Catherine Medici Queen Consort France 1519-1589

Paternal Family Tree: Medici

Maternal Family Tree: Isabelle Beauvau Countess Vendôme 1436-1475

On 5th May 1518 [her father] Lorenzo de Medici Duke of Urbino [aged 25] and [her mother] Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergne [aged 20] were married. She the daughter of [her grandfather] Jean IV Count Auvergne and [her grandmother] Jeanne Bourbon Duchess Bourbon.

On 13th April 1519 Catherine Medici Queen Consort France was born to Lorenzo de Medici Duke of Urbino [aged 26] and Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergne [aged 21].

On 28th April 1519 [her mother] Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergne [aged 21] died.

On 4th May 1519 [her father] Lorenzo de Medici Duke of Urbino [aged 26] died.

Letters and Papers Foreign and Domestic Henry VIII 1533. 11th March 1533. R. O. St. P. VII. 427. 230. Instructions for Lord Rochford [aged 30], sent to the French Court.

Is to present Francis with the letters written by the King's own hand, and express the delight he feels in his friendship and offers of service made by De Langeais, especially with regard to his asking the King's advice concerning the marriage of the [her future husband] duke of Orleans [aged 13] with the Pope's niece [aged 13]1. Has declared it already by De Langeais at his return; which Rochford is to enlarge upon, touching on the low extraction of the lady, which the King thinks is a great obstacle. Is to tell Francis that, according to his advice given at their last interview, and from his anxiety to have male issue for the establishment of his kingdom, he has proceeded effectually to the accomplishment of his marriage, trusting to find that his deeds will correspond with his promises, and that he will assist and maintain the King in the event of any excommunication from the Pope. That, in full consideration of the friendship of Francis, the King has opened to him his mind entirely, and asked his advice from time to time; and, considering he is now following the French king's counsel, he hopes that he will, as a true friend and brother, devise whatever he can for the establishment of the said marriage, preventing any impediment to it, or of the succession, which please God will follow, and which, to all appearance, is in a state of advancement already, as the King himself would do for Francis in like case.

Note 1. The marriage between the Duke of Orleans, future King Henry II of France, and Catherine Medici Queen Consort France took place on the 28th October 1533.

On 28th October 1533 King Henry II of France [aged 14] and Catherine Medici Queen Consort France [aged 14] were married. She by marriage Queen Consort of France. He the son of King Francis I of France [aged 39] and Claude Valois Orléans Queen Consort France. They were sixth cousins.

On 19th January 1544 [her son] Francis II King France King Consort Scotland was born to [her husband] King Henry II of France [aged 24] and Catherine Medici Queen Consort France [aged 24]. He married 24th April 1558 his third cousin Mary Queen of Scots, daughter of King James V of Scotland and Mary of Guise Queen Consort Scotland.

On 2nd April 1545 [her daughter] Elizabeth Valois Queen Consort Spain was born to [her husband] King Henry II of France [aged 26] and Catherine Medici Queen Consort France [aged 25]. She married 20th July 1559 her fourth cousin Philip "The Prudent" II King Spain, son of Charles V Holy Roman Emperor and Isabel Aviz Queen Consort Spain, and had issue.

On 31st March 1547 [her father-in-law] King Francis I of France [aged 52] died. His son [her husband] Henry [aged 28] succeeded II King France: Capet Valois Angoulême.

On 12th November 1547 [her daughter] Claude Valois Duchess Lorraine was born to [her husband] King Henry II of France [aged 28] and Catherine Medici Queen Consort France [aged 28]. She married 1559 her fourth cousin Charles "The Great" Lorraine III Duke Lorraine, son of Francis Lorraine I Duke Lorraine and Christina Oldenburg Duchess Lorraine, and had issue.

Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes

Récits d’un bourgeois de Valenciennes aka The Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes is a vivid 14th-century vernacular chronicle written by an anonymous urban chronicler from Valenciennes in the County of Hainaut. It survives in a manuscript that describes local and regional history from about 1253 to 1366, blending chronology, narrative episodes, and eyewitness-style accounts of political, military, and social events in medieval France, Flanders, and the Low Countries. The work begins with a chronological framework of events affecting Valenciennes and its region under rulers such as King Philip VI of France and the shifting allegiances of local nobility. It includes accounts of conflicts, sieges, diplomatic manoeuvres, and the impact of broader struggles like the Hundred Years’ War on urban life in Hainaut. Written from the perspective of a burgher (bourgeois) rather than a monastery or royal court, the chronicle offers a rare lay viewpoint on high politics and warfare, reflecting how merchants, townspeople, and civic institutions experienced the turbulence of the 13th and 14th centuries. Its narrative style combines straightforward reporting of events with moral and civic observations, making it a valuable source for readers interested in medieval urban society, regional politics, and the lived experience of war and governance in pre-modern Europe.

Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.

On 3rd February 1549 [her son] Louis Valois Duke Orléans was born to [her husband] King Henry II of France [aged 29] and Catherine Medici Queen Consort France [aged 29]. He died aged one in 1550.

On 29th April 1550 [her sister-in-law] Margaret Valois Duchess Berry and Savoy [aged 26] was created Duchess Berry.

Diary of Edward VI. 17th June 1550. [Note. Mistake for 27th]. The French quene [aged 31] was deliverid of a third sone, called mons. d'Angoulesme.1

Note 1. "The 27th day of this present, between three and five in the morning, the queen was delivered of a man-child, whom they call Monsieur d'Engoulesme. Here is divers talks who shall be godfathers. They that know much say that the queen is desirous to have the King our master to be one of them, and that for that purpose a gentleman shall be shortly sent from here to England." Letter from sir John Mason [aged 47] to the council, dated at Poissy June 29, 1550 (new style), in Tytler, i 307.

On 27th June 1550 [her son] Charles IX King France was born to [her husband] King Henry II of France [aged 31] and Catherine Medici Queen Consort France [aged 31]. He married 26th November 1570 his fourth cousin Elisabeth of Austria Queen Consort France, daughter of Maximilian Habsburg Spain II Holy Roman Emperor and Maria of Spain Holy Roman Empress, and had issue.

On 24th October 1550 [her son] Louis Valois Duke Orléans [aged 1] died.

On 19th September 1551 [her son] Henry III King France was born to [her husband] King Henry II of France [aged 32] and Catherine Medici Queen Consort France [aged 32]. He married 14th February 1575 his fourth cousin Louise Lorraine Queen Consort France.

On 14th May 1553 [her daughter] Margaret Valois Queen Consort France was born to [her husband] King Henry II of France [aged 34] and Catherine Medici Queen Consort France [aged 34]. She married 18th August 1572 her second cousin Henry IV King France, son of Antoine King Navarre and Jeanne Albret III Queen Navarre.

On 18th March 1555 [her son] Francis Valois Duke Anjou was born to [her husband] King Henry II of France [aged 35] and Catherine Medici Queen Consort France [aged 35].

On 24th June 1556 [her daughter] Joan Valois was born to [her husband] King Henry II of France [aged 37] and Catherine Medici Queen Consort France [aged 37]. She died aged less than one years old.

On 24th June 1556 [her daughter] Victoria Valois was born to [her husband] King Henry II of France [aged 37] and Catherine Medici Queen Consort France [aged 37]. She died aged less than one years old.

On 24th June 1556 [her daughter] Joan Valois died.

On 17th August 1556 [her daughter] Victoria Valois died.

On 24th April 1558 Dauphin of France [aged 14] and Mary Queen of Scots [aged 15] were married at Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral [Map]. He by marriage King Consort Scotland. She the daughter of King James V of Scotland and Mary of Guise Queen Consort Scotland [aged 42]. He the son of King Henry II of France [aged 39] and Catherine Medici Queen Consort France [aged 39]. They were third cousins. She a great granddaughter of King Henry VII of England and Ireland.

In 1559 Emmanuel Philibert Duke of Savoy [aged 30] and [her sister-in-law] Margaret Valois Duchess Berry and Savoy [aged 35] were married. She by marriage Duchess Savoy. He by marriage Duke Berry. She the daughter of [her father-in-law] King Francis I of France and Claude Valois Orléans Queen Consort France. He the son of Charles 3rd Duke Savoy and Beatrice Aviz Duchess Savoy. They were half first cousin once removed. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward III of England.

In 1559 [her son-in-law] Charles "The Great" Lorraine III Duke Lorraine [aged 15] and Claude Valois Duchess Lorraine [aged 11] were married. She by marriage Duchess Lorraine. She the daughter of King Henry II of France [aged 39] and Catherine Medici Queen Consort France [aged 39]. He the son of Francis Lorraine I Duke Lorraine and Christina Oldenburg Duchess Lorraine [aged 37]. They were fourth cousins.

