A shocking new biography has peeled back the gilded layers of royal history to reveal a tale of spite, jealousy, and sartorial sabotage that forever changed the world of fashion. The book, aptly titled 'The Dark Queen', exposes the vengeful genesis of the high heel, attributing its invention to one of history's most formidable and ruthless monarchs: Catherine de' Medici.
Far from being a mere accessory of elegance, the book posits that the elevated shoe was conceived in the 16th century as a weapon of psychological warfare within the French court. The target? Diane de Poitiers, the famously beautiful and powerful mistress of Catherine's husband, King Henry II of France.
A Court Riven by Rivalry
Author Una McIlvenna, a leading historian in Renaissance studies, paints a vivid picture of a deeply humiliated queen. Catherine, then Dauphine of France, was acutely aware of her husband's very public and enduring infatuation with Diane, a woman two decades his senior. The mistress wielded immense influence over the king, even receiving the crown jewels as gifts, while Catherine was sidelined and powerless.
McIlvenna's research suggests that Catherine's infamous reputation for employing poison and dark magic was matched by her cunning in the art of social sabotage. The high heel was her masterstroke.
The Heel as a Weapon of Spite
The biography details how Catherine, a woman of notably short stature, commissioned shoes with built-up heels specifically for her wedding to Henry in 1533. However, the true malicious intent became clear years later.
Driven by a burning desire to undermine her rival, Catherine orchestrated a plan to literally look down on Diane de Poitiers. She popularised the heel amongst her courtiers, creating a trend that positioned her physically above the mistress in every courtly interaction. This was a calculated power play designed to inflict a continuous, subtle humiliation.
'She was really known for her acts of spite and jealousy,' Dr McIlvenna states in her work, highlighting how this innovation was born from a desire for revenge rather than aesthetic appeal.
A Legacy Forged in Venom
The book goes on to explore the bitter aftermath of King Henry II's death in 1559. With her son Francis II on the throne, Catherine's vengeance was finally unleashed in full force. She banished Diane from court, seized the magnificent Château de Chenonceau that Henry had gifted to his mistress, and forced her to return the crown jewels.
The high heel, an icon of style and power for centuries, thus has its roots not in glamour, but in the 'dastardly' and 'venomous' schemes of a queen pushed to her limit. This revelation offers a fascinating new perspective on how the personal vendettas of royalty have shaped even the most unexpected aspects of our culture, from the soles of our shoes upwards.
