For other Eleanors of England, see Eleanor of England (disambiguation)

Eleanor of Aquitaine
Queen consort of England; Queen consort of France (more...)
Eleanor with her son King John
Duchess of Aquitaine; Countess of Poitiers (more...)
Reign Consort in	9 April 1137 – 1 April 1204 France: 1 August 1137 – 21 March 1152 England: 25 October 1154 – 6 July 1189
Predecessor	William X of Aquitaine
Successor	Louis VII of France
Consort to	Louis VII of France Henry II of England
Detail Issue
Marie, Countess of Champagne Alix, Countess of Blois William, Count of Poitiers Henry the Young King Matilda, Duchess of Saxony Richard I of England Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany Leonora, Queen of Castile Joan, Queen of Sicily John of England
Royal house	House of Plantagenet House of Capet House of Poitiers
Father	William X of Aquitaine
Mother	Aenor de Châtellerault
Born	1122 Belin Castle, Aquitaine
Died	1 April 1204 (aged c. 81/82) Fontevraud Abbey, Fontevraud
Burial	Fontevraud Abbey

Eleanor of Aquitaine (or Aliénor), Duchess of Aquitaine and Gascony (old north Basque country) and Countess of Poitou (1122^[1]–1 April 1204) was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Europe during the High Middle Ages. Eleanor of England may refer to Leonora of England (1161&ndash1214 queen consort of Castile (Spain wife of Alfonso VIII of Castile daughter of Henry II The precise style of British Sovereigns has varied over the years John (24 December 1167 &ndash 19 October 1216 reigned as a King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death The Duke of Aquitaine ( French: Duc d'Aquitaine) ruled the historical region of Aquitaine under the supremacy of the Frankish and later the Among the men who have borne the title of Count of Poitiers (or Poitou, in what is now France but in the Middle Ages became The precise style of British Sovereigns has varied over the years Events 193 - Septimius Severus is proclaimed Roman Emperor by the army in Illyricum (in the Balkans) Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Events 630 - Byzantine emperor Heraclius restores the True Cross to Jerusalem. Events 1147 - The Portuguese, under Afonso I, and Crusaders from England and Flanders conquer Lisbon after a Events 1044 - The Battle of Ménfő takes place 1189 - Richard the Lionheart is crowned King of England Louis VII, called the Younger or the Young (Louis le Jeune 1120 – 18 September 1180) was King of France, the son and successor Louis VII, called the Younger or the Young (Louis le Jeune 1120 – 18 September 1180) was King of France, the son and successor CHILD syndrome (or congenital hemidysplasia with ichthyosiform erythroderma and limb defects) is a genetic disorder Marie of France, or Marie Capet, Countess of Champagne (1145 &ndash March 11, 1198) was the elder daughter of Louis VII of France Alix of France (summer 1151 &ndash 1197/1198 was the second daughter born to Louis VII of France by his first wife Eleanor of Aquitaine. William (17 August 1153 &ndash April 1156 was the first child of Henry Plantagenet (later Henry II of England) and Eleanor of Aquitaine, born in Henry the Young King ( 28 February 1155 – 11 June 1183) was the second of five sons of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine Matilda of England (also called Maud; 1156 &ndash 13 July 1189) was the eldest daughter of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine Richard I (8 September 1157 &ndash 6 April 1199 was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death Geoffrey II Duke of Brittany and Earl of Richmond ( 23 September 1158 – 19 August 1186) was Duke of Brittany between 1181 and 1186 For other Eleanors of England see Eleanor of England (disambiguation Princess Eleanor of England and Aquitaine (later Leonora Joan of England (October 1165 &ndash 4 September 1199 was the seventh child of Henry II of England and his Queen consort, Eleanor of Aquitaine. John (24 December 1167 &ndash 19 October 1216 reigned as a King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death A royal house or royal dynasty is a familial designation or Family name of sorts used by Royalty. The House of Plantagenet (planˈtadʒɪnɪt also called the House of Anjou, or the First Angevin dynasty, was originally a noble For a full history of the Capetian family see Capetian dynasty. The Ramnulfids, or the House of Poitiers, were a French dynasty ruling the County of Poitou and Duchy of Aquitaine in the ninth through twelfth centuries Aenor of Châtellerault duchess of Aquitaine ( Châtellerault, Vienne France, c Aquitaine (Aquitània Akitania archaic Guyenne / Guienne (Occitan Guiana) is one of the 26 Regions of France, in the south-western part of Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Circa (often abbreviated c, ca, ca or cca and sometimes Italicized to show it is Latin) means "about" Fontevraud Abbey (or Fontevrault Abbey) is located in the village of Fontevraud-l'Abbaye, near Chinon, in Anjou, France. Fontevraud-l'Abbaye is a commune of the Maine-et-Loire département, in France. The Duke of Aquitaine ( French: Duc d'Aquitaine) ruled the historical region of Aquitaine under the supremacy of the Frankish and later the Gascony (Gascogne gaskɔɲ Gascon Occitan: Gasconha, pronounced) is an area of southwest France that constituted a province of France Among the men who have borne the title of Count of Poitiers (or Poitou, in what is now France but in the Middle Ages became Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne The High Middle Ages was the period of European history in the 11th 12th and 13th centuries (AD 1000&ndash1299

Eleanor was Queen consort of both France (to Louis VII) and England (to Henry II) in turn, and the mother of two kings of England, Richard I and John. A queen consort is the title given to the wife of a reigning king. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Louis VII, called the Younger or the Young (Louis le Jeune 1120 – 18 September 1180) was King of France, the son and successor England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Richard I (8 September 1157 &ndash 6 April 1199 was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death John (24 December 1167 &ndash 19 October 1216 reigned as a King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death She is well known for her participation in the Second Crusade. The Second Crusade (1147&ndash1149 was the second major Crusade launched from Europe, called in 1145 in response to the fall of the County of Edessa the

Contents 1 Early life 2 Inheritance and first marriage 3 Conflict 4 Crusade 5 Annulment of first marriage 6 Marriage to Henry II of England 7 Myth of the "Court of Love" in Poitiers 8 Revolt and capture 9 Years of imprisonment 1173–1189 10 Regent of England 11 Later life 12 In historical fiction 13 Ancestry 14 Children 15 Notes 16 Biographies and printed works 17 External links

