The Serpent Queen, a drama series about the rise to power of Catherine de Medici, was unveiled on September 11 .
The rise of the despotic and ruthless Catherine de Medici
France, 1560. The young Rahima is urgently summoned to the kitchens of the palace. To her great surprise, she is ordered to bring her breakfast to Catherine de Medici. As if the assignment wasn’t impressive enough, it’s actually a recruitment procedure. On the occasion of the coronation of her son, the sovereign is looking for a new servant. Paralyzed by the prospect of this unexpected encounter, the maid trembles when she enters the royal apartments. But nothing goes as planned. Against all odds, the Queen embarks on the tale-confession of her accession to the throne… the new drama series centered on the rise of the despotic and ruthless Catherine de Medici, The Serpent Queen is available on the STARZPLAY streaming platform.
Very close to reality
Worn by actress Samantha Morton, notably known for her appearances in Minority Report and The Walking Dead, the work produced by Francis Lawrence (Hunger Games) and Erwin Stoff (The Matrix) retraces the pivotal stages in the life of the former -Queen of France, from her birth in Florence in 1519 to her marriage to the Court of France, until her unexpected accession to the throne in 1547. This surprising miniseries combines the dark humor of The Great (the comedy about Catherine of Russia, also available on StarzPlay) with the luxury and rigor of a production like The Tudors. And a priori, fiction is very close to reality. Indeed, the series is inspired by the book by Leonie Frieda Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France, a biography of the Italian sovereign relatively consistent with reality. She tells how, at the age of 14, Catherine was married to the French Dauphin Henri II, before discovering that he only had eyes for someone other than her, a certain Diane de Poitiers. However, in reality, Catherine de Medici had to face the infidelity of her husband, who multiplied the mistresses and indeed maintained a relationship with Diane de Poitiers. Note that according to the history books, Poitiers was a close friend and confidante of the Medici.
A taste for necromancy, witchcraft and black magic
The series also tells how, once married to Henry II, Catherine de Medici had to deal with the loss of her dowry and her inability to conceive. So many ordeals that the real queen of France has faced, even if she finally managed to conceive 10 children, 7 of whom survived. Finally, as the trailer reveals, the series explores Catherine de Medici’s taste for necromancy, witchcraft and black magic. However, the Queen of France was justly known (and criticized) for her penchant for the occult. His relations with the clairvoyant Nostradamus and the astrologer Cosimo Ruggeri in particular made a lot of talk.
