Eleanor of Aquitaine: A LifeRenowned 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. 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. In this beautifully written biography, Alison Weir paints a vibrant portrait of this truly exceptional woman, and provides new insights into her intimate world. Eleanor of Aquitaine lived a long life of many contrasts, of splendor and desolation, power and peril, and in this stunning narrative, Weir captures the woman-- and the queen--in all her glory. With astonishing historic detail, mesmerizing pageantry, and irresistible accounts of royal scandal and intrigue, she recreates not only a remarkable personality but a magnificent past era. |
What people are saying - Write a review
User ratings
5 stars |
| ||
4 stars |
| ||
3 stars |
| ||
2 stars |
| ||
1 star |
|
LibraryThing Review
User Review - LibraryCin - LibraryThingEleanor of Aquitaine lived in the 12th century. She was initially wed to King Louis VII of France, but when they only produced daughters, they went their separate ways and Eleanor then married King ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - Chris_El - LibraryThingAn impressive woman. In an age frequently remembered for Kings, popes, and knights there were influential women who wielded power and moved the world. Eleanor was the mother of Richard the Lionhearted ... Read full review
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
abbey Abbot Alys Angevin Anjou Archbishop army Arthur barons Becket Berengaria Bernard Bernard of Clairvaux Bishop Bordeaux Brittany brother Canterbury castle Cathedral Chinon Christmas chroniclers Church claim Count court crown crusade daughter death domains Duchess duchy Duke Eleanor of Aquitaine Emperor England English father Fontevrault France French Geoffrey Geoffrey of Anjou Giraldus Cambrensis heir Henry and Eleanor Henry's Holy Land homage honour Hugh husband Jerusalem Joanna John King and Queen King Louis King's kingdom knights London Longchamp Lord Henry Louis and Eleanor Louis's Lusignan March marriage married Matilda mother Norman Normandy overlord palace Paris peace Philip Pipe Rolls Poitevin Poitiers Pope princes Queen Eleanor Ralph of Diceto Raoul Raymond reign remained Richard Roger of Hoveden Rolls Series Rosamund Rouen royal sent sons Suger Theobald took Toulouse trans troubadour twelfth century vassals vols Walter Map wife William of Newburgh William of Tyre Winchester Young King