Early life

Eleanor was the oldest of three children of William X, Duke of Aquitaine, and his duchess Aenor de Châtellerault, the daughter of Aimeric I, Vicomte of Chatellerault and countess Dangereuse, who was William IX of Aquitaine the Troubadour's longtime mistress as well as Eleanor's maternal grandmother. The Duke of Aquitaine ( French: Duc d'Aquitaine) ruled the historical region of Aquitaine under the supremacy of the Frankish and later the Aenor of Châtellerault duchess of Aquitaine ( Châtellerault, Vienne France, c A troubadour ( IPA:, originally) was a composer and performer of Occitan Lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100&ndash1350 A mistress is a man's long term female Sexual partner and companion who is not married to him especially used when the man is married to another woman Her parents' marriage had been arranged by Dangereuse with her paternal grandfather, the Troubadour. Eleanor was named for her mother Aenor and called Aliénor, from the Latin alia Aenor, which means the other Aenor. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It became Eléanor in the langues d'oïl and Eleanor in English. Langues d'oïl is the linguistic and historical designation of the Gallo-Romance languages originating from the northern territories of Roman Gaul,

She was reared in Europe's most cultured court of her time, the birthplace of courtly love. Courtly love was a Medieval European conception of ennobling love which found its genesis in the ducal and princely courts of Aquitaine, Provence By all accounts, Eleanor's father ensured that she had the best possible education. Although her native tongue was Poitevin, she was taught to read and speak Latin, was well versed in music and literature, and schooled in riding, hawking, and hunting. Poitevin ( Poetevin) is a language spoken by the people in Poitou. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Eleanor was extroverted, lively, intelligent, and strong willed. She was regarded as a great beauty by her contemporaries, none of whom left a surviving description that includes the color of her hair or eyes. Although the ideal beauty of the time was a silvery blonde with blue eyes, she may have inherited her coloring from her father and grandfather, who were both brown-eyed with copper locks. In the spring of 1130, when Eleanor was eight, her four-year-old brother William Aigret and their mother died at the castle of Talmont, on Aquitaine's Atlantic coast. Eleanor became the heir to her father's domains. Aquitaine was the largest and richest province of France; Poitou and Aquitaine together were almost one-third the size of modern France. Aquitaine (Aquitània Akitania archaic Guyenne / Guienne (Occitan Guiana) is one of the 26 Regions of France, in the south-western part of Eleanor had only one other legitimate sibling, a younger sister named Aelith but always called Petronilla. Petronilla of Aquitaine (c 1125 &ndash 1193 was the daughter of William X of Aquitaine and Aenor of Châtellerault. Her half brothers, William and Joscelin, were acknowledged by William X as his sons—not as his heirs—and by his daughters as brothers. Later, during the first four years of Henry II's reign, all three siblings joined Eleanor's royal household.

Inheritance and first marriage

In 1137, Duke William X set out from Poitiers to Bordeaux, taking his daughters with him. Poitiers is a town on the Clain River in west central France. ( Gascon: Bordèu) is a port city in southwest France, with one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area at a 2008 estimate Upon reaching Bordeaux, he left Eleanor and Petronilla in the charge of the Archbishop of Bordeaux, one of the Duke's few loyal vassals who could be entrusted with the safety of the duke's daughters. A vassal (also called feodary or fedary) in the terminology that both preceded and accompanied the feudalism of Medieval Europe, The duke then set out for the Shrine of Saint James of Compostela in northwestern Basque country, in the company of other pilgrims; however, on April 9th (Good Friday), 1137 he was stricken with sickness, probably food poisoning. For people and places called Saint James, see the Saint James disambiguation page A pilgrim is one who undertakes a Pilgrimage, literally 'far afield' Good Friday, also called Holy Friday or Great Friday, is the Friday preceding Easter Sunday ("Pascha" Foodborne illness (also foodborne disease) is any Illness resulting from the consumption of food He died that evening, having bequeathed Aquitaine to Eleanor.

Eleanor, about the age of 15, became the lordess of Aquitaine, and thus the most eligible heiress in Europe. As these were the days when kidnapping an heiress was seen as a viable option for attaining title, William had dictated a will on the very day he died, bequeathing his domains to Eleanor and appointing King Louis VI (nicknamed "the Fat") as her guardian. In Common law, a will or testament is a document by which a person (the Testator) regulates the rights of others over his or her Property Louis VI ( 1 December 1081 – 1 August 1137) called the Fat (le Gros was King of France from 1108 until his death (1137 William requested the king take care of both the lands and the duchess, and find a suitable husband for her. However, until a husband was found, the king had the right to Eleanor's lands. The duke also insisted to his companions that his death be kept a secret until Louis was informed — the men were to journey from Saint James across the Pyrenees as quickly as possible, to call at Bordeaux to notify the archbishop, and then to make all speed to Paris, to inform the king. The Pyrenees (Pirineos French: Pyrénées; Catalan: Pirineus; Occitan: Pirenèus; Aragonese: Perinés

The King of France himself was also gravely ill at that time, suffering "a flux of the bowels" (dysentery) from which he seemed unlikely to recover. Dysentery (formerly known as flux or the bloody flux) is an infection of the digestive system that results in severe Diarrhea containing mucus and blood Despite his immense obesity and impending mortality, however, Louis the Fat remained clear-minded. To his concerns regarding his new heir, Prince Louis (the former heir, Philip, having died from a riding accident), was added joy over the death of one of his most cantankerous vassals — and the availability of the best Duchy in France. Louis VII, called the Younger or the Young (Louis le Jeune 1120 – 18 September 1180) was King of France, the son and successor A duchy is a territory fief, or domain ruled by a Duke or Duchess. Presenting a solemn and dignified manner to the grieving Aquitainian messengers, upon their departure he became overjoyed, stammering in delight.

Rather than act as guardian to the duchess and duchy, he decided, he would marry the duchess to his heir and bring Aquitaine under the French crown, thereby greatly increasing the power and prominence of France and the Capets. For a full history of the Capetian family see Capetian dynasty. Within hours, then, Louis had arranged for his son, Prince Louis, to be married to Eleanor, with Abbot Suger in charge of the wedding arrangements. Suger (c 1081 &ndash 13 January 1151) was one of the last French abbot-statesmen a historian and the influential first patron of Gothic architecture Prince Louis was sent to Bordeaux with an escort of 500 knights, as well as Abbot Suger, Count Theobald II of Champagne and Count Ralph of Vermandois. Theobald the Great (1090&ndash1151 was Count of Blois and of Chartres as Theobald IV from 1102 and was Count of Champagne and of Brie Vermandois was a French county that appears in the Merovingian period

Louis arrived in Bordeaux on 11 July, and the next day, accompanied by the Archbishop of Bordeaux, Geoffrey de Lauroux (in whose keeping Eleanor and Petronilla had been left), the couple were married in the Cathedral of Saint-André in Bordeaux. Bordeaux Cathedral ( Cathédrale Saint-André de Bordeaux) is a Catholic Cathedral, seat of the Archbishop of Bordeaux-Bazas, located in It was a magnificent ceremony with almost a thousand guests. However, there was a catch: the land would remain independent of France and Eleanor's oldest son would be both King of France and Duke of Aquitaine. is a family tree of the Dukes of Aquitaine, between 898 and 1204 Thus, her holdings would not be merged with France until the next generation. She gave Louis a wedding present that is still in existence, a rock crystal vase, currently on display at the Louvre. A rock crystal vase is a Vase made of Rock crystal. Some such vases were rare expensive items decorated with Gold and jewels used by The Louvre Museum (Musée du Louvre located in Paris is the world's most visited art museum a historic monument and a national museum of France

