In her eventful, often stormy life, she not only influenced the course of events in the twelfth century but also encouraged remarkable advances in the literary and fine. By student laura bright a first look eleanor was a french duchess. Facts and stories about eleanor of aquitaine live as. She had a younger sister called petronilla of aquitaine. Queen and legend is the book for readers who want their eleanor, beauty, warts and all, but shorn of celebrity fluff. Famously, eleanor crossed the pyrenees with her granddaughter in 1200, when eleanor would have been in her 70s, to bring blanche to france to marry the grandson of.
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. When it was all said and done, she held the titles of duchess of normandy, duchess of aquitaine, countess of anjou, countess of poitou. The exact date of her birth is unknown, but she was raised in one of europes most cultured courts and given an excellent education. Eleanor of aquitaine is considered by many to have been the most powerful and enlightened woman of her age, if not the entire medieval epoch.
She was married first to the french king louis vii and then to the english king henry ii, a marriage that produced the two english kings richard the lionheart and john. 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. As a novelist, her works include innocent traitor, the captive queen, a. 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. Twelfth century folk did not jot down every passing thought.
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, queen consort of both louis vii of france 1752 and henry ii of england 11521204 and mother of richard i the. Eleanor of aquitaine peoplecharacters librarything. Eleanor of aquitaine simple english wikipedia, the free. Eleanor became heir when she was just five years old, but it only happened because of a tragic reason. Eleanor of aquitaine ebook by 9781477300244 rakuten kobo. Eleanor of aquitaine is a 12th century icon who want to read. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new. Eleanor of aquitaine about 1122 april 1, 1204 was one of the most powerful people of the middle ages and the richest and most powerful woman in europe during her lifetime. While her biography is now tangled up with myths and legendseven her date.
Had i not first read marion meades book, eleanor of aquitaine, a biography, i might not be so disappointed reading weirs. In this beautifully written biography, alison weir paints a v. Her beauty was celebrated, but her appearance is a mystery. She has also written biographies of woody allen, buster keaton, eleanor of aquitaine, victoria woodhull, and madame blavatsky, as well as two novels about medieval france. Eleanor of aquitaine married the son of king louis vi named king louis vii. Eleanor of aquitaine 1122 april 1, 1204 was a medieval firebrand, and no question about it. Eleanor of aquitaine 11221204 was one of the most powerful and influential figures of the middle ages. Her father was william x, duke of aquitaine, and her. Blanche 1188 1252, married louis viii of france, who had been originally betrothed to blanches older sister urraca before eleanor of aquitaine met the sisters and decided blanche was a more appropriate queen of france.
Apr 27, 2009 we use your linkedin profile and activity data to personalize ads and to show you more relevant ads. Born in the 12th century, she married louis vii of france, divorced him and married henry ii king of england. Eleanor of aquitaine served as the leader of second crusade when she was queen of france. In that sense it complements bonnie wheelers and john parsons eleanor of aquitaine. Marion meade has told the story of eleanor, wild, devious. She was sole heiress to the largest, wealthiest region of what is now france. Henry was the duke of normandy through his mother, empress matilda, and count of anjou through his father. She was beautiful, intelligent and wilful, and in her lifetime there were rumours about her that were not without substance. 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 later became queen of france, divorced her husband, and then became queen of england a short few months later. So she has used a lot of imagination but as the story of a truly remarkable woman, it works. 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. The medieval and postmedieval image of eleanor of aquitaine, he works to destroy the myths that surround the life of eleanor. Eleanor was the elder daughter of william, tenth duke of aquitaine.
Finished it in about 2 weeks with on and off sittings. Eleanor had an uncle that she felt more than family love towards him and his name was raymond eleanor went to a church and said she wanted to go to the second crusade with 15 other. Everything you know about eleanor of aquitaine is wrong. She brought the province of aquitaine to england when she married henry ii of england. Best historicalfiction about eleanor of aquitaine 24 books. 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.
