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1122-1204
Scandal surrounded Eleanor’s family long before her birth, beginning with her Grandfather William of Aquitaine’s torrid affair with the wife of one of his vassals, ironically named Dangerosa. (Don’t you just LOVE that?) Dangerosa slyly suggested to William that his son marry her daughter Aenor. In 1122, William’s son (also, called William) and Aenor became the parents of a daughter they named Eleanor. Most women in the 12th century were merely taught domestic skills rather than offered a formal education. It was thought women of this period would waste reading and writing abilities on composing love letters and, get this, reading promiscuous romances. For shame! Eleanor, however, was a lucky exception. Her father, William ensured she received a formal education; she not only learned to read, but was also well versed in Latin. There is however, no indication that she learned to write. Why write when you have servants to do it for you…hmmm? It is also certain Eleanor received instruction in needlework and other domestic skills, but appeared to prefer the outdoors. She learned to ride while very young and enjoyed hawking, actually keeping some of her own falcons. On Eleanor’s 14th birthday, William’s
vassals swore fealty to her as heiress to Poitou, Aquitaine, and Gascony.
Her father, afraid for his wealthy daughter’s, safety made Eleanor
a ward of Louis VI, with the intention she would marry his son, Louis
VII. When William died suddenly, he left Eleanor’s domains to Louis
VI and asked her marriage be arranged immediately. At 15, she gained all her titles. And all teenagers get
now is their Learner’s Permit! As per William’s request, Louis VI arranged marriage
between his son, Louis VII, and Eleanor.
Whereas Louis VI was a forceful and very successful ruler,
Louis VII was better suited for life as a monk in an abbey.
He was a dutiful son however and did not question his father’s
plans for this marriage. The wedding was a lavish affair. Eleanor,
in keeping with her position, wore a beautiful, scarlet gown for
her wedding and gifted her new husband with beautiful
vase of rock crystal and gold filigree – a beautiful wedding present
Louis later donated to an abbey. Just where did his loyalties
lie? Louis was an immature prince in spite of being
a few years older than Eleanor.
He rarely frequented her bedchamber and although Eleanor did
eventually become pregnant, she lost the child to miscarriage.
She often felt neglected, and there was no heir in sight. Later,
after becoming Queen of France she eventually gave birth to her daughter,
Marie. It was during this time, in 1146 King Louis decided
to organize a second Crusade.
Eleanor shocked everyone when she announced her intention to
take up the cross as well, following her husband on this military
expedition. Louis, bothered by the affect Eleanor’s beauty had on other
men, could not refuse her and leave her behind. Jealousy the green-eyed
monster rearing its ugly head?
During the Crusade Eleanor developed a kinship between she
and the King. Trusting she’d found a way out of her marriage, Eleanor
approached King Louis about divorcing and he sadly consented. In the meantime, Louis was still concerned there
was no heir to the throne of France. Geoffrey of Anjou proposed his
son be married to Louis and Eleanor’s daughter Marie.
Unfortunately, the offer was turned down when rumors surfaced
that Geoffrey
and Eleanor had ‘known’ each other If you get the drift? (Incidentally, Geoffrey of
Anjou also happened to be the father of Henry II, Eleanor’s future
husband number two.) In
1150, shortly before the annulment of their marriage, Eleanor gave
birth to a second daughter, Alix.
Louis was, of course, very disappointed it wasn’t a son. After procuring her annulment, Eleanor soon discovered
the dangers of being a single heiress.
There was more than one attempt by fortune hunters to abduct
her, but all that soon changed.
Upon meeting, Eleanor and Henry II (eleven years her junior)
felt an immediate mutual attraction.
Before his death, Henry's father Geoffrey, aware of the close
affinity developing between the two, warned his son against becoming
involved with her (Eleanor's reputation obviously
preceded her). Unfortunately Geoffrey's warnings had fallen
on deaf ears. With his father no longer living and Eleanor's annulment
final, Henry was free to marry Eleanor . It was rumored this was actually
why she pursued the annulment. Henry II and Eleanor were soon married
without a lavish ceremony. Not only had Eleanor annulled her marriage to Louis,
but she was married to his enemy now as well.
