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Catherine de Medici replaces Napoleon as French leader in Civilization VI

by: Sean Cahill -
More On: Civilization VI

There will be a new leader in charge of the French forces for Civilization VI.

Napoleon Bonaparte, who has been a mainstay in the series with just a couple of exceptions, will be bowing out of the latest chapter in the Civilization series to make way for Catherine de Medici. If you aren't a history buff and aren't aware of Catherine's history with France, here's a good reminder of why she is a great choice:

Catherine was born as an Italian noblewoman and eventually married King Henry II of France. She was officially Queen of France from 1547 to 1559, which is when Henry II died. During her time as Queen, she would give birth to three boys, all of which would go on and become King of France in their lifetimes. While these are good reasons, they pale in comparison to the real reason she's on here.

Catherine was known as one of the most ruthless individuals in history. When her husband passed, she banished anyone who was an enemy to her (including Henry's mistress) and went on a tirade of manipulation and treachery to anyone she had deemed to have slighted her in her lifetime. That list was a long one, but the ultimate act of this woman's reign was an event known as the Massacre of Saint Barthelemy. I won't get into details, but let's just say that the body count was more than 3,000. I would highly recommend reading more about her and that event if you enjoy history.

The special ability for Catherine, which is talked about in the preview below, will grant a bonus to players who need to build wonders of the world mid-game. We're sure to find out more about Catherine and what she brings to the table in-game, but for now we'll leave you with the trailer and wanting more information for the October release.