Something of a free spirit, Eleanor was not popular with the staid northerners (according to sources, Louis´ mother, Adélaide de Maurienne, thought her flighty and a bad influence) — she was not aided by memories of Queen Constance, the Provencial wife of Robert II, tales of whose immodest dress and language were still told with horror. Adelaide of Savoy or Adelaide of Maurienne ( Italian: Adelaide di Savoia or Adelasia di Moriana, French: Adélaïde or Constance of Arles (also known as Constance of Provence ( 986 - July 25, 1034) was the third wife and queen of King Robert II of France. Robert II ( 27 March 972 &ndash 20 July 1031) called the Pious or the Wise, was King of France from 996 ^[2]

Her conduct was repeatedly criticized by Church elders (particularly Bernard of Clairvaux and Abbot Suger) as indecorous. Bernard of Clairvaux, OCist ( 1090 - August 20, 1153) was a French abbot and the primary builder of the reforming Cistercian monastic order The King, however, was madly in love with his beautiful and worldly bride and granted her every whim, even though her behavior baffled and vexed him to no end. Much money went into beautifying the austere Cite Palace in Paris for Eleanor's sake.

Conflict

Though Louis was a pious man he soon came into violent conflict with Pope Innocent II. In 1141, the archbishopric of Bourges became vacant, and the king put forward as a candidate one of his chancellors, Cadurc, whilst vetoing the one suitable candidate, Pierre de la Chatre, who was promptly elected by the canons of Bourges and consecrated by the Pope. A canon (from the Latin canonicus, itself derived from the Greek κανωνικος 'relating to a rule' is a priest who is a member of certain bodies of the Bourges Cathedral ( Cathédrale Saint-Étienne de Bourges) is a Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Stephen, located in Bourges, France Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service usually religious Louis accordingly bolted the gates of Bourges against the new Bishop; the Pope, recalling William X's similar attempts to exile Innocent's supporters from Poitou and replace them with priests loyal to himself, blamed Eleanor, saying that Louis was only a child and should be taught manners. Outraged, Louis swore upon relics that so long as he lived Pierre should never enter Bourges. This brought the interdict upon the king's lands. In the Roman Catholic Church, the word interdict (in’tér-dikt usually refers to an Ecclesiastical penalty Pierre de la Chatre was given refuge by Count Theobald II of Champagne. Theobald the Great (1090&ndash1151 was Count of Blois and of Chartres as Theobald IV from 1102 and was Count of Champagne and of Brie

Louis became involved in a war with Count Theobald of Champagne by permitting Raoul I of Vermandois and seneschal of France, to repudiate his wife (Leonora), Theobald's niece, and to marry Petronilla of Aquitaine, Eleanor's sister. Raoul I of Vermandois ( French: Raoul Ier "le Vaillant" English Ralph of Vermandois) ( 1085 &ndash 14 October 1152 A seneschal was an officer in the houses of important nobles in the Middle Ages. Petronilla of Aquitaine (c 1125 &ndash 1193 was the daughter of William X of Aquitaine and Aenor of Châtellerault. Eleanor urged Louis to support her sister's illegitimate marriage to Raoul of Vermandois. Champagne had also offended Louis by siding with the pope in the dispute over Bourges. The war lasted two years (1142–44) and ended with the occupation of Champagne by the royal army. Louis was personally involved in the assault and burning of the town of Vitry. More than a thousand people (1300, some say) who had sought refuge in the church died in the flames.

Horrified, and desiring an end to the war, Louis attempted to make peace with Theobald in exchange for supporting the lift of the interdict on Raoul and Petronilla. This was duly lifted for long enough to allow Theobald's lands to be restored; it was then lowered once more when Raoul refused to repudiate Petronilla, prompting Louis to return to the Champagne and ravage it once more.

In June of 1144, the King and Queen visited the newly built cathedral at Saint-Denis. Whilst there, the Queen met with Bernard of Clairvaux, demanding that he have the excommunication of Petronilla and Raoul lifted through his influence on the Pope, in exchange for which King Louis would make concessions in Champagne, and recognise Pierre de la Chatre as archbishop of Bourges. Bernard of Clairvaux, OCist ( 1090 - August 20, 1153) was a French abbot and the primary builder of the reforming Cistercian monastic order Dismayed at her attitude, Bernard scolded her for her lack of penitence and her interference in matters of state. In response, Eleanor broke down, and meekly excused her behaviour, claiming to be embittered through her lack of children. In response to this, Bernard became more kindly towards her: "My child, seek those things which make for peace. Cease to stir up the King against the Church, and urge upon him a better course of action. If you will promise to do this, I in return promise to entreat the merciful Lord to grant you offspring. "

In a matter of weeks, peace had returned to France: Theobald's provinces had been returned, and Pierre de la Chatre was installed as Archbishop of Bourges. And in 1145, Eleanor gave birth to a daughter, Marie. Marie of France, or Marie Capet, Countess of Champagne (1145 &ndash March 11, 1198) was the elder daughter of Louis VII of France

Louis, however still burned with guilt over the massacre at Vitry-le-Brûlé, and desired to make a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land in order to atone for his sins. Fortuitously for him, in the Autumn of 1145, Pope Eugenius requested Louis to lead a Crusade to the Middle East, to rescue the Frankish Kingdoms there from disaster. Accordingly, Louis declared on Christmas Day 1145 at Bourges his intention of going on a crusade.