The Scandal!
Not long after their marriage, Eleanor finally produced an
heir, giving birth to a son, William.
Can’t you just see the smoke pouring out of old Louis’
ears? King Stephen
died shortly after the birth, leaving the crown of England to Henry and Eleanor. Thus
began the rule of the Plantagenets. Eleanor soon began fulfilling her duty as queen -- providing the King with heirs. Sadly, their 3-year-old son died from unknown circumstances. That left Henry, their second son, in succession for the throne. Eleanor was pregnant at that time and eventually gave birth to a daughter, Matilda and within another year, was pregnant yet again with Richard, who eventually became heir to Poitou and Aquitaine. She then gave birth to a a son named Geoffrey, a daughter Eleanor, a son, John, and yet another daughter, Joanna. During Henry’s reign, capital punishment was abolished
in favor of mutilation, but crime still ran rampant. Interestingly, fines were considered the worst of all punishments
and the people found Henry II truly an unfair ruler. Eleanor eventually
came to similar conclusions as his constant dalliances with other
women bothered her greatly.
Their love affair was definitely over.
During this time, Eleanor, along with her daughter Marie, kept
busy founding the rules of “Courtly Love,” a code comprising 31
articles or "The Rules" of the 12th century, if you
will. They even established a tribunal (of sorts) composed of women where men could bring questions. Eleanor
–the early Feminist?? Was she thumbing her nose at Henry for his dalliances? The tide soon turned for the King. Henry and Eleanor’s sons revolted against him and in turn, Eleanor chose to back her sons rather than her husband. As a result, Henry imprisoned her mainly at Winchester, but eventually moved her to the hilltop of Sarum, a horrid place where water was scarce and people suffered from chronic rheumatism. Eleanor was allowed one servant to tend her needs and although she was treated below her station her conditions were far better than the average prisoner. Richard eventually defeated the King and Henry died in 1189. At this time, three of Eleanor’s sons had already
died, including The Young King Henry, leaving Richard, The Lionheart,
in line for the throne. As King
of England, Richard freed his mother from her 15 year prison confinement.
Although Richard was thought to be homosexual, he was still
required to provide heirs. Eleanor took it upon herself to choose
his wife so he could fulfill these duties. Unfortunately, in 1199,
Richard died from a mortal wound without an heir.
Eleanor suffered great pain losing her favorite son. She called
him “the staff of my old age, the light of my eyes.” After Richard’s death, there was tremendous feuding over whether the throne belonged to John or to his nephew Arthur of Brittany. John eventually took the throne without protest from England. Eleanor refrained from direct political involvement, remaining content to dispense personal advice from Fontrevrault Abbey where she retired. She continually meddled in the love lives of her relatives, selecting advantageous matches for many of them, much as she had Richard. Eleanor of Aquitaine lived to the amazing age of 82 give or take a few years, an astonishingly long lifespan for the Middle Ages, outliving eight children and two husbands. At Eleanor's death, of her ten children, only John and Eleanor survived. In the annals of recorded history, Eleanor’s life will always be wrapped in secrecy, as very little of her correspondence exists today. Even pictures or paintings of her are likely just replicas of queens in general and not her true likeness. Unfortunately, much of her life will forever remain a mystery. ______________________________ Interesting tidbit: When
the Young King Henry died he requested his eyes, brain and entrails
be buried beside the gravesite his father had chosen, and his body
was to be buried at Rouen cathedral. However, the citizens of
Le Mans seized his body and buried it in their own cathedral!!
The Rouen citizens then threatened to burn Le Mans. The King intervened
and made them give the body back. All
this for a body! With no guts in it!! Biography and musings by Lisa Munoz
you'll find Romance Reader at Heart Home here:
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Alienore
of Aquitane (or Eleanor as we know her) was a rare beauty of her time,
quite an accomplishment by the standards of the Middle Ages considering
the difficulty of keeping one’s own teeth or preserving hair from
lice infestation.