Catherine de' Medici

Catherine de' Medici was an Italian (Florentine) noblewoman born into the Medici family. She was Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to King Henry II and the mother of French kings Francis II, Charles IX, and Henry III. The years during which her sons reigned have been called "the age of Catherine de' Medici" since she had extensive, if at times varying, influence on the political life of France.

13 April 1519

Born on the same birth day (13 April): Herbert Yardley • Jack Chick • Jean-Marc Reiser • John-Allison Weiss • Juan Montalvo • Margaret III, Countess of Flanders • Max Mosley • Oswald Bruce Cooper • Phyllis Fraser • Pierre Rosenberg • Quentin Richardson • Rae Armantrout • Rosemary Haughton • William Alexander (bishop)