Catherine de Medici Essay Flashcards
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Intro part 1
Sentence 1 and 2
Catherine de Medici had a significant impact on French society through her various contributions and involvements. Catherine was the queen of France from 1547-1559, and was the mother of Francis ll, Charles lX and Henry lll who were all kings of France.
Intro part 2
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She was also the niece of Pope Clement Vll and was exceptionally wealthy through the connections of her Italian family. Catherine de Medici influenced society through her involvement in the French Wars of Religion, patronage of renowned architecture as well as her association with the occult.
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Point
One way Catherine de Medici impacted society was through her involvement in the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre, which demonstrated the power of the Catholic Church in medieval Europe.
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Explain
St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre was an event of religious violence attacking Huguenots during the French Wars of Religion. This resulted in an estimated 3 000 to 30 000 French Protestants killed. It was introduced to instill fear across France encouraging Catholicism.
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Source/Evidence
‘This painting depicting the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre in Paris, August 24, 1572’ was a representation of the gruesome events, painted by Francois Dubois, an eyewitness and surviving Huguenot.It reveals the Devastations that impacted the population, religious diversity and additionally destroying cities and developments.
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Therefore, Catherine de Medici impacted society through her negative involvement in the French Wars of Religion.
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Point
Additionally, her patronage of architecture was another way Catherine de Medici impacted her society.
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Explain
Being a patron of architecture was used to exhibit her power and influence on the greatness of 16th century France.
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Source/ Evidence
An example of this is the Basilica of Saint-Denis that she commissioned in 1572. Catherine de Medici ordered it as a mausoleum for her husband, Henry ll soon to be joined by herself. It’s significance reflected Catherine’s desire to create a lasting legacy of royalty and honour her family’s memory.
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As a result, her investment in the Basilica of Saint-Denis impacted society by projecting the power of French royalty through such a monumental building.
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Point
Another way Catherine de Medici impacted society was through her interest in astrology and astronomy which as the time, were linked to the occult. This impacted her reputation fueling anti-royal sentiment.
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Explain
In her early life, Catherine chose to pursue astrology and astronomy by studying with Cosimo Ruggeri. He was considered to be a master of the occult - knowledge of the paranormal. This resulted in public opinion linking her to the occult.
Body Paragraph 3 - Part 3
Source/Evidence
The book ‘History’s Black Widow: The Legend of Catherine de Medici’, completed in February 2016 by C.W Gartner, recorded Catherine’s relationship with the occult. Her links to this lead to accusations that she was the creator of the satanic version of Catholic mass, although this was never proven it undermined the public’s trust in the monarchy.
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Ultimately, her interests in astrology and astronomy linked her to the occult influencing society’s view of her, creating distrust in their leadership.
Conclusion part 1
Sentences 1 and 2
Thus, Catherine de medici had a significant effect on her society. her involvement in the French Wars of Religion religious diversity, population, developments and trust in their monarchy.
Conclusion part 2
Sentence 3
Through her patronage of architecture she worked to communicate the power of French Royalty, and her diminishing reputation after she was linked to the occult negatively influenced society’s view of their leaders.
