In keeping with our theme of medieval British queens, let’s look into the life of Eleanor of Aquitaine. And what a life she had! She was the wife of two kings and mother of three kings and she went on Crusade to the Holy Land.
Born c. 1122, most likely in Bordeaux in southwestern France, Eleanor was the oldest child of William X, Duke of Aquitaine. We know little of her childhood. Her brother and mother died when she was a young girl so Eleanor became the rightful heir of her father’s dukedom, one of the largest and richest in France at the time. Because she was wealthy and held large estates, she was a highly sought after marriage prize. The winner of this prize was the French Dauphin Louis whom she married in 1137. It was decided Eleanor would retain the rights to her inheritance free and clear of Louis and when her future son became King of the Franks, he would also inherit the Duchy of Aquitaine.
Shortly after her wedding day, Louis VII and Eleanor became King and Queen of France. It was not until 1145 that she had her first child and it was a girl, Marie. In that same year, the pious Louis was invited to go on Crusade to the Holy Land with the mission of converting the Infidels into Christians.
Eleanor took up this challenge, pledging to the Crusade and recruiting many people to go, including her ladies in waiting. In their travels to the Holy Land, they stopped in Constantinople and stayed with the Byzantine Emperor. They went on to Jerusalem and Damascus but due to Louis’ lack of authority and command, many disasters awaited the Crusaders.
By the time of their return to France, the marriage of Eleanor and Louis had completely broken down. When Eleanor’s second daughter, Alix, was born in 1151, Louis was ready for an annulment of the marriage. The annulment was final in 1152 with assurances by Louis that Eleanor could retain all of her inheritance. As soon as Eleanor returned to her Duchy, she sent word to Henry II, Count of Anjou and Duke of Normandy, known to history as Henry Plantagenet, to come and marry her. Henry was the son of Empress Matilda, daughter of King Henry I of England and therefore heir to the throne of England. Eight weeks after her annulment, Eleanor was married again and in October of 1154, Henry and Eleanor became King and Queen of England.
Over the next thirteen years, Eleanor had five sons and three daughters. Henry was unfaithful to Eleanor and their marriage was not a tranquil affair. By the time her youngest child was born, Henry was deeply involved with his favorite, Rosamund Clifford and the marriage was strained beyond repair. In 1167, Eleanor returned to her Duchy in Aquitaine and agreed to a separation from Henry.
In 1173, Eleanor’s eldest son, Henry, rebelled against King Henry II and she may have aided and abetted him along with her two other sons, Richard and Geoffrey in France. King Henry eventually had Eleanor arrested and in 1174 they returned to England. Because Henry feared any alliance between Eleanor and his sons, he kept Eleanor in captivity from 1173-1189. She was moved from castle to castle around England and not allowed to have much contact with her sons.
Eleanor and Henry’s eldest son rebelled against his father again in 1183 but lost and ended up contracting dysentery and dying. After this, Henry allowed Eleanor a trip to Normandy and some freedoms, although she was still under a guardian at all times. She even appeared at court with Henry on important occasions.
King Henry II died in July of 1189 and their son Richard, known as the Lionheart, became King of England. It is said his first order on becoming King was to send someone to release his mother from captivity. Eleanor rode to Westminster where the lords swore fealty to her in the King’s name. She ruled as Regent on behalf of King Richard I while he was out of the country and when he was on the Third Crusade. Richard was captured while trying to return home after the Crusade and held in prison in Germany. Eleanor went to Germany and negotiated the ransom required for his release. The ransom was raised, basically draining the wealth of England to do so.
Richard I died while Eleanor lived on into the reign of her youngest son, King John. John sent his aging mother on a mission to the Kingdom of Castile to choose one of her grand-daughters as a bride for the son of the King of France. Upon returning to France, Eleanor became ill. She decided to stay at the Benedictine abbey of Fontevraud.