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. 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. Mar 23, 2020 media to accompany episode 86 of the history chicks podcast. Young eleanor of aquitaine was europes most eligible bachelorette. Eleanor of aquitaine was the wife of two kings, louis vii of france and henry ii plantagenet of england, and the mother of two others, richard the lionhearted and john lackland. See more ideas about eleanor of aquitaine, aquitaine, history. Evans, lecturer in medieval history at central michigan university. Shewolf of france, katherine swynford, queens of the conquest and a tudor christmas. E leanor of aquitaine was a rare individual indeed. Is kellys eleanor of aquataine and the four kings a reissue of the 1950 book, or did she rewrite it. Eleanor of aquitaine was born in 1122 in the politically significant region of aquitaine of medieval france to a family of the ruling class that had produced no male heir. Oct 23, 2016 everything you know about eleanor of aquitaine is wrong. Eleanor of aquitaine by alison weir overdrive rakuten.
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. 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. Facts and stories about eleanor of aquitaine living eighty years, she was the wife of the king of france when she was thirteen, then at twentyeight wife of the king of england, and mother of three english kings. These books about eleanor of aquitaine are historicallyaccurate testaments to this strongwilled woman of the middle ages. Dive deep into desmond sewards biography of eleanor of aquitaine with a summary, extended analysis, commentary, and discussion. Create marketing content that resonates with prezi video. Eleanor of aquitaine 11241204 is the most famous queen in all the middle ages and one of the most infamous women in history. The following biography information provides basic facts and information about the life of eleanor of aquitaine a medieval queen in england during the middle ages. A novel of eleanor of aquitaine ebook written by elizabeth chadwick. This is inevitable, however, owing to scant records on this former queen of england and queen of france.
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. Eleanor of aquitaine reads like a really upmarket historical novel and that is a compliment. Eleanor of aquitaine was one of the most powerful leaders in medieval europe. 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. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the summer queen. One of marion meades problems, as she freely admits, was lack of sources.
Not quite 5 stars as sometimes the passion fell a little flat, but easy to read and full of facts and immense research. With astonishing historic detail, mesmerizing pageantry, and irresistible accounts of royal scandal and intrigue, she recreates not only a remarkable. Best historicalfiction about eleanor of aquitaine score a book s 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 outlived all but 2 of her children with the deaths of richard i and his sister joanna in 1199, only eleanor in castile and her baby brother john, now king of england, remained of the once large brood of 4 boys and 3 girls who had survived infancy. Eleanors a fascinating figure, and makes a great character in historical fiction, but its damned hard to write a biography about her. 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. A popular historian and novelist, british author alison weir is the author of nonfiction including richard iii and the princes in the tower, elizabeth the queen, eleanor of aquitaine. We use your linkedin profile and activity data to personalize ads and to show you more relevant ads. Inheriting a vast estate at the age of 15 made her the most soughtafter bride of her. A very good book on eleanor and i will read weirs other books as a result. She was born in 1122 on bordeaux in the country of aquitaine,1 having for a father the future duke of aquitaine, william x, and her mother aenor of chatellerault. In may 1152, eleanor of aquitaine married henry fitzempress. Eleanor was born in what is now southern france, most likely in the year 1122. Eleanor of aquitaine has to be on your list, perhaps in the first or second postion.
Eleanor of aquitaine, the forgotten amazon warrior that fought in the crusades and was then vilified by. By the wrath of god, queen of england paperback 10 jan. A drawing of what eleanor of aquitaine might have looked like circa 1150. This post includes genealogical tables from best medievalists. Marriage may have gotten her into positions of power, but what eleanor did with that power was her own special gift. She has also written biographies of woody allen, buster keaton, eleanor of aquitaine, victoria woodhull, and madame blavatsky, as. Eleanor of aquitaine 11221204 has been long noted for her political and cultural achievements that profoundly shaped twelfthcentury europe. Eleanor, duchess of aquitaine was one of the leading personalities of the middle ages adn also one of the most controversial. Deconstructing the story of eleanor of aquitaine the. See more ideas about eleanor of aquitaine, aquitaine and history. While in many aristocratic families, this would be viewed as a tragic shortcoming, eleanor was viewed as a blessing and as such, was afforded many of the educational and. Eleanor loved to flirt with boys and make them fall in love with her eleanor got to learn how to read,write,and talk in latin something not everyone got to do. 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. 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.