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 womanand the queenin all her glory. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the autumn throne. I selected this book as a biography of eleanor of aquitaine, it is almost 500 pages, so i expected to learn a lot about the fascinating life of this famous queen. The author exhibits a breathtaking grasp of the physical. 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. A life would stand apart as one of the few scholarly biographies in publication. Alison weir a biography of eleanor of aquitaine, discussing her early years in twelfthcentury europe, her marriages to frances king louis vii and englands henry ii, her unprecedented political power, and.
With astonishing historical detail, mesmerizing pageantry, and irresistible accounts of royal scandal and intrigue, she recreates not only a remarkable. A history of eleanor of aquitaine british heritage. Of course, the life of a monarch is never a simple one and no marriage is without its hiccups. Eleanor of aquitaine biography childhood, life achievements. Queen eleanor of aquitaine is sitting on a cloud surrounded by friends and family, waiting for the arrival of her second husband, king henry ii of england. Born in either 1122 or 1124 ce, eleanor of aquitaine began life in the shadows, as was typical for a medieval woman.
With astonishing historic detail, mesmerizing pageantry, and irresistible accounts of royal scandal and intrigue. Unfortunately, not many reliable contemporary sources that record the protagonist life are available to us, and in consequence, my expectations had to be readjusted. She was perhaps the most powerful woman in 12thcentury europe. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 441 pages and is available in paperback format. Alison weirs book on the life of eleanor of aquitaine is a good read. Her bestselling history books include the six wives of henry viii, eleanor of aquitaine, elizabeth of york and the lost tudor princess. Eleanor comes across as a remarkable woman, extremely strongwilled and independent. One of marion meades problems, as she freely admits, was lack of sources. Apr 01, 2018 eleanor of aquitaines life a few tidbits about eleanor. 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.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. As delicately textured as a 12thcentury tapestry, royal biographer weirs the life of elizabeth i, etc. Heiress to the rich french provinces of aquitaine and poitou, she was undoubtedly one of medieval europes most powerful and wealthy women. In the young life, mark richard beaulieu has revealed the rich world of young eleanor of aquitaine alienor daquitaine 11241204, who would twice become a queen to louis as queen of france, and to henry as queen of england. Eleanor of aquitaine was a complex, boldly original woman who transcended the mores of her society. Eleanor of aquitaine became the queen of both france and england, the wife of two kings, and later the mother of two kings. With astonishing historic detail, mesmerizing pageantry, and irresistible accounts of royal scandal and intrigue, weir recreates not only a. 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. Henry died long before eleanor, but his life on earth was filled with rather questionable behavior, and he has had to spend some time in helleight centuries to be exact. Is kellys eleanor of aquataine and the four kings a reissue of the 1950 book, or did she rewrite it. 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. In this beautifully written biography, alison weir paints a v.
Published by ballantine books, a division of random house, inc. 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 womanthe queenin all her glory. Eleanor of aquitaines life a few tidbits about eleanor. Though the exact year and place of birth is unknown, it is speculated that she was born on either 1122 or 1124 in poitiers, bordeaux, or nieulsurlautise. Mistress of the monarchy, henry viii, eleanor of aquitaine, the life of. Eleanor of aquitaine 11221204 has long been noted for her political and cultural achievements.
Learn more about eleanor of aquitaine in this article. A novel of eleanor of aquitaine ebook written by elizabeth chadwick. Shortly afterward, she married henry of anjou, who in two years would become king of england. This historical fiction weaves the never told story of young alienor.
Eleanor of aquitaine plays a supporting role throughout so much historiography that it seems surprising that alison weirs eleanor of aquitaine. A life from beginning to end has a few typos but is otherwise written satisfactorily. Eleanor of aquitaine reads like a really upmarket historical novel and that is a compliment. Jul 01, 2014 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 womanand the queenin all her glory. 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. Eleanor found that she was expected to be no more than a decorative asset to her husband, the mother of his heirs and the arbiter of good taste and modesty. The other 710 is about her husbands, her children and speculation surrounding her and her family.
Eleanor of aquitaine, 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 england. So she has used a lot of imagination but as the story of a truly remarkable woman, it works. 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. Eleanor of aquitaine trilogy the summer queen, the first of three ground breaking linked but standalone novels detailing the life of eleanor aquitaine. Eleanor of aquitaine 11221204 has been long noted for her political and cultural achievements that profoundly shaped twelfthcentury europe. The first 110 of the book and the last 210 of the book are about eleanor. So what do we need to know about this remarkable woman. Twelfth century folk did not jot down every passing thought.
Based on the most uptodate research, bestselling novelist elizabeth chadwick brings eleanors magnificent story to life, as never before. Meades sounds interesting, almost gossipy like her book on jazz age women. Eleanor of aquitaine book by jean markale official. 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. She was married for almost 15 years aug 1, 17 march 21, 1152 to louis vii of france before marrying henry, duke of normandy, who would later become henry ii of england. With astonishing historic detail, mesmerizing pageantry, and irresistible accounts of royal scandal and intrigue, she recreates not only a remarkable personality but a magnificent past era. During the second crusade, her relationship with her husband soured, and in 1152, they officially divorced. She is the author of numerous works of history and historical fiction, specialising in the medieval and tudor periods.
In this beautifully written biography, alison weir paints a vibrant portrait of a truly. From her earliest years, eleanors life was very different from that of many medieval women, even other. She is an icon who has fascinated readers for over 800 years. The main characters of this history, non fiction story are eleanor of aquitaine. Henry ii and eleanor of aquitaine were crowned king and queen of england by the archbishop of canterbury. Based on the most uptodate research, bestselling novelist elizabeth chadwick brings eleanor s magnificent story to life, as never before. A scholarly but lightlywritten book on late 12th century european politics, as told through the life of eleanor of aquitaine.
Court life for a queen of france at that time was, however, stultifyingly routine. Meade does eleanor, and the rest of us, a service by telling eleanors incredible story of power and politics and gender with a historians well researched, reasoned clarity, a scholars forthrightness, and a womans sensitivity. Eleanor of aquitaine retired, became a nun just to check another box off her life achievements list, and died at the monastery in fontevrault in 1204. She originally married the king of france, and even joined him on a crusade, then abandoned him for the king of england. With astonishing historic detail, mesmerizing pageantry, and irresistible accounts of royal scandal and intrigue, weir recreates not only a remarkable personality but a magnificent past era. 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. But her greatest influence, still shaping modern sensibilities, was her role as the symbol of courtly love, which was not a mere diversion for the aristocracy but a process of sexual initiation and transcendence that bore a close resemblance to indian tantra. The nuns who wrote her obituary called her, a queen who surpassed almost all the queens of the world. Eleanor of aquitaine lived a long life of many contrasts, of splendor and desolation, power and peril, and in this stunning biography, alison weir captures the womanand the queenin all her glory. The novel begins with eleanors marriage at thirteen years old to the future king of france and follows her eventful life as she matures through political and marital upheavals and becomes a. Eleanor of aquitaine audiobook by charles river editors.
The first edition of the novel was published in 1999, and was written by alison weir. Upon williams death in 17 she inherited the duchy of aquitaine and in july 17 married the heir to the french throne, who succeeded his father, louis vi, the following month. Apr 23, 2020 eleanor of aquitaine was a major figure in the middle ages and a prominent figure in womens history. With astonishing historic detail, mesmerizing pageantry, and irresistible accounts of royal scandal and intrigue, she recreates not only a remarkable.
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