In 1201, her son King John and the King of France were at war. Eleanor returned to Poitiers to help by keeping John’s enemies at bay and was besieged at Mirabeau castle. King John rescued her and she finally retired to Fontevraud. She died there in 1204 at the age of 82.
What an eventful life! Marriages, at least ten children, Crusades, wars and rebellions, captivity, travels all over Europe and finally, a life of contemplation in an abbey. There never has been another Queen like her.
Further reading: “Eleanor of Aquitaine: Queen of France, Queen of England” by Ralph V. Turner, “Aliénor d’Aquitaine. La reine insoumise” by Jean Flori, “Inventing Eleanor: The Medieval and Post Medieval Image of Eleanor of Aquitaine” by Michael R. Evans
The Freelance History Writer 
[…] to one gold mark to the queen for every hundred silver marks received by the king, and paid to Eleanor of Aquitaine. Queen’s Gold was received, collected, and levied by a special officer, or Clerk in the Court of […]
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[…] Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the richest heiresses in the twelfth century. Because of this, she was first wedded to the French King Louis VII for nearly fifteen years. During this time, she went on Crusade with her husband and gave birth to two girls. We will never know the precise reasons for the breakup of this marriage, but it may have had to do with incompatibility and/or the fact that Eleanor didn’t give birth to any sons. […]
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[…] of the Angevin Empire had been lost. Edward still retained the Duchy of Aquitaine, the legacy of Eleanor of Aquitaine, wife of King Henry II. Edward held the duchy as a vassal of the French King Philip VI. When he did […]
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[…] sister of Henry the Young King was born as the eldest daughter of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine in June 1156, fifteen months after her brother Henry (b. 28 February 1155) and three years after […]
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[…] Eleanor of Aquitaine is a good example of a queen who did and didn’t have acceptable heirs. When she was married to Louis VII of France, she produced two daughters. But women couldn’t inherit the throne of France and also Louis may have tired of Eleanor. Louis had the marriage annulled and Eleanor promptly married Henry of Anjou and gave birth to ten children, five of which were male. […]
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Hello Susan, I have been fascinated with the Royal Regalia for a long time. In particular, I was interested in the crown of King Edward the Confessor. History says that this crown was worn by the old King. The Normans after the Conquest, ruled the island where the crown and jewels were transferred to one monarch after the other. Old King Stephen made a treaty (at Winchester) with the young Angevin Prince Henry to succeed him to the throne where thereafter it remained in Plantagenet hands. My question is, are the royal jewels and especially the St.Edward crown the same that have come down to us after 950 years? In 1215 when Henry’s younger son John was King of England, he was busy putting down rebellions in his kingdom. He was notorious for carrying a baggage train of royal regalia in his pursuit of the barons. According to the story teller Thomas Costain, John and his forces were at East Anglia when they came across “The Wash” a soggy bog when the tide is out, and a watery grave when the tide is in. John was impatient, in a hurry, sick, but was not going to be deterred because of his physical infirmities, ordered his train to push on. Heavy wagon wheels, especially the one’s with the weighty treasure, were no match for the muddy terrain. To John’s misfortune, the tide was moving back in as the caravan was half way through, and the situation became dire. The waves toppled the wagons spilling the precious cargo into the sea. The scepter, the crown, the orb, the sword of Tristan, belts, cups, and many other golden goblets all lost to history. The treasury of Edward the Confessor and subsequent kings all washed out off the coast of Anglia. With this historical fact in mind, are today’s Royal treasure dated from the time of John’s successors, and that Edward the Confessor’s crown not with us today?
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Hi James, The original Crown of St. Edward the Confessor was first mentioned in writing regarding the coronation of King Henry III in 1220. Although it is not certain this was the actual crown Edward the Confessor wore, it is believed to have been one and the same. Unfortunately, this crown was melted down or sold during the republic of Oliver Cromwell. A new crown, the current one in the Tower of London, was designed and created for coronation of King Charles II and the Restoration of the Monarchy. The treasure of King John is an entirely separate issue. It is believed there was a crown lost in the Wash along with other belongings and jewels of King John. But St. Edward’s crown was not part of this treasure.
