{{Short description|French public historian of England}} {{Infobox person | honorific_suffix = FRHistS | image = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = | birth_place = | alma_mater = {{Plainlist| * Aix-Marseille University * University College London }} | occupation = | employer = {{Plainlist| * King's College London * University of Winchester * University College London * Queen Mary University of London * Northeastern University London * University of Warwick }} | spouse = | children = 2 | family = | website = {{URL|https://www.paranque.fr/estelle}} }}
'''Estelle Paranque''' {{postnominals|country=GBR|FRHistS}} is a Franco-British public historian and Associate Professor in history based in London, specialising in early modern royalty, queenship and diplomacy. In addition to creating educational content, she has authored works, profiling the likes of Elizabeth I, Catherine de Medici, Louise of Lorraine, and Anne Boleyn, and contributed to a number of documentaries.
Paranque held academic positions at King's College London, the University of Winchester, before joining the New College of the Humanities (now Northeastern University London) and the University of Warwick in 2017.
==Early life and education== Paranque graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English Studies and a Master in History from Aix-Marseille University<ref name="fhs"/> and completed her PhD at University College London (UCL) in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nulondon.ac.uk/faculty/dr-estelle-paranque/|title=About Dr Estelle Paranque|website=Northeastern University London|accessdate=8 May 2024}}</ref>
==Career== Paranque started off teaching French at Queen Mary University of London<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.qmul.ac.uk/sllf/modern-languages-and-cultures/mlc-news/items/teaching-stars.html|title=Teaching stars|work=Queen Mary University of London|date=21 June 2013|accessdate=1 April 2025}}</ref> before moving to King's College London (KCL) as an assistant. In 2015, she made her television debut in an installment of the France 2 documentary ''Secrets d'Histoire'' about Elizabeth I.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kcl.ac.uk/archive/news/history/2014-15/estelleparanque-elizabethi|title=Estelle Paranque contributes to a French documentary about Elizabeth I|work=King's College London|accessdate=8 May 2024}}</ref>
After completing her PhD in 2016, Paranque was promoted seminar leader of the Early Modern Britain course and guest lecturer at KCL. She also secured a position the University of Winchester as an associate lecturer of Introduction to Early Modern Europe. During this time, she co-edited her first essay collection with Nate Probasco and Claire Jowitt titled ''Colonisation, Piracy & Trade in Early Modern Europe: The Roles of Powerful Women and Queens'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://networks.h-net.org/node/73374/announcements/148179/remembering-rulers-reputation-reinterpretation-and-reincarnation|title=Remembering Rulers: Reputation, Reinterpretation, and Reincarnation|work=H-Net|first=Valerie|last=Schutte|date=12 October 2016|accessdate=1 April 2025}}</ref> published in 2017 via Palgrave Macmillan.
In autumn 2017, Paranque joined the New College of the Humanities (NCH) as a Visiting Lecturer in Early Modern History in autumn 2017 and became an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Warwick's Centre for the Study of the Renaissance.<ref name="fhs">{{Cite web|url=https://frenchhistorysociety.co.uk/1502/|title=Voices of ECRs: Estelle Paranque|website=Society for the Study of French|accessdate=25 August 2024}}</ref> She has since become Associate Professor at the former (which is now part of Northeastern University London). Paranque next co-edited the 2018 volume ''Forgotten Queens in Medieval and Early Modern Europe: Political Agency, Myth-Making, and Patronage'' with Valerie Schutte.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.historyofroyalwomen.com/book-reviews/forgotten-queens-in-medieval-and-early-modern-europe-edited-by-estelle-paranque-and-valerie-schutte-book-review/|title=Forgotten Queens in Medieval and Early Modern Europe edited by Estelle Paranque and Valerie Schutte Book Review|work=History of Royal Women|first=Moniek|last=Bloks|date=19 March 2019|accessdate=1 April 2025}}</ref>
