playnext.fm

Betwixt The Sheets · History Hit

The Medici vs. Tudor Rivalry

February 20, 2026·46 min·3 clips
Catherine de' Medici wrote to Elizabeth that the greatest pleasure is being a mother — Elizabeth replied that her power comes from herself, not motherhood.
Who even writes first? That question pulls the episode out of grand rivalry and into the awkward business of royal correspondence. Elizabeth becomes queen in November 1558. Henry II sends the first letter around Elizabeth's coronation, while Catherine wants her own presence noticed too. The mood is brisk, nosy, and faintly scandalized. Catherine comes off as politically sharp, a little sidelined, and very aware that being a king's wife does not guarantee anyone will answer. Elizabeth apparently does not bite. The guest gives that silence a modern wink, comparing Catherine's ignored letter to being left unread. Then France gets messier. After Francis II, with Charles IX coming into view, the conversation turns toward what the guest calls the queen's war. The stakes stop feeling only personal. The first French religious civil war begins in 1562, as Protestant reform takes hold and belief hardens into conflict. Kate keeps pulling the expert back to the basics. She asks when Catherine and Elizabeth began writing, points out that they never met, and asks what the French religious civil war actually was. That keeps the history clear without sanding off the drama. The rivalry is not just glamour and intrigue. It is dynastic timing, religious pressure, and female power boxed in by court politics. The tone stays lightly wicked. Even when war enters the picture, the episode keeps returning to the human comedy of status, snubs, and letters that may never get an answer. Catherine is the surprise emotional center. Elizabeth stays distant in the excerpt, powerful enough that even another queen has to work to be seen.

As heard by us

A brisk royal correspondence story that traces power, timing, and female rule in 16th-century Europe.

Betwixt the Sheets treats Catherine de Medici and Elizabeth I as more than distant names, using their letters to show how power, timing, and simple correspondence could shape events in 16th-century Europe.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Letters, queens, and a rivalry that gets delightfully petty.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
Listen to the show on
Apple PodcastsSpotify
Play clips from this episodeMore from Betwixt The Sheets