Henry III - the last king of the Valois dynasty, the dearly beloved son of Catherine de Medici, the unsurpassed handsome man of the French court - was a personality of great magnitude, in many ways ahead of his time. He tried to put an end to religious strife between Protestants and Catholics - and fell at the hands of a religious fanatic. Catherine de Medici, Charles IX, Henry of Navarre, the de Guise brothers, Queen Margot are the main characters of this book, which vividly and fascinatingly recreates the most dramatic era in the history of France, its intrigues and intricacies. An era marked by the terrible Night of St. Bartholomew and which left its mark on the personality and fate of Henry III.