Jan 18, 2003 these twentyone chapters by scholars in various fields provide a fresh context for understanding eleanor of aquitaine s multifaceted career and reputation. Marion meade has told the story of eleanor, wild, devious, from a thoroughly historical but different point of view. 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. 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. This book is well worth the read, and alison wier never lets you down. These books about eleanor of aquitaine are historicallyaccurate testaments to this strongwilled woman of the middle ages. Eleanor of aquitaine queen of france royalty biography. Jan 22, 2012 i said last time that i would blog about some of the research books ive been using to write the first of my 3 novels about eleanor of aquitaine. Queen eleanor of aquitaine is sitting on a cloud surrounded by friends and family, waiting for the arrival of her second husband, king henry ii of england. Jan 30, 2016 dr evans interrogates the myths that have grown up around the figure of eleanor of aquitaine and investigates how and why historians and artists have invented an eleanor who is very different from the 12thcentury queen. 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. In this collection, essays provide a context for eleanors life and.
Apr 30, 2016 eleanor s patrilineal descent, from a lineage already prestigious enough to have produced an empress in the eleventh century, gave her the lordship of aquitaine. Evans, lecturer in medieval history at central michigan university. Finding a decent biography of eleanor has been difficult as many of eleanor s biographers tend to wander off into fiction and speculation at the drop of a hat. Thanks to a vast inheritance, she became one of the most powerful and wealthy women in 12th century europe. Eleanor of aquitaine article about eleanor of aquitaine. In this collection, essays provide a context for eleanor s life and. Twelfth century folk did not jot down every passing thought. Eleanor of aquitaine is a frustrating and difficult subject, simply because there is so little information to gather about her.
Her second marriage, which brought southwestern france to the english king, affected the relations of france and england for almost 300 years. Best historicalfiction about eleanor of aquitaine 24 books. Had i not first read marion meades book, eleanor of aquitaine, a biography, i might not be so disappointed reading weirs. Chapter 1 opulent aquitaine eleanor of aquitaine was born into a europe dominated by feudalism. Wife to edward i of england if this is truly a portrait of eleanor of aquitaine i will eat my proverbial hat. Amy kellyetms story of the queenetms long lifeethe first modern biographyebrings together more authentic information about her than has ever been assembled before and reveals in eleanor a greatness of vision, an intelligence, and a political sagacity that have been missed by those who have dwelt on her caprice and frivolity. Discovering queen eleanor of aquitaine is a revelation i have read very many excellent books about this intriguing woman and this a good book to get to know the real person behind the hype. I wanted to read more about the enigmatic and mysterious eleanor. Eleanors patrilineal descent, from a lineage already prestigious enough to have produced an empress in the eleventh century, gave her the lordship of aquitaine. One of marion meades problems, as she freely admits, was lack of sources. 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. Mar 28, 2020 eleanor of aquitaine, queen consort of both louis vii of france 1752 and henry ii of england 11521204 and mother of richard i the lionheart and john of england. Eleanor of aquitaine was one of the most powerful leaders in medieval europe.
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. But marriage reemphasized her sex which, in the medieval scheme of genderpower relations relegated her to the position of lady in. For saying this was a biography of eleanor of aquitaine, this book had surprisingly little information on the queen herself. She has also written biographies of woody allen, buster keaton, eleanor of aquitaine, victoria woodhull, and madame blavatsky, as. But marriage reemphasized her sex which, in the medieval scheme of genderpower relations relegated her to the position of lady in relation to her lordly husbands. Though the exact year and place of birth is unknown, it is speculated that she was born on either 1122 or 1124 in poitiers, bordeaux, or nieulsurlautise. Eleanor of aquitaine and the four kings harvard paperbacks author. Instead, it read as a documentation of the actions of her various husbands, sons and, at one point, thomas beckett.
Buy this book in print summary experts in five disciplineshistory, art history, music, french and english literatureevaluate the influence of eleanor and her court on history and the arts. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the summer queen. Alison weir is the new york times bestselling author of numerous historical biographies, including the lost tudor princess, elizabeth of york, mary boleyn, the lady in the tower, mistress of the monarchy, henry viii, eleanor of aquitaine, the life of. As if being the queen of both france and england wasnt enough, she also led a crusade to the holy land. You will learn about eleanor of aquitaine like never before. Eleanor of aquitaine and the four kings harvard paperbacks. 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. However, i was so enthralled by marion meades, page turning biography, i could barely put it down. 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. A novel of eleanor of aquitaine ebook written by elizabeth chadwick. She brought the province of aquitaine to england when she married henry ii of england.
She is a pivotal figure in the history of the twelfth century because of her lordly inheritance as well as the eminenceand political and diplomatic scopeof her marital rank as queen, first of. Venturing off on crusades, working in the government systems of both countries she ruled, and attempting to save her kingdoms through alliances made with her children, eleanor. Visit this page for updates about the book, information about this fascinating medieval queen. She was the wife of two kings and mother of three kings and she went. It is the name of a number of women of the high nobility in western europe during the high middle ages in modern times, the name was popular in the united states in the 1910s to 1920s. Everything you know about eleanor of aquitaine is wrong. Apr 01, 2018 eleanor of aquitaine 1122 april 1, 1204 was a medieval firebrand, and no question about it.
