In today's blog post we will learn about one of my favorite female historical figures.
A ruler in her own right to the Duchy of Aquitaine, this woman would become queen of two countries and mother to two kings of England. She went to war, made war against her own husband, and was locked away in a tower. The Woman, the Myth, The Legend: Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Aquitaine, a very rich and fertile land, is a region in southwestern France. It's name possibly originated with the Romans and their Latin word aqua, meaning water, since it boarders on the Atlantic Ocean. At one point in it's varied history Aquitaine was declared it's own separate Kingdom when Emperor Charlemagne bestowed the title of King of Aquitaine on his son Louis. After a while the kingdom fell apart and reverted back to a Duchy. Aquitaine grew into one of the most cultured courts in all of Europe. Eleanor's grandfather is touted as being the very first troubadour and the ideas of chivalry and "courtly love" supposedly developed in Aquitaine. Eleanor came from a long line of Dukes that had ruled over Aquitaine since the year 835 when the Ramnulfids led by Ramnulf I of House Poitiers took control over the lands.
Eleanor's early life remains unknown to us. Her name was originally spelled Alienor. Named after her mother, it meant "the other Aenor." She was schooled in housekeeping and needlework, but because of the urbane and sophisticated court at Aquitaine she was probably highly educated in reading, writing, languages, poetry, music, dance and a musical instrument or two. We have no factual evidence of what she looked like. No descriptions of her eyes, hair color or stature have been left for us. Even Eleanor's specific birth date is unknown but historians believe she was born either in 1122 or 1124. This would make her between 13-15 in the year 1137 when her father William X Duke of Aquitaine passed away. Eleanor's brother and the only son of William X and Aenor had died some years earlier leaving Eleanor, as the oldest daughter, heir to the Duchy of Aquitaine. Since Eleanor had not yet reached the age of maturity her father had asked Louis VI, King of France to become her guardian. Louis saw a golden opportunity to gain some of the most fertile lands in all of France and he quickly betrothed his young ward to his son and heir, sixteen year old Prince Louis. However, France would only benefit from Aquitaine so long as Eleanor remained married to Louis. The land was hers by right of inheritance and would remain in her name.
The Prince traveled to Aquitaine in the accompaniment of 500 knights to meet his bride. On July 25, 1137 in Bordeaux's Cathedral of Saint Andre, Eleanor and Louis were wed. After their wedding they traveled to Poitiers, the capital of Aquitaine, where they were crowned Duke and Duchess of Aquitaine. Louis VI, King of France had passed away during their travel from Bordeaux to Poitiers. After their coronations in Poitiers they rushed to Paris to make sure Prince Louis' right to the throne wasn't questioned. Eleanor, a young girl not yet sixteen, became a duchess in her own right and Queen of France all within the span of a few months.
It is generally believed that King Louis was so besotted with the bold and spirited Eleanor that he would do anything for her. He went to war against several important French dukes to gain lands that Eleanor felt should have belonged to her, he spent lavishly and even went against the Pope when Eleanor urged him to take her sister's side in a forbidden romance. Louis had originally been meant for the church and so was a very pious and cautious person. It does seem that for whatever reason he did have a bit of a personality shift after his marriage to Eleanor. Was Eleanor so charming and persuasive that she convinced Louis to go against his own character? Was he so in love with her that he would do anything she wanted; so enraptured that he took her with him when he went to fight in the Crusades? Possibly. But they eventually had a falling out and divorced so I feel this view is slightly exaggerated. Was she just a big nag and he did these things to shut her up? Possibly. I'm sure if we looked closely enough at the political gains that were to be gained from some of his decisions we would see it had more to do with continuing to build a reputation for France than for any crazy love he felt for Eleanor.
