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

Product Information

Historian Estelle Paranque looks at the relationship between Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici, two of the most powerful women in Renaissance Europe. She draws on their private letters to craft portraits of these famous women... A must-read for history lovers."— Town and Country Magazine It’s a big world, and the book does a good job of introducing the outside influences without going off into the weeds. Paranque expertly reminds us of the gravitational pull of Spain on our protagonists without bogging the story down with too much detail. Similarly, we are made aware of the dangerous line of succession that Henry VIII leaves behind, but only as it affects Elizabeth.

That Elizabeth ruled England from 1558 to 1603 is well known, but readers may need reminding that Catherine de Medici, the Italian-born wife of one French king and mother of three others, was a dominant figure during the reigns of her children from 1559 until her death in 1589. History professor Paranque emphasizes that the two had much in common, including their endurance of oppressive early years. Marginalized by her father, Henry VIII, due to his obsession with obtaining a male heir, Elizabeth feared for her life during the reign of her predecessor, Mary, who did not hesitate to execute those she believed threatened her throne. Though a common stratagem in Italy’s tortured politics, Catherine’s marriage into France’s royal family seemed a dead end, as her husband, Henry II, ignored her in favor of his mistress. Matters improved when both Mary and Henry II died within months of each other. Elizabeth became queen of England. Although Salic law forbade women rulers in France, Catherine’s male children required a regent when young and became accustomed to her authority as years passed. The women never met, but they argued, cooperated, negotiated, and made war, usually as enemies but occasionally together, for 30 years, during a time awash in violent religious disputes. These battles tore France apart, and the nation was overshadowed by Europe’s superpower, Spain, which, despite being firmly Catholic, gave priority to its national interests and so sometimes allied with Protestant England, sometimes with France. Inevitably, the text is mostly a record of quarrels and negotiations as revealed in the two women’s massive private correspondence and diplomatic reports. To enliven matters, Paranque often converts the material into fictionalized scenes with invented dialogue and insight into the characters’ thoughts. Although not always successfully, the tactic seems to preserve the spirit of the interactions.

On March 9th, 2022, Martin revealed that he was considering the title Blood & Fire for the second volume. [11] Contents In Blood, Fire, and Gold, historian Estelle Paranque offers a new way of looking at two of history's most powerful women: through the eyes of the other. Drawing on their private correspondence and brand-new research, Paranque shows how Elizabeth and Catherine navigated through uncharted waters that both united and divided their kingdoms, maneuvering between opposing political, religious, and social objectives—all while maintaining unprecedented power over their respective domains. Though different in myriad ways, their fates and lives remained intertwined of the course of three decades, even as the European geo-politics repeatedly set them against one another. Whether engaged in bloody battles or peaceful accords, Elizabeth and Catherine admired the force and resilience of the other, while never forgetting that they were, first and foremost, each other's true rival.

Paranque deftly shows how their experiences shaped the women rulers’ relationships with their subjects, advisers and each other.”― Smithsonian Magazine Blood, Fire & Gold is a nonfiction piece about the correspondence between two Queens in the 16th century: Elizabeth Tudor of England & Catherine de Medici of France. Two Queens who are subjected to many legends, and fame, or infamy, depending on which region you are from. Upon ascending the throne, Elizabeth held a strong exchange of letters with the Queen Mother of France throughout her lifetime, revealing a complicated relationship. A relationship that shows a little bit of everything: vulnerability, scheming, hard-headedness, betrayal, and even trust. What made their working relationship a challenge was both their different viewpoints on religion and how to rule. Estelle Paranque comes here to reveal the intimate details that brings to life the two most powerful female rulers of that century. Catherine de Medici was the daughter of Lorenzo II de Medici, Duke of Urbino, and Madeline de La Tour, d’Auvergne. Her parents died when Catherine was young, leaving her to be a wealthy heiress and a powerful pawn in the marriage market. Her husband would be King Henry II, known to have several mistresses, including Diane de Poitiers, who was her husband’s, true love. Despite issues with Diane, Henry and Catherine had a huge family, including several sons, including King Francis II, King Charles IX, King Henry III, and Francis, Duke of Anjou. After the death of her husband, Catherine worked hard to be the regent for her sons until they came of age to rule and continue the Valois dynasty. That said, I have no idea who thought it was a good idea to insert dramatic interpretations of what historical figures might have said. The author claims she wanted to bring the historical figures to life. Making up dialogue is not the way to do so unless it's in a novel - in which case, I'll read a novel, not historical non-fiction. Instead, these made up conversations threw me out of what was otherwise a gripping read. 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. I almost gave the book 3 stars but decided to be genrous because it *was* good otherwise.Over the thirty years, Catherine de Medici and Elizabeth I dealt with many obstacles in their relationship. Catherine had to deal with the antics of her children and her daughter-in-law, Mary Queen of Scots, who would become one of Elizabeth’s biggest rivals. The bond between the two queens started over a desire for one of Catherine’s sons to marry Elizabeth and become King of England and France, but alas, this was wishful thinking. Catherine and Elizabeth also had to deal with other nations, like Spain, getting in the way of their relationship, as well as the issue of religion; Catherine was a devout Catholic, and Elizabeth was more Protestant. Catherine had to deal with several wars of religions and the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, while Elizabeth had to deal with the Spanish Armada and what to do with Mary Queen of Scots. Queen Elizabeth I of England is undoubtedly one of the most prolific rulers in all of history. Even though Elizabeth held sway as the Great Gloriana and the Virgin Queen; the formidable Catherine de Medici of the great Italian Medici family was making her own history in nearby France. Both women stood the tests of time and have individually been covered extensively in academia. Lesser focused, however, has been the direct interactions between Elizabeth and Catherine. Estelle Paranque attempts to sail uncharted territory and present these two rulers “through the eyes of the other” in, “Blood, Fire & Gold: The Story of Elizabeth I and Catheine de Medici”.

