This is the paperback edition of the bestselling revisionist biography of one of the great women of the 16th century. The hardback reprinted five times. It portrays De Medici as a heroine who held 16th century France together in times of...

"A beautifully written portrait of a ruthless, subtle and fearless woman fighting for survival and power in a world of gangsterish brutality, routine assassination and religious mania. . . . Frieda has brought a largely forgotten...

'A captivating biography ... This rollicking story is packed with anecdotes' The Times 'I can't suppose that there has been a better English biography of Francis, or indeed is likely to be one' Catholic Herald Francis I was inconstant,...