The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 441 pages and is available in paperback format. Eleanor of aquitaine reads like a really upmarket historical novel and that is a compliment. Eleanor, of aquitaine, queen, consort of henry ii, king of england. Her father was louis vii of france, eleanor of aquitaines first husband, and her mother was louis second wife, constance of castile. 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. Weirs book reads almost like a novel, and she delves into the source material to come to interesting conclusions about eleanors life. Immediately after the wedding, the couple were enthroned as duke and duchess of aquitaine. Being one of the richest women in the medieval world probably helped. Apr 27, 2012 more twaddle has been written about eleanor of aquitaine than about most women in history, cleopatra and the virgin mary not excepted. More twaddle has been written about eleanor of aquitaine than about most women in history, cleopatra and the virgin mary not excepted. Eleanor was able to negotiate to act as regent in the absence of her husband or son and to control the aquitaine and the lands in france. Her book seen in her approach to this journey to press, p. Amy kellys book, eleanor of aquitaine and the four.
The daughters of henry ii and eleanor of aquitaine brepols online. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. The basic premise of the book is that after being raped by king louis on her wedding day and finding out ten days later that she had become pregnant, eleanor of aquitaine, who in this book is a whiny professional victim, turns to the handsome bernard of ventadour. No medieval woman was more controversial than eleanor of aquitaine. The main characters of this history, non fiction story are eleanor of aquitaine. There have been plenty of books written about eleanor, but my favorite one ive read recently is eleanor of aquitaine. The medieval and postmedieval image of eleanor of aquitaine, he works to destroy the myths that surround the life of eleanor. Wall painting of eleanor of aquitaine by unknown artist. Great grandma eleanor of aquitaine sierraridges blog. 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. Renowned in her time for being the most beautiful woman in europe, the wife of two kings and mother of three, eleanor of aquitaine was one of the great heroines of the middle ages. Filled with cool women from eleanor of aquitaine to ursula kemp, this book is a mustread. Eleanor of aquitaine article about eleanor of aquitaine.
You can encounter medieval queen eleanor of aquitaine in the french village of chinon. Eleanor of aquitaine 11221204 queen consort of louis vii of france, queen consort of henry ii of england, mother of king richard i of england and king john of england. Medieval and modern interpretations of this journey eleanor of aquitaine was a. She was probably more woman than either could handle. On 25 july 17, eleanor and louis were married in the cathedral of saintandre in bordeaux by the archbishop of bordeaux. First married to king louis vii of france, powerful churchmen in his court denounced her suggestive dress and sexuality. Recent research indicates that it was made for eleanor of aquitaine, the most powerful woman in twelfthcentury europe. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. Henry 1155 1183 the young king married margaret of france betrothed november 2, 1160, married august 27, 1172. The patriarch of the family, geoffrey plantagenet count of anjou, king henris father, is depicted on an enamel effigy at his tomb at le mans. Alison weir notes in her book, eleanor of aquitaine. She was sole heiress to the largest, wealthiest region of what is now france. This is inevitable, however, owing to scant records on this former queen of england and queen of france.
These books about eleanor of aquitaine are historicallyaccurate testaments to this strongwilled woman of the middle ages. Eleanor of aquitaine 1122 april 1, 1204 was a medieval firebrand, and no question about it. He even dispelled the longheld belief that a mural in chinon depicted henry. The innercape vair lining is the same as that of at least two of the riders on the chinon fresco and denotes the house of anjou aquitaine.
Eleanor is shown by harvey as woman whose motherly strength and power hunger are merely a facade. For all that she is the most famous woman of the medieval period, eleanor of aquitaine remains an historically elusive figure. Five years later he married the daughter of king louis of france marguerite, her dowry was the vexin region and henrys father king henry ii was keen to extend his empire. Eleanor of aquitaine 1122 1 april 1204 was queen consort of france 17 1152 and. Historys witches in the third and final book, history tells us that king richard was held for ransom after the crusades, and eleanor of aquitaine, the queen mother, and her other son, the evil prince john, force the povertystricken english population. Her second marriage, which brought southwestern france to the english king, affected the relations of france and england for almost 300 years. Eleanor of aquitaine by alison weir love eleanor, so interesting hated this book, it all about henry. Eleanor of aquitaine by alison weir overdrive rakuten.
She married her guardians son who became king of france. A renowned beauty, with a headstrong, spirited personality, she has been compared to cleopatra, the celebrated egyptian queen, elizabeth i of england and many others. Alison weir in eleanor of aquitaine, by the wrath of god queen of england. Eleanor of aquitaine lived a long life of many contrasts, of splendor and desolation, power and peril, and in this stunning narrative, weir captures the womanthe queenin all her glory. A life 1999 eleanor of aquitaine is my bestselling book to date. We use your linkedin profile and activity data to personalize ads and to show you more relevant ads. With astonishing historic detail, mesmerizing pageantry, and irresistible accounts of royal scandal and intrigue, she recreates not only a remarkable. Apr 29, 2015 great grandma eleanor of aquitaine by mark and peggy april 29, 2015 aquitaine eleanor of aquitaine fontevraud abbey king richard little did i know that in 2003 that i would be visiting the last resting place of my 24th greatgrandmother, eleanor of aquitaine.
