{"product_id":"catherine-de-medici-renaissance-queen-of-france-9780060744939","title":"Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe inspiration for the STARZ original series, \u003cem\u003eThe Serpent Queen \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e--\u003cstrong\u003e second season premiering July 12th!\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"A beautifully written portrait of a ruthless, subtle and fearless woman fighting for survival and power in a world of gangsterish brutality, routine assassination and religious mania. . . . Frieda has brought a largely forgotten heroine-villainess and a whole sumptuously vicious era back to life. . . . This is \u003cem\u003eThe Godfather\u003c\/em\u003e meets \u003cem\u003eElizabeth\u003c\/em\u003e.\" --Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of \u003cem\u003eStalin: The Court of the Red Tsar\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePoisoner, besotted mother, despot, necromancer, engineer of a massacre: the dark legend of Catherine de Medici is centuries old. In this critically hailed biography, Leonie Frieda reclaims the story of this unjustly maligned queen of France to reveal a skilled ruler battling extraordinary political and personal odds.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBased on comprehensive research including thousands of Catherine's own letters, Frieda unfurls Catherine's story from her troubled childhood in Florence to her tumultuous marriage to Henry II of France; her transformation of French culture to her reign as a queen who would use brutality to ensure her children's royal birthright. Brilliantly executed, this enthralling biography goes beyond myth to paint a very human portrait of this remarkable figure.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFrieda, Leonie:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003eLeonie Frieda is the author of a bestselling biography of Catherine de Medici and \u003cem\u003eThe Deadly Sisterhood: A Story of Women, Power and Intrigue in the Italian Renaissance\u003c\/em\u003e. She lives in London.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harper Perennial","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50632038908178,"sku":"9780060744939","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_12d18ec1-cf13-4a47-ba88-d143ecdf2d7f.jpg?v=1732788043","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/catherine-de-medici-renaissance-queen-of-france-9780060744939","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}