Queen Eleanor Of Aquitaine Research Paper

Eleanor was the eldest of three offspring of William X, the Duke of Aquitaine and Count of Poitiers (also one of the first Troubadours poets) and Eleanor Chatelleraul de Rochefourcaulb. As a child, Eleanor was educated in subjects girls were not supposed to learn. For example, she learned how to read

Queen Elizabeth was a great woman. Next, Queen Elizabeth the 1st made great rules. For instance, she made the rule called “England’s Golden Age”.

Eleanor of Aquitaine has changed the world significantly today. From the time she was fifteen years old, she has made a huge impact on the people of her time, the society today, and years to come. Her married life was different than others in the medieval ages from having two husbands in her lifetime, to having the power when women did not generally have power at all. Eleanor's life was not always the best, she faced many adversities, but her life was triumphant.

Eleanor herself may have been one of the most effective encouragements for women of her time. In her lifetime she owned her own company, taught English literature, drama and American history, wrote for several magazines, spoke at political rallies and conventions, and eventually became a delegate to the United Nations. While her tireless work was invaluable, the manner in which she lived her life and the effect she had on all those around her, would light the way for generations of women to come.

Henry II (1133 - 1189) was the grandson of Henry I, but only became king after having invaded England in 1153 and forcing his second cousin, King Stephen to make him heir. He was only able to invade due to his marriage with Eleanor of Aquitaine, as it made him Lord of Aquitaine and gave him more power and influence in France. His succession to the throne in 1154 made him commander of an empire which stretched from northern Scotland to south-western Europe. He made various significant changes to the empire during his rule. He controlled the power of the Church and set in place various legal reforms which became the basis for the legal system still used today. He was known for being ruthless and having a very bad temper, which were some of the

“One of the most powerful and fascinating personalities of feudal Europe” (Women in world history, 2016), Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine (figure 1), a contributor to the court of love, an active role in both French and British politics, and “a fashion icon in the Medieval Europe” (Olivia Longueville, 2015). Born the eldest daughter to William X in 1122, France, she was educated in subject that girls weren’t supposed to learn at the time, such as Latin. At only fifteen, Eleanor was inherited the duchy of Aquitaine after William died, and soon after married the heir to the French throne, Louis VI. During her time with Louis, Eleanor accompanied him to Jerusalem on the second crusades. There, along with 300 of her ladies, she tended the wounded. The

Eleanor was born in France, 1122 to William X, Duke of Aquitaine and Aenor de Chatterlot. Eleanor inherited the position of the duchy from her father approximately in April 1137.

Prior to reaching Antioch, Eleanor influenced the Crusades, but in Antioch, she tried to lead the direction of the Crusade. According to rumors, Louis VII suspected that Eleanor of Aquitaine engaged in inappropriate behavior with her uncle Raymond of Antioch. Chroniclers claim the marriage failed because Eleanor supported Raymond’s plan to attack Nur ad-Din in Aleppo instead of her husband’s plan to go to Jerusalem. Because of Eleanor’s involvement at Antioch, she introduced her childhood’s belief that women served as powerful policymakers without men. During the Crusade, Eleanor and Louis VII met Eleanor’s uncle Raymond in Antioch, where the French forces stayed to rest, recuperate, and prepare their next stage in the Crusade. Raymond wanted the French army to attack Aleppo with him, whereas, Louis VII aimed to go to Jerusalem. Eleanor consented to Raymond’s plan and encouraged her husband to do the same, but he did not agree with them. Eleanor tried to stay with Raymond to execute this mission, but Louis VII forced her to leave with him. In Antioch, Eleanor overstepped her boundaries and unsuccessfully tried to hold onto her power. However, since others viewed Louis VII as “weak, foolish, and cowardly,” he assert his power and took

Eleanor was ‘remarkable for in a period where females were invariably relegated to a servile role’: she was challenging gender roles and was a strong woman in her own right and her contemporary Richard of Devizes said she was ‘an incomparable woman’. The birth of Eleanor as a heroine came out of 20th Century feminism, these historians attempted to rid her of her black legend and misogynistic stereotypes. Eleanor held the region of aquitaine in her own right and governed it even during her marriage to Henry II, she was queen of both France and England and also governed on behalf of her husband Henry II during his absences and again on behalf of her son Richard I, when he was a prisoner in Germany. Furthermore, she skilfully played her role in political life: particularly in making sure John succeeded Richard I, by pleading his case in Anjou by fighting the claim made by her nephew. Earlier in France, Louis ‘readily allowed her to take a part in political decision-making’ and she issued decrees under her owl seal. In one instance in 1192 while visiting Cambridgeshire, she was stopped by villagers who were complaining of the effects of a ban: she took pity on them, dropped everything and went to urge the archbishop of rouen to remedy the situation. This demonstrates she was independent and working under her own authority. Additionally, Eleanor was very clever and apparently uniquely educated, as she was brought up in the court of Aquitaine, the birthplace of the idea of courtly love, and was the granddaughter of William IX ‘the First

It all began with King John, who was born in 1167, and his brother Richard. Throughout their lives, they fought over many things, especially power. King Richard, the older of the two, was king first. Every time the king wasn't there, John would try to be king. Even though they were in many fights, Richard would always forgive his brother. That meant when Richard died in the crusades, it left John as king.

In a map depicting western Europe after Henry and Eleanor’s marriage, it is evident that England controls much more land than France. A large portion of England’s land is property that Eleanor brought to England when she married Henry. This situation is very similar to when Cleopatra

Eleanor of Aquitaine was believed to have been born around 1122-1124, in Poitiers, France. Her father was William X, Duke of Aquitaine. When Eleanor was only 15 years old, her father passed away and she inherited a large amount of land. With this, she became the most wanted bride of her time. Upon her father’s death, the king of France gained legal guardianship of Eleanor. Less than two months later, near July 1137, she was wed to the king’s son, Louis VII of France. On Christmas of the same year she and her husband were named King and Queen of France.

Richard the Lionheart lived in London, England and was born in 1167 and He lived 32 years (1167-1199). Richards family was very big and ruled England and France. His parents were King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Richard was married in Cyprus on May 12, 1191 to Berengaria, now she was the queen of England. Eleanor still called herself queen as well as everybody else.

One woman who came quite close to ruling England in her own right, well before the reign of either of Henry VIII daughters was Empress Matilda. Matilda’s father King Henry I of England named her his heir after the death of his son and arranged for her to marry, first the HRE Henry V and after his death, Geoffrey the Count of Anjou. Her marriage to the Count proved instrumental after her fathers’ death when the throne was taken by her cousin Stephen. Matilda and Stephen’s war of succession proved that the ideology of ruler ship had changed at some point to incorporate female rulers as possible options. Despite the fact the Matilda faced opposition against her in favor of a male heir lower in the line of succession; she still received support

There are only two main characters throughout the play that are women, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine and Alais Capet. Both of the women are similar and different in many ways. Queen Eleanor is smart and cunning. She is also elusive, yet witty. However, Alais is the sister of Prince Philip and King Henry’s mistress.