On 10th July 1559 [her husband] King Henry II of France [aged 40] was killed whilst jousting in celebration of his [her daughter] daughter's [aged 14] marriage to [her future son-in-law] Philip "The Prudent" II King Spain [aged 32]. His son Francis [aged 15] succeeded II King France: Capet Valois Angoulême. Mary Queen of Scots [aged 16] by marriage Queen Consort France. They would reign for eighteen months only with Francis dying in Dec 1560. Francis and Mary would have no issue.

On 20th July 1559 [her son-in-law] Philip "The Prudent" II King Spain [aged 32] and Elizabeth Valois Queen Consort Spain [aged 14] were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Spain. She the daughter of King Henry II of France [deceased] and Catherine Medici Queen Consort France [aged 40]. He the son of Charles V Holy Roman Emperor and Isabel Aviz Queen Consort Spain. They were fourth cousins. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward III of England.

On 5th December 1560 [her son] Francis II King France King Consort Scotland [aged 16] died, possibly from an ear abscess, in the Hotel Groslot, Orléans. On 23rd December 1560 he was buried at the Basilica of St Denis [Map]. His brother Charles [aged 10] succeeded IX King France: Capet Valois Angoulême; his mother Catherine Medici Queen Consort France [aged 41] acted as Regent. His wife Mary Queen of Scots [aged 17] returned to Scotland arriving at Leith 19th August 1561 after having been in France for thirteen years.

On 3rd October 1568 [her daughter] Elizabeth Valois Queen Consort Spain [aged 23] died.

On 26th November 1570 Charles IX King France [aged 20] and Elisabeth of Austria Queen Consort France [aged 16] were married. She by marriage Queen Consort of France. She the daughter of Maximilian Habsburg Spain II Holy Roman Emperor [aged 43] and Maria of Spain Holy Roman Empress [aged 42]. He the son of King Henry II of France and Catherine Medici Queen Consort France [aged 51]. They were fourth cousins.

On 18th August 1572 [her son-in-law] Henry IV King France [aged 18] and Margaret Valois Queen Consort France [aged 19] were married. She by marriage Queen Consort of France. She the daughter of King Henry II of France and Catherine Medici Queen Consort France [aged 53]. He the son of Antoine King Navarre and Jeanne Albret III Queen Navarre. They were second cousins.

On 30th May 1574 [her son] Charles IX King France [aged 23] died. His brother Henry [aged 22] succeeded III King France: Capet Valois Angoulême.

On 14th February 1575 Henry III King France [aged 23] and Louise Lorraine Queen Consort France [aged 21] were married at Reims Cathedral; the day after his coronation. She by marriage Queen Consort France. He the son of King Henry II of France and Catherine Medici Queen Consort France [aged 55]. They were fourth cousins.

Around 21st February 1575 [her granddaughter] Claude of Lorraine was born to [her son-in-law] Charles "The Great" Lorraine III Duke Lorraine [aged 32] and [her daughter] Claude Valois Duchess Lorraine [aged 27]. She died a year later. Her mother died in childbirth. She had given birth to nine children during the course of her sixteen year marriage; she was married aged twelve.

On 10th June 1584 [her son] Francis Valois Duke Anjou [aged 29] died of malaria unmarried.

William of Worcester's Chronicle of England

William of Worcester, born around 1415, and died around 1482 was secretary to John Fastolf, the renowned soldier of the Hundred Years War, during which time he collected documents, letters, and wrote a record of events. Following their return to England in 1440 William was witness to major events. Twice in his chronicle he uses the first person: 1. when writing about the murder of Thomas, 7th Baron Scales, in 1460, he writes '… and I saw him lying naked in the cemetery near the porch of the church of St. Mary Overie in Southwark …' and 2. describing King Edward IV's entry into London in 1461 he writes '… proclaimed that all the people themselves were to recognize and acknowledge Edward as king. I was present and heard this, and immediately went down with them into the city'. William’s Chronicle is rich in detail. It is the source of much information about the Wars of the Roses, including the term 'Diabolical Marriage' to describe the marriage of Queen Elizabeth Woodville’s brother John’s marriage to Katherine, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, he aged twenty, she sixty-five or more, and the story about a paper crown being placed in mockery on the severed head of Richard, 3rd Duke of York.

