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that he assured her, “My daughter, do not doubt that since God wants you to be my daughter-in-law and the wife of the Dauphin, I do not want it otherwise, and perhaps it will please the Lord God to bestow on you and me that which we desire most.” 42 However, as Katherine Crawford points out, Contarini’s report came several years after the conversation allegedly occurred and seems so intent on promoting a view of a virtuous Catherine that it may have overstated the actual security of her position. 43 Pierre de Bourdeille, the Abbé de Brantôme, also reported some years later that “there were a large number of people who tried to persuade the King and Monsieur le Dauphin to repudiate her, since it was necessary to continue the line of France.” 44
    Whereas it is difficult to ascertain exactly how precarious Catherine’s position was at that point, she certainly understood the importance of conceiving, for she approached the task with a fervid mixture of desperation and resourcefulness. Catherine was devoutly religious but she also had a lifelong obsession with astrology and the occult. Finding no incompatibility in these two avenues, she appealed to both the superstitious and the sacred, calling on magicians and seers at the same time that she turned to priests and prayers. Catherine began to amass an extensive collection of sacred relics and manuscripts and devices for celestial prognostication; when her trove was inventoried upon her death, one of the items was said to be a talisman “made of human blood, the blood of a goat and the metals that corresponded with her birth chart.” 45 Catherine also claimed to have some prophetic powers of her own; years later, her daughter Marguerite wrote in her memoirs that Catherine would accurately predict when one of her children was near death and would call out in her sleep, “Dieu, garde mes enfants!” (God, protect my children!) 46
    In addition to prayers and incantations, Catherine resorted to many popular fertility remedies: she sprinkled special herbs in her food and wine, ate the powdered testicles of cats, deer, and boars, and drank the blood and urine of pregnant animals. Not everyone was optimistic about the efficacy of these potions. The Venetian ambassador, Matteo Dandolo, wrote: “The most serene dauphine is of a fine disposition, except for her ability to become a mother. Not only has she not yet had any children, but I doubt that she will ever have them, although she swallows all possible medicines that might aid conception. From this I would deduce she is more at risk of increasing her difficulty than finding the solution.” Dandolo’s postscript is a reminder that a queen’s fertility crisis was a matter of public concern: “I do not think there is anyone here [who] would not give their blood for her to have a son.” 47 Another popular myth cautioned against riding a mule because the animal could transfer its own infertility to the passenger, so Catherine refused to travel on muleback when she was trying to conceive.
    Catherine also turned to her female companions for help, particularly her dear friend Marie-Catherine Gondi. Also known by her maiden name, Marie de Pierrevive, Madame Gondi had hosted an illustrious literary salon in Lyons before marrying Antoine de Gondi, a Florentine merchant who served in Henri’s court. 48 Madame Gondi had several children of her own and advised Catherine on pregnancy, childcare, and financial matters; her sound advice and expertise were so valued that Catherine later named her administrator of her personal finances and public building projects. 49
    Even more significant is the advice and assistance Catherine received from her husband’s mistress. Although much has been made of the enmity between the two women, Diane shrewdly understood that her own position at court could be compromised were Catherine replaced by a less compliant queen. Thus, Diane became one of Catherine’s most important allies during her