During the tournament to celebrate this treaty, Catherine’s husband, Henri II, was killed; and Catherine was now the mother of four young brothers, one of whom, Francis II, now became king; two of his brothers, Charles IX and Henri III would succeed him. The youngest brother was Francis, Duke of Alençon. Much material published in Fire & Blood originates from the writing of Martin's 2014 book The World of Ice & Fire. The World of Ice & Fire, written from the perspective of Maester Yandel, contains sections from the perspective of Archmaester Gyldayn. These sections were written by Martin on his own; however, he wrote much more than at first intended, and in the end delivered 180,000 words on Targaryen history. The great majority of this [N 1] covered Aegon's Conquest up to the end of the Regency of Aegon III. [7] Blood, Fire and Gold offers much more than a study of the relationship between these queens though. Paranque manages to paint a broad-strokes portrait of mid-to late 16th century Western Europe. Political intrigue is the emphasis, so, for example, Shakespeare doesn't play a role, nor do other social developments. 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. There is also a lot of space devoted to the personal lives of each of the queens, with enough sensitive detail to offer a genuine feel for the personalities of each woman—something that is often hard to achieve in biography, especially for people long dead. On July 22nd, 2017, Martin revealed on his Not a Blog that the material for Fire & Blood had grown so large that the decision had been made to publish the fictional histories of the Targaryen kings in two volumes. The first volume, simply called Fire & Blood, covers the history of Westeros from Aegon's Conquest up to and through the regency of Aegon III Targaryen. In July 2017, Martin reported that the first volume of Fire & Blood was already largely written, whereas the second volume remains largely unwritten. [6] In April 2018, Martin said that Fire & Blood, Volume Two will be completed "a few years down the pike." [1] Blood, Fire & Gold” contains a section of color photo plates, a brief (not annotated) notes section and a light list of primary and secondary resources.

Product details

BLOOD, FIRE & GOLD is an enjoyable read that examines the relationship between Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici. There are periods of history that demand more exploration, and this is certainly one of them. Estelle Paranque sets the scene with a brief historical runup to the period. Included in this framework is the Catholic/Protestant battle, Italian wars, patriarchy, territorial claims, alliances, and royal succession and legitimacy. Readers can imagine these as balls that 16th-century monarchs must juggle. Bursting with fresh perspectives, this is a vibrant retelling of a story you thought you knew' Dan Snow The final focus that of Elizabeth’s struggle with signing the death warrant of Mary, Queen of Scots is perhaps the strongest note of “Blood, Fire & Gold” with fresh treatment and in-depth analysis that feature Elizabeth in new ways . This, coupled with an assertive reiteration of the interplay between Elizabeth and Catherine during this time concludes “Blood, Fire & Gold” with a more memorable punch than expected. No two women had shaped 16th century Europe as Elizabeth I This is a story of two remarkable visionaries: a story of blood, fire and gold. It is also a tale of ceaseless calculation, of love and rivalry, of war and wisdom - and of female power in a male world. Shining new light on their legendary kingdoms Blood, Fire and Gold provides a new way of looking at two of history's most powerful women, and how they shaped each other as profoundly as they shaped the course of history. Drawing on their letters and brand new research, Estelle Paranque writes an entirely new chapter in the well-worn story of the sixteenth century.

Furthermore, Fire & Blood contains an overview of the entire Targaryen succession, and a family tree depicting the Targaryen family until 136AC.

Select a format:

A story told with verve and passion... 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." A thrilling and highly-acclaimed joint biography of Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici, uncovering how their complex 30-year relationship shaped their dynasties, perfect for fans of Alison Weir and Tracy Borman. Catherine de Medici, the Orphan of Florence, is from one of Europe’s most powerful families. She was by no means insignificant, regardless of her loss of family. The niece of Pope Leo X, she became another piece on the chessboard of European diplomacy. Her marriage --- like so many other children --- would be used to build alliances across the continent. 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). As Queen, Regent and ultimately mother of the King, Catherine would remain one of the most influential voices in France for almost 40 years.