What is the true meaning of the famous emblem of Henry III of Valois? Does it perhaps symbolize the subordination of the two terrestrial crowns—those of France and Poland—to the "heavenly" crown, or the advent of a third "earthly" crown? In this essay, Nuccio Ordine undertakes a fascinating investigation of the collections of emblems and enterprises of 16th-century Europe: he scrutinizes inscriptions, letters, portraits, diplomatic documents, literary and philosophical works, analyzes balls and festivals, typographical marks, bindings, and the triumphal entries of kings and queens of the period. Exploring the artistic and literary circles of France and England, Ordine reconstructs the dense network of relationships that linked the court of the King of France with those of Queen Elizabeth I and Mary Stuart in a world ravaged by religious conflict and imperialist ambitions. A comprehensive and illuminating essay on the Europe of the Wars of Religion and its great intellectuals.