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From the moment you were born, our relationship has been complicated.
Catherine to Claude in Our Undoing


The relationship between Catherine de' Medici and Claude de Valois.

Overview[]

They have a mother daughter relationship full of tension and misunderstandings. Though Catherine loves her daughter deeply, Claude feels that she was sent away because her mother didn't love her. Recently, Catherine has been developing a much better relationship with her daughter and they appear to be heading for reconciliation.

History[]

Early History[]

Princess Claude was the third child born to Henry and Catherine. Claude was apparently sent away for educational experiences though later she began to engage in reckless, and promiscuous behavior. Claude feels that her mother sent her away to get rid of her, and that she doesn't love her; however Catherine wouldn't admit that the real reason is because she was trying to protect her. Their current relationship is still tense since Catherine tried to poison Claude to appease the twins; however Catherine now knows that Claude was not responsible for killing the twins, and in addition to her guilt she feels she may have lost her daughter forever.

In the Series[]

Season Two[]

In The Prince of the Blood, Catherine welcomes her daughter home from a long stay in Prague, though she is not happy her orders to take Claude elsewhere were disobeyed. Later Catherine catches her in bed with the Priest who brought her home, and chastises her behavior; leaving Claude to wonder what she has done to raise her mother's ire and be kept away from home. Catherine lets her stay but threatens to send her away again if there is anymore bad behavior; however Catherine tells Claude that she has changed her mind and must send her away again.

In Terror of the Faithful, Catherine arranges a marriage for Claude to a handsome young count from Bohemia. The princess is less than thrilled and refuses to go through with it. Later Catherine tells her daughter that she must have her virtue tested as she was unable to convince the Count and his father otherwise; however though Claude refuses to comply with this she does go through with it. Later Catherine apologizes to Claude, and through flashback she is seen discovering Claude's intense jealousy, and mistreatment of her twin sisters: Emone and Henrietta. Catherine asks her daughter how she can think she doesn't love her when she has protected Claude more than her other children. Finally Claude breaks into tears as she begs her mother not to force her to marry and send her away.

In Acts of War, Catherine steps in when Mary tries to arrange for Claude to marry the protestant Lord Conde who is of the House of Bourbon. Catherine is less than thrilled by this and rejoices when the Princess refuses to marry him; however Claude then tells her mother and Mary that she is no brood mare to be bought and sold. Catherine tells Mary that her daughter marrying Conde will not solve anything for her; however she further warns Mary that because Claude is her daughter mapping her life is her right and duty, and she should stay out if it. During the feast when Narcisse admits to Catherine that he tried to stop Claude from marrying Conde Catherine tells him that she knows of this and warns him to stay away from her daughter.

In Mercy, After being confronted by the ghosts of her twins, Catherine tries once more to convince Claude to leave the castle by giving her a bag of gold to travel with. Princess Claude disrespects her mother by telling her to "Go to hell!" and insults her by calling her a relic who has gone past her usefulness. Catherine warns her daughter that if she doesn't leave the castle then she will leave her no choice but to take action. Later Catherine walks into her daughter's chambers, and apologizes for not having been a proper mother, she also tells Claude how much she loves her and begs her forgiveness.

In Getaway, At the behest of Henry and her twins, Catherine continues to slowly poison her own daughter, in order to appease the twins who want Claude to suffer for killing them. Catherine visits her daughter and nurses her with a hot soup witch contains a mixture of garlic and arsenic. Later Catherine enters her chambers to find Claude has destroyed her room, and is rummaging through her potion table. Catherine asks her daughter just what she is doing, and the Princess asks her mother which poison she put in her soup; when she finds it she says that she knew her mother hated her, but how could she use poison? Catherine replies by finally confronting her daughter about the deaths of the twins, from how Claude hated their very existence, to how fake her reaction was upon hearing about the deaths of her sisters. Claude protests by saying that she was sad, that she didn't do it, and why her mother would try to kill her after all these years. Catherine replies that she had tried everything else, and that there is a price to pay for such things.

Catherine then watches in horror as Claude pours the rest of the poison into a chalice, and asks if the price is her death, if her mother wants her to die, and then says that if she's the murderer her mother thinks she is then she deserves to die. Catherine knocks the chalice away, and grabs her daughter who collapses in tears into her mother's arms; as she consoles and comforts her child however Henry suddenly appears behind her and tells her not to betray her other children, but Catherine continues hold and comfort her daughter.

In Banished, Catherine is upset by the return of Diane de Poitiers, and the fact that she sees her daughter Claude enjoying a friendship with Diane; while rubbing it in her face.

In Sins of the Past, Princess Claude seems full of delightful sarcasm when she discovers that her mother is ill, and possibly with syphilis as a gift from Henry. Claude recommends a series of torturous cures that are incredibly painful, and in some cases can prove fatal. Later Claude continues to enjoy her mother's agony, but Catherine is hurt more by the fact that her daughter is enjoying this; however Claude says that poison also hurts and that her stomach aches still from her mother's efforts to slowly kill her.

In Tempting Fate, Catherine is not happy to learn that Narcisse slept with her daughter; however in order to keep her out of the beds of Nobles, and anyone else, she forces Leith to become Princess Claude's new guard. Leith is less than thrilled, as is the Princess who asks her mother when she will stop controlling her; however Catherine replies that she will stop controlling her daughter when she stops acting like she needs to be controlled. The Queen further tells her daughter that it's time she grew up.

