I am Catherine de' Medici, I was an Italian (Florentine) noblewoman born into the Medici family. I was Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to King Henry II and the mother of French kings Francis II, Charles IX, and Henry III. The years during which my sons reigned have been called "the age of Catherine de' Medici" since I had extensive, albeit at times varying, influence on the political life of France.