ELEANOR OF AQUITAINE (1122 – 1204), THE DUCHESS OF AQUITAINE IS ONE OF THE MOST CAPTIVATING WOMAN OF HER DAY.SHE MARRIED KING LOUIS VII OF FRANCE,SHE WAS TWICE QUEEN,FIRST QUEEN OF FRANCE THEN QUEEN OF ENGLAND.SHE WAS ALSO THE MOTHER OF THREE KING OF ENGLAND : HENRY OF YOUNG KING,THE RENOWNED  RICHARD THE LIONHEART AND JOHN LACKLAND.

Eleanor of Aquitaine, even at the age she was, was one of the most influential women in Europe.Queen consort of both Louis VII of France (1137–52) and Henry II of England (1152–1204).As the wife of King Henry II of England, Eleanor of Aquitaine subsequently became Queen of England in 1152. The couple would go on to have a very large and somewhat dysfunctional family, which included two future Kings of England – Richard I (‘The Lionheart’) and King John (‘Lackland’).Eleanor of Aquitaine was in her time the most famous woman in the world.

Eleanor was most likely born in the year 1122 in Southwestern France and was a member of the Ramnulfid dynasty. She was the eldest of three children and the daughter of William X, Duke of Aquitaine and his wife, Aenor de Châtellerault.Eleanor of Aquitaine, is considered the most intelligent Duchess of Aquitaine. In her childhood, Eleanor was crowned as the Duchess of Aquitaine, the biggest and richest region of France, making her the most eligible single of her generation. Later on, she gained the title of queen consort of France and England as well. Eleanor was well educated and responsible for establishing and promoting the courtly culture of chivalry and played a key role as a military adviser to her sons. She was married to Louis VII, King of France. During the Second Crusade, her relationship with her husband soured, and in 1152, they officially divorced. Shortly afterward, she married Henry of Anjou, who in two years would become King Of England. The royal couple had 8 children, five sons and three daughters. Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine remained heavily involved in the ruling of King Henry II's vast empire in France and England.In 1173, Henry's sons started a revolt against their father with Eleanor siding with her sons. Henry stifled the revolt and, as punishment for her involvement, confined her. Henry II died in 1189, and Richard II, the Lionhearted, became king.Another of her sons, John, rose against Richard along with the King of France. Eleanor supported Richard. Later, when her grandson tried to claim the throne, she supported John. She died in 1204 at the age of 82.This restless queen swept across the 12th century, changing the face of Europe.Endowed with intelligence, creative energy and a remarkably long life. Eleanor of Aquitaine played a major role in the 12th century, an impressive achievement given that medieval women were considered nothing more than chattel. Assets of brains and enterprise served her well in the chaos of the time; unrelenting hostilities between Plantagenets and Capets, crusades and struggle between church and state. They equipped her to advance civility in a ruthless era by promoting the songs of troubadours and the ideals of courtly love. Even in a century of imposing personalities the likes of Thomas Becket, Bernard of Clairvaux and Peter Abélard—Eleanor took center stage.As the queen consort of King Louis VII of France and of King Henry II of England, and as the mother of King Richard I and King John, she held the spotlight, wielding power over the most important men of her time. She was the daughter and heir of the imperious William X, Duke of Aquitaine and Count of Poitiers, who possessed the largest domains in northwest Europe, indeed larger than those held by the king of France. When her father died in 1137, she came into her inheritance and, complying with the dictates of a territorial agreement, at age 15 married the heir to the French throne. Barely a month after the wedding, King Louis VI died, thrusting Eleanor’s 16-year-old groom to the throne of France.Eleanor found court life as queen of France stultifying. Her timid, sweet-tempered and devout husband exasperated her. Formed during her childhood at the court in Poitiers where she was rarely disciplined and always admired, her strong ego impelled Eleanor to create a lofty royal vision for herself, one that did not encompass the subordinate role as queen of France.After a decade of marriage she was as beautiful and capricious as ever, but even more headstrong and domineering toward Louis. From 1147 to 1149 she accompanied him on the Second Crusade. According to Simon Schama in A History of Britain, while Louis took the cross to atone for his sins, “Eleanor went with him in a magnificent rather than penitential style,” adding, “Dismayed to discover that