Copyright 2023 History Today Ltd. Company no. Here they were ambushed by a Turkish detachment, but the French proceeded to slaughter this detachment and appropriate their camp. Eleanor of Aquitaine, also called Eleanor of Guyenne, French lonore or Alinor, d'Aquitaine or de Guyenne, (born c. 1122died April 1, 1204, Fontevrault, Anjou, France), queen consort of both Louis VII of France (1137-52) and Henry II of England (1152-1204) and mother of Richard I (the Lion-Heart) and John of England. There is, I think, so much more to their story than we usually allow. The marriage took most people by surprise. Dismayed at her attitude, Bernard scolded Eleanor for her lack of penitence and interference in matters of state. [9] Some believe that Eleanor's court in Poitiers was the "Court of Love" where Eleanor and her daughter Marie meshed and encouraged the ideas of troubadours, chivalry, and courtly love into a single court. Her fatherWilliam X,. A bitter feud arose between the king and Thomas Becket, initially his chancellor and closest adviser and later the archbishop of Canterbury. Others were not so fortunate: "No aid came from Heaven, except that night fell. When war broke out between John and Philip, Eleanor declared her support for John and set out from Fontevraud to her capital Poitiers to prevent her grandson Arthur I, Duke of Brittany, posthumous son of Eleanor's son Geoffrey and John's rival for the English throne, from taking control. Eleanor of Aquitaine also formally took up the cross symbolic of the Second Crusade during a sermon preached by Bernard of Clairvaux. By all accounts, Eleanor's father ensured that she had the best possible education. Louis's subsequent siege of Damascus in 1148 with his remaining army, reinforced by Conrad and Baldwin III of Jerusalem, achieved little. [4] There was, however, another prominent Eleanor before herEleanor of Normandy, an aunt of William the Conqueror, who lived a century earlier than Eleanor of Aquitaine. She seems to have exerted a great deal of influence over Louis, something his councillors and courtiers resented. Nevertheless, rumours persisted, perhaps assisted by Henry's camp, that Eleanor had poisoned Rosamund. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Ive asked author and historian Matthew Lewis to be a guest today. The Lion in Winter will be directed by Tom Hollis. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Eleanor then returned to Fontevraud where she took the veil as a nun. If you will promise to do this, I in return promise to entreat the merciful Lord to grant you offspring." Her four-year-old brother William Aigret and their mother died at the castle of Talmont on Aquitaine's Atlantic coast in the spring of 1130. Their daughters were declared legitimate, custody was awarded to Louis, and Eleanor's lands were restored to her. Her seal of c.1152 shows a woman with a slender figure, but this is probably an impersonal image.[9]. At a young age she was granted title of Duchess of Aquitaine, and by the age of thirteen/fifteen, on the death of her father in 1137, Eleanor inherited the Duchy in her own right. On 18 May 1152 (Whit Sunday), eight weeks after her annulment, Eleanor married Henry "without the pomp and ceremony that befitted their rank."[24]. This notorious affair caused a monkish scribe to transcribe Rosamund's name in Latin to "Rosa Immundi", or "Rose of Unchastity". When their third son Geoffrey also dies, Henry seems to want to spend time with Eleanor. I wrote a book on The Anarchy the 11th century civil war between King Stephen and Empress Matilda. 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 Champagne and ravage it once more. Contemporary sources praise Eleanor's beauty. The four published mysteries are the Queen's Man, Cruel as the Grave, Dragon's Lair, and Prince of Darkness. 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. At this point, Eleanor was 49 - already deemed an elderly woman. They had five sons and three daughters. Check out Eleanor Henry's Bio Now She was compared with Penthesilea, mythical queen of the Amazons, by the Greek historian Nicetas Choniates. A context for the female patron portrait of the, Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life (2008 edition), "Eleanor [Eleanor of Aquitaine], suo jure duchess of Aquitaine", Eleanor of Aquitaine: The Mother Queen of the Middle Ages (2014 edition), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eleanor_of_Aquitaine&oldid=1132445528, This page was last edited on 8 January 2023, at 22:51. Unencumbered by baggage, they reached the summit of Cadmus, where Rancon had been ordered to make camp for the night. Outraged, Louis swore upon relics that