Season Three[]

In The Price, in order to secure votes so that she will become Regent; Catherine enlists the help of her daughter to please Lord Clavell, who is a high ranking member of the Privy Council, so that she will get his vote. Claude thinks that her mother plans to marry her off to Lord Clavell's son; however Catherine tells her daughter that she is trying to do nothing of the kind unless of course Claude takes a liking to him. Catherine also tells her daughter that she will need to support her spending habits when she is running things. When the Princess hears this she agrees to help her mother.

During the dinner, Lord Clavell tells Catherine that he will never grant her his vote to be Regent, because of an incident that happened many years ago when Catherine was Queen and she and Henry visited his home: apparently the Queen insulted him, and then ran over his daughter's foot with their carriage. Lord Clavell then says that his daughter's prospects for marriage were ruined forever; however when Catherine apologizes and offers to help his daughter find a suitable marriage match, Lord Clavell reveals that his daughter is dead as she committed suicide after being rejected by another suitor. Lord Clavell then insults Catherine by calling her daughter a common whore for flirting with his son to help her mother; Catherine and her daughter then get up and leave the dinner together.

In Our Undoing, Catherine visits her daughter to say good night, but Claude seems less than thrilled to see her mother. The Princess tells her mother that she has been summoned to the inquest to testify, and asks if it might occur to the council to ask if Catherine poisoned any of her other children. Catherine takes the notice and reads it as she says that she wasn't in her right mind when she poisoned Claude since she was being poisoned herself; Claude says however that this comforts her little.

However Catherine and Claude talk about how though she seemed to play favorites with her sons, she does love her daughter and begs her forgiveness for everything she has done.

The Queen further tells her daughter about the insane charges against her about how she murdered her own son; Claude actually thinks for a second that she may have done it...given that she tried to poison her; Catherine then asks a favor of her daughter: to testify on her behalf to the privy council. Claude is a bit reluctant at first but when she forgives her mother, and promising not to tell about the poisoning she agrees to help her as long as she talks to Charles about letting her choose her own husband.

The next day, Princess Claude is interviewed by the council, and she defends her mother saying that there's no way Catherine would kill any of her children; however Narcisse soon begins to call the Princess a liar as he pulls out her private journal. Claude is stunned and offended that her chambers were searched and that her diary was stolen; Narcisse reads from the journal the Princess' private thoughts about her mother the poisoning and everything else. Narcisse taunts Claude with no mercy trying to get her to throw her mother under the bus and finally she cracks.

Moments later, Catherine is waiting outside the chamber when suddenly Claude comes running out of the council room in tears...and runs right into her mother's arms. Narcisse and the council members follow her out, as Catherine demands to know exactly what they did to her daughter; Narcisse says that they have Claude's diary, as she asks her mother to forgive her. Catherine comforts her daughter and tells her that she did nothing wrong; Narcisse then says that because she poisoned her daughter, there is now enough evidence to try her for the murder of her son Francis. Hearing this news makes Claude cry harder as she holds onto her mother and cries in her arms; Catherine comforts her daughter and gives Narcisse an angry look.

Season Four[]

Over the course of the fourth season, Catherine and Claude begin repairing their relationship. In the season premiere, Catherine helps Claude plot Martel de Guise's death after finding out that he killed Leith Bayard.

Catherine and Claude also team up against Leeza, who becomes a thorn in the side for the mother-daughter duo. Leeza, jealous of Claude's relationship with their mother, takes every opportunity to pick on and belittle Claude, even going as far as to betrothe her to someone when Claude is still in mourning for Leith.

In one of such instances, Leeza walks in on Claude with a married man and unleashes her wrath; she chastises Claude for this inappropriate encounter while "God is watching" and presents her with two options - the convent or immediate marriage. Catherine defends Claude, but Leeza's mind remains unchanged. When Claude chooses to meet the suitor picked out for her, who also happens to be Stéphane Narcisse's dashing son Luc, Catherine comforts her by saying that if her husband "lays a finger" on her, she will make Claude a widow.

Trivia[]

  • Catherine and Claude were reunited in The Prince of the Blood.
  • Catherine is believed to have kept Claude away, because she either knows or suspects that her daughter was somehow involved in the deaths of Emone and Henrietta.
  • Catherine tried to poison Claude in order to appease her twins who believed their own sister caused their deaths.
  • In Terror of the Faithful, Catherine discovers the jealous behavior, hatred and resentment Claude had for the twins.
  • Though Catherine loves her daughter it seems that having Claude home has brought back a lot of painful memories for her.
  • As of Getaway Catherine has forgiven her daughter, and refused to kill her just to appease the twins.
  • In Banished, Catherine discovered that it was Diane not Claude who was responsible for killing the twins.
    • She murdered Diane because of this.
    • Catherine learned that the nanny framed Claude with the flowers off of her dress.
  • Historically, Claude was Catherine's favorite daughter.
  • Historically, Claude was Henry and Catherine's third child but in Reign she is the fourth child.
  • In The Price, Catherine and Claude work together to help Catherine secure votes so that she will be Regent.

Gallery[]

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