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[…] Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the richest heiresses in the twelfth century. Because of this, she was first wedded to the French King Louis VII for nearly fifteen years. During this time, she went on Crusade with her husband and gave birth to two girls. We will never know the precise reasons for the breakup of this marriage, but it may have had to do with incompatibility and/or the fact that Eleanor didn’t give birth to any sons. […]
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In some illustrations, Eleanore is depicted with her right hand raised as she would greet, such as the pic at the top of the page. I’m not a historian however I just wonder at this. So could you explain, what this gesture means?
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Hi Rolf, I’m unable to find the exact significance of the hand gesture.
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No problem – thank you
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Sometime ago I was looking up this gesture/fingers pointed upwards in relationship to Egyptian art, and is a recall it suggested an elevated status of the individual, also closer to God(s). Perhaps it’s a carryover from an earlier time?
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Some time ago I was looking up this gesture/fingers pointed upwards in relation to Egyptian art. If I recall correctly it indicated a person of elevated status, also the individual been closer to God(s). Perhaps a carryover from an earlier time?
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We been doing our family history for nearly 20 yrs. We found out King Henry 11 and Eleanor of Aquitaine were our ancient grandparents…thru. One of there daughters named Eleanor who married King Alonso 7 of Spain.
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Thank you.
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Really interesting blog. Some historians now think Eleanor was born in 1124, not 1122 and was barely a teenager when she became queen of France. So I’m not sure that she meddled in politics right from the start, like she is sometimes depicted as doing.
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She was the best!!! I just received a book of her life, I will post the review on her!!! Thanks Susan, great post…. ❤️❤️❤️
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Reblogged this on History's Untold Treasures and commented:
One of my favorite queens! H/T The Freelance History Writer
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I actually have Alison Weir’s book right here. I just read a great chapter in ” Queens Consort, medieval queens from Eleanor of Aquitaine to Elizabeth of York” by Lisa Hilton. Nice and detailed. It is great to find stories of the Queens of medieval times!
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Hilton’s book is also good! You’re reading the best Lori.
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Thank you for this fascinating look into such an incredible woman. Amy Kelly’S book is now waiting for me at the library! Just can’t learn enough about Eleanor.
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You’re welcome Lori! You will love Amy Kelly’s book. Be sure to check out Alison Weir’s book too.
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Wow, I didn’t know Eleanor lived such a long life. Fantastic article.
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Thanks Deanna! Yes, Eleanor lived a long and wonderful life.
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You might enjoy the 1960’s film about Eleanor and Henry, “The Lion in Winter”, a fictional story based on their lives. Won several academy awards, stars Katherine Hepburn and Peter O’Toole as the quarreling, plotting spouses.
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Carolyn: Excellent film! I need to watch it again. Such bickering! Such good acting! They don’t make them like that anymore.
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Definitely my fav medieval character with poet Christine de Pizan, quite a prone to bizarre, or least unusual personality full of color in my humble opinion! queen of both france and england in a lifetime! surely that’s not something easily surpassed! her legend, her charm, her wit! Eleanor was one of the first feminist who’ve caught my eye years ago! thanks for this nice article on her
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Thanks for your kind comments. I, too, have loved Eleanor of Aquitaine ever since reading Amy Kelly’s book. You are quite right, she is colorful and legendary. I don’t think there has ever been another English Queen like her!
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I have read more than once the wonderful biography of Eleanor by Regine Pernaud. Fascinating her life and the woman herself
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I love that period of history, Susan. I have recently finished reading a book called ‘Travels with a Medieval Queen’ by Mary Taylor Simeti. The author and a friend make the same Journey (from Germany to Sicily) as Constance a Sicialian Princess who married Henry son of the great German Emperor, Frederick Barbarossa. I’m sure you would like it.
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Thank you Dermot. I will look up this book. Sounds fascinating. Susan
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