Eleanor of Aquitaine

Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the most influential and powerful women in medieval Europe. She was born in either 1122 or 1124 as the eldest daughter and heiress of William X, Duke of Aquitaine and Aenor de Châtellerault. She inherited the duchy of Aquitaine, which comprised a large part of southwestern France, when her father died in 1137. She married Louis VII, the son and heir of King Louis VI of France, shortly after. She became queen consort of France when Louis VII ascended the throne in 1137. She accompanied her husband on the Second Crusade to the Holy Land in 1147-1149, where she allegedly had an affair with her uncle Raymond of Poitiers, the ruler of Antioch. She also clashed with Bernard of Clairvaux, a powerful churchman who disapproved of her influence and independence. Eleanor and Louis VII had two daughters, Marie and Alix, but no sons. Eleanor sought an annulment of her marriage on the grounds of consanguinity, but was initially refused by Pope Eugene III. However, in 1152, after the intervention of the archbishop of Bordeaux, the marriage was finally annulled. Eleanor regained her lands and her freedom. She quickly married Henry Plantagenet, the Duke of Normandy and Count of Anjou, who was her third cousin and eleven years younger than her. He also had a claim to the English throne through his mother Matilda, the daughter of King Henry I. Two years later, Henry became King Henry II of England, and Eleanor became queen consort of England. She bore him eight children, five sons and three daughters. She was actively involved in the governance of her lands and supported her husband's expansionist policies. However, their relationship deteriorated over time due to Henry's infidelity and his attempts to control Eleanor's lands. Eleanor also favored her sons over Henry and encouraged them to rebel against their father. In 1173, she joined forces with her eldest son Henry the Young King, who wanted to overthrow his father. The revolt failed and Eleanor was captured by Henry II and imprisoned for sixteen years. She was only released in 1189 when Henry II died and her son Richard I became king. She acted as regent for Richard while he went on the Third Crusade from 1190 to 1194. She also helped to secure his release when he was captured by the German emperor Henry VI. She later supported her youngest son John when he succeeded Richard in 1199. She died in 1204 at the age of 82 at the Abbey of Fontevraud, where she was buried next to her husband Henry II and her son Richard I. Eleanor's legacy is immense. She was a patron of arts and literature, especially the troubadours who sang of courtly love and chivalry. She also promoted the culture and language of Aquitaine throughout Europe. She was a formidable political figure who ruled over a vast territory and influenced the affairs of France and England. She was admired and feared by her contemporaries and remembered by posterity as a remarkable woman.¹