Catherine de' Medici played an important role in 16th century France. She was blamed for starting the French Wars of Religion, but it is impossible to blame one person for a war. Caterina de' Medici's full name is Caterina Maria Romula di Lorenzo de Medici. He was born in Florence, Italy, on April 13, 1519. Lorenzo II de' Medici, Duke of Urbino, and Madeleine de la Tour d'Auvergne, Countess of Boulogne, were his parents. Even though she was a girl, they still loved her. Unfortunately, they both died a few weeks after his birth. and was left to be raised by her grandmother, Alfonsina Orsini, wife of Piero de Medici. Alfonsina died within a year and Caterina was sent to stay with her aunt, Clarissa de Medici. Clarissa educated Catherine, together with her children, and Catherine was happy in her new atmosphere living with her aunt. In 1533, at the age of fourteen, Catherine married fourteen-year-old Henry, the second son of King Francis I of France. . Pope Clement arranged Catherine's marriage. Their marriage was supposed to bring great wealth. On 31 March 1547 her husband became King Henry II and Catherine became Queen of France. She loved Henry from the beginning of their marriage, but he was more interested in his mistress, Diane de Poitiers, a French noblewoman. Catherine had ten children, three of whom would reign temporarily as king. All the names of Catherine's children were Francis II, Elizabeth of Valois, Claude of Valois, Louis, Charles IX, Henry III, Margaret of Valois, Francois, Duke of Anjou, Victoria of Valois and Joanna of Valois. Unfortunately, three of them did not survive childhood, but four of their males and three females did. At the wedding of Philip II and Elizabeth, who was the teenager...... middle of paper ......saw that the cabinets were more likely used to hold small works of art or secret papers than for "hidden "of poison". On January 5, 1589, Catherine de' Medici died at the castle of Blois, France, of natural causes. Her last words were, "Stop cutting, my son," when Henry III came to her deathbed to tell her that the great enemy of the crown was dead. She is also known for introducing many new foods to France. He taught the French how to eat with a fork and introduced new foods such as; Broccoli, cakes, cream puffs, custards, lettuce, parsley, pasta, spinach, sweetbreads and many more. Without Catherine, her children would hardly have remained in power. Also, religion may have been different today, due to the French religious wars, government, because Catherine played a central role, and religious wars may still occur today..