She was the most powerful European queen of the 16th Century.

She was skilled in statecraft, diplomacy, and especially espionage.

Her efforts to secure the crown for her family laid the groundwork

for a strong central French state.

France's special ability – Grand Tour – gives them a bonus when constructing

mid-game Wonders and extra Tourism from all the Wonders they construct.

The Garde Imperiale are the French unique unit.

They get a bonus for fighting on the starting capital's home continent,

and Great General points from kills.

France also gets the Chateau as a unique tile improvement.

It must be built adjacent to a river, and provides culture with special

bonuses for being near Wonders.

But what Catherine specializes in is espionage.

By using her network of ladies-in-waiting (Catherine's Flying Squadron),

she gets extra diplomatic information from every Civ she meets.

Once you research Castles, she'll receive an extra spy.

France is a good choice for the culture-focused player.

Egypt and China might focus on building early-game Wonders,

but in midgame France can easily catch up in the Wonder race.

Once their unique abilities and improvements are in play, they can

quickly race up the Civics tree and establish a strong Industrial Era army,

or go for a Cultural Victory.

Regardless of whether you go for war or peace, France will stay well-informed

about what's going in the world, thanks to their excellent espionage.

Are you ready to show the world the glory of La Belle France?

How will you lead the French in Sid Meier's Civilization VI?