Eleanor+of+Aquitaine

**﻿﻿Eleanor of Aquitaine ** **//Duchess, Queen and Mother//** media type="youtube" key="kwRu2QRR6CE" height="279" width="416"

Source: 'Lion in Winter' (2003) Dir. Andrey Konchalovskiy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwRu2QRR6CE

// Duchess of Aquitaine and countess of Poitou in her own right, Eleanor of Aquitaine was a force to be reckoned with in the twelfth century. Her decision to divorce King Louis Vll and marry Henry ll destabilised the balance of power in England and France for over 300 years.

** Queen of France **



At the age of fifteen, Eleanor inherited the French domains of Aquitaine and Poitou from her father. Her great inheritance attracted suitors from near and far. Not long after her father’s death, Eleanor married [|Louis VII], the heir to the French throne. One month later, Eleanor was crowned alongside Louis as Queen of France. Louis decision to join the [|Second Crusade] from 1147 to 1149, was largely orchestrated by Eleanor. not only accompanied him on the expedition but was also the driving force behind the decision. Additionally, [|William of Newburgh] mentions that Louis could not bear the thought of leaving Eleanor behind so he resolved that he would take her along with him on Crusade. However, Eleanor and Louis soon became estranged. Rumours circulated about Eleanor conducting an affair with her uncle [|Raymond of Poitiers] and eventually, their union was dissolved using the excuse of [|consanguinity].

**Queen of England**

When Eleanor regained possession of Aquitaine and Poitou after the annulment of her marriage to Louis, she attracted many suitors. [|Henry Plantagenet] the heir to the English throne was one such suitor. Elizabeth Brown argues that Eleanor viewed the match in a positive light as “Aquitaine would be disengaged from Capetian control and would once more be truly sovereign territory.” Barely six weeks after her previous marriage was annulled, Eleanor married Henry on the 18th May, 1152 and two years later Eleanor was crowned alongside Henry as Queen of England. The following decade was dominated by childbirth with Eleanor bearing a total of five sons and three daughters. While she loved her children dearly she found political life to be more important. When Henry ventured abroad she would act as regent in his absence. However, the two quickly grew apart. Henry regretted the influence Eleanor had over him in state and military matters. When her sons rebelled against her husband in 1173, Eleanor provided them financial and military support. Eleanor believed that she, by replacing Henry with one of her sons, would be able to play a pivotal role in ruling England.

In response to her rebellion, [|Peter of Blois] wrote a letter to Eleanor stating that she had violated the “conditions of nature” by causing such a rebellion and if she was to continue her efforts to destroy the rule of her lord and king, “canon law and ecclesiastical censures” will be used against her. Unfortunately, Henry defended his throne and when he discovered Eleanor's part in the affair, he confined her under guard indefinitely. However, Henry's death in 1189 brought an end to Eleanor's imprisonment.

**1189 Onwards**



Richard’s coronation as King of England brought about an opportunity for Eleanor to play a pivotal role in controlling England’s political landscape. When [|Richard] took leave of England to join the [|Third Crusade], Eleanor exercised great power even though she was not formally invested as the administrator of the realm. She maintained the stability of the realm by preventing the attempts by her other son John and her grandson Arthur of Brittany to gain possession of the throne. When Richard was apprehended by the Duke of Austria on his way back to England, Eleanor not only came up with the considerable ransom but also made the long journey to Austria to escort him home. However, Richard, being quite ill from his imprisonment, died a few years later in 1199.

Upon Richard’s death, his brother [|John] became king. In 1200, Eleanor assisted John to defend the territories of Anjou and Aquitaine from her grandson Arthur of Brittany. In 1202 Eleanor was once again at battle with her grandson Arthur, this time trying to thwart his attempts to seize Poitou. This act was her final as she soon quit the spotlight and retired to the monastery in [|Fontevrault] and two years later in 1204 she died.

** References **