Blood, fire & gold : the story of Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici / Estelle Paranque.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Paranque, Estelle, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Elizabeth I, Queen of England, 1533-1603.

Elizabeth.

Catherine de Médicis, Queen, consort of Henry II, King of France, 1519-1589.

Catherine de Médicis.

Queens--Europe--History--16th century.

Queens.

Women heads of state--Europe--History--16th century.

Women heads of state.

Europe--Politics and government--1492-1648.

Europe.

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xix, 316 pages, 16 pages of unnumbered plates : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 24 cm

Other Title:

Blood, fire and gold

Story of Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici

Place of Publication:

New York : Hachette Books, 2022.

Summary:

"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. Sixteenth-century Europe was a hostile world dominated by court politics and patriarchal structures, and yet against all odds, two women rose to power: Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici. One a young Virgin Queen who ruled her kingdom alone, and the other a more experienced and clandestine leader who used her children to shape the dynasties of Europe, much has been written about these shrewd and strategic sovereigns. But though their individual legacies have been heavily scrutinized, nothing has been said of their complicated relationship--thirty years of camaraderie, competition, and conflict that forever changed the face of Europe. 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. 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--above all else--of the courage and sacrifice it takes to secure and sustain power as a woman in a male-dominated world." -- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: pt. 1 The Making of Queens, 1533

1558

ch. 1 Love and Scandals, 1533

1536

ch. 2 In the Shadows of the Royal Courts, 1537

1546

ch. 3 Courts of Wolves and She-Wolves, 1547

1553

ch. 4 Struggle to Power, 1553

pt. 2 Crowns of Thorns and Fire, 1558

1564

ch. 5 When Death Brings Glory, 1558

1559

ch. 6 Fight for Peace, 1559

1560

ch. 7 The King in All But Name, the Virgin, the "Gouvernante," and the Widow, 1561

ch. 8 The Lying Game, 1562

pt. 3 Mothers Know Best, 1564

1584

ch. 9 Charles, the Boy King, 1564

1569

ch. 10 Henry: Overshadowed, 1570

1571

ch. 11 Tears and Fury: Francis, Elizabeth's "Frog," 1572

1578

ch. 12 Last Chance at Marriage and a Lost Mother, 1579

pt. 4 Warrior Queens, 1585

1589

ch. 13 A Protestant Champion and a Catholic Hammer, 1585

ch. 14 The Rose and the Thistle, 1586

ch. 15 A Queen Must Die, November 1586

March 1587

ch. 16 Endgame, April 1587

August 1589.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 299-304) and index.

ISBN:

0306830515

9780306830518

OCLC:

1309962224