The author of six previous books about english history, alison weir tackles familiar territory with eleanor of aquitaine. Eleanor of aquitaine 1122 1 april 1204 was queen consort of france 171152 and. Eleanor also appears briefly in the first novel of penmans welsh trilogy, here be dragons. Everything you know about eleanor of aquitaine is wrong. Eleanor of aquitaine 11221204, duchess of aquitaine in her own right and queen consort successively of france and england, was probably the most powerful woman in europe in the middle ages. Queen eleanor of aquitaine scholarworks boise state university. Literary interpretations of eleanor pace university. Is kellys eleanor of aquataine and the four kings a reissue of the 1950 book, or did she rewrite it. She lies serenely in company with her husband henry ii in fontevraud abbey near chinon in the loire valley. For christmas in 1183, henry is at his palace in chinon, france, where he has gathered his estranged wife, eleanor of aquitaine, his three squabbling sons richard, geoffrey and john and his notsosecret lover, alais. Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this eleanor of aquitaine study guide and get instant access to the. Eleanor of aquitaine peoplecharacters librarything. Eleanor, duchess of aquitaine was one of the leading personalities of the middle ages adn also one of the most controversial.
As in many other history books, william the marshal is throughout referred to as such. 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. Meades sounds interesting, almost gossipy like her book on jazz age women. The first edition of the novel was published in 1999, and was written by alison weir. Eleanor of teresting historical figure, i have a fascinating book about her life eleanor of aquitaine. Eleanor of aquitaine was probably the first truly emancipated woman. Kindle ebooks can be read on any device with the free kindle app. Deconstructing the story of eleanor of aquitaine the. A novel of eleanor of aquitaine by pamela kaufman in doc, rtf, txt download e book.
She was perhaps the most powerful woman in 12thcentury europe. 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. One of historys greatest women, celebrated by her contemporaries, descendants, and biographers, comes to life in this mesmerizing novel by bestselling author pamela kaufman. The next 15 years of eleanors life were split between england, normandy and her beloved aquitaine. It was the winner of the good book guide award for the best biography of 1999, as voted for by readers in 100 countries. On richards death in 1199, it then passed to the youngest of their children, john lackland. Wall painting of eleanor of aquitaine unknown artist c. Engaged capital, thought to portray henry ii and eleanor of aquitaine.
On henrys death at the castle in 1189, chinon first passed to his eldest surviving son from his marriage with eleanor of aquitaine, richard i the lionheart. My thought on this book was that it is an awesome book to read as adventure and view of culture of her time. Living the history eleanor of aquitaines appearance or. Wall painting of eleanor of aquitaine by unknown artist via. During this time she produced another seven children, acted as regent when henry was away from england and played an active part in political negotiations. 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 lived a long life of many contrasts, of splendor and desolation, power and peril, and in this stunning narrative, weir captures the woman and the queenin all her glory. Eleanor of aquitaine article about eleanor of aquitaine by. The official site of author and historian alison weir, featuring news of upcoming events and book releases along with exclusive content from alison herself. Evans, lecturer in medieval history at central michigan university. Best historicalfiction about eleanor of aquitaine 24 books. Eleanors a fascinating figure, and makes a great character in historical fiction, but its damned hard to write a biography about her. Delaware county district library ohio scanned in china. 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.
Hardly a year passes without more legends being contributed to the already toppling towers of makebelieve. Marion meade has told the story of eleanor, wild, devious, from a thoroughly historical but different point of view. Little did i know that in 2003 that i would be visiting the last resting place of my 24th greatgrandmother, eleanor of aquitaine. If you find my eleanor of aquitaine timeline useful, download this pdf version. She has also written biographies of woody allen, buster keaton, eleanor of aquitaine, victoria woodhull, and madame blavatsky, as. The church compels abelard to burn his book, at soissons. It is more likely that she had red or auburn hair since a mural in the church of sainte radegonde in chinon which almost certainly depicts eleanor and was painted during her lifetime in a region in which she was well known, shows a woman with reddishbrown hair. Eleanor of aquitaine alison weir this book is dedicated with heartfelt thanks to my agent, julian alexander and to jill black who has edited so many of my books. At a time when women were regarded as little more than chattel, eleanor managed to defy convention as she exercised power in the political sphere and crucial influence over her husbands and sons. Eleanor of aquitaine, by the wrath of god, queen of englandeleanor of aquitaine.
She was born in 1122 on bordeaux in the country of aquitaine,1 having for a father the future duke of aquitaine, william x, and her mother aenor of chatellerault. She was beautiful, intelligent and wilful, and in her lifetime there were rumours about her that were not without substance. She ostensibly chronicles the life of eleanor, though the book also provides a tableau of 12thcentury europe. Eleanor of aquitaine led a remarkable life queen of england and france, participant in a crusade, mother of richard the lionheart, patron of troubadours, benefactor of convents, and actor in numerous court intrigues that decided the fates of kingdoms and helped shape the political boundaries of medieval europe. He intends to settle the question of inheritance and. Much earlier scholarly literature was preoccupied with her personal life, casting her as the unfaithful wife of her first husband, louis vii of france, or the jealous and scheming wife of her second, henry ii of england.
Could it be possible that eleanor was truly a woman. Learn more about eleanor of aquitaine in this article. Apr 27, 2009 we use your linkedin profile and activity data to personalize ads and to show you more relevant ads. In 17, fifteenyearold eleanor became duchess of aquitaine, a wealthy. Jun 14, 2016 there have been plenty of books written about eleanor, but my favorite one ive read recently is eleanor of aquitaine. While henry battles their enemies and lays his plans, eleanor is an adept acting ruler and mother to their growing brood of children. Prince henry was born on 11 feb 1155, the second of henry ii and eleanor of aquitaines sons. Other castles and lands were acquired by conquest, such as chinon in 987. Twelfth century folk did not jot down every passing thought. Although, when only fifteen, when her father died, eleanor was one of the most wealthy and powerful women in western europe. 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. With astonishing historical detail, mesmerizing pageantry, and irresistible accounts of royal scandal and intrigue, she recreates not only a remarkable. Eleanor of aquitaine is considered by many to have been the most powerful and enlightened woman of her age, if not the entire medieval epoch. Eleanor of aquitaine, queen of france and england, wife of louis vii of france and henry.