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): Bill Clements • Carles Puyol • Christopher Hitchens • Darrun Hilliard • David Robinson (philanthropist) • Harold Osborn • Ico Hitrec • J. B. Lightfoot • Jean Pierre Flourens • Jean-Jacques Laffont • Josephine Butler • Josh Gordon • Judy Nunn • Louis II, Duke of Bavaria • Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans • Mahmoud Kahraba • Philip Norman (author) • Robert Watson-Watt