Crusade

Eleanor of Aquitaine took up the crusade during a sermon preached by Bernard of Clairvaux. She was followed by some of her royal ladies-in-waiting as well as 300 non-noble vassals. She insisted on taking part in the Crusades as the feudal leader of the soldiers from her duchy. The Crusades were a series of military campaigns of a religious character waged by much of Christian Europe against external and internal opponents The story that she and her ladies dressed as Amazons is disputed by serious historians; however, her testimonial launch of the Second Crusade from Vézelay, the rumored location of Mary Magdalene´s burial, dramatically emphasized the role of women in the campaign. The Amazons (in Greek, grc Ἀμαζόνες are a nation of all-female warriors in Classical and Greek mythology, who were possibly historical The Second Crusade (1147&ndash1149 was the second major Crusade launched from Europe, called in 1145 in response to the fall of the County of Edessa the Vézelay is a commune in the Yonne département in the Bourgogne région of France. Saint Mary Magdalen or Mary Magdalene is described both in the canonical New Testament and in the New Testament apocrypha, as a devoted

The Crusade itself achieved little. Louis was a weak and ineffectual military leader with no concept of maintaining troop discipline or morale, or of making informed and logical tactical decisions. In eastern Europe, the French army was at times hindered by Manuel I Comnenus, the Byzantine Emperor, who feared that it would jeopardize the tenuous safety of his empire; however, during their 3-week stay at Constantinople, Louis was fêted and Eleanor was much admired. For the eldest son of Andronikos I Komnenos and father of Alexios I of Trebizond, see Manuel Komnenos (born 1145. This is a list of the Emperors of the Eastern Roman Empire, commonly known as the Byzantine Empire by modern historians She is compared with Penthesilea, mythical queen of the Amazons, by the Greek historian Nicetas Choniates; he adds that she gained the epithet chrysopous (golden-foot) from the cloth of gold that decorated and fringed her robe. In Greek mythology, Penthesilea (Greek Πενθεσίλεια or Penthesileia was an Amazonian queen daughter of Ares and Otrera The Amazons (in Greek, grc Ἀμαζόνες are a nation of all-female warriors in Classical and Greek mythology, who were possibly historical Niketas Choniates ( Greek: Νικήτας Χωνιάτης c 1155 &ndash 1215 or 1216 sometimes called Acominatus, was a Byzantine Greek Historian Louis and Eleanor stayed in the Philopation palace, just outside the city walls.

From the moment the Crusaders entered Asia Minor, the Crusade went badly. The King and Queen were optimistic — the Byzantine Emperor had told them that the German Emperor Conrad had won a great victory against a Turkish army (where in fact the German army had been massacred), and the company was still eating well. However, whilst camping near Nicea, the remnants of the German army, including a dazed and sick Emperor Conrad, began to straggle into the French camp, bringing news of their disaster. The French, with what remained of the Germans, then began to march in increasingly disorganized fashion, towards Antioch. Their spirits were buoyed on Christmas Eve — when they chose to camp in the lush Dercervian valley near Ephesus, they were ambushed by a Turkish detachment; the French proceeded to slaughter this detachment and appropriate their camp.

Louis then decided to directly cross the Phrygian mountains, in the hope of speeding his approach to take refuge with Eleanor's uncle Raymond in Antioch. As they ascended the mountains, however, the army and the King and Queen were left horrified by the unburied corpses of the previously slaughtered German army.

On the day set for the crossing of Mount Cadmos, Louis chose to take charge of the rear of the column, where the unarmed pilgrims and the baggage trains marched. The vanguard, with which Queen Eleanor marched, was commanded by her Aquitainian vassal, Geoffrey de Rancon; this, being unencumbered by baggage, managed to reach the summit of Cadmos, where de Rancon had been ordered to make camp for the night. De Rancon however chose to march further, deciding in concert with the Count of Maurienne (Louis´ uncle) that a nearby plateau would make a better camp: such disobedience was reportedly common in the army, due to the lack of command from the King.

Accordingly, by midafternoon, the rear of the column — believing the day's march to be nearly at an end — was dawdling; this resulted in the army becoming divided, with some having already crossed the summit and others still approaching it. It was at this point that the Turks, who had been following and feinting for many days, seized their opportunity and attacked those who had not yet crossed the summit. The Turks, having seized the summit of the mountain, and the French (both soldiers and pilgrims) having been taken by surprise, there was little hope of escape: those who tried were caught and killed, and many men, horses and baggage were cast into the canyon below the ridge. William of Tyre placed the blame for this disaster firmly on the baggage — which was considered to have belonged largely to the women.

The King, ironically, was saved by his lack of authority — having scorned a King's apparel in favour of a simple solder's tunic, he escaped notice (unlike his bodyguards, whose skulls were brutally smashed and limbs severed). He reportedly "nimbly and bravely scaled a rock by making use of some tree roots which God had provided for his safety," and managed to survive the attack. Others were not so fortunate: "No aid came from Heaven, except that night fell. "

The official scapegoat for the disaster was Geoffrey de Rancon, who had made the decision to continue, and it was suggested that he be hanged (a suggestion which the King ignored). Since he was Eleanor's vassal, many believed that it was she who had been ultimately responsible for the change in plan, and thus the massacre. This did nothing for her popularity in Christendom — as did the blame affixed to her baggage, and the fact that her Aquitainian soldiers had marched at the front, and thus were not involved in the fight. Christendom usually refers to Christianity as a territorial phenomenon Eleanor's reputation was further sullied by her supposed affair with her uncle Raymond of Poitiers, Prince of Antioch. Raymond of Poitiers (c 1115 &ndash June 29, 1149) was Prince of Antioch 1136&ndash1149 The Principality of Antioch, including parts of modern-day Turkey and Syria, was one of the Crusader states created during the First Crusade

While in the eastern Mediterranean, Eleanor learned about maritime conventions developing there, which were the beginnings of what would become admiralty law. Admiralty law (also referred to as maritime law) is a distinct body of Law which governs maritime questions and offenses She introduced those conventions in her own lands, on the island of Oleron in 1160 and later in England as well. Île d'Oléron (English Island of Oleron) is an Island off the Atlantic coast of France (due west of Rochefort) on the southern She was also instrumental in developing trade agreements with Constantinople and ports of trade in the Holy Lands.

Annulment of first marriage

Even before the Crusade, Eleanor and Louis were becoming estranged. The city of Antioch had been annexed by Bohemond of Hauteville in the First Crusade, and it was now ruled by Eleanor's flamboyant uncle, Raymond of Antioch, who had gained the principality by marrying its reigning Princess, Constance of Antioch. Raymond of Poitiers (c 1115 &ndash June 29, 1149) was Prince of Antioch 1136&ndash1149 Constance of Antioch (1127 &ndash 1163 was the Princess regnant of the Principality of Antioch (a Crusader state) from 1130 to her death Clearly, Eleanor supported his desire to re-capture the nearby County of Edessa, the cause of the Crusade; in addition, having been close to him in their youth, she now showed excessive affection towards her uncle — whilst many historians today dismiss this as familial affection (noting their early friendship, and his similarity to her father and grandfather), most at the time firmly believed the two to be involved in an incestuous and adulterous affair. The County of Edessa was one of the Crusader states in the 12th century, based around a city with an ancient history and an early tradition of Christianity Louis was directed by the Church to visit Jerusalem instead. Jerusalem (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, he-Latn Yerushaláyim; Arabic: ar القُدس, ar-Latn al-Quds) is the When Eleanor declared her intention to stand with Raymond and the Aquitaine forces, Louis had her brought out by force. His long march to Jerusalem and back north debilitated his army, but her imprisonment disheartened her knights, and the divided Crusade armies could not overcome the Muslim forces. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion For reasons unknown, likely the Germans' insistence on conquest, the Crusade leaders targeted Damascus, an ally until the attack. Damascus ( دمشق,, also commonly known as الشام ash-Shām) is the capital and largest city of Syria. Failing in this attempt, they retired to Jerusalem, and then home.

