Eleanor of Aquitaine was queen of France from 1137 to 1152 and queen of England from 1154 to 1204.
Background
Eleanor of Aquitaine was born to William X, Duke of Aquitaine and Aenor de Châtellerault. Though the exact year and place of birth is unknown, it is speculated that she was born on either 1122 or 1124 in Poitiers, Bordeaux, or Nieul-sur-l'Autise. Tragedy struck Eleanor early in life as her mother and younger brother passed away in the spring of 1130. Following their death, she became the eldest legitimate heir to her father’s domain, followed by her younger sister Aelith.
Education
A well-educated and well trained young girl, Eleanor excelled at studies, domestic skills, games and extra-curricular activities. Additionally, she was proficient in music, literature, riding, hawking, and hunting.
Career
Probably in accord with her father's wish, Eleanor married Louis, son of King Louis VI; they were installed as rulers of Aquitaine at Poitiers (August 8) and crowned king and queen of France at Bourges on Christmas, Louis VI having died.
In June 1147 Louis and Eleanor set out on a crusade, arriving at Antioch in March 1148. Here they quarreled, and the validity of their marriage was questioned. However, she and Louis reached home together. On March 21, 1152, their marriage was annulled on grounds of consanguinity. The King's wish for a male heir-Eleanor having borne two daughters-was probably the decisive reason.
Less than 2 months later Eleanor married Henry Plantagenet, Duke of Normandy, Count of Anjou, and soon to be king of England. They were crowned at Westminster on December 19, 1154. Henry II was 11 years younger than his wife. Their marriage was a political match; he wanted her lands, and she needed a protector. Eleanor and Henry had eight children.
Richard was regarded from an early age as heir to his mother's duchy. In 1168 she brought him to live there, maintaining a court centered at Poitiers. Though Richard was given the ducal title, Eleanor had both power and responsibility. Now she also had full opportunity to give patronage to poets and authors. This relatively happy period ended abruptly in 1173. Eleanor, goaded perhaps by Henry's unfaithfulness, allied with the king of France against him. Her young sons joined her; indeed, as the young Henry was already 18, he may have instigated the plot. King Henry crushed the rebels and forgave his sons but kept his wife in semi-imprisonment until he died.
With the accession to the English throne of her favorite son, Richard (called the "Lion-Hearted"), on September 3, 1189, Eleanor resumed her royal position and regained control of her property. She arranged his coronation, and in the winter of 1190/1191 she traveled to Navarre to fetch his future wife, Berengaria, and escorted her to Sicily to join Richard before he left for Palestine. During his absence she worked with the Council of Regency in England, and she had the unpleasant task of helping to thwart the treachery of John, her youngest son. She received Richard's letters about his captivity and organized the collection of his ransom.
On Richard's sudden death (April 6, 1199), Eleanor supported John's claim to succeed to the English throne against that of her grandson Arthur of Brittany. She herself did homage to King Philip of France for Aquitaine, and she formally took control of the duchy. In July 1202, when John and Philip were at war, Eleanor was besieged in the castle of Mirabeau by John's enemies, nominally led by her grandson Arthur. John defeated the besiegers and captured his nephew. His mother was able to spend her last months in freedom. She died on April 1, 1204, and was buried at the abbey of Fontevrault, where her effigy remains.
Quotations:
"I dressed my maids as Amazons and rode bare-breasted halfway to Damascus. Louis had a seizure and I damn near died of windburn. .. but the troops were dazzled!"
"Trees are not known by their leaves, nor even by their blossoms, but by their fruits."
"Grief is not very different from illness: in the impetus of its fire it does not recognise lords, it does not fear colleagues, it does not respect or spare anyone, not even itself."
"In a world where carpenters get resurrected, everything is possible."
"What family doesn't have its ups and downs?"
Personality
Unlike former Queens and her contemporaries, Eleanor was extremely bright, intelligent and strong willed.
Connections
Eleanor was first married to Prince Louis VII, heir apparent of the French throne on July 25, 1137 in the Cathedral of Saint-André in Bordeaux by the Archbishop of Bordeaux.
King Louis VI’s passed away on August 1, 1137. Following his death, Prince Louis VII and Eleanor were anointed and crowned King and Queen of France on December 25, 1137. They had two daughters.
Their marriage was annulled in 1152. Two months later, she married Henry Plantagenet, Count of Anjou and Duke of Normandy. In 1154, the two were anointed and crowned the King and Queen of England.
As the Queen of England, she gave birth to eight children. She lived to see her sons, Richard I and John serve as the King of England.