"La Reine Margot" (English "Queen Margot") is a historical novel written in 1845 by Alexandre Dumas. Although La Reine Margot is based on real characters and events, certain aspects of the novel may be inconsistent with the historical record. The story begins in Paris in August 1572, during the reign of the Valois King Charles IX, it is the French Wars of Religion. The protagonist is Marguerite de Valois. The antagonist is the scheming Catholic power player Catherine de Medici, Margot's mother.