(kăthˈər-ĭn də mā-dē-sēsˈ, kăthˈrĭn, kät-rēnˈ) or Catherine de' Me·di·ci(mĕdˈĭ-chēˌ, mĕdˈē-) 1519-1589.
Queen of France as the wife of Henry II and regent during the minority (1560-1563) of her son Charles IX. She continued to wield power until the end of Charles's reign (1574).