Jun 16, 2009 eleanor of aquitaines extraordinary life seems more likely to be found in the pages of fiction. 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. 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, queen of france and england and duchess of aquitaine. Eleanor of aquitaine s story sometimes seems so extreme it ought to be made up. She gave birth to eight children including richard the lionheart and john. Learn more about eleanor of aquitaine in this article. Eleanor of aquitaine, married henry plantagenet later king henry ii of england on this day may, she had been divorced two months earlier from king louis vii of france. Jul 05, 2010 the two were appointed rulers of aquitaine at poitiers on august 8, and then crowned king and queen of france on christmas, following the death of louis vi.
I didnt know a lot about eleanor of aquitaine, until i saw she was the mother of richard i of england richard the lionheart and john. Eleanor of aquitaine was queen of france and queen of. She would eventually become the queen of france, the queen of england and lead a crusade to the holy land. Head off to poitiers and follow eleanor of aquitaines. May 19, 2015 today is the anniversary of the marriage of eleanor of aquitaine, former queen of france, who married henry, duke of normandy at the cathedral in poitiers. Born in about 1122, eleanor became duchess of aquitaine, a region in what is now southwestern france, after her fathers death in 17. She was the longestlived british queen consort until the death of queen mary, wife of king george v, 749. Apr 01, 2019 i didnt know a lot about eleanor of aquitaine, until i saw she was the mother of richard i of england richard the lionheart and john. Duchess in her own right, queen of france, crusader, survivor of a terrible battle, kidnapped by her own husband, kidnapped by pirates, divorced for barrenness, countess of anjou, queen of england, mother of at least five sons and three daughters, reputed rebel against her own husband, prisoner for fifteen years, ruler of england in her own. Aquitaine covered much of what is now central and southwest france. Queen of france, queen of england by turner, ralph v.
Duchess eleanor of aquitaine, queen consort of france. But louiss indecisiveness during the second crusade and eleanors forthright support of her uncle the prince of antiochs strategy over louiss provoked. Eleanor of aquitaine, queen of france and england posts. Heir at 15 to the vast realm of aquitaine, eleanor was quite a character.
Eleanor was the elder daughter of william, tenth duke of aquitaine. She was 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. However, the current eleanor industry, regularly producing numerous studies, both scholarly and popular, indicates that such adverse assessments of her character and political ambitions. 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.
Eleanor of aquitaine, duchess of aquitaine in her own right, queen of france the first wife of king louis vii of france, marriage annulled after 15 years and queen of england wife of king henry ii of england survived her first husband, her second husband, and eight of her ten children. One of the most powerful women in the middle ages, eleanor of aquitaine was the most eligible bride in europe during her tenure as the duchess of aquitaine. With astonishing historic detail, mesmerizing pageantry, and irresistible accounts of royal scandal and intrigue, she recreates not only a remarkable. 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 of aquitaine lived a long life of many contrasts, of splendor and desolation, power and peril, and in this stunning narrative, weir captures the womanand the queenin all her glory. Eleanor of aquitaine, queen of france, queen of england. Queen of france and england, mother of empires by sara cockerill isbn. Eleanor of aquitaines story sometimes seems so extreme it ought to be made up. Eleanor of aquitaines extraordinary life seems more likely to be found in the pages of fiction. Civ 6 eleanor of aquitaine leader guide how to win as eleanor. She traded an unhappy marriage to louis vii for a younger man whom she helped make king henry ii of england.
Eleanor of aquitaine 11241204 is the most famous queen in all the middle ages and one of the most infamous women in history. Duchess eleanor of aquitaine, queen consort of france, queen. Eleanor, duchess of aquitaine, queen of england unofficial. After a highlyeventful life, eleanor died at the age of 82 in poitiers. But her greatest influence, still shaping modern sensibilities, was her role as the symbol of courtly love, which was not a mere diversion for the aristocracy but a process of sexual initiation and transcendence that bore a close resemblance to indian tantra.
Eleanor of aquitaine is now known as a medieval heroine thanks to the independent holding of her inheritance and her actions during the last years of her husbands and sons reigns. Sometime after, aquitaine was integrated into the kingdom of france by philippe auguste. Dedicated to my new biography of eleanor of aquitaine now out. Eleanor of aquitaine, queen consort of france and england. Eleanor of aquitaine s extraordinary life seems more likely to be found in the pages of fiction.
