A 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.
A story written with verve and passion ... Entertaining accounts of the marriage proposals ... Mary flits in and out of the pages of Paranque’s book like a troublesome moth ... Paranque writes powerfully of the death of Catherine but skims over the assassination of her son, Henry III ... Paranque’s portrayal of Gloriana owes a great deal to the astonishing longevity of Elizabethan propaganda ... Blood, Fire and Gold is a marvellous story ... For many readers its interest will lie in its unfamiliarity, and it certainly does fill a gap in a neglected area of 16th-century history.
Political power and intrigue permeate this immersive dual biography ... The book’s most fascinating sections reveal how the two queens’ efforts toto forge a strong French-English alliance and calm religious conflict ... Paranque’s vivid character sketches and lucid explanations of the political and religious stakes involved result in a certifiable historical page-turner.