Via Springer Nature and Palgrave Macmillan,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tudortimes.co.uk/books/new-non-fiction-books/elizabeth-i-of-england-through-valois-eyes-power-representation-and-diplomacy-in-the-reign-of-the-queen-1558-1588|title=New Non-Fiction Books: Elizabeth I of England through Valois Eyes: Power, Representation and Diplomacy in the Reign of the Queen 1558 - 1588|website=Tudor Times|date=4 October 2018|accessdate=25 August 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ladyjanegrey.info/?p=14289|title=Books 2018 – on sale now – Elizabeth I of England through Valois Eyes by Estelle Paranaque|website=Lady Jane Grey Reference Guide|author=Tamise|date=10 December 2018|accessdate=25 August 2024}}</ref> Paranque published her PhD thesis as an academic monograph book titled ''Elizabeth I of England Through Valois Eyes: Power, Representation and Diplomacy in the Reign of the Queen, 1558-1588'' in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.englandcast.com/drestelleparanque/|title=Spring 2019 Tudor Summit: Dr. Estelle Paranque on Elizabeth I Through Foreign Eyes|website=Renaissance English History|first=Heather|last=Teysko|accessdate=25 August 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/12/02/secret-relationship-virgin-queen-french-ambassador-revealed/|title=Secret relationship between 'Virgin Queen' Elizabeth and French ambassador revealed|work=The Daily Telegraph|first=Helena|last=Horton|date=2 December 2018|accessdate=25 August 2024}}</ref>
Paranque featured in the 2021 BBC Two docuseries ''The Boleyns: A Scandalous Family'', which also aired on PBS in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/08/pbs-the-boleyns-a-scandalous-family-the-tragic-tale-of-anne-boleyn?srsltid=AfmBOorEZlu6A4DqTE3BMUbpMqrbpGZEVA1W5aDkrNtUGjsDg7S0eeea|title=PBS' The Boleyns: A Scandalous Family Explores the Tragic Tale of Anne Boleyn|work=Vanity Fair|first=Erin|last=Vanderhoof|date=25 August 2022|accessdate=8 May 2024}}{{paywall}}</ref>
Announced in 2020,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thebookseller.com/rights/ebury-pre-empts-biography-two-16th-century-queens-1220251|title=Ebury pre-empts biography of two 16th-century queens|work=The Bookseller|first=Tamsin|last=Hackett|date=28 September 2020|accessdate=8 May 2024}}</ref> Ebury Press pre-empted the rights to publish Paranque's second book ''Blood, Fire and Gold: The Story of Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici'' in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.the-tls.co.uk/lives/biography/blood-fire-and-gold-estelle-paranque-book-review-lisa-hilton|title=A deadly game: Blood, Fire and Gold by Estelle Paranque - Book Review|work=The Times Literary Supplement|first=Lisa|last=Hilton|date=2 September 2022|accessdate=25 August 2024}}</ref> ''Blood, Fire and Gold'' was named ''The Times'' Book of the Week<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thetimes.com/culture/books/article/blood-fire-and-gold-by-estelle-paranque-review-q7tdghmlz|title=Blood, Fire and Gold by Estelle Paranque review — the story of Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici|journal=The Times|first=Linda|last=Porter|date=18 June 2022|accessdate=8 May 2024}}</ref> and appeared on The Smithsonian's list of the 10 best history books of 2022.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-ten-best-history-books-of-2022-180981182/|title=The Ten Best History Books of 2022|work=The Smithsonian|first=Meilan|last=Solly|date=29 November 2022|accessdate=1 April 2025}}</ref>
In 2023, Paranque featured in and contributed to the first episode of the Channel 4 docuseries ''The Queens Who Changed the World''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.whattowatch.com/watching-guides/queens-that-changed-the-world-release-date-episode-guide-featured-queens-and-everything-you-need-to-know|title=Queens That Changed the World: next episode, queens and everything we know|work=What to Watch|first=Elaine|last=Reilly|date=2 August 2023|accessdate=7 May 2024}}</ref>
Paranque reunited with Ebury Press for the publication of her third book ''Thorns, Lust, and Glory: The Betrayal of Anne Boleyn''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thebookseller.com/rights/ebury-press-signs-new-exploration-of-anne-boleyns-life-by-paranque|title=Ebury Press signs new exploration of Anne Boleyn's life by Paranque|journal=The Bookseller|first=Lauren|last=Brown|date=2 October 2023|accessdate=8 May 2024}}</ref> The book examines Anne Boleyn's life over 20 years, with additional focus on her seven years spent as a young lady-in-waiting in France, and how she was viewed by French and Spanish sources.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.northeastern.edu/2024/11/06/anne-boleyn-france-book/|title=Anne Boleyn's forgotten years in France: New book explores how politics may have sealed her fate|work=Northeastern Global News|first=Erin|last=Kayata|date=6 November 2024|accessdate=1 April 2025}}</ref> Paranque featured in the Gloucester History Festival that year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-68769329|title=Top historians gather in Gloucester for 'prestigious' festival|work=BBC News, West of England|first=Rachel|last=Candlin|date=13 April 2024|accessdate=25 August 2024}}</ref>