Eleanor of aquitaine queen consort of england and france. E leanor of aquitaine was a rare individual indeed. Head off to poitiers and follow eleanor of aquitaines footsteps. Eleanor of aquitaine of the house of poitiers was duchess of aquitaine, first queen of france 171152 through marriage, then queen of england 11541189 and one of the most influential women of the middle ages. Two excellent recent essay collections, those edited by wheeler and parsons from 2002 eleanor of aquitaine, lord and lady, to which turner himself contributed and by bull and leglu from 2005 the world of eleanor of aquitaine, rev. She married the king of france, louis vi, and became queen consort of france, and took part in the second crusade. The selfconfident and powerseeking eleanor of aquitaine 11241204 was heir to frances largest duchy.
Eleanor of aquitaine, queen of france and england home. Eleanor of aquitaine was englands fiercest queenuntil her. Proud daughter of a distinguished french dynasty, she married the. 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. Eleanor of aquitaine was queen of two great medieval european powers england and france. Feb 18, 2020 eleanor of aquitaine, duchess in her own right and queen of france at 15. Proud daughter of a distinguished french dynasty, she married the king of france, louis vii, then the king of england, henry ii, and gave birth to two sons who rose to take the english throne richard the lionheart and john. 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. She traded an unhappy marriage to louis vii for a younger man whom she helped make king henry ii. In civ 6, eleanor occupies a very unique place among all the leaders in that she can lead either france or england in any particular game. Queen of france and england and duchess of aquitaine nationality.
A renowned beauty, with a headstrong, spirited personality, she has been compared to cleopatra, the celebrated egyptian queen, elizabeth i of. Eleanor of aquitaine, queen of france, queen of england, by. When eleanor of aquitaine was queen of france rebecca. 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 was the sixth child and second daughter of henry ii, king of england, and eleanor of aquitaine. In addition, she was queen consort to both france from 17 to 1152 and england from 1154 to 1189. Eleanor of aquitaine queen of france and england 1154. Taking part in a plot against her husband, king henry ii, in 1173.
Eleanor of aquitaine, duchess in her own right and queen of france at 15. Eleanor of aquitaine 11221204 has long been noted for her political and cultural achievements. After 15 years of marriage, she was granted an annulment, which louis agreed to as the. Turner 2009, hardcover at the best online prices at ebay. Eleanor of aquitaine, queen of france and england shared a photo. Aquitaine, crusades, england, france, henry ii, medieval, plantegenet 27 comments. One of the wealthiest women in europe, she played a very active role in government affairs. Who controlled the lands of england and france would lead to many. The victorian biographer of the queens of england, agnes strickland certainly wrote that eleanor was a bad queen given to disgusting levity. Eleanor was born in 1124, was married to the king louis vi of france, went on the second crusade, divorced, married king henry ii of england, was the mother of king richard the lionhearted and king john, and then died at 82 years old. Ralph turner, 2009 this is a substantial book of 394 pages, and of all the single book biographies it is probably the most authoritative and rigorous, working hard to focus on fact rather than fiction. First queen of france and then queen of england eleanor of aquitaine had high standards. Duchess of aquitaine in her own right, she would go onto become queenconsort of france and later queen of england.
She inherited the duchy of aquitaine from her father, william x, in 17, and by. Eleanor of aquitaine 1122 1 april 1204 was queen consort of france 17 1152 and england 11541189 and duchess of aquitaine in her own right. Marriage may have gotten her into positions of power, but what eleanor did with that power was her own special gift. Eleanor of aquitaine 11221204 has been long noted for her political and cultural achievements that profoundly shaped twelfthcentury europe. The young king seems to have been fond of his beautiful wife, but eleanor is said to have complained that she had married a monk and not a king, according to the encyclopedia of world. Eleanor daquitaine, queen consort of england 1122 1204. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Dec, 2011 eleanor of aquitaines extraordinary life seems more likely to be found in the pages of fiction. Eleanor of aquitaine, twice a queen history of royal women. Eleanor became queen of france through her marriage at to the future louis vii.
According to the terms of her fathers will, queen eleanor first had to. Eleanor, queen of france and england and duchess of aquitaine may 5, 2012 by susan abernethy in french history, medieval history, womens history tags. As such, she became queen of england in 1154, after having been queen of france. Eleanor of aquitaine, the life of the lioness, national geographic. In 1 her younger brother william aigret died at the age of 4 and eleanor became the heiress presumptive to the duchy of aquitaine, which at the time was almost onethird of the current size of france. Books for eleanor of aquitaine the history of england. 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. She was perhaps the most powerful woman in 12thcentury europe. Civ 6 eleanor of aquitaine leader guide how to win as.
She was the longestlived british queen consort until the death of queen mary, wife of king george v. You will know these characters from my robin hood blog. For me, im mostly impressed that shes the only woman in history to have been queen of both france and england throw a. Duchess of aquitaine in her own right, she would go onto become queen consort of france and later queen of england. 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. Married to king louis vii of france from 17 until their annulment in 1152. Eleanor of aquitaine was queen of france and queen of england.
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