You are not currently logged in. Please create an account or log in to view the full course.

4. Two Queen Ruling Over Europe: Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici

Description
Cite

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this module, we think about the relationship between Elizabeth I and Catherine de’ Medici, queen consort of France from 1549 until 1559, and mother of kings Francis II, Charles IX and Henry III. In particular, we think about: (i) Catherine de’ Medici’s background, her marriage to Henry, Duke of Orléans in 1533, and Henry’s (and Catherine’s) accession to the French throne in 1547; (ii) the extent to which Catherine played the role of Elizabeth’s mother during marriage negotiations with Francis, Duke of Anjou; (iii) the extent to which Elizabeth reciprocated by playing the role of Catherine’s daughter; (iv) Catherine’s desire to have more grandchildren; (v) Catherine’s distrust towards Elizabeth after marriage negotiations had broken down in 1581; and (vi) Catherine and Elizabeth’s status as “true European queens”.

Course

In this course, Dr Estelle Paranque (New College of the Humanities) explores the reign of Elizabeth I through the eyes of the French monarchy. In the first module, we think about the French perception of Elizabeth at the very beginning of her reign, before turning into the second and third modules to explore the various marriage negotiations that took place between France and England in the period 1564-81. In the fourth module, we think about the relationship between Elizabeth I and Catherine de’ Medici, before turning in the fifth module to explore the unexpected friendship that arose between Elizabeth and Henry III of France. Finally, in the sixth module, we explore French perceptions of Elizabeth’s support for Protestants on the Continent, and the extent to which this undermined relations with the (Catholic) French monarchy.

Lecturer

Dr Estelle Paranque is Lecturer in Early Modern History at the New College of the Humanities in London. The main focus of her research is Elizabeth I and her relations with France, though she also has a more general interest in Anglo-French relations during the sixteenth century, monarchical representations in Europe, and the Valois kings. Her most recent book, Elizabeth I of England Through Valois Eyes: Power, Representation and Diplomacy in the Reign of the Queen, 1558-1588 (2019) focuses on the perception of Elizabeth I of England by the French royal family and their ambassadors from 1568 to 1588.