Bordeaux in particular was a trading port, open to jewish and muslim merchants and the crews of galleys from the eastern mediterranean. Eleanors lovers beachcombings bizarre history blog. She inherited a vast duchy at fifteen, married two kings and survived them to go down between battles at eightytwo. The author of six previous books about english history, alison weir tackles familiar territory with eleanor of aquitaine. During this time she produced another seven children, acted as regent when henry was away from england and played an active part in political negotiations. Eleanor was born in the castle at domfront, normandy c. Culturally, beyond her role as wife of kings louis vii of france and henry ii of england and mother of kings richard and john, she inspired the huge diffusion of the arthurian cycle and the celtic myths. Marriage may have gotten her into positions of power, but what eleanor did with that power was her own special gift. Eleanor of aquitaine by pernoud, regine, 1909publication date 1968.
Eleanor of aquitaine was one of the most powerful and interesting people of. As a member of the ramnulfids house of poitiers rulers in southwestern france, she was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in western europe during the high middle ages. Eleanor of aquitaine by alison weir overdrive rakuten. Pernoud was born at chateau chinon, which eleanor and henry ii knew well. Eleanor of aquitaine was a warrior at heart, and even though imprisoned for more than a decade, she continued to burn bright amidst all malevolent machinations against her person. Regine pernoud books list of books by author regine pernoud. Eleanor of aquitaine lived a long life of many contrasts, of splendor and desolation, power and peril, and in this stunning narrative, weir captures the womanthe queenin all her glory.
Louis and eleanor were married in july 17, but had little time to get to know one another before louis father the king fell ill and died. Eleanor of aquitaine was a duchess with extensive lands that were inherited after her fathers untimely death during a pilgrimage. She was married first to king louis vii of france, with whom she had two daughters. Eleanor of aquitane article about eleanor of aquitane by. The castle at chinon served as a treasury for henry, who died there, and for the couples son, richard the lionheart. Her home in the south of what is today france gave greater property rights to daughters and wives, property rights that eleanor knew how to manipulate. Is kellys eleanor of aquataine and the four kings a reissue of the 1950 book, or did she rewrite it. While henry battles their enemies and lays his plans, eleanor is an adept acting ruler and mother to their growing brood of children. Mother to richard the lionhearted and king john lackland. Eleanor of aquitaine and the four kings by amy kelly who provides an excellent lifeandtimes approach, and eleanor of aquitaine by marion meade who gives a feminist interpretation. With astonishing historic detail, mesmerizing pageantry, and irresistible accounts of royal scandal and intrigue, she recreates not only a remarkable. Eleanor of aquitaine was duchess of aquitaine a substantial area of what is now france in her own right, and as such a major matrimonial prize. Pernoud was born at chateau chinon, which eleanor and. Louis vi arranged eleanors marriage to his son, the future louis vii of france, largely from a desire to retain control over aquitaine and bring.
Eleanor of aquitaine 12th century phoenix history of. Thriftbooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. Best historicalfiction about eleanor of aquitaine score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Eleanor of aquitaine was, without doubt, one of the most important royal figures in the medieval west. By student laura bright a first look eleanor was a french duchess. Upon williams death in 17 she inherited the duchy of aquitaine and in july 17 married the heir to the french throne, who succeeded his father, louis vi, the following month. A renowned beauty, with a headstrong, spirited personality, she has been compared to cleopatra, the celebrated egyptian queen, elizabeth i of england and many others. Internet archive contributor internet archive language engfre. Eleanor of aquitaine, like cleopatra, played a pivotal role in her era, often pitted against powerful men and holding a driving agenda and ambition of her own. William x held one of the largest domains in franceeven larger than that held by the king of france himself. Her halfsiblings were countess marie and countess alix, and her full siblings were henry the young king, duchess matilda, king richard, duke geoffrey, queen joan and king john. She later became queen of france, divorced her husband, and then became queen of england a short few months later. Eleanor of aquitaine was a legend in her own very long lifetime and has enlivened many a legend since.
This is inevitable, however, owing to scant records on this former queen of england and queen of france. Due to her fathers enormous wealth, eleanor was raised in one of europes most cultured courts and given an excellent education, the bbc reports. Eleanor, duchess of aquitaine was one of the leading personalities of the middle ages adn also one of the most controversial. Eleanor of aquitaine, queen consort of both louis vii of france 1752 and henry ii of england 11521204 and mother of richard i the lionheart and john of england. She was, as well, the reigning queen of the first court of troubadours, a renowned beauty, a hapless prisoner, and an energetic and conspiring grandmother. When it was all said and done, she held the titles of duchess of normandy, duchess of aquitaine, countess of anjou, countess of poitou. Eleanor of aquitaine 1122 1 april 1204 was queen consort of france 17 1152 and. Eleanor of aquitaine 11241204 is the most famous queen in all the middle ages and one of the most infamous women in history. Dive deep into desmond sewards biography of eleanor of aquitaine with a summary, extended analysis, commentary, and discussion. Eleanors a fascinating figure, and makes a great character in historical fiction, but its damned hard to write a biography about her. Weirs book reads almost like a novel, and she delves into the source material to come to interesting conclusions about eleanors life. We personally assess every books quality and offer rare, outofprint treasures.
