The Serpent and the Moon: Two Rivals for the Love of a Renaissance King Read Online Free PDF Page A

Catherine de’ Medici gave the pearls to Mary, Queen of Scots, when she became her daughter-in-law. Mary took the pearls with her back to Scotland; after her execution, they were kept by Queen Elizabeth I. They were later set into Charles II’s state crown and subsequent state crowns. Today, four of them form part of Queen Elizabeth II’s crown. Two are known to have been replaced.
    11 . At the turn of the sixteenth century, it was the custom to rattle or scatter nuts in the next room or even under the marriage bed to stifle the sounds made by the newlyweds.
    12 . The Medici coat of arms depicts six balls. Some sources claim these represent medicinal pills, referring to the family’s alleged origin as apothecaries. Other sources point out that the balls are often painted red and claim they represent the oranges the early Medici grew in huge pots in their extensive greenhouses. (The color orange is not used in heraldry and there is no proof of this theory.) The symbol of the royal house of France is the
fleur-de-lys
, or golden lily. It actually represents a yellow iris said to have been chosen by the medieval French King Clovis. Only under Louis VII in the twelfth century did the symbol become “fleur de Louis” then “fleur de Luce” and finally “
fleur-de-lys
” or lily of France. Florence has been called the city of the Red Lily because it was once ruled by the kings of France and the city arms carry a
red fleur-de-lys
. Certainly, the Medici were merchants and as such most probably also moneylenders, so the Medici balls, often shown as golden, could have represented gold ducats. On some buildings in Florence, the top center ball, and sometimes even the background of the whole escutcheon, can be seen covered in gold
fleur-de-lys
on a blue background. These coats of arms would date from 1465.

CHAPTER TWO
    The King and the Mistress
    F rançois I was the son of Charles, comte d’Angoulême, a rather pathetic Prince of the Blood, 1 who preferred books and women to statecraft, and Louise de Savoie. Louise went into labor on a hot September 12, 1494, and chose to give birth outdoors. Her bed was placed under a large elm tree in the garden of the
château fort
that loomed defensively over the prosperous little Gascon town of Cognac. A low wall was constructed around the bed to ensure a modicum of privacy. François was a large, lusty baby who hurried into the world and required the services of two wet nurses. With this abundant source of milk, he grew into a giant. His mother declared him her “Caesar”—a title somewhat premature as her husband’s claim to the throne of France was remote to say the least.
    Louise de Savoie was the daughter of Marguerite de Bourbon and the comte de Bresse, who, in 1496, became duc de Savoie. More important, she was the niece of Pierre and Anne, duc and duchesse de Bourbon. A princess of France, Anne de Beaujeu, as she was known,was the eldest daughter of one king, Louis XI, and the sister of another, Charles VIII. Known as “
Madame la Grande
,” she had twice been regent of France and was a most formidable character, admired for her authority, stern wisdom, and culture. Taking the reins of government into her own hands at the age of twenty-two, Anne had succeeded in destroying the feudal system and centralizing the power of the throne. Anne’s father, Louis XI, called her the most sensible woman in France. But in giving his daughter her immense properties, Louis XI had stipulated that should she fail to produce a male heir, her properties should revert to the crown, and not to the collateral branch of her husband’s family, the Bourbon-Montpensier. Louis XI realized that such a huge, combined estate could well threaten the authority of the crown.
    Anne, princesse de France, known as Anne de Beaujeu. Diane de Poitiers was brought up by her, along with other scions of French noble houses.
    When her brother Charles VIII married Anne de Bretagne in1491, Anne de Beaujeu retired to