With two weeks remaining before the Christmas of 1572, it was time for Catherine to relocate to the Louvre palace to be beside her son, the King, for the seasonal festivities. She anticipated this landmark in the calendar with mixed feelings: while she relished the religious meaning of Christmas and her beloved Catholic Church; she looked on the ribaldry and hypocrisy that was displayed by her son’s courtiers and, indeed, his clerical grandees as abhorrent. Her sharp eye identified those close to the King who were driven only by self-interest and others whose motives were sincere. But, for this short period, she carried out her duty as queen dowager and overlooked the excesses of the administrative and governmental coterie that feasted and cavorted in and around the palace.
“Is everything