crusading was an arduous, pious business, she quickly developed an unhealthily warm relationship with her uncle, the slightly impious Raymond of Poitiers.” Raymond, apparently ensconced at Antioch for the duration of the crusade, aroused Louis’jealousy, which caused an estrangement between Eleanor and Louis.After a decade of marriage she was as beautiful and capricious as ever, but even more headstrong and domineering toward Louis. From 1147 to 1149 she accompanied him on the Second Crusade.Louis’jealousy, which caused an estrangement between Eleanor and Louis.Though at one time Louis had adored his wife, after 15 years of marriage he was willing to let her go for the sake of the Capetian royal line. She had not borne him a son and heir, only two daughters. Eleanor, on cue, illuminated her predicament, explaining that her husband’s infrequent visits to her bed accounted for the fruitlessness of their union. In the end, the marriage was annulled on the convenient grounds of consanguinity: Eleanor and Louis were too closely related for the church to tolerate.Although Louis was a pious man, he soon came into a 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. 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. Pierre de la Chatre was given refuge by Theobald II, Count of Champagne.Louis became involved in a war with Count Theobald of Champagne by permitting Raoul I, Count of Vermandois and seneschal of France, to repudiate his wife Eléonore of Blois, Theobald's sister, and to marry Petronilla of Aquitaine, Eleanor's sister. 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  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.

King Louis VII, (1120-1180) the Young,and Queen Eleanor  of Aquitaine.King of France Taking the Banner in St. Denis in 1147, 1840 (oil on canvas) by Jean-Baptiste Mauzaisse. The painting is presently on display at Versailles.Although the Second Crusade ultimately failed, the Knights Templar showed themselves as the most capable, brave and well organized military force in the entire Western world.

Eleanor was Duchess of Aquitaine and Countess of Poitiers in her own right after the death of her father when she was 15. Married to then had her marriage annulled from the King of France after having two daughters, Eleanor married the future King of England. In their long marriage, she was, at different times, Regent and prisoner, and she was involved in the struggles between her husband and sons.  As a widow, she continued active involvement. Eleanor's long life was filled with drama and many opportunities to exert power, as well as times when she was at the mercy of others.  Duchess of Aquitaine - She succeeded to Duchy of Aquitaine following the death of her father in 1137. Eleanor’s father made sure that she had an enlightened upbringing to prepare her for her future role as the Duchess of Aquitaine. She mastered various skills, including dancing, singing, music & literature and was well trained in riding, hawking, and hunting. She was also taught to speak and read Latin, although her first language was Poitevin.Her guardian, Louis VI king of France, quickly married her to his son the future Louis VII in order to bring the duchy to the direct control of the kings of France.Queen consort of France - Following the death of Louis VI, she and her husband were crowned King and Queen of the Franks on Christmas Day 1137. She held this title until her marriage was annulled in 1152.Queen consort of England - Her second husband, Henry II of England, succeeded to the throne of England on 25 October 1152. He and Eleanor were crowned King and Queen of England on 19 December 1154.Married: 1st - Louis VII of France, (future) king of France on 25 July 1137 at the Cathedral of Saint-André in Bordeaux, France. This marriage was annulled on grounds of consanguinity within the fourth degree on 21 March 1152.Married: 2nd - Henry II of England, (future) king of England on 18 May 1152 at Bordeaux Cathedral in Bordeaux, Aquitaine, France.In 1137.The Duke of Aquitaine passed away when he was on a holy journey, thus leaving the tag of Duchess of Aquitaine in his daughter’s name Eleanor along with the extensive lands making her the most eligible single woman in Europe.Following the dissolution of her marriage, Eleanor regained possession of Aquitaine and Poitou. This wealth combined with her loveliness attracted suitors well before the annulment was final, one of whom was Henry of Anjou (a domain bordering Poitou), soon to be known as Plantagenet. Most historians agree that Eleanor and Geoffrey of Anjou, Henry’s father, were sexually intimate before she met Henry. Schama notes, “It was rumored that Geoffrey of Anjou had personally verified