Eleanor of Aquitaine – Part 3
Introduction:
It is a shame that Medieval History has been neglected in most schools. I’m not sure why, because there are plenty of exciting stories that took place for the thousand or so years from 500 AD to 1500 AD. People who lived in Medieval times led very full and productive lives. Many changes were occurring throughout the world. On this blog that is dedicated to the stories of women in history we have touched on only a few of the many women who made great contributions to society.
So far, we have looked at the stories of women from the earliest Middle Ages such as Genovefa, Brigid of Ireland and Radegund[1] (5th and 6th centuries). Then we moved on to the 7th and 8th centuries with stories of abbesses and queens such as Gertrude, Frideswide, and Lioba. We continued with the stories of 9th and 10thcentury women such as Dhuoda (writer and Theologian), and Irene, Euphrosyne, and Theodora who were Byzantine empresses. Then we presented the story of the amazingly gifted Hrotsvitha, a poet and a playwright whose works are still influential today. We progressed to the 11th and 12th centuries with the stories of strong, passionate, and gifted empresses, queens and princesses including Empress Adelheid, Queen Margaret of Scotland and Anna Komnene. Let’s continue this week with the story of a most remarkable 12th century woman, Eleanor of Aquitaine who was the wife of two kings and the mother, grandmother, and ancestress of many more.
Queen Eleanor of England (1122-1204) – Part 3
Eleanor of Aquitaine lived a long and eventful life. In 1137 as a young woman she was married to King Louis VII of France. She did everything she could to fulfill her duties as queen. She went above and beyond most women, following Louis to the crusades in the Holy Land. Eleanor helped to rebuild churches and provided sustenance for the poor. She bore Louis two daughters. Louis proved a disappointment in many ways and Eleanor sought a separation. In 1152 Eleanor and Louis received an annulment from the pope.
Following her separation, Eleanor returned to Aquitaine where she still ruled as duchess. One day, Henry of Normandy came riding into her courtyard. Eleanor decided that he was the husband for her. They had much in common. Both were born into aristocracy, both were good-looking and intelligent, both were ambitious. Within months they married becoming the rulers over Aquitaine, Normandy, and Anjou. Henry also had a claim on the throne of England as the grandson of King Henry I. After a few years the English King Stephen died. He named Henry as his heir and the Henry and Eleanor traveled to England where they were crowned King Henry II and Queen Eleanor. They now ruled over a considerable part of western Europe.
Over the next few years Eleanor had eight children with Henry – five sons (William, Henry, Richard, Geoffrey, and John) and three daughters (Matilda, Eleanor, and Joanna). Besides frequent childbearing the energetic queen refurbished many castles and churches. She followed Henry as he went on his rounds visiting the people. She gave generously to the poor, rebuilt churches, and spread peace and justice wherever she went. The people loved their queen.
Apparently, all of this was not enough for Henry who began to ignore Eleanor when a captivating mistress claimed all of his attention. “Rosamond the Fair” moved into Eleanor’s favorite castle while Eleanor was pregnant with her youngest son, John.
Eleanor left Henry and returned to Aquitaine where she was welcomed by her loving subjects. Henry had been a cruel ruler. He was no better as a royal father. When he should have been arranging for his sons to rule after him, he spent his time with his own pleasures.
Eleanor did not wait to try to make things right. She had Richard declared Duke of Aquitaine. She spent some years setting up her court in her own fashion. During this time troubadours, “courtly love”, and tournaments were popular. During all of this time Eleanor enjoyed caring for all of her children.[2]
Her peaceful life would not last. An angry Henry was lurking in the background planning his vengeance on Eleanor. Henry expected his wife to submit to him in all things. That meant that Eleanor was to be submissive as Henry elevated his mistress over her, ravaged Eleanor’s lands, wrought havoc in Ireland which led to the hatred of the Irish for the English to this day, and tried to put his son John on the throne bypassing his older sons.
For the rest of her life, Eleanor never changed her feelings about Henry. He was a self-indulgent wicked man. When her sons, Henry, Richard, and Geoffrey decided to revolt against their father in 1173, she took their side. The king of France was still the lord over all of the territories, so it was not surprising that the three sons, who were technically the king’s vassals, made a pact with Louis to wage war against Henry II.
Louis’s skills as a military leader had not improved since his humiliating defeats in the crusades. It did not take the crafty and determined Henry II long to crush the rebellion.
Henry tried to get Eleanor to return and submit to him. Eleanor had no intention of ever submitting to Henry again. She tried to flee from her castle in Poitiers, but she was captured on her way to France where she sought safety. She was taken to England where Henry kept her under house arrest for the next fifteen years.
Henry thought about divorce but decided against making the same mistake as Louis. Henry knew he would lose his rulership in Aquitaine if he divorced Eleanor. He thought about putting her in an abbey. At age fifty-three, Eleanor did not want to live a cloistered life. She appealed to the archbishop who agreed with her. Eleanor was still the queen and deserved to be treated as such. Henry left her in Salisbury Castle.
Two years later, Fair Rosamond died. People love to gossip and so there were rumors that Eleanor had poisoned her. Actually, Rosamond died of tuberculosis. There was no way the well-guarded queen could have had a hand in Rosamond’s death.
While Eleanor was in captivity, her second-born son Henry died of dysentery. Richard was now heir to the throne. Later Geoffrey died of wounds he received in a tournament. Eleanor had now been bereaved of three sons. She looked forward to when her favorite son, Richard would be king. Henry would try to pass over Richard and make his favorite son, John the king. John was ambitious and really thought he should be king. If you are familiar with the story of Robin Hood you know that John would attempt to gain the throne while Richard went on a crusade. What the movie doesn’t show is how Eleanor prevented John from seizing the throne. More about that in Part 4.
In 1180 the still-imprisoned Eleanor received the news that King Louis had died. Louis had remarried after their separation and had one son, Philip. Now the sixteen-year old Philip became king.
In 1189, Henry II died. Richard returned to England to be crowned king. You might think that at nearly age sixty-eight Eleanor would retire. Her favorite son was now on the throne. Perhaps she could just relax and enjoy her golden years. No way. She took up where she left off many years before with seemingly as much vitality and determination as ever.
Eleanor was about to enter the time of her life when she was the most powerful. In our next post we will see how this strong, able queen ruled England, preserving the throne for the rightful king.
[1] Radegund’s influence was felt for centuries. This amazing queen was an inspiration for Eleanor of Aquitaine.
[2] Read more about Eleanor’s fascinating life in Parts 1 & 2 on this blog.