Eleanor gave birth to their first child, a daughter they named Marie, in 1145. The next year they both "took the cross" and made plans to fight in the Second Crusade to keep Jerusalem safe from the Turks. It is worth noting that Eleanor took the cross under her title of Duchess of Aquitaine and not Queen of France. This way the barons of Aquitaine who weren't loyal to Louis but were loyal to her would be bound to join the Crusade. Not many people wrote first hand accounts of the Crusades and even fewer wrote about Eleanor's part so we must take rumors, innuendos and implications with a grain of salt. Eleanor brought with her a train of ladies in waiting (some later accounts report at least 300 women), servants and baggage. Here is where Eleanor as a legend begins to take shape. A Greek historian writing some 50 years after the Crusade described Eleanor and her ladies as wearing armor and riding astride their horses like men. He compared them to Amazons and thus a legend was born. Here was a woman already famed for her beauty, boldness, quick wit and adventurous nature. Being compared to the Queen of the Amazons only heightened her fame and appeal.
Unarguably the undertaking of this Second Crusade is where her relationship with Louis, already fragile due to lack of a male heir, began to fall apart. No doubt the pious King of France took his role in the Crusade seriously. But what about Eleanor? Maybe not so much. Can you just imagine the scene of the procession as she rode into Constantinople and Antioch with her 300 women dressed to impress with armor and all the splendors of royalty. I think Eleanor viewed the Crusade as one lavish party and not the bloody, deadly war that it actually was. Eleanor was later blamed for being partly responsible when the French army was ambushed by the Turks and almost completely wiped out. In fact, when Louis and Eleanor arrived in Antioch in March of 1148, most of the French foot soldiers had been killed and the majority of his barons had died as well. In Antioch, the ruling seat of Eleanor's uncle Raymond, their relationship deteriorated further. It is not known exactly what happened while they were in Antioch. There are many rumors but nothing we can confirm as factual. We do know that Louis wanted to finish his pilgrimage to Jerusalem and that Eleanor was content to remain at her uncle's court. Eleanor also wanted Louis to help Raymond who was having his own trouble along his western boarder. Eleanor began to spend more and more time with her uncle and less time with Louis. Rumors later surfaced that Eleanor and her uncle were having an incestuous affair. As with every other legend about Eleanor, this rumor is just that, rumor. There is no evidence to confirm an affair, but then again there is no evidence to confirm there wasn't. Louis finally put his foot down and forcibly removed Eleanor from Antioch and continued on to Jerusalem. By the time Easter of 1149 came around, Louis felt it was time to return to France. The King and Queen set out for the first leg of the journey to Italy on separate ships. Eleanor's ship was captured by the Byzantines and she was held hostage. Luckily she was rescued by the Normans who were at war with Byzantine and was safely reunited with Louis. Together they made their way to Rome to pay their respects to Pope Eugene III. The Pope acted as counselor and tried to amend Eleanor and Louis' marital disagreements. He even issued a decree that anyone who tried to separate the couple would face excommunication.
Eleanor and Louis finally returned to France. They were reconciled long enough to produce another child. Their daughter Alix was born in 1150. But even the birth of Alix could not save their marriage. Maybe it was because Alix was a daughter when Louis clearly needed a male heir. Maybe given the time of Alix's birth and the rumors about Eleanor and her uncle, Louis questioned her legitimacy. Louis and Eleanor both agreed to have their marriage annulled based on the grounds of consanguinity (having too close a blood kinship). In March 1152, despite all the Pope could do to prevent it, the King and Queen of France were granted their annulment, leaving both free to marry again.
