Catherine de Medicis
1
9.9
- proper noun
- As regent, Catherine de Medicis maneuvered through the complexities of court alliances to maintain her son's throne.
Examples
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Catherine de Medicis played a pivotal role in French politics during the Wars of Religion.
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The court of Catherine de Medicis was renowned for its lavish balls and intrigue.
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Many historians debate whether Catherine de Medicis was a ruthless power broker or a pragmatic leader.
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Queen Catherine de Medicis was known for her political savvy.
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Did Catherine de Medicis influence the French Wars of Religion?
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Catherine de Medicis was instrumental in shaping the policies of France during her husband's reign and beyond.
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Catherine de Medicis influenced the course of French history through her strategic marriages and alliances.
Synonyms
1
7.8
A queen of France in the 1500s who ruled for her son and influenced politics during the Renaissance
Surface Forms
Morphology
Catherine + de + Medicis
This is a proper name referring to a specific historical person; even if a learner knows the constituents ('Catherine' as a name, 'de' as a preposition indicating origin, 'Medicis' as a family name) they cannot derive the encyclopedic meaning that she was queen and regent in 16th-century France. Proper names are referential and non-compositional, so the specific historical and political sense is not predictable from the parts.
Etymology
Catherine de Medicis comes from the powerful Medici family in Italy; she married the king of France and later 'ruled' for her young son. She used the royal court, parties and marriage plans to keep power, so her name today often suggests a strong, behind-the-scenes leader.