Duchessina
Duchessina: A Novel of Catherine de' Medici (Young Royals)
Duchessina
Carolyn Meyer
Young Catherine de' Medici is the sole heiress to the entire fortune of the wealthy Medici family. But her life is far from luxurious. After a childhood spent locked away behind the walls of a convent, she joins the household of the pope, where at last she can be united with her true love. But, all too soon, that love is replaced with an engagement to a boy who is cold and aloof. It soon becomes clear that Catherine will need all the cunning she can muster to command the respect she deserves as one of France's most powerful queens. Includes a family tree.

Book Details

Genre: 

  • Fiction
  • Historical Fiction

Age Level: 

  • 12 and up
Profile Picture

Duchessina is the story of Catherine de' Medici, the heiress of the Medici family's enormous fortune. She grows up surrounded by extravagance, yet Catherine's life will always be ruled by the politics of the people around her. When she is eight years old, her safety is threatened when the king of Spain invades Italy, and Catherine must hide in a convent. Three years later, she is ordered by the pope to live in Rome. The pope, wishing to use Catherine as a tool to strengthen political ties, arranges her in marriage to Henri, the second son of the king of France.

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