Blood, Fire and Gold: The story of Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici
- Downloads：3717
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-07-06 08:51:49
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Estelle Paranque
- ISBN：1529109221
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
'A story told with verve and passion' The Times， Book of the Week
'An alternative and engaging biography。。。accessible and unpretentious' The Telegraph
' A stunning portrayal of two of the most powerful women in European history' Tracy Borman
'Exciting and compelling， packed full of tantalising details of diplomacy and court life， Paranque succeeds both in bringing history to life， but also in putting flesh on the bones of these two extraordinary women and rival queens' Kate Mosse
'A smart and stylish portrait of two of Europe's most remarkable rulers， a compelling profile of female power and - that rarest of things - a truly original book about the Tudor period' Jessie Childs
In sixteenth-century Europe， two women came to hold all the power， against all the odds。 They were Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici。
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。
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。
'An alternative and engaging biography。。。accessible and unpretentious' The Telegraph
' A stunning portrayal of two of the most powerful women in European history' Tracy Borman
'Exciting and compelling， packed full of tantalising details of diplomacy and court life， Paranque succeeds both in bringing history to life， but also in putting flesh on the bones of these two extraordinary women and rival queens' Kate Mosse
'A smart and stylish portrait of two of Europe's most remarkable rulers， a compelling profile of female power and - that rarest of things - a truly original book about the Tudor period' Jessie Childs
In sixteenth-century Europe， two women came to hold all the power， against all the odds。 They were Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici。
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。
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。
Reviews
Sophia Schiesser
，
A book of deep and extensive research and a delightful combination of historical truth and beautiful language。 Together with the personal touch of the author， it is a must for everybody who is either professionally interested in the topic or an amateur historian。
Emily
，
Blood， Fire and Gold is a must-read for anyone interested in not only Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici， but anyone interested in studies of female power more generally！Paranque's writing style is pitch-perfect for her subject matter。 She deals with wars， on global and personal scales， as well as how families （or would-be families） interact when they operate on an international stage。 The dialogue that she translates and recreates is startlingly modern， not because she re-writes it as such， bu Blood， Fire and Gold is a must-read for anyone interested in not only Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici， but anyone interested in studies of female power more generally！Paranque's writing style is pitch-perfect for her subject matter。 She deals with wars， on global and personal scales， as well as how families （or would-be families） interact when they operate on an international stage。 The dialogue that she translates and recreates is startlingly modern， not because she re-writes it as such， but because she has a keen eye for quotes that demonstrate the personalities of her subjects。 The action in the book never lulls and， by the end， you're left feeling somewhat similar to how these two queens must have felt: utterly exhausted by the constant threats to them， their families， and their rule。 Speaking of Elizabeth and Catherine， Paranque treats her subjects with equal parts criticism and empathy。 What I really love about this book is that they're never， ever pitted against each other。 Paranque never degrades Elizabeth to uplift Catherine， or vice versa。 She acknowledges both women for their strengths and their faults， pairing their ruthlessness with a deep understanding of the environment in which they lived and ruled。 Those women she doesn't focus on are treated with respect and understanding and as are the men。 Even Mary Queen of Scots， who Paranque asserts wasn't actually Elizabeth's ultimate rival， is treated with understanding and sympathy but also never sanctified。 In an era where so much popular history written about women tends to choose one subject to laud and others to debase in order to praise the subject， Paranque completely avoids this traps。 She writes about these historical women as they were: people， with personalities and strengths and faults。 This deep empathy in her writing makes her book an exciting read—it's never， ever dry， because you feel like you're in the midst of the action with Elizabeth， Catherine， and their ambassadors。 I really do recommend this book to anyone just wants an exciting read about real women， their lives， and how they changed the landscape of early modern Europe！ 。。。more
Gareth Russell
，
An innovative and exciting way of studying the past from a brilliant historian。 Blood， Fire and Gold shines a new light onto the diplomatic tensions between sixteenth-century England and France， as well as the Wars of Religion， espionage， court intrigue， and the games of power。 At its heart are the fascinating figures of Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici， whose tense and nuanced relationship is expertly told。Note: Based off an ARC sent to me by the publishers。
Lindsey Fitzharris
，
BLOOD， FIRE AND GOLD is a treasure house of historical detail that transports readers back to a time when court intrigue was quite literally a matter of life and death-especially for the women thrust into its dark heart。 Spellbinding in its scope; cinematic in its rendering。 Estelle Paranque is the perfect guide to this world， and an exciting， new voice in narrative history。
Megan
，