Cath·e·rine de Mé·di·cis 
(kăthər-ĭn də mā-dē-sēs, kăthrĭn, kät-rēn) or Catherine de' Me·di·ci (mĕdĭ-chē′, mĕdē-) 1519-1589.
(kăthər-ĭn də mā-dē-sēs, kăthrĭn, kät-rēn) or Catherine de' Me·di·ci (mĕdĭ-chē′, mĕdē-) 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).