The book not only recreates the turbulent life of this woman, but takes the. Women historians write wonderful books, take caroline alexanders bounty, ruth scurrs robespierre, tuchmans a distant mirror. Proud daughter of a distinguished french dynasty, she married the king of france, louis vii, then the king of england, henry ii, and gave birth to two sons who rose to take the english throne. Eleanor of aquitaine, queen of france, queen of england. Heiress in her own right to aquitaine, she married the king of all the franks, divorced him and then married the soontobe king of england. The death of eleanor of aquitaine kyra cornelius kramer. But even the ones that are properly documented seem to have an obsession with all the silly little details reported by chroniclers who cannot possibly have known if they were true or false. Eleanor of aquitaine 1122 1 april 1204 was queen consort of france 17 1152 and. Anne crawford, the letters of the queens of england, stroud, 1997, pp. In the history of powerful women of the middle ages, eleanor of aquitaine deserves a rightful place. We found 27 books set in aquitaine and 23 others set nearby. Apr 01, 2019 by the time eleanor died on 1 april 1204, john had lost most of his lands on the continent and had become known as john lackland.
Eleanor of aquitaine 1122 1 april 1204 was queen consort of france 171152 and england 11541189 and duchess of aquitaine in her own right 171204. He was also the heir to the throne of england as settlement of the conflicting claims of his mother empress matilda empress maud, daughter of henry i of england, and her cousin, stephen, who had seized the throne of england at. Eleanor, april queen of aquitaine by douglas boyd fantastic fiction. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. The first edition of the novel was published in 1999, and was written by alison weir. April 1, 2014 moniek eleanor of aquitaine, england 4 public domain on this day in 1204, eleanor of aquitaine died in poitiers at the age of 8182. Eleanor of aquitaine 1122 april 1, 1204 was a medieval firebrand, and no question about it. She was queen consort of both louis vii of france 1752 and henry ii of england 11521204 and mother of richard i the lionheart and john of.
Eleanor of aquitaine peoplecharacters librarything. She became duchess of aquitaine in her own right while she was still a child, then later queen consort of france. During the easter court of 1166 at angers eleanor became pregnant for the eleventh time, possibly as a last attempt to keep some kind of relationship with henry despite her resentment at being shown by him none of the respect due to the queen of england. Eleanor of castile married edward i and mother of edward ii edward ii. Finding a decent biography of eleanor has been difficult as many of eleanor s biographers tend to wander off into fiction and speculation at the drop of a hat. April queen of aquitaine douglas boyd by boyd, douglas. See more ideas about eleanor of aquitaine, aquitaine and plantagenet. Best historicalfiction about eleanor of aquitaine 24 books. Parsons, john carmi, the year of eleanor of castiles birth and her children by edward. She brought the province of aquitaine to england when she married henry ii of england.
Eleanor of aquitaine and over 8 million other books are available for amazon kindle. With astonishing historic detail, mesmerizing pageantry, and irresistible accounts of royal scandal and intrigue, she recreates not only a remarkable. By the wrath of god, queen of england or at least thats the title of the copy i bought in englandsome books are worth reading just for the brilliance of the titleto me this is the classic work on eleanor, its so good i did something i rarely doi got my copy signed. By the wrath of god, queen of england or at least thats the title of the copy i bought in englandsome books are worth reading just for the brilliance of the titleto me this is the classic work on eleanor, its so good i. But its men who have the testosterone, and a ballsy story, especially one concerning a woman, in this case douglas boyds eleanor daquitaine, is right up a male. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 441 pages and is available in paperback format. As the duchess of aquitaine, she served as the queen of france 171152 and queen of england 11541189. There is already a lengthy list of books devoted to her, testament to the enduring interest in one of the most fascinating figures of the twelfth century.
Eleanor of aquitaine has to be on your list, perhaps in the first or second postion. Ralph turner, 2009 this is a substantial book of 394 pages, and of all the single book biographies it is probably the most authoritative and rigorous, working hard to focus on fact rather than fiction. Eleanor of provence wife of henry iii and mother of edward i edward i. Books for eleanor of aquitaine the history of england. She had a younger sister called petronilla of aquitaine. April queen of aquitaine by douglas boyd goodreads. Eleanor of aquitaine would not, at first glance, appear to be in need of another biographer. In this new biography of eleanor of aquitaine one of the most exciting wo. Queen and society in thirteenth century england, 1995.
In this account of the turbulent adventures of the extraordinary mother of richard the lionheart and king john, author douglas boyd takes us into the heart and mind of the woman who changed the shape of europe for 300 years by marrying henry of anjou to make him englands henry ii. The epitaph on henrys tomb at fontevraud included these lines which seem to hint at the grand design. Eleanor of aquitaine book by jean markale official. Eleanor of aquitaine inherited her fathers lands in 17, and married louis vii of france that same year. She was a beauty tall, with a superb figure that she kept into old age, lustrous eyes and fine features. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and. Eleanor of aquitaine simple english wikipedia, the free. Jean plaidys novel the courts of love, fifth in the queens of england series, is a fictionalised autobiography of eleanor of aquitaine. In this new biography of eleanor of aquitaine one of the most exciting women in european medieval history author douglas boyd takes us to the heart of this extraordinary woman.
