The Rival Queens by Nancy Goldstone

During the 1500's Europe was ruled by several powerful women.  One was, of course, Queen Elizabeth of England. Two more were Catherine de Medici, queen of France, and her daughter, Marguerite de Valois, Queen of Navarre. This is a duo biography of Catherine de Medici and Marguerite (called Margot) and their tumultuous relationship which had ramifications all over southern Europe. Catherine was not of a royal lineage when she married Henri II of France, nor was she particularly beautiful.  What she was was rich and connected to a powerful money-lending family in Italy.  While her husband was alive, she played the part of submissive vassal to the king and generous, even lavish, hostess to the court. When her husband died she used her political savvy to get herself named regent of his under-aged heir, her oldest son, Charles IX.  Her political ambitions were unbounded and she was willing to sacrifice her family and her allies to obtain her political ends.  She was determined to have all of her children on the thrones of Europe, so she married off her youngest daughter to the king of Navarre. Marguerite followed a path similar to her mothers.  She started out docile, but then became manipulative and powerful in the court of Navarre. Mother and daughter were at times on the same side, trying to further the prospects of Margot's brothers.  At other times there were bitter opponents, especially during the religious wars between the Catholics and the Huguenots. 

I checked out this book because I wanted to learn more about the Huguenots, since I have a Huguenot ancestor.  I did learn a little about the Huguenots and their political standing in Europe, but mostly I was amazed at how much power these two women, and Elizabeth I, wielded in a time when women didn't have any legal power. In some ways this makes them admirable, but in the end they didn't have many redeeming qualities.  They were both focused on themselves and their relations, and were more than happy to tax and sacrifice in battle their poor countrymen to feed their own greed and ambition. They seemed to have no altruism or compassion, even for those near to them. When they finally died, they left in their wake debt and ruination.  That being said, the book was very interesting and well written.  I have read several histories of this time period and it was interesting to see it from a woman's perspective. Goldstone seems to be a careful researcher and often states her sources and comments on their reliability. This is a good choice for anyone interested in this time period. (448 p. 2015)