Greg Jenner

Well, he doesn't marry her, of course, because she remains the Virgin Queen. But Francis Hercule sadly dies aged 29 in 1584 after a bungled military campaign in the Netherlands. So Catherine is marrying off the daughters as well, which means she's sort of the grandmother of Europe.

She's sort of, you know, she's arranging all these marriages and, you know.

She's sort of, you know, she's arranging all these marriages and, you know.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And Spain is a superpower at this time, isn't it? France and Spain are superpowers.

And Spain is a superpower at this time, isn't it? France and Spain are superpowers.

And what about her final years, Catherine? I mean, she's quite old by this point, not like elderly, but she's lived a life by this point. So what's life like for her in the mid-1580s or so?

And what about her final years, Catherine? I mean, she's quite old by this point, not like elderly, but she's lived a life by this point. So what's life like for her in the mid-1580s or so?

Yeah, he's assassinated, isn't he?

Yeah, he's assassinated, isn't he?

So she dies aged 69, France still ripped apart by a religious war. Her son is murdered. And the question, I suppose, is how does France cope without her stabilising influence? But she's not managed to stabilise everything, obviously. So what happens to the Valois line, her dynasty?

So she dies aged 69, France still ripped apart by a religious war. Her son is murdered. And the question, I suppose, is how does France cope without her stabilising influence? But she's not managed to stabilise everything, obviously. So what happens to the Valois line, her dynasty?

It's a life and a half, isn't it, Shappi?

It's a life and a half, isn't it, Shappi?

We've gone through that.

We've gone through that.

Yeah, I'd just go to Chinonso and just make myself a cocktail and just read a book.