Catherine de' Medici has gone down in history as the sinister 'serpent queen', who had a troop of female spies in her court and may have instigated the deadly St Bartholomew's Day massacre. But is this a fair judgement of the 16th-century queen and regent? In this 'Life of the week' episode, Emily Briffett speaks to historian Leah Redmond Chang to reassess Catherine's twisted reputation – and shine a light on her struggles and achievements as one of the era's most powerful people.

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Authors

Emily BriffettContent Producer (Podcasts)

Emily is HistoryExtra’s Content Producer (Podcasts). Before joining the BBC History team in 2021, Emily graduated with an MA in Public History from Royal Holloway, University of London

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