"Elizabeth I was a free woman in charge of her fate. Perhaps that's why Catherine de Medici despised her"

Estelle Paranque talks to Rhiannon Davies about her new book exploring the 30-year rivalry of two of 16th-century Europe's most powerful queens

- By Estelle Paranque

Rhiannon Davies: Your book Blood, Fire, and Gold follows two powerhouses of early modern Europe, Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici. Can you briefly introduce us to them?

Estelle Paranque: I'll start with Elizabeth I of England, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. She was declared a bastard before she was three [following Anne's execution for treason], but by 1543 she was back in the line of succession and, against the odds really, became queen in 1558. Elizabeth was far from perfect. To compete with Spain in the conquest of the New World involved piracy and slavery. But by being such an extraordinary woman - establishing the Church of England, for instance - she serves as an example of feminism. Such a notion did not exist in the 16th century and I'm sure she wouldn't have identified as a feminist, but she did take on the patriarchy.

There's one comment in particular that Elizabeth made in 1566 that really captures her spirit. In a response to a parliamentary delegation, she said that "it is monstrous that the feet should direct the head". She was declaring that parliament - run by men - were the feet, and she the e queen - was the head. This absolutely did not fit 16th-century values, but she said it anyway. I adore that: if you had to summarise Elizabeth's reign, it would be through that quote.

And what can you tell us about Catherine?