Eleanor of Aquitaine: By the Wrath of God, Queen of EnglandEleanor of Aquitaine was a remarkable woman. She was an important factor in the reign of four kings, lived to the ripe old age of 82, bore 10 children and outlived all but two of them. Her sons were kings of England and her daughters queens of Castile and Sicily, while her later descendants included a Holy Roman emperor and kings of France and Spain, as well as a couple of saints. In an age of men, she was indeed a powerful woman. Born in 1122 into the sophisticated and cultured court of Poitiers, Eleanor of Aquitaine came of age in a world of luxury, bloody combat, and unbridled ambition. At only fifteen, she inherited one of the great fortunes of Europe - the prize duchy of Aquitaine - yet was forced to submit to a union with the handsome but sexually withholding Louis VII, the teenage king of France. The marriage endured for fifteen fraught years, until Eleanor finally succeeded in having it annulled - only to enter an even stormier match with Henry of Anjou, who would soon ascend to the English throne as Henry II. With astonishing historic detail, mesmerizing pageantry, and irresistible accounts of royal scandal and intrigue, Weir re-creates not only a remarkable personality, but a magnificent past era. As Weir traces the fascinating intersection of public and private lives in Europe's twelfth-century courts, Eleanor comes to life as a complex, boldly original woman who transcended the mores of society. Later, after sixteen years of imprisonment for plotting to overthrow Henry, the humbled Queen emerged, at age sixty-seven, to rule England. "From the Trade Paperback edition." |
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Page 130
... England . Inheriting the crown of England placed Henry , at the age of just twenty - one , on an equal footing with his rival , King Louis , yet he was by far the richer of the two in lands and resources , for his empire now extended ...
... England . Inheriting the crown of England placed Henry , at the age of just twenty - one , on an equal footing with his rival , King Louis , yet he was by far the richer of the two in lands and resources , for his empire now extended ...
Page 186
... England . Becket further commanded the Bishop to excommunicate all those clergy who took part in the coronation . In ignorance of the fact that the Bishop was in league with his enemies , Henry ordered him to attend the coronation ...
... England . Becket further commanded the Bishop to excommunicate all those clergy who took part in the coronation . In ignorance of the fact that the Bishop was in league with his enemies , Henry ordered him to attend the coronation ...
Page 191
... England , confirming that the Archbishop's return had his approval : Henry , King of England , to his son , Henry , King of England , greeting . May you know that Thomas , Archbishop of Canterbury , has made peace with me in accordance ...
... England , confirming that the Archbishop's return had his approval : Henry , King of England , to his son , Henry , King of England , greeting . May you know that Thomas , Archbishop of Canterbury , has made peace with me in accordance ...
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Common terms and phrases
abbey Angevin Anjou Aquitaine Archbishop army arrived Arthur barons became Becket Bishop Brittany brother called Canterbury castle Cathedral century Christmas chroniclers Church claim Count Count of Anjou court Cross crown crusade daughter death Duke early Eleanor Emperor England English evidence fact father followed Fontevrault force France French Geoffrey Giraldus given hand heir held Henry Henry's Herbert of Bosham Holy household Hugh husband Ibid Italy John King's kingdom knights known lands later leaving letters lived London Lord Louis Lusignan March marriage married mother never Normandy once Paris peace Philip Poitiers Poitou Pope probably Queen Ralph of Diceto received record refused remained Richard Robert Roger of Hoveden Rouen royal rule seems sent sons soon suggests took Toulouse travelled vassals Walter wife women wrote Young King