Eleanor of Aquitaine (circa 1122 – 1204) is alternately queen of France, then of England. It plays an important political role in the West, especially with regard to relations between the two countries.
Queen of France
Eleanor of Aquitaine is the daughter of Guillaume X, Duke of Aquitaine and Aénor de Châtellerault. She received a noble and refined education, learning Latin, music, literature, horseback riding and hunting. In 1130, her brother died and she became the heiress of the Duchy of Aquitaine. In 1137, her father died and she was married to the heir to the throne of France, the future Louis VII. Eleanor remains Duchess of Aquitaine, however.
Louis VI, the king of France, dies a few days after the marriage of his heir and Eleanor. Eleanor was crowned queen of France at Christmas 1137. If she seems weakly involved in the government, she has influence over her husband. A daughter, Marie, was born to them in 1145.
Queen of England
In 1145, Louis VII and Eleanor of Aquitaine leave together for the second crusade, which will be a bitter failure. During the trip, the disagreements between the two spouses multiply. In Antioch, Aliénor is suspected of infidelity and the rumor of an affair between her and Raymond de Poitiers, her uncle and prince of Antioch, swells. The two spouses will return separately.
Back in France, they were briefly reconciled and a second daughter was born, but their disagreements resurfaced and, in 1152, the marriage was annulled on the grounds of consanguinity to the 4 e and 5 e degrees. Eight weeks later, she married in Poitiers Henri Plantagenêt, future king of England, ten years her junior. On December 19, 1154, they were crowned King and Queen of England. In thirteen years, they will have eight children.
The first two years, Aliénor establishes his authority. She follows her husband on his travels and represents him when he cannot travel. Between 1167 and 1173, she began to make important decisions. Despite her sulphurous reputation, she seems overwhelmed by her husband's numerous infidelities.
The plot
In 1173, Eleanor of Aquitaine weaves the plot which raises his sons Richard, Geoffroy and Henri le Jeune against their father. This revolt is supported by Louis VII, King of Scotland William I st and powerful English barons. Eleanor hopes to regain power from her but she is captured and Richard ends up rallying his father. She was imprisoned for almost fifteen years.
After the death of Henry II in 1189, she was released on the orders of the new king, his son Richard the Lionheart. She rules England in his name until early 1191. When he is captured, on his return from the Third Crusade, she collects the ransom to set him free. When Richard died in 1199, she sided with her youngest son John and, at age 77, traveled through France to find allies for him.
In March 1204, ill, Eleanor of Aquitaine died in Poitiers, at the age of 82.
Useful links
Aliénor d'Aquitaine's Wikipedia page
A site dedicated to Aliénor d'Aquitaine