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On 5th January 1589 Catherine Medici Queen Consort France [aged 69] died.

Royal Ancestors of Catherine Medici Queen Consort France 1519-1589

Kings Wessex: Great x 15 Grand Daughter of King Edmund "Ironside" I of England

Kings England: Great x 8 Grand Daughter of King Henry III of England

Kings Scotland: Great x 12 Grand Daughter of King David I of Scotland

Kings France: Great x 7 Grand Daughter of King Louis IX of France

Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 18 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine

Kings Spain: Great x 10 Grand Daughter of Alfonso II King Aragon

Royal Descendants of Catherine Medici Queen Consort France 1519-1589
Number after indicates the number of unique routes of descent. Descendants of Kings and Queens not included.

Francis II King France King Consort Scotland [1]

Elizabeth Valois Queen Consort Spain [1]

Charles IX King France [1]

Henry III King France [1]

Francis I Holy Roman Emperor [1]

Elisabeth Therese Lorraine Queen Consort Sardinia [1]

Ancestors of Catherine Medici Queen Consort France 1519-1589

Great x 4 Grandfather: Giovanni di Bicci de Medici

Great x 3 Grandfather: Cosimo de Medici "The Elder"

Great x 2 Grandfather: Piero di Cosimo de Medici

Great x 1 Grandfather: Lorenzo de Medici

Great x 3 Grandfather: Francesco di Simone Tornabuoni

Great x 2 Grandmother: Lucrezia Tornabuoni

Grandfather: Piero "The Unfortunate" de Medici

Great x 4 Grandfather: Francesco Orsini

Great x 3 Grandfather: Orso Orsini

Great x 2 Grandfather: Giacomo Orsini

Great x 1 Grandmother: Clarice Orsini

father: Lorenzo de Medici Duke of Urbino

Catherine Medici Queen Consort France 7 x Great Granddaughter of King Louis IX of France

Great x 4 Grandfather: Guy Seigneur de la Tour

Great x 3 Grandfather: Bertrand IV Count Auvergne

Great x 4 Grandmother: Marthe Rogier de Beaufort

Great x 2 Grandfather: Bertrand Auvergne V Count Auvergne 13 x Great Grandson of Hugh I King of the Franks

Great x 4 Grandfather: Godfroy of Auvergne Seigneur de Montgascon and Roche-Savine 11 x Great Grandson of Hugh I King of the Franks

Great x 3 Grandmother: Marie I Countess Auvergne 12 x Great Granddaughter of Hugh I King of the Franks

Great x 4 Grandmother: Jeanne de Ventadour

Great x 1 Grandfather: Bertrand Auvergne VI Count Auvergne 14 x Great Grandson of Hugh I King of the Franks

Grandfather: Jean IV Count Auvergne 15 x Great Grandson of Hugh I King of the Franks

Great x 2 Grandfather: Georges de La Trémoille

Great x 1 Grandmother: Louise de La Trémoïlle

Great x 2 Grandmother: Catherine de L'Isle-Bouchard

mother: Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergne 6 x Great Granddaughter of King Louis IX of France

Great x 4 Grandfather: Jacques Bourbon I Count La Marche and Ponthieu Great Grandson of King Louis IX of France

Great x 3 Grandfather: Jean Bourbon I Count La Marche 2 x Great Grandson of King Louis IX of France

Great x 4 Grandmother: Jeanne Chatillon Countess La Marche 7 x Great Granddaughter of King William "Conqueror" I of England

Great x 2 Grandfather: Louis Bourbon 1st Count Vendôme 1st Count Castres 3 x Great Grandson of King Louis IX of France

Great x 3 Grandmother: Catherine Vendome

Great x 1 Grandfather: John Bourbon VIII Count Vendôme 4 x Great Grandson of King Louis IX of France

Great x 4 Grandfather: RAOUL MONTFORT

Great x 3 Grandfather: Guy Montfort Baron Laval

Great x 2 Grandmother: Jeanne Laval Countess Vendôme and Castres 4 x Great Granddaughter of King Henry III of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Guy 12th de Laval Baron 2 x Great Grandson of King Henry III of England

Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne 13th de Laval Baroness Laval 3 x Great Granddaughter of King Henry III of England

Grandmother: Jeanne Bourbon Duchess Bourbon 5 x Great Granddaughter of King Louis IX of France

Great x 1 Grandmother: Isabelle Beauvau Countess Vendôme