The richest heiress of her time
Born around 1122, Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine and Countess of Poitiers was the greatest heiress of her time. She owned a large quarter of today's France. And this enormous territory, she brings it in dowry to her husband, Louis VII king of France. This marriage is the union of opposites that do not attract. Louis VII is austere, dull and bigoted, while Eleanor is beautiful, loves luxury and is quick-witted. Accused of adultery with her uncle, Eleanor, at her wits' end, takes out an unstoppable weapon: the annulment of the marriage since she and the king are cousins and the Church forbids this kind of union.
bigs territories... Which join the domain of the King of England
France will take several centuries to recover the territories of Eleanor who finally married Henry II king of England and duke of Normandy. Territories that the duchess put in the basket of the Bride. A marriage of love that does not last when the Queen supports the plots of her sons against a father she considers incapable of ruling. She is locked up before being freed at the death of her husband. Admirable for her political sense, she advised her sons before dying at a very old age in Poitiers on April 1, 1204. She rests in the abbey of Fonterevault which she founded. It is to Eleanor, who watered the court of London with her wine from Guyenne, that we owe the passion of the English for Bordeaux and it is also to her that they owe the king who is her distant descendant...
Eleanor of Aquitaine by Frederick Sandys, 1858, National Museum of Cardiff.
FAQ
Who was Eleanor of Aquitaine in the history of France and England?
Eleanor of Aquitaine was Duchess of Aquitaine, Queen of France and then of England, and mother of kings Richard the Lionhearted and John Lackland.
Why is Eleanor of Aquitaine considered ancestor of the kings of England?
Through her marriage to Henry II Plantagenet, she transferred the Duchy of Aquitaine to the English dynasty, founding the Plantagenet line.
What political roles did Eleanor of Aquitaine play?
She was a patron of the arts, a regent and a player in her sons' ambitions, intervening in royal affairs and the Crusades.
Where is Eleanor of Aquitaine buried, and what remains of her?
She is buried at Fontevraud Abbey, alongside Henry II and Richard the Lionheart. Her Poitiers castle, her manuscripts and her foundations still bear witness to her influence.
What was the most important period in the life of Eleanor of Aquitaine?
The years of his marriages (1137, 1152), his support for the Third Crusade, and his role in the transmission of Aquitaine to the Plantagenet kings.
Excuse our translator, he sucks and has a terrible French accent
