Before becoming mother to three kings of France, the powerful regent who ruled France for 30 years in all but name, Catherine de Medici was merely 'the Italian.' The plain and quiet wife of King Henry II, neglected by her husband who preferred his mistress, mistrusted by the people for her love of art and alchemy. After the death of the King and installation of her son on the throne, Catherine was prepared to fade into the peaceful obscurity of widowhood. But fate would not let her go quietly. In 1560, Catherine's son, Francis, is a frail 15 year old pulled between two powerful families vying for control of France. Catherine must shed her inhibitions and choose between preserving the throne for the good of her family, or embracing the freedom she was never afforded as Queen. From this moment, the mother of kings is born.

Queen Catherine de medici one shots.