The Serpent Queen True Story: How Catherine De Medici Got The Name & How Accurate The Starz Series Is, Explained

The Starz series The Serpent Queen is a historical drama that centers on Catherine de Medici, the Queen of France from 1547 to 1559, exploring who she really was behind closed doors. Starring Samantha Morton as the elder Catherine and Liv Hill as teenage Catherine, the series explores her reign beginning with her youth, when she was first betrothed to King Henry II. Using cunning manipulation and cutthroat tactics, Catherine stops at nothing to secure her legacy to the French throne.

Airing for two seasons, The Serpent Queen is rife with political intrigue and historical anachronisms, yet there is still an outline of truth in its characterization of historical figures and events. Season 1 of the show has Catherine narrating her story to a servant girl, Rahima, which cleverly leaves room for interpretation. As to who was the Serpent Queen, and how she earned the nickname, the series aspired to showcase how Catherine de Medici may have lived up to her reptilian reputation.

Who Catherine De Medici Was And How She Earned Her Nickname

The Queen Of France Was Believed To Have Poisoned Her Enemies

To understand who Catherine de Medici was, it's important to understand the family she came from. The Medici family first came to power in the 13th century with the establishment of Medici Bank in Florence, Italy, which would become the largest bank in Europe. Through a series of political maneuvers, financial investments, and carefully arranged marriages, they become the most powerful family in Italy, and eventually all across the continent. Three members of the Medici family would become Pope and rule from within the Vatican, sealing their status as Europe’s most influential family.

At 14 years old, Catherine was married to Duke Henry of France, who later became King Henry II following the death of his elder brother, Francis. As for how Catherine de Medici came to be known as “the Serpent Queen,” it would take years of tumultuous events, including a religious war, for her to earn the moniker. In fact, Catherine would end up being blamed for a series of bloody events and atrocities, thus earning a reputation as someone who poisoned her enemies literally and figuratively.

Whether or not she deserved the nickname is debatable, but The Serpent Queen show seems to embrace the title and lean into the darker mythology of Catherine de Medici.

What The Serpent Queen Got Right

The Starz Series Accurately Portrays Pivotal Dates In Catherine De Medici's Life

Catherine walking away from someone in The Serpent Queen — Still from The Serpent Queen series

Much of what Catherine describes in season 1 of The Serpent Queen is historically accurate. Catherine spent years in convents until her cousin, Pope Clement VII, pulled her out to arrange her marriage to Duke Henry II of France, the second son of King Francis I. Henry and Catherine were wed in 1533, and as depicted in The Serpent Queen, the couple had trouble conceiving a child. It didn’t help that Henry was infatuated with his mistress, Diane de Poitiers, who was also Catherine’s second cousin.

In 1536, Henry’s elder brother, Francis III, died following a tennis match, leaving Henry to succeed the throne. Just like in the show, Francis’s death was deemed due to natural causes, but suspicions that the Dauphin was poisoned ran rampant among the court. As a result, Sebastiano de Montecuccoli was executed following a search of his rooms, where a book of poisons was found (via Point de Vue).

The Serpent Queen goes on to depict Catherine’s life using several historical facts. Catherine had her first child in 1954, and would go on to have 10 children. Henry was crowned in 1547 following the death of King Francis, but his reign was short-lived when he died following a jousting match in 1559. Subsequently, his son, Francis II, was crowned King but died just over a year later in 1560. Charles IX was then crowned, and Catherine became his advisor.

What The Serpent Queen Made Up

There's No Record Of Catherine Banishing Diane Or An Assassination Attempt On Her Life

Catherine glaring at Diane in The Serpent Queen — Still from The Serpent Queen series

As with any historical series, The Serpent Queen takes plenty of liberties. Besides adding dramatic characterization and entirely fabricated plotlines, the show often gets carried away with rewriting history and skewing the facts of real-life people.

One of the show’s changes involves the character Diane de Poitiers, Henry’s mistress. While it was true that Henry favored Diane over Catherine, Diane did not conspire against Catherine. In fact, she encouraged Henry to spend more time with Catherine so that they could conceive. What is true is that Catherine was indeed jealous of Diane, but she didn’t banish her from court until after Henry’s death, while the show has Catherine sending Diane away after Henry became king.

