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 100
... heir , who was baptised William in the time - honoured tradition of the dukes of Aquitaine , and styled Count of Poitiers.25 The removal of Eustace from the political arena simplified matters . Although he had a younger son , 26 an ...
... heir , who was baptised William in the time - honoured tradition of the dukes of Aquitaine , and styled Count of Poitiers.25 The removal of Eustace from the political arena simplified matters . Although he had a younger son , 26 an ...
Page 149
... heir and recog- nising him as the overlord of Brittany , to the detriment of the rival heirs of Conan III . He then invited Henry to Paris to receive the Prin- cess Marguerite . After the meeting , Henry rode straight to Brittany and ...
... heir and recog- nising him as the overlord of Brittany , to the detriment of the rival heirs of Conan III . He then invited Henry to Paris to receive the Prin- cess Marguerite . After the meeting , Henry rode straight to Brittany and ...
Page 155
... heir , should apply himself to letters , so that he whom we regard as your heir may be the successor to your wisdom as well as your kingdom.48 Henry took the point . It was customary for princes and the sons of the nobility to be sent ...
... heir , should apply himself to letters , so that he whom we regard as your heir may be the successor to your wisdom as well as your kingdom.48 Henry took the point . It was customary for princes and the sons of the nobility to be sent ...
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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