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. |
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Page 38
... Raoul of Vermandois , sene- schal of France , who was about thirty - five years her senior and was married to Eleanor , sister of Count Theobald of Champagne . Raoul , who was a cousin of the King , held wide estates to the north of ...
... Raoul of Vermandois , sene- schal of France , who was about thirty - five years her senior and was married to Eleanor , sister of Count Theobald of Champagne . Raoul , who was a cousin of the King , held wide estates to the north of ...
Page 39
... Raoul of Vermandois had now de- serted his wife and had finally decided to have his marriage annulled . At the end of 1141 Louis , who was almost certainly pressured by Elea- nor , found three compliant bishops - Raoul's own brother ...
... Raoul of Vermandois had now de- serted his wife and had finally decided to have his marriage annulled . At the end of 1141 Louis , who was almost certainly pressured by Elea- nor , found three compliant bishops - Raoul's own brother ...
Page 164
... Raoul de Faye , who is no less hostile towards you than usual . " This is in fact the only surviving evi- dence of Eleanor's attitude towards Becket . What is unusual is that she appears to have been influenced more by her uncle than by ...
... Raoul de Faye , who is no less hostile towards you than usual . " This is in fact the only surviving evi- dence of Eleanor's attitude towards Becket . What is unusual is that she appears to have been influenced more by her uncle than by ...
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Common terms and phrases
abbey Abbot Alys Angevin Archbishop army Arthur barons Becket Berengaria Bernard Bishop Blois Bordeaux Brittany brother castle Cathedral Chinon Christmas chroniclers Chronique Church court crown crusade daughter death domains Duchess duchy Duke of Aquitaine Eleanor of Aquitaine Emperor English father Fontevrault French Geoffrey Gervase of Canterbury Giraldus Cambrensis Guillaume le Maréchale heir Henry and Eleanor Henry's honour Hugh husband Ibid Isabella Jerusalem Joanna John's King Louis King of England King of France King's kingdom knights L'Histoire de Guillaume London Longchamp Louis's Lusignan marriage married Matilda mother Norman Normandy overlord palace Paris peace Philip Pipe Rolls Poitevin Poitiers Poitou Pope Queen Eleanor Ralph of Coggeshall Ralph of Diceto Raoul Raymond reign Richard of Devizes Robert of Torigni Roger of Hoveden Roger of Wendover Rosamund Rouen royal sent sons Suger Theobald took Toulouse troubadours twelfth century vassals Walter Map wife William of Newburgh Winchester Young King