Home, however, was not easily reached. The royal couple, on separate ships due to their disagreements, were first attacked in May by Byzantine ships attempting to capture both (in order to take them to Byzantium, according to the orders of the Emperor). Although they escaped this predicament unharmed, stormy weather served to drive Eleanor's ship far to the south (to the Barbary Coast), and to similarly lose her husband. Neither was heard of for over two months: at which point, in mid-July, Eleanor's ship finally reached Palermo in Sicily, where she discovered that she and her husband had both been given up for dead. The King still lost, she was given shelter and food by servants of King Roger of Sicily, until the King eventually reached Calabria, and she set out to meet him there. Later, at King Roger's court in Potenza, she learnt of the death of her uncle Raymond; this appears to have forced a change of plans, for instead of returning to France from Marseilles, they instead sought the Pope in Tusculum, where he had been driven five months before by a Roman revolt.

Pope Eugenius III did not, as Eleanor had hoped, grant a divorce; instead, he attempted to reconcile Eleanor and Louis, confirming the legality of their marriage, and proclaiming that no word could be spoken against it, and that it might not be dissolved under any pretext. Pope Eventually, he arranged events so that Eleanor had no choice but to sleep with Louis in a bed specially prepared by the Pope. Thus was conceived their second child — not a son, but another daughter, Alix of France. Alix of France (summer 1151 &ndash 1197/1198 was the second daughter born to Louis VII of France by his first wife Eleanor of Aquitaine. The marriage was now doomed. Still without a son and in danger of being left with no male heir, facing substantial opposition to Eleanor from many of his barons and her own desire for divorce, Louis had no choice but to bow to the inevitable. On March 11, 1152, they met at the royal castle of Beaugency to dissolve the marriage. Events 1425 BC - Thutmose III, Pharaoh of Egypt, dies (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th Dynasty Archbishop Hugh Sens, Primate of France, presided, and Louis and Eleanor were both present, as were the Archbishops of Bordeaux and Rouen. Archbishop Samson of Reims acted for Eleanor. On March 21 the four archbishops, with the approval of Pope Eugenius, granted an annulment due to consanguinity within the fourth degree (Eleanor and Louis were third cousins, once removed and shared common ancestry with Robert II of France). Events 630 - Byzantine emperor Heraclius restores the True Cross to Jerusalem. Consanguinity (" con- (with sanguine (blood -ity" refers to the property of being from the same Lineage as another person Robert II ( 27 March 972 &ndash 20 July 1031) called the Pious or the Wise, was King of France from 996 Their two daughters were declared legitimate and custody of them awarded to King Louis. Archbishop Sampson received assurances from Louis that Eleanor's lands would be restored to her.

Marriage to Henry II of England

Two lords — Theobald of Blois, son of the Count of Champagne, and Geoffrey of Anjou (brother of Henry, Count of Anjou and Duke of Normandy) — tried to kidnap Eleanor to marry her and claim her lands on Eleanor's way to Poitiers. Theobald V of Blois (died 20 January 1191) also known as Theobald the Good (French Thibaut le Bon) was Count of Blois from 1151 Geoffrey VI ( June 3, 1134, Rouen - July 27, 1158, Nantes) Count of Anjou, of Maine and Nantes As soon as she arrived in Poitiers, Eleanor sent envoys to Henry Count of Anjou and Duke of Normandy, asking him to come at once and marry her. On Whit Sunday, May 18, 1152, six weeks after her annulment, Eleanor married Henry 'without the pomp and ceremony that befitted their rank'. Pentecost (πεντηκοστή, pentekostē, "the fiftieth day" is one of the prominent feasts in the Christian Liturgical year, celebrated the Events 1152 - Henry II of England marries Eleanor of Aquitaine. ^[3] She was about 11 years older than he, and related to him more closely than she had been to Louis. Eleanor and Henry were half, third cousins through their common ancestor Ermengarde of Anjou (wife to Robert I, Duke of Burgundy and Geoffrey, Count of Gâtinais); they were also both descendants of Robert II of Normandy. Robert I Capet (1011 &ndash March 21 1076) was Duke of Burgundy between 1032 to his death A marriage between Henry and Eleanor's daughter, Marie, had indeed been declared impossible for this very reason. One of Eleanor's rumoured lovers had been Henry's own father, Geoffrey of Anjou, who had advised his son to avoid any involvement with her.

Over the next thirteen years, she bore Henry five sons and three daughters: William, Henry, Richard, Geoffrey, John, Matilda, Eleanor, and Joanna. William (17 August 1153 &ndash April 1156 was the first child of Henry Plantagenet (later Henry II of England) and Eleanor of Aquitaine, born in Henry the Young King ( 28 February 1155 – 11 June 1183) was the second of five sons of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine Richard I (8 September 1157 &ndash 6 April 1199 was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death Geoffrey II Duke of Brittany and Earl of Richmond ( 23 September 1158 – 19 August 1186) was Duke of Brittany between 1181 and 1186 John (24 December 1167 &ndash 19 October 1216 reigned as a King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death Matilda of England (also called Maud; 1156 &ndash 13 July 1189) was the eldest daughter of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine For other Eleanors of England see Eleanor of England (disambiguation Princess Eleanor of England and Aquitaine (later Leonora Joan of England (October 1165 &ndash 4 September 1199 was the seventh child of Henry II of England and his Queen consort, Eleanor of Aquitaine. John Speed, in his 1611 work History of Great Britain, mentions the possibility that Eleanor had a son named Philip, who died young. His sources no longer exist and he alone mentions this birth. ^[4]

Henry was by no means faithful to his wife and had a reputation for philandering. Their son, William, and Henry's illegitimate son, Geoffrey, were born just months apart. Henry fathered other illegitimate children throughout the marriage. Eleanor appears to have taken an ambivalent attitude towards these affairs: for example, Geoffrey of York, an illegitimate son of Henry and a prostitute named Ykenai, was acknowledged by Henry as his child and raised at Westminster in the care of the Queen.