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| Seal of Eleanor of Aquitaine with flower and hawk |
Eleanor, not yet 40, was once again one of the most eligible women in Europe. As she traveled back to Poitiers, Eleanor evaded an abduction attempt by Geoffrey of Anjou while she was traveling to Poitiers. He lay in wait at Port des Piles, near the River Creuse, and would have married her had the abduction been successful. Eleanor was forewarned and able to escape his plans of capture. Eleanor escaped from another abduction attempt shortly after Geoffrey's failed. This time Theobald V, Count of Blois tried to seize her and her lands for himself. (Theobald V would later marry her daughter Alix) Eleanor knew that so long as she remained unmarried, her person and her lands were at risk. Eleanor set out to find a worthy husband and 8 weeks after her annulment decree from the king of France, Eleanor was married to Henry Plantagenet, brother to Geoffrey of Anjou. Although younger than Eleanor, Henry didn't seem to mind the age difference, nor did either of them mind they were more closely related that Eleanor and Louis had been. This seems like a hasty married, arranged way too quickly. Perhaps it was. Maybe Eleanor and Henry already knew each other and had already been planning their marriage for some time. They had met on at least one occasion when Henry came to court in Paris in 1151. Gervase of Canterbury in his Historical Works wrote that Eleanor "sent secret messengers to the Duke (Henry) to tell him that she was free again, and urging him to enter into marriage with her." William of Newburgh and several other chroniclers of the time suggest this claim as well. Henry was definitely a worthy match for the rich Duchess. Henry was the complete opposite of Louis. He was not very religious, enjoyed hunting and riding, was described as being bold and athletic and loved the ladies. He was Duke of Normandy, Count of Anjou and Maine, and had a legitimate claim to the English throne through his grandfather Henry I. The ceremony was very small and not very elaborate; almost secretive. The suggested reason for this is the fact that as Duke of Normandy, Henry was a vassal of the French King and should have asked Louis' permission to marry which he certainly would not have given.
On 25 October 1154, Henry did in fact become Henry II of England when Stephen I died without heir. He and Eleanor were crowned King and Queen of England by the archbishop of Canterbury on 19 December 1154. Eleanor spent much of her time traveling back and forth from England to Aquitaine holding court while Henry was busy waging war against Louis. In Henry's absence she spent money where needed, made charters and decrees. There is only one instance of Henry's nobles not obeying Eleanor's decisions. When this was made known to him, Henry rushed back to England to quell this small rebellion and any objections to Eleanor's rule were never voiced again.
Eleanor also spent much of her early marriage to Henry pregnant and giving birth to his 8 children. Their first child, a boy named William, was born before they were King and Queen of England and died at three years of age. Their other sons Henry, Richard, Geoffrey, John proved that it was not Eleanor's fault that she and Louis didn't have a male heir. Eleanor also had three daughters with Henry; Matilda, Eleanor and Joanna. Eleanor's marriage to Henry may have started out happy but their relationship too quickly became turbulent. They were both too much alike; too bold, too independent, too outspoken. Henry also had a wandering eye which later put a lot of strain on their marriage when he began to flaunt his infidelities openly at court. By 1168 their marriage had completely deteriorated and they were very seldom together. Eleanor seems to have stayed at Poitiers holding court.
In 1170 Henry II believed he was dying and had Young Henry crowned as co-ruler to ensure a smooth succession when Henry died. He divided the rest of his lands between his four sons. Richard would inherit Eleanor's lands in Aquitaine to which Eleanor had already agreed and been acting to promote. When King Henry recovered from his illness he decided that his land grants where in name only until he actually passed away. Eleanor and her three oldest boys disagreed. They felt they should be allowed to rule their lands that had been given them and not wait for their father's death to make it official. A revolt was brewing with Eleanor right in the middle. Young Henry fled to France where Louis supported his claim as current and rightful ruler, not co-ruler, of England. Eleanor entreated Richard and Geoffrey to stand with Young Henry against their father. Eleanor was pressured to end her part of the rebellion and reconcile herself back to her husband by more than one contemporary. Eleanor had no intention of returning to Henry. Instead she raised an army in Aquitaine to join the rebellion. Henry was the more experienced soldier and one by one put down the revolt in each rebellious territory. He made his way to the place where Eleanor was staying with her uncle Raol de Faye. Eleanor tried to escape by disguising herself as a man but she was captured and held as a prisoner at Chinon. Eleanor's part in the rebellion against Henry was over and soon her sons would be stopped as well.
For the next 15 years Eleanor would spend her life a closely guarded prisoner under house arrest. Henry made a few moves toward divorce so that he could marry his long time mistress. This would have been a critical hit for Eleanor. She was in her early 50s and would no longer be such a marriageable prize as she was when she and Louis divorced. Once again rumors on Eleanor's part reared their head. Henry revived an old rumor that Eleanor had an affair with his own father years before they were married. And when Henry's mistress suddenly died, Eleanor was rumored to have poisoned her. These rumors of course have no basis in fact.