Eleanor’s appetite for passion before recommending her to his son.” Be this as it may, 30-year-old Eleanor and 18-year-old Henry felt passionately attracted to one another. Henry’s unsurpassed physical courage and keen political acumen resonated with Eleanor’s ambition for power.Barely eight weeks after Eleanor’s divorce in May 1152, Henry stood at the altar beside this considerably older woman whom all contemporary accounts describe as a dark-eyed beauty, disconcertingly articulate, strong-minded and even jocular and not at all the modestly veiled damsel in the tower.” For her part, Eleanor was willing to look beyond her groom’s stocky frame, barrel chest and boyish freckles to his arrogant self-confidence and royal objectives. Though they may have had little in common because of the age difference, the pair shared similar backgrounds. “Their native worlds,” writes Schama, “were not all that far apart knights astride brightly caparisoned chargers thudding into each other in the lists or obliging their overlords by burning down the opposition’s manors.Two years after the wedding, Henry became King Henry II of England, and Eleanor his queen. Stretching from the Pyrenees in the south to the Cheviots in the north, their empire was indeed vast. Their Plantagenet offspring would rule England and parts of the Continent for the next 330 years, an era of insatiable royal ambition, family jealousies and territorial overreach.Eleanor also had a bad reputation and was known for less glorious feats. Amongst other things, she was notorious for supposedly having had an incestuous relationship with her uncle Raymond of Poitiers. In The Crusades: A Documentary Survey, James Brundage writes that a “dubious relationship  had sprung up between  Eleanor of Aquitaine, and Prince Raymond of Antioch, Eleanor’s cousin”. He does not clearly indicate the nature of said relationship but suggests they do not have the usual relationship cousins should have, either.Eleanor became the heiress presumptive of her father province at the very young age as her mother, and four-year-old brother passed on in the spring of 1130 and the only legitimate sibling left was her younger sister Aelith, also called Petronilla.Eleanor succeeded her father as suo jure Duchess of Aquitaine and Countess of Poitiers at the age of fifteen, and thus became the most eligible bride in Europe. Three months after her accession she married Louis VII, son and junior co-ruler of her guardian, King Louis VI of France. As Queen of France, she participated in the unsuccessful Second Crusade. Soon after the Crusade was over, Eleanor asked Louis for a divorce, as their marriage had only produced a daughter, Marie. Instead, Eleanor was forced by Pope Eugene III to reconcile with Louis, which led to the birth of Alix, another daughter, whose gender proved to be the final blow to the union. The royal marriage was annulled on 11 March 1152, on the grounds of consanguinity within the fourth degree. Their daughters were declared legitimate and custody was awarded to Louis, while Eleanor's lands were restored to her. Barely a month after the marriage, ailing Louis VI passed away on August 1, 1137. Thus, Prince Louis became the King Louis VII of France and Eleanor as his Queen consort. They were crowned the same year on the day of Christmas.During the first years as rulers, King Louis VII and Eleanor confronted power brawls with their own vassals the ‘Count Theobald’ of Champagne and with the ‘Pope’ of Rome.King Louis VII and Eleanor remained married for a few years, and Eleanor bore him another daughter, not a son placing more stress on their marriage due to the fear of being left without an heir.The marriage was doomed . Louis bowed his head to the inevitable as he faced increased criticism of Eleanor. On 21 st March, the Pope granted the annulment of marriage from consanguinity. The custody of their two daughters was given to King Louis VII, and Eleanor continued to rule the Aquitaine.After eight weeks of the annulment of Eleanor’s first marriage, she married Henry, Duke of Normandy and future king of England on 18 May 1152 without a big pomp and showed that suited their ranks.On October 25, 1154, Henry became King of England and Eleanor became his Queen consort after the death of King Stephen.Although the exact reason for separation was unknown, it is said, that in late 1166, Henry’s ill-fated affair with Rosamund Clifford became known to Eleanore and the marriage became terminally strained between the two. In 1167, Eleanor separated from Henry and left to her own lands, Poitier’s.After Eleanor had left Henry, she established a new type of court called the Court of love in Poitiers, where Eleanor and her daughter Marie