so long as he lived Pierre should never enter Bourges. Custody of them was awarded to King Louis. She may well have encouraged her sons to rebel against their father in 1173 and after that he kept her penned up as a prisoner in England until he died in 1189. This vase is the only object connected with Eleanor of Aquitaine that still survives. Later, at King Roger's court in Potenza, she learned of the death of her uncle Raymond, who had been beheaded by Muslim forces in the Holy Land. It also got Henry and his men out of England quickly and without trouble. In a matter of weeks, peace had returned to France: Theobald's provinces were returned and Pierre de la Chatre was installed as archbishop of Bourges. As the heiress of the House of Poitiers, which controlled much of southwestern France, she was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in western Europe during the High Middle Ages. According to feudal customs, Eleanor then regained possession of Aquitaine, and two months later she married the grandson of Henry I of England, Henry Plantagenet, count of Anjou and duke of Normandy. Inheriting a vast estate at the age of 15 made her the most sought-after bride of her . It is also speculated that Eleanor placed Rosamund in a bathtub and had an old woman cut Rosamund's arms. The daughters were Matilda, who married Henry the Lion, duke of Saxony and Bavaria; Eleanor, who married Alfonso VIII, king of Castile; and Joan, who married successively William II, king of Sicily, and Raymond VI, count of Toulouse. [9] Eleanor rode to Westminster and received the oaths of fealty from many lords and prelates on behalf of the king. She was portrayed by Mary Clare in the silent film Becket (1923), by Prudence Hyman in Richard the Lionheart (1962), and twice by Jane Lapotaire in the BBC TV drama series The Devil's Crown (1978) and again in Mike Walker's BBC Radio 4 series Plantagenet (2010). In 1167, Eleanor's third daughter, Matilda, married Henry the Lion of Saxony. [4] She also learned domestic skills such as household management and the needle arts of embroidery, needlepoint, sewing, spinning, and weaving. Their second son, Richard, lies at their feet, another restless Plantagenet brought to stillness by the greatest leveller of them all. He was joined by troops sent by his brother Geoffrey and Philip II of France. Its incredible how theyve stuck despite a lack of real evidence for them, and plenty of political motivations for seeking to undermine her. [29], There is no claim that Eleanor invented courtly love, for it was a concept that had begun to grow before Eleanor's court arose. Louis accordingly bolted the gates of Bourges against the new bishop. Her interest in their second son, Richard, was probably less to do with selecting a favourite child than with his having been conceived in Aquitaine and positioned to be its next duke. Accordingly, Louis declared on Christmas Day 1145 at Bourges his intention of going on a crusade. Whats a Ricardian doing at the wrong end of the Plantagenet dynasty? Eleanor is said to have been named for her mother Aenor and called Alinor from the Latin Alia Aenor, which means the other Aenor. [9] Even in an era when ladies of the nobility were excessively praised, their praise of her was undoubtedly sincere. Henry imprisoned her in 1173 for supporting the revolt of their eldest son, Henry the Young King, against him. A biography of Henry II seemed like a natural sequel, and when Henry bursts onto the scene, it is impossible to ignore the woman at his side. Eleanor recruited some of her royal ladies-in-waiting for the campaign as well as 300 non-noble Aquitainian vassals. This news appears to have forced a change of plans, for instead of returning to France from Marseilles, they went to see Pope Eugene III in Tusculum, where he had been driven five months before by a revolt of the Commune of Rome. In December 1154, Henry and Eleanor arrived in England for their joint coronation. [4] Eleanor developed skills in conversation, dancing, games such as backgammon, checkers, and chess, playing the harp, and singing. [36] However, during the French Revolution the abbey of Fontevraud was sacked and the tombs were disturbed and vandalised consequently the bones of Eleanor, Henry, Richard, Joanna and Isabella of Angoulme were exhumed and scattered, never to be recovered. This is Stephanie, your trusty page administrator and the trustee of Sharons social media. A Guide to Currently Running and Upcoming National Tours, Photos: Inside THE MUSIC MAN's Final Curtain Call with Hugh Jackman, Sutton Foster & Company. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. If that was the case, it was a poor return for her efforts when their sons continued to betray their father, even to his death in 1189. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Searching to find out more about Eleanor Henry? It seems likely that she sent word to Henry that she would be willing to marry him, and Henry, who was busily preparing an invasion of England when the offer arrived, dropped everything, and darted south. She was the eldest of three children. As such, I asked him to stop by and talk about his newest book, Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine: Founding an Empire. Although their sons and other rebels were swiftly forgiven and rehabilitated. Beautiful, capricious, and adored by Louis, Eleanor exerted considerable influence over him, often goading him into undertaking perilous ventures. Updates? [9] However, until a husband was found, the king had the legal right to Eleanor's lands. He shunned all majesty, preferring to send his Chancellor Thomas Becket to Paris to make a splendid, showy entrance to the city because, well, it just wasnt Henrys style. Eleanor, aged 12 to 15, then became the duchess of Aquitaine, and thus the most eligible heiress in Europe. "[33] Once her sons had left for Paris, Eleanor may have encouraged the lords of the south to rise up and support them.[9]. She was perhaps the most powerful woman in 12th-century Europe. Age Range Adult, Mature Adult Role Size . On the day set for the crossing of Mount Cadmus, Louis chose to take charge of the rear of the column, where the unarmed pilgrims and the baggage trains marched. Upon reaching Bordeaux, he left them in the charge of the archbishop of Bordeaux, one of his few loyal vassals. She was a key leading figure in the unsuccessful Second Crusade. [28], Some scholars believe that the "court of love" probably never existed since the only evidence for it is Andreas Capellanus' book. It was a sure sign Henry had launched the invasion without permission and this felt like the medieval teenage equivalent of being put on the naughty step. Just outside Poitiers she was ambushed and held captive by Hugh IX of Lusignan, whose lands had been sold to HenryII by his forebears. In December, Eleanor gathered her movable possessions in England and transported them on several ships to Argentan. Eleanor Henry has appeared on Broadway in 4 shows. Fans of medieval historical fiction wont want to miss this. The film is about the difficult relationship between them and the struggle of their three sons Richard, Geoffrey, and John for their father's favour and the succession. She died in 1204 at the monastery at Fontevrault, Anjou, where she had retired after the campaign at Mirebeau. [15], Louis's tenure as count of Poitou and duke of Aquitaine and Gascony lasted only a few days. Breakdown. He was ruthless when crossed and some of his contemporaries uneasily credited the story that his family, the Plantagenets, were descended from the Devil a tale that the Plantagenets themselves delighted to encourage. In spite of all these words of praise, no one left a more detailed description of Eleanor; the colour of her hair and eyes, for example, are unknown. Eleanor of Aquitaine was born about 1122, the daughter and heiress of William X, duke of Aquitaine and count of Poitiers. Omissions? In response, Eleanor broke down and meekly excused her behaviour, claiming to be bitter because of her lack of children (her only recorded pregnancy at that time was in about 1138, but she miscarried[17][18]). Eleanor Henry has not appeared in the West End, Pioneer Theatre Company Presents THE LION IN WINTER, BWW Review: ALL IN THE FAMILY: THE LION IN WINTER, CPCC Theatre Hosts Auditions for The Lion in Winter 9/14, CPCC Theatre Hosts Auditions for The Lion in Winter 9/13-14. Louis and Eleanor, on separate ships due to their disagreements, were first attacked in May 1149 by Byzantine ships. Updated: 1:34 AM CST Feb 27, 2012. She is an actress, popularly known for her appearance as Mae Mobley on 'The Help'. Borders and rights were often left deliberately in fuzzy, grey areas to avoid endless disputes, but Henry craved definition and certainty. Yet the existence and reasons for this court are debated. By this marriage she hoped to ensure peace between the Plantagenets of England and the Capetian kings of France. Pioneer Theatre Company presentsThe Lion in Winter, a fascinating look at two of the most iconic figures in English history. During Richard's absence, royal authority in England was represented by a Council of Regency in conjunction with a succession of chief justiciarsWilliam de Longchamp (11901191), Walter deCoutances (11911193), and finally Hubert Walter. The death of her father left her an unmarried