The period between Henry's accession and the birth of Eleanor's youngest son was turbulent: Aquitaine, as was the norm, defied the authority of Henry as Eleanor's husband; attempts to claim Toulouse, the rightful inheritance of Eleanor's grandmother and father, were made, ending in failure; the news of Louis of France's widowhood and remarriage was followed by the marriage of Henry's son (young Henry) to Louis' daughter Marguerite; and, most climactically, the feud between the King and Thomas à Becket, his Chancellor, and later his Archbishop of Canterbury. St Thomas Becket (c 1118 &ndash December 29, 1170) was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 to 1170 Little is known of Eleanor's involvement in these events. By late 1166, and the birth of her final child, however, Henry's notorious affair with Rosamund Clifford had become known, and her marriage to Henry appears to have become terminally strained. Rosamund Clifford (before 1150 &ndash c 1176 often called "The Fair Rosamund" or the "Rose of the World", was famed for her beauty and was

1167 saw the marriage of Eleanor's third daughter, Matilda, to Henry the Lion of Saxony; Eleanor remained in England with her daughter for the year prior to Matilda's departure to Normandy in September. Afterwards, Eleanor proceeded to gather together her movable possessions in England and transport them on several ships in December to Argentan. At the royal court, celebrated there that Christmas, she appears to have agreed to a separation from Henry. Certainly, she left for her own city of Poitiers immediately after Christmas. Henry did not stop her; on the contrary, he and his army personally escorted her there, before attacking a castle belonging to the rebellious Lusignan family. Henry then went about his own business outside Aquitaine, leaving Earl Patrick (his regional military commander) as her protective custodian. When Patrick was killed in a skirmish, Eleanor (who proceeded to ransom his captured nephew, the young William Marshal), was left in control of her inheritance. William Marshal 1st Earl of Pembroke (1146 &ndash 14 May 1219) also called William the Marshal (Guillaume le Maréchal was an Anglo Norman soldier

Myth of the "Court of Love" in Poitiers

Of all her influence on culture, Eleanor's time in Poitier was perhaps the most critical and yet the least is known of what happened. Away from Henry, Eleanor was able to develop her own court in Poitier. At a small cathedral still stands the stained glass commemorating Eleanor and Henry with a family tree growing from their prayers. Her court style was to encourage the cult of courtly love. Courtly love was a Medieval European conception of ennobling love which found its genesis in the ducal and princely courts of Aquitaine, Provence Apparently, however, both King and church expunged the records of the actions and judgments taken under her authority. A small fragment of the court letters, codes and practices were written by Andreas Capellanus. Andreas Capellanus ( Capellanus meaning "chaplain" was the twelfth century author of a treatise commonly entitled De amore ("About Love" It appears that one activity in the court style was for 12 men and women to hear cases of love between individuals. This forum was the forerunner of the jury system that she would implement in England after releasing all prisoners upon Henry's death. The proceedings of the court are speculative, though the legends of the court have endured.

Henry concentrated on controlling his increasingly-large empire, badgering Eleanor's subjects in attempts to control her patrimony of Aquitaine and her court at Poitiers. Poitiers is a town on the Clain River in west central France. Straining all bounds of civility, Henry caused Archbishop Thomas Becket to be murdered at the altar of the church in 1170 (though there is considerable debate as to whether it was truly Henry's intent to be permanently rid of his archbishop). St Thomas Becket (c 1118 &ndash December 29, 1170) was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 to 1170 This aroused Eleanor's horror and contempt, along with most of Europe's.

Eleanor's marriage to Henry was tumultuous and argumentative. However, despite his mistresses and Eleanor's imprisonment, Eleanor once remarked, "My marriage to Henry was a much happier one than my marriage to Louis. " Eleanor and Henry did deeply love and respect one another and they did all they could to keep their family together as a whole. In their years together they raised their children and saw their grandchildren grow up. Eleanor and Henry, despite the rebellion of their children, and the times in which they lived, lived out their years with relative happiness.

Revolt and capture

In March 1173, aggrieved at his lack of power and egged on by his father's enemies, the younger Henry launched the Revolt of 1173–1174. The Revolt of 1173&ndash1174 was a rebellion against Henry II of England by three of his sons his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine and rebel supporters He fled to Paris. From there 'the younger Henry, devising evil against his father from every side by the advice of the French King, went secretly into Aquitaine where his two youthful brothers, Richard and Geoffrey, were living with their mother, and with her connivance, so it is said, he incited them to join him'. ^[5] The Queen sent her younger sons to France 'to join with him against their father the King'. ^[6] Once her sons had left for Paris, Eleanor encouraged the lords of the south to rise up and support them. ^[7] Sometime between the end of March and the beginning of May, Eleanor left Poitiers to follow her sons to Paris but was arrested on the way and sent to the King in Rouen. The King did not announce the arrest publicly. For the next year, her whereabouts are unknown. On July 8, 1174, Henry took ship for England from Barfleur. Events 939 - The Major Occultation or Ghaybat el-Kubra of Muhammad al-Mahdi 1099 - First Crusade: 15000 He brought Eleanor on the ship. As soon as they disembarked at Southampton, Eleanor was taken away either to Winchester Castle or Sarum Castle and held there. Winchester Castle, is a Castle in England in the city of Winchester, in the county of Hampshire, built in 1067

Years of imprisonment 1173–1189

Eleanor was imprisoned for the next sixteen years, much of the time in various locations in England. During her imprisonment, Eleanor had become more and more distant with her sons, especially Richard (who had always been her favorite). She did not have the opportunity to see her sons very often during her imprisonment, though she was released for special occasions such as Christmas. About four miles from Shrewsbury and close by Haughmond Abbey is "Queen Eleanor's Bower," the remains of a triangular castle which is believed to have been one of her prisons.

Henry lost his great love, Rosamund Clifford, in 1176. Rosamund Clifford (before 1150 &ndash c 1176 often called "The Fair Rosamund" or the "Rose of the World", was famed for her beauty and was He had met her in 1166 and began the liaison in 1173, supposedly contemplating divorce from Eleanor. Rosamund/Rosamond was one among Henry's many mistresses, but although he treated earlier liaisons discreetly, he flaunted Rosamond. This notorious affair caused a monkish scribe with a gift for Latin to transcribe Rosamond's name to "Rosa Immundi", or "Rose of Unchastity". Likely, Rosamond was one weapon in Henry's efforts to provoke Eleanor into seeking an annulment (this flared in October 1175). Had she done so, Henry might have appointed Eleanor abbess of Fontevrault (Fontevraud), requiring her to take a vow of poverty, thereby releasing her titles and nearly half their empire to him, but Eleanor was much too wily to be provoked into this. Nevertheless, rumours persisted, perhaps assisted by Henry's camp, that Eleanor had poisoned Rosamund. No one knows what Henry believed, but he did donate much money to the Godstow Nunnery in which Rosamund was buried. Godstow ( Oxfordshire, England) is to the west of the River Thames opposite Lower Wolvercote north of Port Meadow at Oxford

