Anne Boleyn has mesmerized the general public for centuries. Her tragic execution at the Tower of London on May 19, 1536 --- orchestrated by her own husband --- never ceases to intrigue. While many stories of Anne’s downfall have been told, few have truly traced the origins of her grim fate. In THORNS, LUST, AND GLORY, Estelle Paranque takes us back to where it all started: to France, where Anne learned the lessons that would set her on the path to becoming one of England's most infamous queens.

Sixteenth-century Europe was a hostile world dominated by court politics and patriarchal structures. Yet against all odds, two women rose to power: Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici. Much has been written about these shrewd and strategic sovereigns, but though their legacies have been heavily scrutinized, nothing has been said of their complicated relationship --- 30 years of camaraderie, competition and conflict that forever changed the face of Europe. In BLOOD, FIRE & GOLD, historian Estelle Paranque offers a new way of looking at two of history's most powerful women: through the eyes of the other. Whether engaged in bloody battles or peaceful accords, Elizabeth and Catherine admired the force and resilience of the other, while never forgetting that they were, first and foremost, each other's true rival.