encouraged the culture of Chivalry troubadours and courtly love that had a far-reaching impact on, poetry, literature, music, and folklore. However, the existence and motives of such courts are debated.The rumors about Eleanor being actively supporting her son’s plans against her estranged husband and suspicion to have played a role in the death of the Rosamund, beloved mistress of Henry were the reasons for her arrest. She was imprisoned for next 16 years in England.Having acquired the necessary skills in youth, she was very capable of handling her vassals and taking care of a kingdom's administrative affairs. She did not cower in the face of war. But what she could not do was control the wagging tongues and sexism that attempted to negate her power both during her life-time and after her death. And sadly, both of the men she married were just a little too obsessed with taking her inheritance  not to mention the fact that they both had her arrested.Eleanor was widowed on 6 July 1189. Her husband was succeeded by their son, Richard the Lionheart, who immediately released his mother. Eleanor survived her son Richard and lived well into the reign of her youngest son King John. By the time of her death she had outlived all of her children except for King John and Eleanor, Queen of Castile.

Married: 2nd - Henry II of England, (future) king of England on 18 May 1152 at Bordeaux Cathedral in Bordeaux, Aquitaine, France.In 1137.Two more strong-minded, forceful and determined people could hardly have been matched. Eleanor, who was about thirty, had already been queen of France for fifteen years through her first marriage and by her second she would soon be queen of England. Daughter and heiress of William X, Duke of Aquitaine and Count of Poitou, she was beautiful, wanton, capricious, sophisticated, highly intelligent and accustomed to having her own way. She had inherited her father’s enormous estates in her teens on his death in 1137 and her first husband, Louis VII of France, had been quite unable to stand up to her. She bore him two daughters, went on crusade with him and ordered him about until her infidelities and her failure to produce an heir proved too much. The marriage was annulled in March 1152 on grounds of consanguinity.

During a tempestuous marriage of nearly 40 years, Eleanor and Henry produced seven children who survived to adulthood, four of whom were sons. The oldest surviving son, known as the Young King Henry, died of dysentery at age 28 while leading troops in rebellion against his father. Another disloyal son, Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany, died a mysterious death in Paris, also at age 28. Eleanor’s favorite son, Richard the Lionheart, and Henry’s favorite, John Lackland, would both in turn inherit the crown of England. Throughout her childbearing years, Eleanor participated in the administration of the realm, particularly in the management of her own domains, Aquitaine and Poitou.Accounts of Eleanor’s activities at court in Poitiers reveal a softer side to this aggressive woman. Captivated by the romantic legend of King Arthur and stories of the knights of his Round Table, she filled the court with troubadours whose performances evoked King Arthur’s world a milieu of chivalry and courtly love. The precepts of chivalry held that women were to be silent, passive goddesses to be approached with reverence. Perhaps the troubadoursChivalry notwithstanding, circumstances anchored her in reality. Time after time her adult sons’ intermittent revolts against her husband lured her attention away from cultural pursuits. When her sons staged a rebellion in 1173 Eleanor gave them support in the form of troops and money. Indeed, some historians believe that Eleanor initiated the plot. She and Henry had long been estranged, the 12-year age difference proving an obstacle in the marriage. Eleanor resented Henry’s infidelities, particularly his blatant association with the fair Rosamund (a beauty much lauded by English poets). Yet more important than Eleanor’s resentment was her consummate ambition for personal power. She believed that with one of her sons on the throne, she herself would rule England.’tales appealed to Eleanor because of their contrast to her callous life of action.The rebellion failed and King Henry II held the throne intact, and for her role in the drama Eleanor was confined under guard at various castles throughout Henry’s kingdom. When her imprisonment ended with her husband’s death in 1189, Eleanor, undaunted at age 67, returned with a vengeance to public life. Schama points out that she greeted the death of Henry with dry eyes, and continues, With Richard a character formed by her own educated passions