In 1183, Young Henry tried again. In debt and refused control of Normandy, he tried to ambush his father at Limoges. Normandy (Normandie Norman: Normaundie) is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. Limoges ( Lemòtges / Limòtges in the Limousin dialect of Occitan language) is a city and commune in France, the préfecture He was joined by troops sent by his brother Geoffrey and Philip II of France. Philip II Augustus (Philippe Auguste ( 21 August[[ 165]] &ndash 14 July 1223) was the King of France from 1180 until his death Henry's troops besieged the town, forcing his son to flee. Henry the Young wandered aimlessly through Aquitaine until he caught dysentery. Dysentery (formerly known as flux or the bloody flux) is an infection of the digestive system that results in severe Diarrhea containing mucus and blood On Saturday, 11 June 1183, the Young King realized he was dying and was overcome with remorse for his sins. When his father's ring was sent to him, he begged that his father would show mercy to his mother, and that all his companions would plead with Henry to set her free. The King sent Thomas of Earley, Archdeacon of Wells, to break the news to Eleanor at Sarum. ^[8] Eleanor had had a dream in which she foresaw her son Henry's death. In 1193 she would tell Pope Celestine III that she was tortured by his memory. Pope Celestine III ( Rome, c 1106 &ndash January 8, 1198) born Giacinto Bobone, was elected Pope on March 30,

In 1183, Philip of France claimed that certain properties in Normandy belonged to The Young Queen but Henry insisted that they had once belonged to Eleanor and would revert to her upon her son's death. Marguerite of France (November 1157 – August/September 1197 was the eldest daughter of Louis VII of France by his second wife Constance of Castile. For this reason Henry summoned Eleanor to Normandy in the late summer of 1183. She stayed in Normandy for six months. This was the beginning of a period of greater freedom for the still supervised Eleanor. Eleanor went back to England probably early in 1184. ^[7] Over the next few years Eleanor often traveled with her husband and was sometimes associated with him in the government of the realm, but still had a custodian so that she was not free.

Regent of England

Upon Henry's death on July 6, 1189, just days after suffering an injury from a jousting match, Richard was his undisputed heir. Events 1044 - The Battle of Ménfő takes place 1189 - Richard the Lionheart is crowned King of England Richard I (8 September 1157 &ndash 6 April 1199 was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death One of his first acts as king was to send William the Marshal to England with orders to release Eleanor from prison, but her custodians had already released her when he demanded this. William Marshal 1st Earl of Pembroke (1146 &ndash 14 May 1219) also called William the Marshal (Guillaume le Maréchal was an Anglo Norman soldier ^[9] Eleanor rode to Westminster and received the oaths of fealty from many lords and prelates on behalf of the King. She ruled England in Richard's name, signing herself as 'Eleanor, by the grace of God, Queen of England'. On August 13, 1189, Richard sailed from Barfleur to Portsmouth, and was received with enthusiasm. Events 3114 BC - According to the Lounsbury correlation the start of the Maya calendar. She ruled England as regent while Richard went off on the Third Crusade. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland She personally negotiated his ransom by going to Germany.

Later life

Eleanor survived Richard and lived well into the reign of her youngest son King John. John (24 December 1167 &ndash 19 October 1216 reigned as a King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death In 1199, under the terms of a truce between King Philip II of France and King John, it was agreed that Philip's twelve-year-old heir Louis would be married to one of John's nieces of Castile. Philip II Augustus (Philippe Auguste ( 21 August[[ 165]] &ndash 14 July 1223) was the King of France from 1180 until his death John deputed Eleanor to travel to Castile to select one of the princesses. Now 77, Eleanor set out from Poitiers. Just outside Poitiers she was ambushed and held captive by Hugh IX of Lusignan, which had long ago been sold by his forebears to Henry II. Hugh IX the Brown of Lusignan or Hugh IV of La Marche or Hugues IX & IV le Brun de Lusignan (1163 or 1168 &ndash 5 November, 1219) was the grandson Eleanor secured her freedom by agreeing to his demands and journeyed south, crossed the Pyrenees, and travelled through the Kingdoms of Navarre and Castile, arriving before the end of January, 1200.

King Alfonso VIII and Queen Leonora of Castile had two remaining unmarried daughters, Urraca and Blanche. Alfonso VIII ( 11 November 1155 &ndash 5 October 1214) called the Noble or Él de las Navas, was the King For other Eleanors of England see Eleanor of England (disambiguation Princess Eleanor of England and Aquitaine (later Leonora For other persons called Blanche of Castile see Blanca of Castile. Eleanor selected the younger daughter, Blanche. She stayed for two months at the Castilian court. Late in March, Eleanor and her granddaughter Blanche journeyed back across the Pyrenees. When she was at Bordeaux where she celebrated Easter, the famous warrior Mercadier came to her and it was decided that he would escort the Queen and Princess north. Mercadier (d 1200 was a French warrior of the 12th century and chief of Freebooters in the service of Richard I of England. "On the second day in Easter week, he was slain in the city by a man-at-arms in the service of Brandin",^[6] a rival mercenary captain. This tragedy was too much for the elderly Queen, who was fatigued and unable to continue to Normandy. She and Blanche rode in easy stages to the valley of the Loire, and she entrusted Blanche to the Archbishop of Bordeaux, who took over as her escort. The exhausted Eleanor went to Fontevrault, where she remained. In early summer, Eleanor was ill and John visited her at Fontevrault.

Eleanor was again unwell in early 1201. When war broke out between John and Philip, Eleanor declared her support for John, and set out from Fontevrault for her capital Poitiers to prevent her grandson Arthur, John's enemy, from taking control. Arthur I (29 March 1187 &ndash 1203 was Duke of Brittany between 1194 and 1203 Arthur learned of her whereabouts and besieged her in the castle of Mirabeau. As soon as John heard of this he marched south, overcame the besiegers and captured Arthur. Eleanor then returned to Fontevrault where she took the veil as a nun. By the time of her death she had outlived all of her children except for King John and Queen Leonora.

Eleanor died in 1204 and was entombed in Fontevraud Abbey next to her husband Henry and her son Richard. Fontevraud Abbey (or Fontevrault Abbey) is located in the village of Fontevraud-l'Abbaye, near Chinon, in Anjou, France. Her tomb effigy shows her reading a Bible and is decorated with magnificent jewelry. An effigy is a representation of a person especially in the form of Sculpture. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin She was the patroness of such literary figures as Wace, Benoît de Sainte-More, and Chrétien de Troyes. WACE (730 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Christian radio format Benoît de Sainte-Maure (died 1173 was a 12th century French Poet, from either Sainte-Maure near Poitiers or Sainte-More near Tours France Chrétien de Troyes was a French poet and Trouvère who flourished in the late 12th century.

