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

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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.

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. The long reign of Jaehaerys I, starting at Jaehaerys's regency, and ending with the death of Queen Alysanne Targaryen. r/asoiaf.com: (Spoilers Extended) The Possibilities for GRRM's New Novella in the Book of Swords Anthology 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.Together with the previous chapter and the chapter after previously referred to as The Boy King and His Regents. [14] Detailing the reign of Aegon III under the rule of his regents and Hands of the King. On March 9th, 2022, Martin revealed that he was considering the title Blood & Fire for the second volume. [11] Contents Furthermore, Fire & Blood contains an overview of the entire Targaryen succession, and a family tree depicting the Targaryen family until 136AC.

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. I’ve read extensively about Elizabeth I, and one or two books on Catherine de Medici, so the first half of this book was essentially a review. What makes this interesting is the focus on both of them and their relationship, if you can call it that. They never met, which doesn’t really matter. (Elizabeth never met her cousin, and Catherine’s daughter in law, Mary, Queen of Scots, but tons have been written about their relationship.) Both Elizabeth and Catherine are fascinating women. One has come down in history as the greatest Queen of England, the other as essentially a Monster. This book partially remediates the monster and tempers the greatness a bit. It was good to “see” them together. Good but not great. Recommended as a first introduction to these powerful women. The popularity of “The Crown,” the Netflix series centering on Queen Elizabeth II and her family—not to mention the recent documentary on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle—confirms one’s sense that royal affairs remain a subject of intense interest, not least for citizens of modern democracies. 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. 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.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. Book Genre: 16th Century, Biography, Biography Memoir, English History, Historical, History, Literature, Nonfiction, Tudor Period

This was a fascinating look into the Tudor Era and 3 Queens are trying to keep amity between England, France Scotland and Spain. 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. Bartholemew Massacre)the cult behaviors on full view of Protestantism and Catholicism. Dr. Paranque wrote and created vivid visuals throughout my reading of this book. From the fashion at the time to oral history in letters and actions from Catherine to Elizabeth, Elizabeth to Henry and Catherine and to their ambassadors. Dr. Paranque did take written styling from Erik Larson which she indicates in the Author's note at the end of the book. Bursting with fresh perspectives, this is a vibrant retelling of a story you thought you knew' Dan Snow Elizabeth I was born into a different world, where radical change threatened her very life. Her parents were King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, the Catholic monarchs of England. By the time she was one, they were well on their way to becoming the Protestant monarchs of England. But just two years later, her mother was executed for high treason. Elizabeth also had a half-sister, Mary. Born to Henry and Catherine of Aragon, Princess Mary was Catholic and a threat. For most of her life, Elizabeth would fight to maintain her legitimacy, her right to succession and her religion. Each and every choice she would make needs to be seen through this lens to make sense of her. 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. In February 2017, Elio Garcia, Martin's co-author of The World of Ice & Fire, reported that he had spoken with Martin at WorldCon 75, held in 2017 in Helsinki, about the first volume of Fire & Blood. Garcia reported that – in addition to the never-published material developed for The World of Ice & Fire– Martin also created entirely new material for the book, having "worked some on just fleshing out a bit" the long reign of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen, which was previously only glossed over in the text known as "Heirs of the Dragon". [10]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. PDF / EPUB File Name: Blood_Fire_and_Gold_-_Estelle_Paranque.pdf, Blood_Fire_and_Gold_-_Estelle_Paranque.epub Together with the following four chapters previously referred to as The Boy King and His Regents. [14] Covering Lord Cregan Stark's time at King's Landing.

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. After the deaths of King Henry VIII, King Edward VI, and Queen Mary I, Elizabeth got her chance to rule England in her way. When the issue of Elizabeth’s marriage came into play, Catherine de Medici entered Elizabeth I’s life, starting a 30- year relationship that began as a friendship but changed into a rivalry in the end. 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. 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.Previously called simply The Dying of the Dragons. [14] Six chapters on the great civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons, ending with the murder of King Aegon II. An abridged version of 30,000 words was included in The Princess and the Queen, [5] which was published in the anthology Dangerous Women in 2013.