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

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Paranque seems to find a calmer flow/style and leans more toward a scholarly style (although this doesn’t mean a complete absence of the previous complaints – just slightly less in number). As that was the case I didn’t learn much that was new and I thought I would, as I know very little about Catherine.

It diminishes the authority of the book which is a shame as the author is clearly knowledgeable and passionate and has written an engaging, relatable, absorbing story. Thoroughly recommended for anyone interested in the period, and even those, like me, who thought they were bored for Elizabethan England. The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products.Included in this framework is the Catholic/Protestant battle, Italian wars, patriarchy, territorial claims, alliances, and royal succession and legitimacy. Paranque describes at length the lives of the two women before they interacted; and, even after that time; she will describe in great detail events such as, for example, the trial of Mary, Queen of Scots.

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! Elizabeth, determined not to marry, would turn them all down, all the while protesting her friendship with Catherine. She did not stop Drake and his privateers from attacking and plundering, not only Spanish, but also French’s ships. A brilliant and beautifully written deep dive into the complicated relationship between Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici, two of the most powerful women in Renaissance Europe who shaped each other as profoundly as they shaped the course of history.By the time she was one, they were well on their way to becoming the Protestant monarchs of England. A story told with verve and passion' The Times, Book of the Week'An alternative and engaging biography.