See more ideas about eleanor of aquitaine, aquitaine, king henry. And she retained the dutchy of aquitaine, duly delivering it to her second husband, henry ii of england. The daughters of henry ii and eleanor of aquitaine. Eleanor is the oldest daughter of william who was the tenth duke of aquitaine and was born in poitiers, france.
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. Best historicalfiction about eleanor of aquitaine 24 books. 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. 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. The names of few medieval monarchs and their queens are better known than eleanor of aquitaine, uniquely queen of france and queen of england, and her second husband henry ii.
She married king alfonso viii of castile in about 1177, part of a diplomatic agreement about aquitaines border. Eleanor of aquitaine eleanor of aquitaine and king henry ii. Though her reputation derives largely from earlier events. 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 1122 1 april 1204 was queen consort of france 171152 and england 11541189 and duchess of aquitaine in her own right 171204. Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
The marriage of eleanor of aquitaine and henry ii produced two sons, richard i the lionheart, and john lackland, who survived to succeed, between 1189 and 1216, to the english throne, the duchy of normandy, the angevin domains in the loire valley, and eleanors patrimony in aquitaine. Alison weir is the new york times bestselling author of the novels innocent traitor and the lady elizabeth and several historical biographies, including mistress of the monarchy, queen isabella, henry viii, eleanor of aquitaine, the life of elizabeth i, and the six wives of henry viii. A granddaughter of henry ii and eleanor of aquitaine, she was the eldest of her parents three children. Initially, eleanors life seemed destined to follow the same path as many royal princesses.
Publication date 2000 topics eleanor, of aquitaine, queen, consort of henry ii, king of england, 1122. Is kellys eleanor of aquataine and the four kings a reissue of the 1950 book, or did she rewrite it. Tombs of henry ii and eleanor of aquitaine at fontevraud cathedral. This tree is full of lines from numerous different people who all share one thing, a descendancy from eleanor. Marriage of eleanor of aquitaine and henry ii naked history. Sign me up to get more news about historical fiction books. Ironically, this only happened after eleanor had married henry ii and so aquitaine came under the jurisdiction of england rather than france. If you havent seen the lion in winter, you should, its a. Only their mother, eleanor of aquitaine, now freed from decades of captivity, remains to. The powerful territories of aquitaine reverted to its duchess and she happily left for her castle of poitiers.
This is one of the royal weddings where id love to have been a fly on the wall. Matilda, born the following year, died young and arthur, who was killed by or at least on the orders of king john in 1203. A biography of eleanor of aquitaine, discussing her early years in twelfthcentury europe, her marriages to frances king louis vii and englands henry ii, her unprecedented. Henry 1155 1183 the young king married margaret of france betrothed november 2, 1160, married august 27, 1172. In 1152, eleanor of aquitaine gave a sundial like this one to king henry ii of england so that henry would know when to return from the hunt for their love trysts. Eleanor of aquitaine is a fascinating and remarkable woman who lived in the medieval ages. The marriage of eleanor of aquitaine to henry of anjou and henrys subsequent succession to the throne of england created the angevin empire. Eleanor of aquitaine, queen, consort of henry ii, king of. Eleanor of aquitaine simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. As duchess of aquitaine, eleanor was of a higher standing than he.
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. The exact date of her birth is unknown, but she was raised in one of europes most cultured courts and given an excellent. Heiress to vast lands, wife to two kings, and mother to. Eleanor of aquitaine about 1122 april 1, 1204 was one of the most powerful people of the middle ages and the richest and most powerful woman in europe during her lifetime. E leanor of aquitaine was a rare individual indeed. Free shipping and pickup in store on eligible orders. These books about eleanor of aquitaine are historicallyaccurate testaments to this strongwilled woman of the middle ages. Henry ii died in july 1189 and their son richard succeeded him. Eleanor of aquitaine was the richest woman in europe and known for her love of jewels, so bling is good. Eleanor married in turn louis vii of france and henry ii of england, and was the mother of. Johns five children grandchildren of eleanor of aquitaine and henry ii in his second marriage are listed on the following pages. This is a tree thats specifically done by and for descendants of eleanor of aquitaine and her 2 husbands. She brought the province of aquitaine to england when she married henry ii of england.
Henry met rosamund at some point in 1166, and it is thought his publicly favoring rosamund was an attempt to instigate eleanor into requesting a divorce. Henry ii brought eleanor out france and into england in july 1174, keeping her imprisoned for the rest of his life. In addition, eleanor of aquitaine is more influential then king henry ii because her power and influence shown throughout the years outlived the power and influence he had even if he came on top. Eleanor of acquitaine was an exceptional woman, in that she changed the course of history for both england and france when she divorced the king of france, louis and eight weeks later, married the king of england, henry ii. Her father was louis vii of france, eleanor of aquitaines first husband, and her mother was louis second wife, constance of castile. Marriage may have gotten her into positions of power, but what eleanor did with that power was her own special gift.
