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Elizabeth I’s greatest rival?
Estelle Paranque untangles the complex relationship between Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici, two 16th-century queens who wielded huge power - and frequently locked horns over religion, marriage and more
Sixteenth-century Europe was dominated by two female powerhouses: Elizabeth I of England and Catherine de Medici, the French Queen Mother. The two women had a tumultuous relationship, being sometimes friends and at other times foes, as Estelle Paranque reveals to Rhiannon Davies.
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Estelle Paranque is the author of Blood, Fire and Gold: The story of Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici (Ebury Digital, 2022)
Rhiannon Davies is section editor for BBC History Magazine and our Tudor ambassador, writing a fortnightly newsletter in which she shares the latest Tudor news, anniversaries and content with her audience. She also regularly appears on the award-winning HistoryExtra podcast.
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