21. 5. 2012 Royal jewel found in latrine

An incredible thing was discovered by archaeologists in a public latrine at the Chateau Fontainebleau near Paris. It was the hairpin of Queen Catherine de' Medici.

It was the first time Catherine de' Medici's jewelry had ever been found on the grounds. The hairpin bears the letter "C" in white and green. These were the favourite colours of the monarch. The letter itself looks a bit like the Chanel logo.

The jewel was nine centimeters in length. It was found during an analysis of the latrine where it was to be reconstructed. In 2013, the interior of the part of the chateau where Henry IV stayed was converted into offices for the Seine-et-Marne tourist office. In the adjacent courtyard, archaeologists carried out a thorough survey to avoid the possible destruction of precious artefacts. The archaeologists expected to find the remains of two long-gone buildings. But the discovery of a public latrine surprised them.

And how did the jewel get into the public latrine? According to archaeologist Vincent Droguet, it was probably stolen. "The person in question simply dropped it into the latrine," the archaeologist believes. Catherine de' Medici, of course, had her own private toilet.

Experts are convinced that the jewel did indeed belong to the monarch. From a historical point of view, the find is of great significance. Not much of Catherine de Medici's jewellery has survived. Especially those from before her widowhood. There are only two pieces of jewellery known to have belonged to Catherine.

One is a gold and emerald pendant currently on display at the National Library in Paris. The other is a portrait miniature medallion currently in Vienna. Neither, however, has the characteristic monogram design.

Catherine de' Medici was Queen of France, wife of King Henry II. She was the mother of the last French kings of the House of Valois, Francis II, Charles IX and Henry III. She is sometimes referred to as one of the cruelest rulers of Europe. She was responsible for the bloody massacre of the Huguenots, which has gone down in history as the Night of Bartholomew.

Sources: http://www.thehistoryblog.com/, www.novinky.cz, https://eurozpravy.cz/