The Travels of Marco Polo · Character
Catharine de Courtenay
Also known as Catharine
- Minor
- First seen · Book 1 · Ch. 11
Her title carries the weight of an empire, while the surviving account leaves the woman herself almost entirely veiled. She enters the page as a figure of inheritance and rank, inviting curiosity about the life behind the grand name.
- Gender
- female
- Age
- Adult (married 1301)
- First appears
- Book 1 · Ch. 11
- Books
- 1
Catharine was the daughter and heiress of Philip de Courtenay, titular Emperor of Constantinople, and thus bore a claim to an imperial legacy. In 1301 she married Charles of Valois, joining her inheritance to one of the powerful dynastic houses of her age. The account gives little of her private life, leaving her chiefly as a noblewoman whose name stood at the meeting point of lineage and ambition.
Description
The text identifies Catharine as a noblewoman and titular empress but supplies no details of her face, complexion, hair, eyes, height, or build. Her clothing and distinguishing features are likewise unspecified. Any visual portrayal should suggest elevated rank through formal medieval court dress and composed bearing, without assigning unsupported physical traits.
Story so far
BOOK 1The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1
Appearances
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