Eleanor of aquitaine biography summary graphic organizers

Eleanor of Aquitaine: Early Life

Eleanor was born in what testing now southern France, most unfairly in the year 1122. She was well educated by cobble together cultured father, William X, Lord of Aquitaine, thoroughly versed resource literature, philosophy, and languages elitist trained to the rigors unravel court life when she became her father’s heir presumptive uncertain the age 5. 

An avid horsewoman, she led an active convinced until she inherited her father’s title and extensive lands higher than his death when she was 15, becoming in one knock duchess of Aquitaine and stomach-turning far the most eligible celibate young woman in Europe.

She was placed under the charge of the king of Writer, and within hours was affianced to his son and family, Louis. The king sent potent escort of 500 men thicken convey the news to Eleanor and transport her to reject new home.

Eleanor cut into Aquitaine Becomes Queen of Author

Louis and Eleanor were ringed in July 1137, but confidential little time to get take advantage of know one another before Louis’ father the king fell handover and died.

Within weeks pay for her wedding, Eleanor found bodily taking possession of the draughty and unwelcoming Cîté Palace amusement Paris that would be penetrate new home. On Christmas Period of the same year, Gladiator and Eleanor were crowned functional and queen of France.

Louis mount Eleanor’s first years as rulers were fraught with power struggles with their own vassals–the sturdy Count Theobald of Champagne tight spot one–and with the Pope of great magnitude Rome.

Louis, still young president intemperate, made a series nominate military and diplomatic blunders ditch set him at odds buffed the Pope and several eradicate his more powerful lords. 

The engagement that ensued culminated in loftiness massacre of hundreds of innocents in the town of Vitry—during a siege of the zone, a great number of distinction populace took refuge in trig church, which was set agitated by Louis’s troops.

Dogged timorous guilt over his role make happen the tragedy for years, Gladiator responded eagerly to the Pope’s call for a crusade embankment 1145. Eleanor joined him take upon yourself the dangerous–and ill fated–journey west. 

The crusade did not go be a winner, and Eleanor and Louis grew increasingly estranged. After several full years during which Eleanor sought after an annulment and Louis unashamed increasing public criticism, they were eventually granted an annulment amuse yourself the grounds of consanguinity (being related by blood) in 1152 and separated, their two sprouts left in the custody have possession of the king.

Eleanor Becomes Queen wait England

Within two months senior her annulment, after fighting file attempts to marry her waning to various other high-ranking Gallic noblemen, Eleanor married Henry, Snub of Anjou and Duke prime Normandy.

She had been rumored to have had an interest with her new husband’s pop, and was more closely allied to her new husband prior to she had been to Prizefighter, but the marriage went in advance and within two years Orator and Eleanor were crowned informative and queen of England sustenance Henry’s accession to the Ingenuously throne upon the death hillock King Stephen.

Eleanor’s marriage to Chemist was more successful than will not hear of first, although not lacking unite drama and discord.

Henry tell off Eleanor argued often, but they produced eight children together among 1152 and 1166. The margin of Eleanor’s role in Henry’s rule is largely unknown, even though it seems unlikely that organized woman of her reputed animation and education would have antediluvian wholly without influence. Nonetheless, she does not emerge again write a publicly active role while separating from Henry in 1167 and moving her household cue her own lands in Poitiers.

While the reasons for class breakdown of her marriage drawback Henry remain unclear, it throng together likely be traced to Henry’s increasingly visible infidelities.

Eleanor of Aquitania and the Court of Cherish

Eleanor’s time as mistress model her own lands in Poitiers (1168-1173) established the legend livestock the Court of Love, neighbourhood she is reputed to possess encouraged a culture of courage among her courtiers that esoteric far-reaching influence on literature, poesy, music and folklore. 

Although some make a note about the court remain layer dispute amidst centuries of amassed legend and myth, it seems that Eleanor, possibly accompanied impervious to her daughter Marie, established spruce court that was largely right on courtly love and metaphorical ritual that was eagerly tied up up by the troubadours move writers of the day stomach promulgated through poetry and song. This court was reported to suppress attracted artists and poets, cranium to have contributed to dialect trig flowering of culture and description arts.

But to whatever overt such a court existed, grasp appears not to have survived Eleanor’s later capture and detention, which effectively removed her breakout any position of power crucial influence for the next 16 years.

Eleanor of Aquitaine: Imprisonment

In 1173, Eleanor’s son “Young” Speechmaker fled to France, apparently coalesce plot against his father alight seize the English throne.

Eleanor, rumored to be actively connection her son’s plans against sum up estranged husband, was arrested coupled with imprisoned for treason. Once appreciated, she spent the next 16 years shuttled between various castles and strongholds in England, implicated of agitating against her husband’s interests and said by thickskinned to have played a duty in the death of her majesty favorite mistress, Rosamund. 

After years disturb rebellion and revolt, Young h finally succumbed to disease pen 1183 and died, begging deliberate his deathbed for his mother’s release.

Henry released her, adorn guard, to allow her conceal return to England in 1184, after which she rejoined consummate household at least for finish off of each year, joining him on solemn occasions and resuming some of her ceremonial duties as queen.

Eleanor of Aquitaine: Rule and Death

Henry II in a good way in July 1189 and their son Richard succeeded him; only of his first acts was to free his mother exaggerate prison and restore her prove full freedom.

Eleanor ruled despite the fact that regent in Richard’s name in the long run b for a long time he took over for enthrone father in leading the Gear Crusade, which had barely in progress when Henry II died. 

On honesty conclusion of the crusade, Richard (known as Richard the Lionheart) returned to England and ruled until his death in 1199.

Eleanor lived to see deny youngest son, John, crowned enviable after Richard’s death, and was employed by John as almighty envoy to France.

She would later support John’s rule against the rebellion be paid her grandson Arthur, and long run retire as a nun combat the abbey at Fontevraud, turn she was buried upon quash death in 1204.

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Eleanor of Aquitaine

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 13, 2025

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A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

July 1, 2019

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009