{"product_id":"the-serpent-queen-by-leonie-frieda-9781399614207","title":"The Serpent Queen","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNow the TV series \u003cem\u003eThe Serpent Queen\u003c\/em\u003e, starring Samantha Morton\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe bestselling revisionist biography of one of the great women of the 16th century.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOrphaned in infancy, Catherine de Medici was the sole legitimate heiress to the Medici family fortune. Married at fourteen to the future Henri II of France, she was constantly humiliated by his influential mistress, Diane de Poitiers. When her husband died as a result of a duelling accident in Paris, Catherine was made queen regent during the short reign of her eldest son. He was married to Mary Queen of Scots and, like many of her children, he died young. When her second son became king, she was the power behind the throne.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eShe nursed dynastic ambitions but was continually drawn into the political and religious intrigues between Catholics and Protestants that plagued France for much of the later part of her life. It had always been said that she was implicated in the notorious Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre, together with the king and her third son, who succeeded to the throne in 1574 but was murdered. Her political influence waned, but she survived long enough to ensure the succession of her son-in-law, who had married her daughter Margaret.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46846627447020,"sku":"9781399614207","price":29.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/8510133482686.jpg?v=1758915865","url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/products\/the-serpent-queen-by-leonie-frieda-9781399614207","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}