If this is a return visit, please reload to see latest additions. Eleanor of Aquitaine Eleanor of Aquitaine has become my latest obsession. There's much rumor swirling around the tidbits of fact concerning this great queen and it's very hard to sort through--there's even debate on the date of her birth, whether it was 1122 or later, as some authors say; the various scandals attached to her name are even cause for debate: did she ride into battle during the Crusades? Was she the cause a massacre prior to Louis' arriving at the Second Crusade (or lucky to have gotten out of the way)? Did she have an affair with her uncle? Or Henry's father? Or Thomas Beckett (as Goldman claims in his script for Lion in Winter)? How did she and Henry come to the decision to elope? Did she really poison Rosamund? What about all the rumors laid at Henry II's feet? etc...) And then, there's all the confusing facts: for example: Henry's two sons (yes, two) named Geoffrey; not to mention Eleanor's granddaughter Eleanor; and was John a horrid king, or wasn't he? Was Richard a philanderer or not? Was Robin Hood a factor in their times, or wasn't he? It's almost surprising no one questions what we do know about Eleanor: she was the mother of King Richard the Lionhearted, and King John, and she was a kind and just ruler over the province of Aquitaine; she did successfully gain divorce from Louis, leaving a marriage in which she no longer felt satisfied (thereby taking a very early stand for women's marriage rights?) and she patroned many great bards, including Cretian de Troyes; and from time to time, she ruled England, whenever Richard was off on Crusade, and amazingly for such a time, died at a very advanced age (83 years old, to be exact) and remained very active in the public realm, from the time of her release from imprisonment, to her death. Whether or not the rumors of her various amourous and nefarious deeds are true,* the fact remains that she was the great Medieval queen, and to her we owe much of the enduring Medieval literary artworks that have survived into present day; the Arthurian legends alone might have been lost were it not for the work of her bards. So you can see where that alone has sent me into fits of research on Eleanor. :) If you're interested in the subject, here's my latest set of (at least the online versions) reading materials. Enjoy. source documents: Letters Various letters to and from Eleanor Letter to Eleanor from Peter of Blois,1173 Miscellaneous source reading: The Orb's Eleanor Bibliography Commentary and history The Rebellion of Henry's Sons and Eleanor of Aquitaine The Life and death of King John Both of the above two articles linked here (this and the previous) are on the figures of Eleanor, Henry, Richard and John, and in relation (or rather, background) to how Shakespeare turned them into his play King John. The woman in the Rose Bower: Eleanor And Rosamund (truth or legend?) Painting of Eleanor and Rosamund, Burne-Jones Angevin Royal History: Eleanor of Aquitaine Eleanor of Aquitaine: Biography and more Eleanor of Aquitaine @ History Channel King's College: Women's History: Eleanor Female Hero: Eleanor of Aquitaine Eleanor of Aquitaine By Lynn Abbey Favourite Monarchs Eleanor of Aquitaine another brief article Eleanor of Aquitaine At History.net another general article New! Eleanor of Aquitaine: Queen Miscellaneous Eleanor of Aquitaine This is actually extracts from Alison Weir's book about Eleanor. (And Ms. Weir's bio is actually kinda interesting too.) On Reshaping History by Sharon Kay Penman, hosted at the Richard III Society The Region of Aquitaine, town info The Practice of Courtly Love LEGAL ISSUES SURROUNDING ELEANOR OF AQUITAINE's ROLE CHANGE FROM QUEEN CONSORT OF FRANCE's KING LOUIS VII TO WIFE OF THE MAN WAITING TO BE ENGLAND's KING by Alice Marie Beard © 2004 Did Women have a Renaissance? An off-site article (PDF file) with just a little bit about Eleanor as patron of the Troubadours Eleanor Short bio The Music of Eleanor A scholarly research paper on Medieval music, and Eleanor's influence on said music. The Angevin Empire, by Dr. Murray Adamthwaite The Angevins A little about the Angevin Line The Origin of the Second Crusade A Review of The Lion in Winter The Lion in Winter: Is it True? new! Medieval Sourcebook: The Constitutions of Clarendon The declarations that fueled the earlier part of the battle between Henry II and Thomas Beckett Recommended Books Eleanor: A Life by Alison Weir. And more will be added as I can find and devour them. :) more to come *** Back to Site Map Notes: *I break with some scholars, and personally doubt it, at this point--and of course, what do I know? I'm not an expert, just a fangirl ;)) scroll back to article Set by Webmistress exclusively for Raven Queen's Domain, and her related sites. Please do not snag. Top piece made with painting detail of Queen Eleanor and Fair Rosamund by Evelyn deMorgan 1855-1919