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 47
... troubadour Marcabru to Paris . She had known him as a girl , for her father had been his patron and he had often displayed his poetic tal- ents at the court of Poitiers . Since then his fame had spread through- out Aquitaine and the ...
... troubadour Marcabru to Paris . She had known him as a girl , for her father had been his patron and he had often displayed his poetic tal- ents at the court of Poitiers . Since then his fame had spread through- out Aquitaine and the ...
Page 175
... troubadours continued to sing the praises of their ageing Duchess in their songs and verses ; Riguad de Barbezieux praises her as being " more than a lady , " while the notorious Bertran de Born , a troubadour and robber baron who was ...
... troubadours continued to sing the praises of their ageing Duchess in their songs and verses ; Riguad de Barbezieux praises her as being " more than a lady , " while the notorious Bertran de Born , a troubadour and robber baron who was ...
Page 193
... troubadour culture of the south was an inspiration to him , leading him to compose competent verses and songs in both French and Provençal . He loved music , and would sing with and conduct the choir in his private chapel.19 He was also ...
... troubadour culture of the south was an inspiration to him , leading him to compose competent verses and songs in both French and Provençal . He loved music , and would sing with and conduct the choir in his private chapel.19 He was also ...
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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