Catherine (1519 – 1589), was an Italian noblewoman from the famous and powerful Medici family. She was Queen of France from 1547 until 1559, alongside King Henry II until his death in 1559. Catherine and Henry had three sons - Francis, Charles, and Henry - and she watched them all become King in succession to one another. The three sons reigned in an age of almost constant civil and religious war in France. The problems facing the monarchy were complex and daunting, but Catherine was able to keep the monarchy and the state institutions functioning even at a minimum level. Intelligent but ruthless, she resorted to hard-line policies that included excessive persecutions and violence, leading the people of France to become extremely disillusioned with the monarchy. She is known for doing anything for her family and for the Valois line to remain on the throne. This is demonstrated by the amusing tidbit that Catherine had a group of elite female spies called the “Flying Squadron” who did her bidding. Without Catherine, it is unlikely that her sons would have remained in power. According to Mark Strage, one of her biographers, Catherine was the most powerful woman in 16th-century Europe.