The awardwinning film, lion in winter, katherine hepburn shows eleanors inner life during her captivity. She was sole heiress to the largest, wealthiest region of what is now france. Henry 1155 1183 the young king married margaret of france betrothed november 2, 1160, married august 27, 1172. E leanor of aquitaine was a rare individual indeed. She was beautiful, intelligent and wilful, and in her lifetime there were rumours about her that were not without substance. Eleanor of aquitaine obit 1204 was a powerful and self confident woman living in an age when women were supposed to be anything but.
With astonishing historical detail, mesmerizing pageantry, and irresistible accounts of royal scandal and intrigue, she recreates not only a remarkable. She ostensibly chronicles the life of eleanor, though the book also provides a tableau of 12thcentury europe. She brought the province of aquitaine to england when she married henry ii of england. Eleanor of aquitaine peoplecharacters librarything. See more ideas about eleanor of aquitaine, aquitaine and history. Heiress to vast lands, wife to two kings, and mother to. The next 15 years of eleanors life were split between england, normandy and her beloved aquitaine. Henry was the duke of normandy through his mother, empress matilda, and count of anjou through his father. She was perhaps the most powerful woman in 12thcentury europe. Her father was louis vii of france, eleanor of aquitaines first husband, and her mother was louis second wife, constance of castile. We use your linkedin profile and activity data to personalize ads and to show you more relevant ads.
Eleanor was the daughter and heiress of william x, duke of. As daughter of the duke of aquitaine, eleanor was one of the besteducated women in europe. In may 1152, eleanor of aquitaine married henry fitzempress. Eleanor was the daughter and heiress of william x, duke of aquitaine and count of poitiers, who possessed one of the largest domains in francelarger, in fact, than those held by the french king. Eleanor of aquitaine 11221204 has been long noted for her political and cultural achievements that profoundly shaped twelfthcentury europe. Eleanor of aquitaine was one of the most powerful leaders in medieval europe. Henry and margaret shared two older halfsisters, marie and alix. Eleanor, of aquitaine, queen, consort of henry ii, king of england. Eleanor of aquitaine 1122 1 april 1204 was queen consort of france 171152 and england 11541189 and duchess of aquitaine in her own right 171204.
Eleanor of aquitaine is a 12th century icon who want to read. It is saturated with episodes demonstrating the byzantine nature of dynastic politics and the intensely complex. There have been plenty of books written about eleanor, but my favorite one ive read recently is eleanor of aquitaine. Renowned in her time for being the most beautiful woman in europe, the wife of two kings and mother of three, eleanor of aquitaine was one of the great heroines of the middle ages. Best historicalfiction about eleanor of aquitaine 24 books. At a time when women were regarded as little more than chattel, eleanor managed to defy convention as she exercised power in the political sphere and crucial influence over her husbands and sons. Eleanor of aquitaine simple english wikipedia, the free. She had a younger sister called petronilla of aquitaine. He was also the heir to the throne of england as settlement of the conflicting claims of his mother empress matilda empress maud, daughter of henry i of england, and her cousin, stephen, who had seized the throne of england at.
In an age when men were considered to be superior to women, eleanor of aquitaine proved that conclusion wrong by becoming one the greatest queens ever known in history, first as the queen of france and later as the queen of england. Eleanor of aquitaine article about eleanor of aquitaine. Eleanor of aquitaine had spend her first fifteen, formative, years in the more relaxed atmosphere of her grandfathers and her fathers courts, in poitou and aquitaine. On the regime at fontevraud, see smith, robert of arbrissels relations.
Eleanor of aquitaine lived a long life of many contrasts, of splendor and desolation, power and peril, and in this stunning narrative, weir captures the woman and the queenin all her glory. She was queen of france and then queen of england, the mother of two kings, and an active participant in european politics into her eighties. Regine pernoud may have written the best modern historical biography of eleanor of aquitaine. Eleanor of aquitaine 11221204, duchess of aquitaine in her own right and queen consort successively of france and england, was probably the most powerful woman in europe in the middle ages. As wife of louis vii, she ruled france, only to divorce her husband and marry henry of anjou, who would later make her queen of england. She has also written biographies of woody allen, buster keaton, eleanor of aquitaine, victoria woodhull, and madame blavatsky, as. There are also regine pernouds shorter and more romantic eleanor of aquitaine. Weir offers a full portrait of eleanor from both the primary sources and the myths surrounding the queen consort and, like schiff, does so in a biography that is storybased, richly.