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

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It’s a big world, and the book does a good job of introducing the outside influences without going off into the weeds. Paranque expertly reminds us of the gravitational pull of Spain on our protagonists without bogging the story down with too much detail. Similarly, we are made aware of the dangerous line of succession that Henry VIII leaves behind, but only as it affects Elizabeth. 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 long reign of Jaehaerys I, starting at Jaehaerys's regency, and ending with the death of Queen Alysanne Targaryen. This book, about the complex up-and-down relationship between Queen Elizabeth and Catherine de Medici, is very detailed; but in places we quite lose sight of that relationship. 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. The sources of some of the speeches and letters are footnoted, but most are not, and in those cases it seems to me that the author has invented dialogue, pauses, and facial gestures like smiles; and then the book reads like a novel.

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. 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. Previously simply known as Heirs of the Dragon: [14] Detailing the succession crisis Jaehaerys faced in 92AC and again in 101AC, and continuing with the reign of Viserys I Targaryen. An abridged version, The Rogue Prince, was previously published in the anthology Rogues in 2014, uses the majority of this text, detailing the reign of Viserys I. [14]The reigns of Aegon I's sons, King Aenys I Targaryen and King Maegor I Targaryen, ending with Maegor's death and the ascension of Aenys's son Jaehaerys I Targaryen to the throne. An edited-down version of "The Sons of the Dragon" was released in October 2017 titled " The Sons of the Dragon" in the anthology The Book of Swords. [13]

At San Diego Comic Con 2018, Random House made a poster available featuring the Targaryen family tree that will appear in Fire & Blood. They additionally provided a signup link for their mailing list giving access to a PDF of the family tree. [16] While this version of the family tree contained several errors, [N 2] the family tree was later republished in a finalized version and released online as PDF, from which all errors were removed. The final focus that of Elizabeth’s struggle with signing the death warrant of Mary, Queen of Scots is perhaps the strongest note of “Blood, Fire & Gold” with fresh treatment and in-depth analysis that feature Elizabeth in new ways . This, coupled with an assertive reiteration of the interplay between Elizabeth and Catherine during this time concludes “Blood, Fire & Gold” with a more memorable punch than expected. Mary, Queen of Scots makes a heavy appearance in “Blood, Fire & Gold” standing as the middle man and thorn in both women’s sides. This coverage of Mary is completely (and abruptly) cut off before reappearing in the final chapters of “Blood, Fire & Gold”. Paranque’s “Blood, Fire & Gold” also suffers from repetition in of facts; slowing the pace and being taking away from any pizzazz held by “Blood, Fire & Gold”. Book Genre: 16th Century, Biography, Biography Memoir, English History, Historical, History, Literature, Nonfiction, Tudor PeriodIn sixteenth-century Europe, two women came to hold all the power, against all the odds. They were Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici. Blood, Fire & Gold” is a commendable attempt to explore the relationship between Queen Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici and, by extension, England and France. The problems lay therein the execution which is inconsistent, speculative, blurred between history and fiction and with the absence of new information as so adamantly claimed. “Blood, Fire & Gold” isn’t awful but it is simply average for the learned reader and is better suited as an introduction to begin their history journeys. 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. 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.