring. To her other crimes Catherine de' Medici now added the infamy of St Bartholomew's Eve. The carnival of butchery begun by the bell of Saint-Germain I'Auxerrois raged unchecked.

The cobbles were stained with Huguenot blood. And so the carnival of butchery begins, marking years of terror and upheaval that will end in the demise of kings, and finally expose Catherine's lifetime of depraved scheming.Īugust 24th, 1572-Madness seized Catholic Paris.

Overcome by fear, he agrees to a massacre that will rid France of its 'pestilential Huguenots for ever'. Realizing her weakening power over her sickly son, Catherine sets about persuading Francis of a Huguenot plot against his life. N the midst of an August heatwave, tensions run high between the Catholic Parisians and the Huguenot wedding guests: Margot's marriage to Henry has not resulted in the peace that King Francis longed for. But even Catherine is unable to anticipate the carnage that this unholy union is t. Margot, still desperately in love with Henry de Guise, refuses to utter her vows. The aging Catherine de' Medici has arranged the marriage of her beautiful Catholic daughter Margot to the uncouth Huguenot King Henry of Navarre.

Queen Jezebel by Jean Plaidy