In historical fiction

Eleanor and Henry are the main characters in James Goldman's play The Lion in Winter, which was made into a film starring Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn, and remade for television in 2003 with Patrick Stewart and Glenn Close. James Goldman ( June 30, 1927 – October 28, 1998) was an American Academy Award -winning Screenwriter and playwright The Lion in Winter is a 1966 Broadway play by James Goldman, who also cinematically adapted it in 1968 for the film directed by Peter O'Toole (born 2 August 1932) is an Irish and British actor who achieved instant stardom in 1962 playing T Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12 1907 – June 29 2003 was an American actress of film television and stage Patrick Hewes Stewart, OBE (born 13 July 1940 is an English Film, Television and stage Actor. Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American Singer and Actress of stage and screen, perhaps best known The depiction of her in the play and film Becket contains historical inaccuracies, as acknowledged by the author, Jean Anouilh. Becket is a 1964 Film adaptation of the play Becket or the Honour of God by Jean Anouilh made by Hal Wallis Productions Jean Marie Lucien Pierre Anouilh (ʒɑ̃ anwi June 23, 1910 &ndash October 3, 1987) was a French Dramatist. In 2004, Catherine Muschamp's one-woman play, Mother of the Pride, toured the UK with Eileen Page in the title role. In 2005, Chapelle Jaffe played the same part in Toronto.

The character "Queen Elinor" appears in William Shakespeare's King John, along with other members of the family. William Shakespeare ( baptised The Life and Death of King John, a history play by William Shakespeare, dramatizes the reign of King John of England (ruled 1199&ndash1216

She figures prominently in Sharon Kay Penman's novels, When Christ And His Saints Slept, Time and Chance, and Devil's Brood. Sharon Kay Penman (b August 13, 1945 in New York) is an American Historical novelist of Anglo-Irish ancestry Penman has also written a series of historical mysteries where she, in old age, sends a trusted servant to unravel various puzzles.

Ancestry

Children

With Louis VII of France:

• Marie of France (1145-1198), married Henry I, Count of Champagne
• Alix of France (1151-1198), married Theobald V, Count of Blois

With Henry II of England:

• William, Count of Poitiers (1153-1156)
• Henry the Young King (1155-1183), married Marguerite of France
• Matilda of England (1156-1189), married Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony
• Richard the Lionheart (1157-1199), king of England, married Berengaria of Navarre
• Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany (1158-1186), married Constance, Duchess of Brittany
• Leonora of England (1162-1214), married Alfonso VIII of Castile
• Joan of England (1165-1199), married William II of Sicily and then Raymond VI of Toulouse
• John Lackland (1166-1216), king of England, married Isabel of Gloucester and then Isabella of Angoulême

Notes

Biographies and printed works

• Eleanor of Aquitaine: Lord and Lady, John Carmi Parsons & Bonnie Wheeler (2002)
• Queen Eleanor: Independent Spirit of the Medieval World, Polly Schover Brooks (1983) (for young readers)
• Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Biography, Marion Meade (1977)
• Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Four Kings, Amy Kelly (1950)
• Eleanor of Aquitaine: The Mother Queen, Desmond Seward (1978)
• Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life, Alison Weir (1999)
• Le lit d'Aliénor, Mireille Calmel (2001)
• "The Royal Diaries, Eleanor Crown Jewel of Aquitaine", Kristiana Gregory (2002)
• Women of the Twelfth Century, Volume 1 : Eleanor of Aquitaine and Six Others, Georges Duby
• A Proud Taste For Scarlet and Miniver, E. L. Konigsburg
• The Book of Eleanor: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Pamela Kaufman (2002)
• The Courts of Love, Jean Plaidy (1987)
• Power of a Woman. Alison Weir (born 1951) is a British Writer of History books mostly in the form of biographies about British royalty Georges Duby ( October 7, 1919 - December 3, 1996) was a French historian specializing in the social Elaine Lobl Konigsburg (born February 10, 1930) is an American author and illustrator of children's books and Young adult fiction. Memoirs of a turbulent life: Eleanor of Aquitaine, Robert Fripp (2006)

External links

• The Eleanor Vase preserved at the Louvre Images of Medieval Art and Architecture
• RoyaList Online interactive family tree (en)

French nobility
Preceded by William X	Duchess of Aquitaine with Louis and Henry I (1137–1168)	Succeeded by Richard I
	Countess of Poitiers with Louis and Henry I (1137–1153)	Succeeded by William
French royalty
Preceded by Adelaide de Maurienne	Queen of France 1137 – 1152	Succeeded by Constance of Castile
English royalty
Preceded by Matilda of Boulogne	Queen Consort of England 25 October 1154 – 6 July 1189	Succeeded by Berengaria of Navarre
Preceded by Emma of Normandy	Queen mother 1189–1204	Succeeded by Isabella of Angoulême

!

The Louvre Museum (Musée du Louvre located in Paris is the world's most visited art museum a historic monument and a national museum of France The Nobility (la noblesse in France, in the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period had specific legal and financial rights and The Duke of Aquitaine ( French: Duc d'Aquitaine) ruled the historical region of Aquitaine under the supremacy of the Frankish and later the Louis VII, called the Younger or the Young (Louis le Jeune 1120 – 18 September 1180) was King of France, the son and successor Richard I (8 September 1157 &ndash 6 April 1199 was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death Among the men who have borne the title of Count of Poitiers (or Poitou, in what is now France but in the Middle Ages became Louis VII, called the Younger or the Young (Louis le Jeune 1120 – 18 September 1180) was King of France, the son and successor William (17 August 1153 &ndash April 1156 was the first child of Henry Plantagenet (later Henry II of England) and Eleanor of Aquitaine, born in List of Queens and Empresses of France Wikipedia_talkFeatured_lists#Proposed_change_to_all_featured_lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below Adelaide of Savoy or Adelaide of Maurienne ( Italian: Adelaide di Savoia or Adelasia di Moriana, French: Adélaïde or See also List of French monarchs This is a list of the women who have been Queens consort or Empresses consort of the realm of France. The Kings of Wessex, who conquered Kent and Sussex from Mercia in 825 became increasingly dominant over the other kingdoms of England during Matilda I or Maud (1105? &ndash 3 May, 1152) was Suo jure Countess of Boulogne. See also List of English monarchs. The English royal consorts were the spouses of the reigning monarchs of the Kingdom of England Events 1147 - The Portuguese, under Afonso I, and Crusaders from England and Flanders conquer Lisbon after a Events 1044 - The Battle of Ménfő takes place 1189 - Richard the Lionheart is crowned King of England Berengaria (Berenguela Bérengère c 1165-1170 – 23 December 1230 was the eldest daughter of Sancho VI of Navarre and Sancha of Castile Emma (c 985&ndash March 6, 1052 in Winchester, Hampshire) was daughter of Richard the Fearless, Duke of Normandy, by Queen mother is defined as "a Queen dowager who is the mother of the reigning sovereign" Isabella of Angoulême ( Fr Isabelle d'Angoulême; (1188 &ndash May 31, 1246) was Countess of Angoulême and Queen consort

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