7 Best speeches by Catherine de Medici

Reign may have begun as a story of a teenage Mary, Queen of Scots, but it evolved into a tale of women who ruled in an age of men. Arguably its finest character is Catherine de Medici, portrayed by the incomparable Megan Follows. Below are seven of Catherine de Medici's best speeches and lines in four seasons of Reign. 

1. Left Behind (Episode 17)

Catherine to Mary: 'The first lesson I learnt is never to wait for a man's rescue. History is written by the survivors, and I am surely that.'

2. Three Queens (Episode 28)

Catherine to Mary: 'Mary, I know you think that I belittle your marriage by comparing it to mine. But that is not why I talk to you the way I do. I walked this road first. That's all. And I learnt that if you hold on to foolish romantic expectations, it'll make it that much harder. You know that as a queen, you have to put on an act. You can't always show what's in your heart. Well, the same is true for being a wife. If Francis isn't sharing his heart with you, pretend you don't see. You'll withhold your own secrets from him soon enough. I'm sorry, but you must give up this dream and accept the distance between you. If you need solace, find it elsewhere, in a separate life, with your own work. And if you find that the crown weighs too heavily, well, line it with velvet. That's what I do.

3. Higher Ground (Episode 20)

Catherine at confession: 'Also, my cousin Hortenza is here. Expect worse of me; I loathe her. I'm prepared for my penance.'

4. In a Clearing (Episode 49)

Catherine, on her regency: 'It's a good job for someone who's always right, to be sure. But as it turns out, may people quite despise me.' 

5. Strange Bedfellows (Episode 57)

Catherine to Archbishop Ridolfi: 'Why do you dismiss me? Because I am a woman?'

6. Strange Bedfellows (Episode 57)

Catherine to Archbishop Ridolfi: 'Are you asking me if I got permission from the men of this country to make a political move?'

7.  Strange Bedfellows (Episode 57)

Catherine to Archbishop Ridolfi: 'She lost her husband and her country. Her guard was down, and you took advantage of it. From where I sit, which is on the French throne as its regent, I see the Vatican pushing around female monarchs, and I don't appreciate it one bit. You can go now.'