There was also no kidnapping plot or attack on Francis II, orchestrated by Catherine, the de Bourbons, or anyone else

In season 1 episode 3 of The Serpent Queen, Charles de Bourbon and the privy council arrange for young Catherine to be assassinated in the woods during her morning ride, yet there is no historical record of an attempt on Catherine’s life. There was also no kidnapping plot or attack on Francis II, orchestrated by Catherine, the de Bourbons, or anyone else, as seen in season 1 episode 7. The show also depicts Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots and wife of Francis II, as a religious zealot who orders the merciless deaths of Protestants, which is untrue.

Season 2 of The Serpent Queen is where the show really throws the history books out the window. For instance, the season’s main antagonist, a Protestant preacher named Edith, was entirely fictional, as were Catherine’s ladies-in-waiting, Angelica, Mathilde, and Aabis, and the maid, Rahima. The series also has Catherine de Medici inviting Queen Elizabeth to the royal palace in the hopes of an arranged marriage with one of her sons, but in real life, Elizabeth and Catherine de Medici never met. Also, there is no record of Catherine having an affair with the French Constable General, Montmorency.

What The Serpent Queen Left Out

The Show Never Depicts The Amboise Conspiracy

With so much story jam-packed into two seasons, there are still plenty of historical events that The Serpent Queen simply didn’t have time for. Since the cancellation of The Serpent Queenwasannounced in October 2024, there is sadly no chance of these events seeing the light of day — at least, not in The Serpent Queen.

For example, although the Starz series introduces the shadowy machinations of the Guises and the de Bourbons, it glosses over a very important historical fact involving the two families. Just as in The Serpent Queen, when Francis II became King of France, the Guise family (who were loyal Catholics) were a strong influence behind the throne. In an event that would be known as the Amboise conspiracy, a group of Protestant rebels led by a minor lord called La Renaudie planned to “liberate” the king from the Guises.

Armed with 200 men, La Renaudie attacked the French court in Amboise in 1559, but an insider thwarted their plans and the Guises were ready for them. As a result, La Renaudie and his soldiers were caught and violently executed. Though the de Bourbons (who were staunch Protestants) were accused of involvement in the conspiracy, they swore their innocence (via Musee Protestant).

The Serpent Queen Presents Some Catherine De Medici Legends As Facts

The Show Leans Into The Stories Of Catherine As A Cold-Blooded Killer

Still from The Serpent Queen series. Catherine holding an orange

The Serpent Queen also includes a number of legends related to Catherine de Medici which, although they cannot be proven, still hold fascination for historians. For instance, some believed that Catherine had psychic abilities and visions, even going so far as to call her a witch. It is true that Catherine often consulted with alchemist Cosimo Ruggieri, and even the famous astrologer, Nostradamus. Another legend says that Catherine caused the death of Jeanne d’Albret, Queen of Navarre, by gifting her poisoned gloves, which the show depicts in season 2 (via Smithsonian).

Following the wedding, Catherine slits Edith’s throat and orders the murders of all the Protestants in attendance, as well as all the Protestant families in the city.

With the marriage of Catherine’s daughter, Margot, and Jeanne d’Albret’s son, Henry, in the season 2 finale, The Serpent Queen takes a page from Game of Thrones'book. Following the wedding, Catherine slits Edith’s throat and orders the murders of all the Protestants in attendance, as well as all the Protestant families in the city. This plot is inspired by the real-life event known as the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre.

This is where things get tricky. With multiple sources telling opposing stories about Catherine’s involvement, it’s hard to say for sure whether or not she was directly responsible for the slaughter of 3000 Protestants that day. According to Britannica, Catherine de Medici was indeed the mastermind behind the massacre. However, the BBC magazine History Extra insists that she was not to blame for the horrendous bloodshed, and instead abhorred violence against the Protestants.

It seems that The Serpent Queen sides with the former idea, and makes Catherine the orchestrator of the killings. After all, what fun would it be calling her the “Serpent Queen” without representing her as a cold, calculating strategist who isn’t afraid to get blood on her hands? Whatever the true story may be, The Serpent Queen seeks to glorify Catherine de Medici as a cunning and cruel historical figure.