Eleanor and Henry's sons fought each other for years over land. Young Henry resented that Richard had more power as Duke of Aquitaine than he had as co-king of England and tried to take Aquitaine from Richard. Henry retrieved Eleanor from house arrest and sent her to treat with her sons. He gave her back full rights to Aquitaine hoping that Richard wouldn't fight his own mother. Ultimately it was the death of Young Henry that ended the fighting. When Geoffrey unexpectedly died Henry II tried to give away his territories John the youngest son, leaving Richard out. Richard once more went to war against his father. This rebellion ended with King Henry II himself dying. Upon Henry's death, Richard the Lionheart, became king of England. Richard released his mother and have her power over England. She also set free many others who had been imprisoned by Henry for political reasons.
King Richard was crowned in September 1189 with his mother Eleanor by his side. A well known prophecy supposedly spoken by the magician Merlin himself became associated with Eleanor even while she was held captive by Henry. The prophecy was written down and circulated by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his The History of the Kings of Britain. The prophecy refers to an eagle from a broken alliance rejoicing in its third brood. Many believed the eagle to represent Eleanor and the "third brood" to reference her third son Richard who set her free from captivity to reign once more as Queen. Soon after Richard was crowned king of England he took the cross himself and set off on the Third Crusade. Eleanor was left in control of Aquitaine and a the right to exercise power over the Council of Regency that Richard left to govern England. Eleanor and Richard had worked together to secure a marriage for him with Berengaria of Navarre. While Richard was away, his brother John was working to undermine his authority and take England for himself. Eleanor wrote to Richard urging him to return home. Richard did as his mother bid but was captured on his way home and held captive for two years by Henry Vi, Holy Roman Emperor. Meanwhile Eleanor could not keep John under control and he was able to seize power.
Eleanor worked with the Barons that remained loyal to Richard to help them take back some of the castles and territories taken by John but her main concern was raising funds to pay a ransom to set Richard free from his captivity. She traveled all over gaining the money and support for Richard. When she finally had enough money saved up she traveled to Germany to give up the money. She also offered two of her own grandsons as hostages in place of Richard. Finally, in February of 1194, Richard was freed and along with Eleanor by his side made his way back to England. He put down the revolt he and John repaired their relationship. A second coronation was held to mark his recovery with Eleanor again by his side. His reign as King of England would not last for much longer. He went to Aquitaine to put down another rebellion in 1199 and received a wound from a crossbow bolt that became infected. He sent for Eleanor who rushed to his side and was with him when he died.
Eleanor and Henry's youngest child John became King of England after Richard's death. Eleanor was still much involved in the ruling of England. She was even sent to lead a war defending John's right to the English throne from her 12 year old grandson Arthur. Arthur's claim was backed by Phillip II of France. John and Phillip negotiated a treaty of peace between the two countries and agreed to marry Phillip's heir Louis to one of John's nieces. It was up to Eleanor to journey to Castile (in Spain) to choice which niece was to be the lucky winner. One her way there she was ambushed and captured by Hugh le Brun who refused to recognize Plantagenet rule because his lands has been taken by Henry II. She had to negotiate her own freedom. She was in her 70s.
War between England and France continued but Eleanor would not be there to see it or an end to the conflict. In April of 1204, Eleanor died at Fontevraud Abbey near Chinon. Her cause of death is unknown. Most likely she died from old age. She was burried at the Abbey alongside her second husband Henry and her son Richard.
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| Eleanor and Henry II's effigies at their graves at Fontevraud Abbey |
There is much myth and very little fact about Eleanor, but I believe from what historical accounts can be found that she truly was a fierce woman and a born leader. There have been numerous books written and several movies made about Eleanor. She remains an Amazon among women.
Movies and TV:
The Lion in Winter - 1968
The Lion in Winter - 2003
The Devil's Crown - 1978
Bios and Novels:
Eleanor of Aquitaine - Marion Meade
Eleanor of Aquitaine: Queen of France and England, Mother of Empires - Sara Cockerill
Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life - Alison Weir
Eleanor of Aquitaine Trilogy - Elizabeth Chadwick
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