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 94
... later nicknamed " Longsword , " a name used in the tenth century by one of the dukes of Normandy . William's date of birth is unknown— he is not mentioned in the records until 1188 - as is the name of his mother . It is possible that ...
... later nicknamed " Longsword , " a name used in the tenth century by one of the dukes of Normandy . William's date of birth is unknown— he is not mentioned in the records until 1188 - as is the name of his mother . It is possible that ...
Page 139
... later Norman kings had added a range of royal apartments , a great hall , a kitchen , and a chapel dedicated to St. Edward the Confessor . Around 1166-1170 , Henry II ordered that Windsor Castle be rebuilt in stone . The work took ...
... later Norman kings had added a range of royal apartments , a great hall , a kitchen , and a chapel dedicated to St. Edward the Confessor . Around 1166-1170 , Henry II ordered that Windsor Castle be rebuilt in stone . The work took ...
Page 343
... later , Matthew Paris recorded that " the noble Queen Eleanor , a woman of admirable beauty and intelligence , died in Fontevrault . " However , the Chronique des églises d'Anjou states that Eleanor died at Poitiers , as does the minor ...
... later , Matthew Paris recorded that " the noble Queen Eleanor , a woman of admirable beauty and intelligence , died in Fontevrault . " However , the Chronique des églises d'Anjou states that Eleanor died at Poitiers , as does the minor ...
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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