She has also written biographies of woody allen, buster keaton, eleanor of aquitaine, victoria woodhull, and madame blavatsky, as well as two novels about medieval france. Furthermore, she lived to see her two sons, richard i and john, serve as the king of england in their respective tenures. Eleanor of aquitaine by douglas boyd books read and share 3600 bc 500 ad. She became duchess of aquitaine in her own right while she was still a child, then later queen consort of france 171152 and of england. The full title of this book is eleanor of aquitaine. Apr 01, 2018 eleanor of aquitaine 1122 april 1, 1204 was a medieval firebrand, and no question about it.
Jan 22, 2012 i said last time that i would blog about some of the research books ive been using to write the first of my 3 novels about eleanor of aquitaine. But its men who have the testosterone, and a ballsy story, especially one concerning a woman, in this case douglas boyds eleanor daquitaine, is right up a male historians alley. Eleanor of aquitaine by douglas boyd 1apr2011 paperback. Lotetgaronne 3 books mauriac 1 book guyenne 1 book saintemilion 2. I read the book assuming from the title that it was a biography of eleanor of aquitane. Eleanor of aquitaine 11221204 has been long noted for her political and cultural achievements that profoundly shaped twelfthcentury europe. As a member of the ramnulfids house of poitiers rulers in southwestern france, she was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in western europe during the high middle ages. Eleanor of aquitaine biography childhood, life achievements. Eleanor of aquitaine duchess of aquitaine, queen, and henry iis wife richard i. Eleanor, april queen of aquitaine by douglas boyd book cover, description, publication history. The main characters of this history, non fiction story are eleanor of aquitaine. Eleanor of aquitaine 11221204, duchess of aquitaine in her own right and queen consort successively of france and england, was probably the most powerful woman in europe in the middle ages.
By the time eleanor died on 1 april 1204, john had lost most of his lands on the continent and had become known as john lackland. Eleanor, april queen of aquitaine boyd, douglas on. First queen of france and then queen of england eleanor of aquitaine had high standards. Eleanor of aquitaine, twice a queen history of royal women. Henry ii eventually had eleanor imprisoned after she and his sons rebelled against his authority, and at his death she returned to london and at the age of 67 reminded one and all that she was still queen of england, a role she held, as dowager, alongside the son she adored, richard i, the boy, become man, who worshipped the ground she walked on. Louis and eleanor were married in july 17, but had little time to get to know one another before louis father the king fell ill and died. She was sole heiress to the largest, wealthiest region of what is now france. Eleanor of aquitaines extraordinary life seems more likely to be found in the pages of fiction. Eleanor of aquitaine lived a long life of many contrasts, of splendor and desolation, power and peril, and in this stunning narrative, weir captures the woman and the queenin all her glory. Eleanor of aquitaine lived a long life of many contrasts, of splendor and desolation, power and peril, and in this stunning narrative, weir captures the woman and the queen in all her glory. The author of this book is a healthy reminder that one may write a learned and well researched biography without the benefits of a university background. A compassionate and comprehensive account of the life of eleanor of aquitaine, a woman of enormous intelligence and titanic energy. Finding a decent biography of eleanor has been difficult as many of eleanors biographers tend to wander off into fiction and speculation at the drop of a hat.
She has also written biographies of woody allen, buster keaton, eleanor of aquitaine, victoria woodhull, and madame blavatsky, as. Henry was the duke of normandy through his mother, empress matilda, and count of anjou through his father. Apr 05, 2019 eleanor of aquitaine duchess of aquitaine, queen, and henry iis wife richard i. Parsons, john carmi, the year of eleanor of castiles birth and her children by edward i, mediaeval studies 46 1984. I said last time that i would blog about some of the research books ive been using to write the first of my 3 novels about eleanor of aquitaine. Born in the 12th century, she married louis vii of france, divorced him and married henry ii king of england. In aquitaine, as a way of demonstrating his loyalty to the hand that paid him, the prince who would become englands heroking was enthusiastically persecuting barons who had supported the.
Eleanor of aquitaine was the only person ever to sit on the thrones of both france and england. Culturally, beyond her role as wife of kings louis vii of france and henry ii of england and mother of kings richard and john, she inspired the huge diffusion of the arthurian cycle and the celtic myths. Eleanor of aquitaine, former queen of both france and england, had outlived both her previous husbands and all but two of her children queen eleanor of castile and her useless son king. Facts and stories about eleanor of aquitaine live as free. Eleanor of aquitaine was an extraordinary woman who lived a remarkable life, though one very much defined by the society she lived in. These books about eleanor of aquitaine are historicallyaccurate testaments to this strongwilled woman of the middle ages. In may 1152, eleanor of aquitaine married henry fitzempress. Eleanor of aquitaine by douglas boyd 1apr2011 paperback on.
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