Blood, Fire and Gold: The story of Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici

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Her parents died when Catherine was young, leaving her to be a wealthy heiress and a powerful pawn in the marriage market.

Dr Estelle Paranque masterfully draws together the strands of narrative of two of the most powerful Queens of Europe, engaged in a relentless and delicate balancing act of rivalry and common cause. By the time they landed on Gold Beach on D-Day, they were toughened by experience and ready for combat. After the deaths of King Henry VIII, King Edward VI, and Queen Mary I, Elizabeth got her chance to rule England in her way. Blood, Fire and Gold shines a new light onto the diplomatic tensions between sixteenth-century England and France, as well as the Wars of Religion, espionage, court intrigue, and the games of power.Many would think Elizabeth's equal would be Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland, but from this book, Catherine de Medici is her true equal of a female put with royal power.

But there is plenty of discussion of Reformation tension, of the political interplay between both France and England and Spain, of Elizabeth's embrace of piracy for war-making, etc. What follows is a fascinating study of the diplomatic struggles and religious tensions of sixteenth-century Europe with two of the most influential figures at its helm. This also allowed me to learn more about Catherine life and what was going on at the same time in their respective lives. Catherine now saw Elizabeth as her enemy; but Henry III, irked by the power of the Guises, tried to mend fences: they were after all both threatened by Spain. Andrew Pettegree and Arthur der Weduwen explore the contested and dramatic history of the library, from the famous collections of the ancient world to the embattled public resources we cherish today.

For the humble teen, her family name and Florentine heritage made her a valued commodity, particularly to the future King of France, Henry (not to be confused with the English Henry). A great retelling of the intricacies of Queenship during the 16th century, the book delves with deep analysis of how Catherine de Medici and Elizabeth Tudor navigated rigorous waters on the fight for supremacy. For example, I didn’t realize Marie didn’t care all that much for Mary, Queen of Scots, her daughter-in-law for a short time. It was further weird because the author did include (albeit modernized) real quotes from letters/reports, and it was so confusing to have the made up stuff interspersed with this. It reads like a novel and although reading nonfiction can really be intricate (I read the bibliography, the index and yes the end notes LOL!

Far from the usual historical books that just throw one fact after the other at you, this one brought back to life the two women and stripped them down to who they were at heart, away from the crowns and the thrones and the plots against them. It is impossible to know what their true thoughts were on certain topics as you have to do a lot of lip service as a royal and keep real feelings hidden.That said, I have no idea who thought it was a good idea to insert dramatic interpretations of what historical figures might have said. But unfortunately Religion and Religious fanatics said No we are going to put a stop to that ridiculousness and lets create a long lasting bloody massacre (St. So did Catherine’s protests to Elizabeth about the imprisonment of Mary, Queen of Scots when she fled to England from an uprising of her Scottish subjects. Some broad strokes of the lives and careers of Elizabeth and Catherine are fodder for universal high school education, and I've certainly picked up some facts about both women over the course of my life.

She deals with wars, on global and personal scales, as well as how families (or would-be families) interact when they operate on an international stage. Speaking of Elizabeth and Catherine, Paranque treats her subjects with equal parts criticism and empathy. Interesting book about the relationship between Queen Elizabeth I and Catherine de/Medici of France and the diplomatic relations between the two countries during Elizabeth's reign.

I’ve read a lot of history books but this is different, I didn’t realise what Catherine de Medici did for France and history. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.