Four or more generations of descendants of eleanor of aquitaine 11221204 if they are properly linked. She lives in surrey, england with her husband and two children. Eleanor of aquitaine 11221204descendants familypedia. Eleanor is supposedly my 26th greatgrandmother, in generation 29, with the impressive kekule number 445,479,215. As eleanor traveled to poitiers, two lords theobald v, count of blois, and geoffrey, count of nantes brother of henry ii, duke of normandy tried to kidnap and marry her to claim her. Her father was william x, duke of aquitaine, and her. Eleanor of aquitaine, queen, consort of henry ii, king of england 1122. After the death of his father, henry ii, and the early demise of two of his brothers, richard. As wife of louis vii, she ruled france, only to divorce her husband and marry henry of anjou, who would later make her queen of england. She had a younger sister called petronilla of aquitaine. Eleanor of aquitaine 1122 april 1, 1204 was a medieval firebrand, and no question about it. The tree is ever growing so check out often to see what new names have been added. Eleanor of aquitaine 1122 1 april 1204 was queen consort of france 171152 and.
Her career covered 82 years, a very considerable lifespan in mediaeval england, and what the. Eleanor of aquitaine simple english wikipedia, the free. Eleanor of aquitaines life reads like a soap opera, but though truly unbelievable in places, most of what we know about her is fact. The henry ii and eleanor of aquitaine book series by sharon kay penman includes books when christ and his saints slept, time and chance, and devils brood. How many living descendants of eleanor of aquitaine are.
She was perhaps the most powerful woman in 12thcentury europe. Andrew millard has calculated the probability that a modern english person with predominantly english ancestry descends from edward iii just one of eleanor of aquitaines 364 known greatgreatgreatgrandchildrenat 99100%. When christ and his saints slept by sharon kay penman. Henry ii died in 1189 and richard, thought to be eleanors favorite among her sons, became king. Andrew millard has calculated the probability that a modern english person with predominantly english ancestry descends from edward iiijust one. Alison weir brought her to life and as well as telling her story, she explained how her life as a woman was then in medieval society to how women are treated in todays society. She was married first to the french king louis vii and then to the english king henry ii, a marriage that produced the two english kings richard the lionheart and john. From 11891204 eleanor of aquitaine also was active as a ruler in poitou and gascony. Publication date 2002 topics eleanor of aquitaine, queen, consort of henry ii, king of england, 1122. Home eleanor of aquitaine king henry ii achievements influences early life. Richest marriage prize of the middle ages, she was queen of france as the wife of louis vii, and went with him on the exciting and disastrous second crusade. Meade does an extremely good job in writing eleanors biography and is able to let her readers get to know eleanor intimately. Not for the actual marriage ceremony, mind, but for the moment the ladys former husband found out what shed done.
The time of year she was born is currently unknown. Henry ii and eleanor of aquitaine series by sharon kay penman. Learn more about eleanor of aquitaine in this article. As eleanor traveled to poitiers, two lords theobald v, count of blois, and geoffrey, count of nantes, brother of henry ii, duke of normandy tried to kidnap and marry her to claim her lands. Mother to richard the lionhearted and king john lackland. Queen of the troubadours by jean markale at indigo. Common knowledge series henry ii eleanor of aquitaine. Henry and margaret shared two older halfsisters, marie and alix. 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. The daughters of henry ii and eleanor of aquitaine by colette bowie, 9782503549712, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Free delivery on book orders dispatched by amazon over. In 1189, after king henry ii died and her son, richard, came to be the king, eleanor was freed. Can you imagine my delight when, after doing genealogy for several years, i found documentation that one of my ancestors was a descendant of the dukes of brabant, and that they in turn were descendants of eleanor of aquitaine.
However, henry and eleanor eventually became estranged. She had five children with john and nine in her next marriage. Eleanor, queen of castile 1162 1214 was the second daughter and sixth child of eleanor of aquitaine and her second husband, henry ii of england. 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. See the complete henry ii and eleanor of aquitaine series book list in order, box sets or omnibus editions, and companion titles. The daughters of eleanor of aquitaine and henry ii boyd, douglas on. As queen of france, she participated in the unsuccessful second crusade. Eleanor was the elder daughter of william, tenth duke of aquitaine. From 1185, eleanor became more active in the ruling of aquitaine. Such an interesting marriage id love to know how theyd feel about being next to each other for eternity. Eleanor of aquitaine was, without doubt, one of the most important royal figures in the medieval west.
Henry began publicly displaying his great love and favorite, rosamund, in 1174. She was at the very center of the rich culture and clashing politics of the twelfth century. The story of that amazingly influential and still somewhat mysterious woman, eleanor of aquitaine, has the dramatic interest of a novel. Although academically labelled medieval, their era was the violent transition from the dark ages, when countries borders were defined with fire and sword. Shortly after, richard died so she supported her son john to take. Eleanor of aquitaine 1122 1 april 1204 was queen consort of france 17 1152 and. We use your linkedin profile and activity data to personalize ads and to show you more relevant ads. Henry had a copy of the dial made for eleanor that was inlaid with diamonds and engraved with the words carpe diem. When eleanors father bequeathed his lands, a clause stated that they would not become the property of france until eleanors son became king. Eleanor of aquitaines descendants through john, king of. Tomb of henry ii and eleanor of aquitaine, fontevraud abbey, france.
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