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

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I didn't know anything about Catherine de' Medici or the various religious wars between Catholics and Protestants in France during this time period.

Two women who found friendship and a rivalry between each other with only a sea that divided them and religious discord to drive them apart. The fact that Estelle Paranque is a native French speaker means that she seems to have analysed a lot of letters from the French side that have perhaps been over-looked by other, more British focussed, historians and means this work is full of insight rather than just a rehashing of the two women's lives. Excellently told, this thrilling, lyrical story of two extraordinarily powerful women offers the missing piece in our understanding of Tudor England and Renaissance France. Not sure why but I was looking forward to be reminded about her death and the pageantry that would commence after it.At its heart are the fascinating figures of Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici, whose tense and fascinating relationship is expertly told. More importantly, readers will leave with a sense that they know and understand the person behind the power. 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. In most (maybe all) the literature I’ve read, Catherine disappears from Mary's life once Mary sets sail for Scotland… sort of a goodbye and good riddance.

The English public were hoodwinked time and time again, swallowing whole tales of a woman who gave birth to rabbits, a levitating Frenchman in a Chinese Temple and outrageous astrological predictions. 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.Her parents died when Catherine was young, leaving her to be a wealthy heiress and a powerful pawn in the marriage market. Definitely a history book that I'd recommend to non-historian friends, it's certainly not overloaded with academia, but also one that isn't too lightweight and strays into historical fiction. She did not stop Drake and his privateers from attacking and plundering, not only Spanish, but also French’s ships.

She never makes it a competition, on who was the "better" and never degrades the other so she uplift the other one. a marvelous story of a relationship between two powerful women in an age when females were believed to be unsuited to the exercise of government. There are areas where the author has built dialogue between key historical figures, based on records of their meetings and the outcomes of them.From reading a review, I learned that the author translated the letters into modern English to make them easier to understand, but this did not bother me. In England, Elizabeth I was the daughter of Anne Boleyn and the notorious King Henry VIII; their relationship was the most infamous of the 16th century for obvious reasons. Blood, Fire and Gold is an utterly absorbing blend of reimagining and scholarly analysis of the profoundly gendered world of power and politics in the 16th century. It succeeds on many levels simultaneously, and is so interesting and engaging that I will certainly seek out other books on this period and other books by this author. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.

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 thought that Paranque showed a persistent and pervasive bias toward Elizabeth to the detriment of Catherine. Blood, Fire and Gold is a must-read for anyone interested in not only Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici, but anyone interested in studies of female power more generally! Speaking of Elizabeth and Catherine, Paranque treats her subjects with equal parts criticism and empathy. Or is the news a vital tool, enabling worldwide activism movements such as `BlackLivesMatter and enforcing necessary scrutiny of the ethics of those in power?I found the author's writing style to be easy to get into, although me being interested in this dynamic also very much helps in plowing through. It’s astonishing that Catherine lived until she was 69 years old, That is quite ancient for the 16th century, especially as she outlived most of her children. Thoroughly recommended for anyone interested in the period, and even those, like me, who thought they were bored for Elizabethan England.