As of 2024, Paranque was working with a team of computer scientists and historians to translate 50 of Mary Queen of Scots' letters, written in a medieval French cipher.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.northeastern.edu/2024/08/21/mary-queen-of-scots-letters/|title=Lost letters of Mary, Queen of Scots, give up their secrets after 450 years, thanks to Northeastern historian|website=Northeastern Global News|first=Patrick|last=Daly|date=21 August 2024|accessdate=25 August 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.scotsman.com/heritage-and-retro/heritage/mary-queen-of-scots-decoded-letters-reveal-a-monarch-unfiltered-4814432|title=Mary Queen of Scots: Decoded letters from captivity reveal a monarch 'unfiltered'|work=The Scotsman|first=Alison|last=Campsie|date=9 October 2024|accessdate=1 April 2025}}</ref>
==Bibliography== ===Books=== * ''Elizabeth I of England Through Valois Eyes: Power, Representation and Diplomacy in the Reign of the Queen, 1558-1588'' (2018) * ''Blood, Fire and Gold: The Story of Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici'' (2022) * ''Thorns, Lust, and Glory: The Betrayal of Anne Boleyn'' (2024)
===Edited books=== * ''Colonisation, Piracy & Trade in Early Modern Europe: The Roles of Powerful Women and Queens'' (2017), co-edited with Nate Probasco and Claire Jowitt * ''Forgotten Queens in Medieval and Early Modern Europe: Political Agency, Myth-Making, and Patronage'' (2018), co-edited with Valerie Schutte * ''Remembering Queens and Kings of Early Modern England and France: Reputation, Reinterpretation, and Reincarnation'' (2019)
===Articles and chapters=== * "Catherine of Medici: Henry III's inspiration to be a Father to his People" in ''Royal Mothers and their Ruling Children: Wielding Political Authority from Antiquity to the Early Modern Era'' (2015), edited by Elena Woodacre and Carey Fleiner * "The Representations and Ambiguities of the Warlike Female Kingship of Elizabeth I of England" in ''Medieval and Early Modern Representations of Authority in Scotland and Great Britain'' (2016), edited by Katherine Buchanan and Lucinda Dean * "The Significance of the King's Children in The Tudors" with Carole Levin in ''The Tudors, Sex, Politics, and Power: History, Fiction and Artistic License in the Showtime Television Series'' (2016), edited by William B Robison * "Another Spare to the French Crown: Henry III of France's Self-Representation and Royal Authority" in ''Unexpected Heirs in Early Modern Europe: Potential Kings and Queens'' (2017), edited by Valerie Schutte * "Queen Elizabeth I and the Elizabethan Court in the French Ambassador's Eyes" in ''Queens Matter in Early Modern Studies: Essays in Honor of Professor Carole Levin'' (2017), edited by Anna Riehl Bertolet * "Royal Representations Through the Warrior and Father Figures in Early Modern Europe" in ''History of Monarchy'' (2019), edited by Elena Woodacre * "Catherine of Medici and her Grandmotherhood: Building Emotional and Political Intergenerational Relationships" in ''Renaissance Studies Journal, Vol 34:4'' (2020) * "Devotion, Influence, and Loyalty: Re-evaluating Queen Louise de Lorraine-Vaudémont's political and diplomatic role in early modern France" in ''Early Modern Women Journal, Vol 16.2'' (2022)
==References== {{reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Paranque, Estelle}} Category:Living people Category:Academics of King's College London Category:Academics of Queen Mary University of London Category:Academics of the University of Winchester Category:Aix-Marseille University alumni Category:Alumni of University College London Category:Fellows of the Royal Historical Society Category:French expatriates in England Category:French women historians Category:International relations historians Category:Historians of the early modern period Category:Historians of monarchy and royalty Category:Northeastern University faculty Category:Royal biographers Category:Tudor historians Category:Year of birth missing (living people)