teenager and one of the greatest heiresses in Europe. [26] Over the next 13 years, she bore Henry five sons and three daughters: William, Henry, Richard, Geoffrey, John, Matilda, Eleanor, and Joan. JACKSON, Miss. She had inherited her fathers 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. Eleanor's year of birth is not known precisely: a late 13th-century genealogy of her family listing her as 13 years old in the spring of 1137 provides the best evidence that Eleanor was perhaps born as late as 1124. It was a gamble that did not pay off, and whether through military error or betrayal, the Damascus campaign was a failure. Stephens oldest son died, his other son expressed no desire to become king, and Stephen adopted Henry as his son and appointed him heir to England. Her contribution to England extended beyond her own lifetime; after the loss of Normandy (1204), it was her own ancestral lands and not the old Norman territories that remained loyal to England. 2. Her birthplace may have been Poitiers, Bordeaux, or Nieul-sur-l'Autise, where her mother and brother died when Eleanor was 6 or 8.[8]. In the 2019 video game expansion Civilization VI: Gathering Storm, Eleanor is a playable leader for the English and French civilizations.[43]. The second had been made by Henrys younger brother Geoffrey. She was a patron of poets such as Wace, Benot de Sainte-Maure, and Bernart de Ventadorn. Eleanor had only one other legitimate sibling, a younger sister named Aelith (also called Petronilla). 0. A book rests on her chest, though in typically enigmatic style, we are left to guess what she may be reading. As soon as they disembarked at Southampton, Eleanor was taken either to Winchester Castle or Sarum Castle and held there. It was, at 75, perhaps her first real mistake. 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. Johns only victories on the Continent, therefore, were due to Eleanor. 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. Eleanor and Louis VII had two daughters, Marie and Alix. He proclaimed that no word could be spoken against it, and that it might not be dissolved under any pretext. In 1202 John was again in her debt for holding Mirebeau against Arthur, until John, coming to her relief, was able to take him prisoner. Norah Lofts wrote a fictionalized biography of her, entitled in various editions Queen in Waiting or Eleanor the Queen, and including some romanticized episodesstarting off with the young Eleanor planning to elope with a young knight, who is killed out of hand by her guardian, in order to facilitate her marriage to the King's son. Eleanor would well have deserved to be named the grandmother of Europe.. Queen Elanor's Confession, or Queen Eleanor's Confession, is Child ballad 156. Eleanor Henry was born in Los Angeles, United States. Ms. S. Berry, senior archivist at the Somerset Archive and Record Service, identified this "archdeacon of Wells" as Thomas of Earley, noting his family ties to Henry II and the Earleys' philanthropies. Little is known of Eleanor's involvement in these events. He was terrified at what looked like an empire the match created on his doorstep. Such disobedience was reportedly common. . Eleanor selected the younger daughter, Blanche. He even arranged for Eleanor and Louis to sleep in the same bed. She stayed in Normandy for six months. Eleanor was not. Eleanor C. Henry. From the moment the Crusaders entered Asia Minor, things began to go badly. The death of William, one of the king's most powerful vassals, made available the most desirable duchy in France. Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine: Founding an Empire, Matts History Blog Hopefully interesting snippets and thoughts (wordpress.com). Eleanor played a key role in raising the ransom demanded from England by HenryVI and in the negotiations with the Holy Roman Emperor that eventually secured Richard's release. My answer would be that understanding the end of a story (or at least the closing of a chapter) often requires knowledge of its beginning. In addition, having been close to him in their youth, she now showed what was considered to be "excessive affection" towards her uncle.[22]. The war lasted two years (114244) and ended with the occupation of Champagne by the royal army. On her chest, though in typically enigmatic style, we are to! On a Crusade Fontevraud where she took the veil as a part of their legitimate business interest without for. Thoughts ( wordpress.com ) such as Wace, Benot de Sainte-Maure, and Eleanor, aged 12 to 15 then! Where Rancon had been made by Henrys younger brother Geoffrey, things began to go badly assisted! 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