's marriage with the son of Francois I., the final arrangements
for which were to be made at Livorno, where the negotiators had
appointed to meet, he formed the plan of going to France, and attaching
himself to the fortunes of his niece, who needed a guardian.

Alessandro, delighted to rid himself of a man so unaccommodating in the
affairs of Florence, furthered a plan which relieved him of one murder
at least, and advised Strozzi to put himself at the head of Catherine's
household. In order to dazzle the eyes of France the Medici had selected
a brilliant suite for her whom they styled, very unwarrantably, the
Princess of Florence, and who also went by the name of the little
Duchess d'Urbino. The cortege, at the head of which rode Alessandro,
Catherine, and Strozzi, was composed of more than a thousand persons,
not including the escort and servants. When the last of it issued from
the gates of Florence the head had passed that first village beyond the
city where they now braid the Tuscan straw hats. It was beginning to be
rumored among the people that Catherine was to marry a son of Francois
I.; but the rumor did not obtain much belief until the Tuscans beheld
with their own eyes this triumphal procession from Florence to Livorno.

Catherine herself, judging by all the preparations she beheld, began to
suspect that her marriage was in question, and her uncle then revealed
to her the fact that the first ambitious project of his house had
aborted, and that the hand of the dauphin had been refused to her.
Alessandro still hoped that the Duke of Albany would succeed in changing
this decision of the king of France who, willing as he was to buy the
support of the Medici in Italy, would only grant them his second son,
the Duc d'Orleans. This petty blunder lost Italy to France, and did not
prevent Catherine from becoming queen.

The Duke of Albany, son of Alexander Stuart, brother of James III.,
king of Scotland, had married Anne de la Tour de Boulogne, sister of
Madeleine de la Tour de Boulogne, Catherine's mother; he was therefore
her maternal uncle. It was through her mother that Catherine was so rich
and allied to so many great families; for, strangely enough, her rival,
Diane de Poitiers, was also her cousin. Jean de Poitiers, father of
Diane, was son of Jeanne de Boulogne, aunt of the Duchess d'Urbino.
Catherine was also a cousin of Mary Stuart, her daughter-in-law.

Catherine now learned that her dowry in money was a h