Young Queens: Three Renaissance Women and the Price of Power

“The young girl lay tucked in her bed, her small body wrapped in the black habit of a Benedictine nun. Under her cap, her hair was clipped short in a quick and rough job. In the distance, there was a swelling commotion. Footsteps approached.”

The opening of the prologue for Young Queens by Leah Redmond Chang will draw the reader into the story—and will encourage the reader not to put the book down.

Chang’s research into these three women, Catherine de’ Medici, Elisabeth de Valois, and Mary, Queen of Scots, is incomparable. Taking Catherine de’ Medici from a young girl hidden away in a convent to protect her life to being one of the most powerful European Queens is a tale that would be hard to believe were it not for the letters and documents proving her life’s journey.

Chang takes Catherine from the convent to being the wife of Henri II of France in a whirlwind of activity. With her marriage came power—at times, she was adored by her followers and, at other times, hated by them.

During the 16th century, Catholicism ruled Europe, and although there were differences regarding how different regents ruled their countries, there was no discussion regarding the rule of the church. And Catherine was one of its most devoted rulers. She would brook no heresy where the Church was concerned.

And she raised her children in the faith. Although bringing children into French royalty came later in her marriage than expected for a queen, they arrived quickly once they came. Her daughter, Elisabeth de Valois, arrived first in 1545, 12 years after Catherine’s marriage to Henri II. Catherine made it her lot in life to ensure a strong marriage for her daughter.

That occurred with Prince Philip of Spain, and although Elisabeth was his third wife, she was raised to understand that her goal in life was to birth heirs to the Spanish throne. Philip already had a son, Don Carlos, by his first wife, who died, and he had no children with his second wife, Queen Mary Tudor of England, who also preceded him in death.

Elisabeth became his next best chance for additional children. Through the story, Chang’s research explains that Don Carlos was a difficult child and a difficult adult—one Philip did not see as a viable king once Philip should pass on. Don Carlos did not outlive his father, and Elisabeth was the one to produce more children.

Mary Queen of Scots was not a blood relative, but her situation passed her on to the French Royal Court when she was still an infant. Mary’s father, King James V, died shortly after Mary was born, and Scotland was already in religious turmoil. The Scottish Lords, primarily Protestant, were reluctant to welcome a Catholic to the throne—even an infant. Mary’s mother, Marie de Guise, “a devout Catholic . . . could not abide the notion of her daughter falling into Protestant hands . . .” made arrangements for Mary to be sent to France, where she was betrothed to the French heir—the very Catholic dauphin Francis.

It should be noted that Chang’s research into these three women is detailed and explicit. Women in the 16th century were property despite their positions, and a royal marriage was not necessarily one based on love. It was a matter of what the bride would bring to the throne, and both Elisabeth de Valois and Mary Queen of Scots, brought ancestry and the possibility of stronger control to their husbands, not to mention rule over other countries.

Chang explains the ancestral lines of these women in great detail. On her mother’s side, Mary Queen of Scots, is of the Guise family on her mother’s side—one of extreme wealth and power in the French court, a family that works to control their own fortunes and power through the young girl’s marriage. On her father’s side, she is of Tudor blood, and she stands in line to be queen. This makes her an enemy of England’s Queen Elizabeth.

Catherine, of the de Medici family of Italy, brings control to the French throne, especially when her husband dies and her young son, Francis, rises to the role of king. As Regent, Catherine controls the young king until her son reaches his legal age. Catherine sees the marriage between Mary and Francis as a step closer to taking over the English throne as well as controlling Scotland and bringing the papacy back to both.

With Elisabeth’s marriage to Philip, Catherine cements the relationship between Spain and France—a relationship that is continually fraught with trouble and frustration.

Through Elisabeth’s delicate health and pregnancy problems, Chang provides the reader with a sympathetic picture of the young girl’s difficult pregnancies and her general health issues. Philip’s attention to Elisabeth is concerning and genuine. Catherine uses her daughter’s position as Queen of Spain to attempt to control Philip; he, however, is not easily taken advantage of. During Elisabeth’s time in Spain, she has won over the Spanish people, and when she dies in childbirth, she is still a young woman, so the reader understands the grief that travels through the country.

After King Francis dies, Mary Queen of Scots, returns to Scotland to take on her role as queen. Still, life in Scotland is different from that in France, and Mary quickly learns that a Catholic queen dealing with a horde of Protestant Lords is more difficult than she anticipated. In addition, her relationship with Catherine has deteriorated, and Mary finds herself alone.

The story of Mary, Queen of Scots, is most likely well known to the readers, but Chang spells out the many issues that the queen confronts, with few people to help her.

The lives of these three women and their relationship with one another from their individual childhoods through to their deaths are well described, despite the many detours that Chang takes to explain the ancestry and relationships between each and the role each played in the lives of those around them.

Anyone unfamiliar with Chang’s work will find this story fascinating, detailed, and informative.