10. Catherine de Medici was one of the most powerful women of the Middle Ages, but did her obsession with the occult affect her judgement?
Growing up in Florence, Catherine was taught both astronomy and astrology from an early age. She took this knowledge with her when she moved to France as the 14-year-old bride of King Francis I. Her beliefs and superstitions would also drive her during the reigns of her third son, Henry III. According to some historians, she was the true power behind the throne. Above all, Catherine’s obsession with the occult has been blamed by some scholars as the main cause of the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, the bloody day in 1572 when thousands of Huguenots were ruthlessly killed.
Catherine’s unhealthy obsession with the so-called dark arts led her to surround herself with questionable characters. Nostradamus was one of her most-trusted advisers. She also developed an obsession with dwarves. She believed they could keep her safe from curses and spells, so ensured dwarves were always part of her court. At the same time, Catherine employed some 300 spies, many of them using their ‘magic powers’ to warn her of plots and threats. And perhaps it worked, too – in the end, Catherine died from natural causes at the age of 69 in 1589.