Eleanor of aquitaine served as queen of both france and england in the twelfth century, making her one of the most powerful women of the time. Finding a decent biography of eleanor has been difficult as many of eleanors biographers tend to wander off into fiction and speculation at the drop of a hat. Queen eleanor, independent spirit of the medieval world. In keeping with our theme of medieval british queens, lets look into the life of eleanor of aquitaine. Henry died long before eleanor, but his life on earth was filled with rather questionable behavior, and he has had to spend some time in helleight centuries to be exact. As daughter of the duke of aquitaine, eleanor was one of the besteducated women. Eleanor of aquitaine 11221204 has long been noted for her political and cultural achievements. The family of eleanor of aquitaine preface acknowledgments prologue a child in the land of love the devil and the monk. The eldest daughter of william, duke of aquitaine, eleanor was married to louis vii, king of france. Eleanor of aquitaine, queen consort of both louis vii of france 1752 and henry ii of england 11521204 and mother of richard i the lionheart and john of england. Dr evans interrogates the myths that have grown up around the figure of eleanor of aquitaine and investigates how and why historians and artists have invented an eleanor who is very different from the 12thcentury queen.
She was perhaps the most powerful woman in 12thcentury europe. Queen eleanor of aquitaine accomplished feats that most women in her day would not have dreamed of. Eleanor of aquitaine reads like a really upmarket historical novel and that is a compliment. So what do we need to know about this remarkable woman. Henry died long before eleanor, but his life on earth was filled with rather questionable behavior, and he has had to spend some time in hell.
Deconstructing the story of eleanor of aquitaine the. Learn more about eleanor of aquitaine in this article. Eleanor of aquitaine is a vivacious but scholarly book with extensive notes and references, giving an objective and rich account of the staunch eleanor, her feuding family and her complex and unstable world. Meades sounds interesting, almost gossipy like her book on jazz age women.
Eleanor and her court were also responsible for the development of courtly love, ideals and etiquette governing the courtship of knights and ladies, which. The awardwinning film, lion in winter, katherine hepburn shows eleanor s inner life during her captivity. In the twelfth century there was no concept of nationhood or patriotism, and subjects owed loyalty to their ruler, rather than the state. The awardwinning film, lion in winter, katherine hepburn shows eleanors inner life during her captivity. Eleanor of aquitaine and the four kings by amy kelly who provides an excellent lifeandtimes approach, and eleanor of aquitaine by marion meade who gives a feminist interpretation. Eleanor of aquitaine biography childhood, life achievements. Eleanor of aquitaine simple english wikipedia, the free. Eleanor of aquitaine article about eleanor of aquitaine by. Eleanor then became the duchess of aquitaine and, therefore, the most eligible heiress in europe.
A history of eleanor of aquitaine eleanor of aquitaine. The life and legacy of medieval europes most famous queen attempts to provide an unbiased look at eleanors life by exploring the achievements and trials of the duchessqueen and deconstructing the black legends and other compelling tales that continue to envelop her to this day. Experts in five disciplineshistory, art history, music, french and english literatureevaluate the influence of eleanor and her. Andrews, too often the legends that grew up around her name were taken as history. But her greatest influence, still shaping modern sensibilities, was her role as the symbol of courtly love, which was not a mere diversion for the aristocracy but a process of sexual initiation and transcendence that bore a close resemblance to indian tantra. Her father knew that both her life and her inheritance would be in danger at his death so, on the last day of his life, he dictated a will, designating his lands to his daughter and appointing. Eleanor of castile, queen consort of england daughter of ferdinand iii of castile and joan countess of ponthieu. Eleanor of aquitaine 1122 april 1, 1204 was a medieval firebrand, and no question about it. Eleanor of england, queen of castile 11611214, daughter of henry ii of england and eleanor of aquitaine. Eleanor of aquitaine was a major figure in the middle ages and a prominent figure in womens history. Eleanor of aquitaine and the four kings harvard paperbacks book. These twentyone chapters by scholars in various fields provide a fresh context for understanding eleanor of aquitaines multifaceted career and reputation.
Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you. Eleanor of aquitaine queen of france royalty biography and 4. Eleanor s patrilineal descent, from a lineage already prestigious enough to have produced an empress in the eleventh century, gave her the lordship of aquitaine. I said last time that i would blog about some of the research books ive been using to write the first of my 3 novels about eleanor of aquitaine. The medieval and postmedieval image of eleanor of aquitaine, he works to destroy the myths that surround the life of eleanor. Eleanor has remained a staple of storytellers for 800 years, yet according to owen univ. 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. She had a younger sister called petronilla of aquitaine. Eleanor of aquitaine and the four kings harvard paperbacks book book details. 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, also known as eleanor of guyenne, was born in 1122 to william, duke of aquitaine and count of poitiers. Learning about eleanor queen eleanor fascinated me.
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