A sympathetic portrait of the Renaissance-era queen of France seeks to reveal her skills as a ruler in spite of her violent reputation, describing her suffering at the hands of Henry IV, the power politics that marked her rule, her talents as a strategist and conspirator, and the circumstances that led to the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre. Reader's Guide available. Reprint. 25,000 first printing.

Revisionist biography of one of the great women of the 16th century, not the incarnation of evil, as portrayed by Dumas, but a heroine who held her adopted country together in times of Catholic/Protestant strife and preserved the monarchy.