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

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In sixteenth-century Europe, two women came to hold all the power, against all the odds. They were Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici.

Aegon I Targaryen's Conquest of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. [7] Largely similar to The Reign of the Dragons: The Conquest as it appeared in The World of Ice & Fire. Catherine de Medici and Elizabeth I had to communicate through ambassadors and letters, which Paranque translated into modern English, making it easier for modern readers to understand. I cannot stress how much I loved this book and how Paranque was able to weave the stories of the two most powerful women in 16th-century Europe. Elizabeth and Catherine began to interact when Elizabeth became Queen in 1559. Her predecessor and half-sister, Mary Tudor, had been at war with France and had lost Calais. On her accession, Elizabeth wanted Calais to be returned to England. A compromise was reached: by the Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis, the French were to keep the town for eight years, after which they would either return it or pay England 500,000 crowns.One a Virgin Queen who ruled her kingdom alone, and the other a clandestine leader who used her children to shape the dynasties of Europe, much has been written about these iconic women. But nothing has been said of their complicated relationship: thirty years of friendship, competition and conflict that changed the face of Europe.

Previously simply known as Heirs of the Dragon: [14] Detailing the succession crisis Jaehaerys faced in 92AC and again in 101AC, and continuing with the reign of Viserys I Targaryen. An abridged version, The Rogue Prince, was previously published in the anthology Rogues in 2014, uses the majority of this text, detailing the reign of Viserys I. [14]The author doesn't shy away from exploring the negative side of her subjects and it is utterly refreshing to see that these powerhouse women are not pitted against one another but simply respected for their importance they gained in their own right. 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. Francis II was married to Mary, Queen of Scots, who had a claim on the English throne, and the young couple sported the arms of England. Mary’s mother, Marie de Guise, was her regent in Scotland, and was much hated by the protestant lords there whom Elizabeth supported and with whom she signed the Treaty of Edinburgh in 1560 which Mary Stuart refused to ratify. 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. Fortunately, the book gets good as Paranque focuses on relations of the two powerful women in 3 main issues: 1. Elizabeth’s commitment to the Huguenots of France and Protestants throughout Europe. 2. Catherine’s 20 year negotiations to marry one of her sons to Elizabeth and 3) Elizabeth’s house arrest of Mary Queen of Scots and the later prosecution and execution.

At a time when women were given no voice at all and were considered, in every aspect, as less than men, these two lead armies, squashed rebellions and shaped Kingdoms. And they also had a lasting effect on one another. Throughout the years, the would go from enemies, to friends, to potential family through marriage, and then to enemies again. And they never even met. 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]

Contents

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. Two Queens. One a virgin and Queen Regnant of England, the other a wife and Queen Mother to the Valois Kings of France. With the sea being their only obstacle they would frequently cross paths politically through friendship, rivalry, respect and distrust. 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. Here the complexity of Catherine's role is shown as she navigates Mary as representative of the Catholic cause, as having a legitimate claim to the English throne and being a niece/cousin of Catherine’s powerful Guise rivals.

Francis II died of an ear infection at the end of that year, and Mary left France for Scotland in 1561. The new king, Charles IX, was just nine years old, and Catherine formally became Regent. She was determined to be on good terms with Elizabeth, and wanted to cement their relationship by proposing, in turn, Charles, Henry and Francis as husbands for her. Elizabeth, determined not to marry, would turn them all down, all the while protesting her friendship with Catherine. But she supported the Huguenots in the eight religious civil wars in France between 1562 and 1593, which of course put a strain on the relationship between the two women. 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. The eventual execution of Mary, Catherine’s former daughter-in-law, in 1587, was another low point.The long reign of Jaehaerys I, starting at Jaehaerys's regency, and ending with the death of Queen Alysanne Targaryen.