finally seated on the throne, she could assert herself again in the business of state.Her opportunity came on the heels of King Richard’s coronation, an event she stage-crafted with the fullest measure of pageantry. The Third Crusade was underway and crusading fervor had enveloped England. Yet Eleanor viewed the rescue of the Holy Land from the Turks as a distraction from the business at hand; the real concern, she believed, was not Saladin but the preservation of the House of Plantagenet, particularly in England. Against his mother’s advice, King Richard was determined to join the crusade, a decision undoubtedly fueled by childhood exposure in Poitiers to his mother’s world of chivalric idylls. Like an Arthurian knight, he would travel with courage and honor to rescue the besieged city of Jerusalem.King Richard was away for five years, during which time his mother ruled England as administrator of the realm, simultaneously thwarting the intrigues of his brother John Lackland in his attempts to seize the throne. Participation in the crusade did not account for Richard’s entire absence. While returning from the Holy Land he was captured and taken prisoner by the Duke of Austria. Characteristically competent and resourceful, Eleanor not only collected her son’s considerable ransom but also made the formidable journey to Austria to escort him back to England. King Richard the Lionheart died in 1199 near Aquitaine, besieging a castle belonging to a rebellious vassal.Because he died without an heir, Richard’s younger brother, and least capable of Henry and Eleanor’s brood, John was crowned king. From the outset of his reign, territorial wars against the Capetian rulers of France occupied King John. With typical political savvy Eleanor resolved that her granddaughter Blanche should marry the son of the French king, thus initiating peace between the Plantagenets and Capets. Amazingly, in 1200 when she was nearly 80 years old she crossed the Pyrenees on horseback to fetch Blanche from the Court of Castile.Eleanor of Aquitaine married Louis, son of King Louis VI. Barely a month after the marriage, ailing Louis VI passed away on August 1, 1137. Thus, Prince Louis became the King Louis VII of France and Eleanor as his Queen consort. They were crowned the same year on the day of Christmas.During the first years as rulers, King Louis VII and Eleanor confronted power brawls with their own vassals the ‘Count Theobald’ of Champagne and with the ‘Pope’ of Rome.King Louis VII and Eleanor remained married for a few years, and Eleanor bore him another daughter, not a son placing more stress on their marriage due to the fear of being left without an heir.The marriage was doomed . Louis bowed his head to the inevitable as he faced increased criticism of Eleanor. On 21 st March, the Pope granted the annulment of marriage from consanguinity. The custody of their two daughters was given to King Louis VII, and Eleanor continued to rule the Aquitaine.After eight weeks of the annulment of Eleanor’s first marriage, she married Henry, Duke of Normandy and future king of England on 18 May 1152 without a big pomp and showed that suited their ranks.On October 25, 1154, Henry became King of England and Eleanor became his Queen consort after the death of King Stephen.Although the exact reason for separation was unknown, it is said, that in late 1166, Henry’s ill-fated affair with Rosamund Clifford became known to Eleanore and the marriage became terminally strained between the two. In 1167, Eleanor separated from Henry and left to her own lands, Poitier’s.After Eleanor had left Henry, she established a new type of court called the Court of love in Poitiers, where Eleanor and her daughter Marie encouraged the culture of Chivalry troubadours and courtly love that had a far-reaching impact on, poetry, literature, music, and folklore. However, the existence and motives of such courts are debated.The rumors about Eleanor being actively supporting her son’s plans against her estranged husband and suspicion to have played a role in the death of the Rosamund, beloved mistress of Henry were the reasons for her arrest. She was imprisoned for next 16 years in England.On July 6, 1189, Henry II, the King of England, passed away and Richard I, his undisputed heir became the King. One of Richard’s first tasks as a king was to release his mother from prison and reinstate her to full freedom. Eleanor ruled England as Richard’s regent as Richard went ofEleanor retired from public life and took the veil as a nun at Fontevraud until her death in 1204. She was buried in Fontevraud Abbey next to her spouse Henry and her son Richard. f on the Third Crusade which had hardly begun as his father expired.