The Serpent Queen: is the series faithful to the life of Catherine de Medici?

The countdown begins. Sunday, September 11, the new drama series centered on the rise of the despotic and ruthless Catherine de Medici, The Serpent Queen will be available on the streaming platform STARZPLAY. Worn by actress Samantha Morton, notably known for her appearances in Minority Report and The Walking Deadthe work produced by Francis Lawrence (The Hunger Games) and Erwin Stoff (The Matrix) retraces the pivotal stages in the life of the former Queen of France, from her birth in 1519 in Florence to her marriage at the Court of France, until her unexpected accession to the throne in 1547.

But to what extent The Serpent Queen is it faithful to the true story of Catherine de Medici? A priori, fiction is very close to reality. Indeed, the series is inspired by Leonie Frieda’s book 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.

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.

That being said, adaptation obliges, The Serpent Queen allows himself some liberties. The series notably takes initiatives in the tone of the narration, in order to offer viewers a new version of the story of Medici, already told several dozen times on the screen since 1913. “The Serpent Queen is an original historical drama that offers a contemporary twist on conventional storytelling to chronicle Catherine de’ Medici’s rise to power”, reads the STARZPLAY press release.

Where and when to see the new event series?

The Serpent Queen will be available from September 11, 2022 on the STARZPLAY VOD platform (included in Disney+ in France). In the casting, the bewitching Samantha Morton is notably supported by Charles Dance (Game Of ThronesThe Crown), Ludivine Sagnier (Lupine, The Young Pope) and Colm Meaney (star trek).

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