The Serpent Queen episode one ended with Franciose Guise leading a group of Catholic men to burn down the Protestant church that had many followers inside it offering their prayers. Just a day before that, King Charles IX had agreed to attend the mass to show his solidarity with the Protestant community, and there was a sense of ambiguity about whether the monarch was among those in the church who had been killed.
Spoilers Ahead
Was King Charles IX dead or alive?
The news of the arson that burned the entire church down spread quite fast. Within no time the Queen got into action to find out what caused the fire and if her son, the King, was part of the congregation. The entire palace was buzzing with the rumor that the King had disappeared, and they were expecting bad news. King Charles soon returned to the palace, and claimed to have turned his entourage around on seeing the flames. The king escaped an accidental death, yet there were many questions to be answered in regards to this incident, as well as the protection of the monarch and who misguided him to attend the mass without speaking to Catherine.Â
Did the Queen declare war?
The Queen held an emergency council meeting with the Guise and Bourbon brothers regarding the growing religious crisis, which may go out of hand if not handled with the utmost sensitivity. It was an open secret that the Bourbons knew this act of crime was committed by the Catholics, and they claimed there were witnesses to Francoise Guise coming back to the palace with his small group of men. No one had solid proof, and the Queen could not directly put Guise brothers in prison without evidence. Even Catherine was aware this incident was carried out by the Guise brothers as a show of their Catholic faith power. Catherine taking action against them would be considered an attack on the Catholic Church and a war would erupt, as the matriarch Antoinette would have wanted. Catherine, for the time being, simmered down the talk of war between the two faiths just to keep matters under control and come up with a solid plan to make sure the talk was nipped in the bud.Â
How did the Queen pacify the Protestants?
The Bourbon brothers were severely reprimanded for making a plan with the King and convincing him to attend the mass without anyone from the council knowing of this move. Queen Catherine was horrified, but King Charles wanted to, for the first time, make a political statement without his mother’s advice, but all of it fell flat. Her only way to pacify the Bourbon brothers was to agree to a trade deal with Queen Elizabeth I, a Protestant monarch, that would benefit the siblings. This deal would restore the faith of the Protestant community in the French monarchy. The Queen also promised the Crown would vehemently look for the person who was behind the arson and publicly prosecute them for the crime. The Bourbon brothers were happy with the solution offered by the Queen, as it was decided from their end that a civil war could be avoided.
What was the Queen’s plan for the Catholics?
Catherine was aware of Francoise Guise’s involvement in the arson, and she confirmed to him that there were no survivors who would recognize him. She was quick to confront Antoinette, stating she was aware of her role in attempting to spark a civil war and putting an end to Catherine’s work towards maintaining peace in France. Catherine was adamant about her plan to keep Catholics and Protestants separate and not indulge in any talk that would escalate into a war like situation. Catherine admitted to having agreed to make trade negotiations with Protestant England to pacify the community in France since it was the Catholics that fanned the fire. Catherine put forward the plan of building a palace in the city of Paris near the river Seine, which would be funded by the Catholic nobility. The palace would be a symbol of Catholicism, and the people who follow their faith would be happy.Â
Why did Catherine approach Diane de Poitiers?
As the Catholics had agreed to the plan put forward by Catherine, she wanted the help of one woman whom she had despised all her life. The Queen had to involve Lady Diane de Poitiers in this project despite their bitter personal history, which involved the deceased King Henry II of France. Lady Poitiers was the long-standing mistress of Catherine’s husband, and she’d practically ruled the palace and politics. It was the death of the King that helped Catherine gain power in the council and the palace, and in no time, she banished Lady Poitiers from the seat of power. However, Queen Catherine was back, asking not for forgiveness but for a large sum of money and land from Lady Poitiers, which she had received from King Henry. Catherine had hoped Lady Poitiers would help the Catholics by offering her money to their cause. An ally such as hers would be an asset to Catherine as well as the Catholic community headed by Cardinal Charles Guise.Â
Lady Poitiers agreed to the deal because it would help her cling to some of her old power in some capacity. Queen Catherine also requested Lady Poitiers to look after the King and his siblings in the wake of her trip to Italy. Lady Poitiers wholeheartedly agreed, as the children and the former mistress had spent a lot of time growing up together. Catherine was aware that Lady Poitiers would love anything that gave her power in one form or another.
What did Montmorency find out about the Protestants?
Montmorency was distressed and despondent upon learning of the death of the preacher Edith, whom he had fallen in love with. The man kept visiting the site of the arson many times to look for anything of hers he could find and probably offer her a proper burial. He was, however, approached by a villager who claimed he knew why Montmorency found no bones of the people who perished in the fire. The villagers claimed many witnessed a miracle as Edith had guided the entire congregation out from the fire and headed deep into the forest to protect themselves. Montmorency was expecting bad news, but this was a ray of hope he received on learning there was a possibility Edith and her followers could have survived the fire, but this was just a rumor as no one had actually seen any one of them.Â
Did Francoise and Thomas reunite?
Francoise was in despair as well after learning of the consequences of the actions set in motion by his mother, Antoinette. The man was on talking terms with Catherine’s daughter, Margot. They shared an interest in each other, but so far they were not romantically involved. He found Margot to be intelligent and an easy person to talk to. Francoise Guise, however, had to meet with Thomas and ask him about the betrayal. Thomas was honest about his need for the money. As they kissed one last time, Francoise left no stone unturned and murdered Thomas, as he never wanted anyone to use his lover to gain information about himself and his sexual orientation. So far, his mother was the only person aware of his secret, and since Thomas would do anything for money, he had to get rid of him.Â
Was the Protestant preacher Edith dead or alive?
As Queen Catherine was leaving for Italy, she was informed about the rumor that Edith and her congregation had survived the fire. Rahima was the person who informed Catherine about this rumor, and she wanted the monarch to take this information seriously even though it was just a rumor. Catherine, who was always diligent, refused to take this news lightly because she would have to make some major changes in her plans if Edith had survived and came out to accuse Francoise of having a role in the fire. In that case, a civil war would be inevitable, as stated by Antoinette Guise.Â
Catherine was avoiding a war to save lives and avoid putting a strain on the treasury. Her plan was to keep peace and preach secularism. She was spreading the same message along with her children during their trip across the country in the hope that the people would understand the Queen was not a war monger. Antoinette Guise was under the impression that in case of war, the Catholics would overpower the Protestants. In that case the Queen and the people would have to give up supporting the other faith. This would continue their supremacy in the country and other parts of Europe.Â
Francoise Guise was informed by Thomas right before he killed him of the rumor regarding Edith being alive. Francoise and his small team of supporters headed deep into the forest to find out if the rumor was true. To Francoise’s horror, Edith was indeed alive. Edith and the congregation were injured, tired, and hungry, but they were alive only because of her sermons, which implied that she only considered her god as the King. This meant that Edith planned to form a group to protest or fight against the unjustified attack on her people and her faith. She would want answers and would probably force Catherine to act, which could lead to a civil war. As he witnessed the sermon, Francoise was aware that only a miracle could stop a civil war, and they had to be prepared for the worst.Â