Eleanor of Aquitaine: The Girl Who Shaped History (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798397188555)

Eleanor of Aquitaine: The Girl Who Shaped History begins when Eleanor is fifteen and follows her throughout her remarkable life, which spanned the twelfth century. The richest landholder in her day, Eleanor married the French crown prince, but she was bored and stifled in her marriage. Then she met Henry Plantagenet, the heir to the English throne. In him she saw a match for her spirit, intelligence, and energy.

Eleanor's adventures were legendary. She rode in the Second Crusade, delivered the ransom to Germany when her son Richard was kidnapped during the Third Crusade, survived an ambush, crossed the Alps in winter to deliver a wife to Richard, and led armies. Caught in a clash of dynasties, Eleanor was even imprisoned for fifteen of her eighty-two years.

Among her ten children were Richard, the Lion Hearted, and John, the weak king of Robin Hood lore. Two of her daughters, Eleanor and Joanne, were queens of Castile and Sicily respectively.

Eleanor skillfully ruled alone and with partners. For decades, she stood not just at the center of the political life of medieval Europe, but at the center of the cultural life as well. She loved and fostered Gothic architecture, the ideals of courtly love, the legend of King Arthur, and the songs of the troubadours.

Her accomplishments and influence made Eleanor famous not just in her own lifetime, but throughout history.

Author: Dolores E. Pollock, Suzanne S. Nielson
ISBN-13: 9798397188555
Publisher: Independently Published
Language: English
Published: 11/03/2023
Pages: 206
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.45lbs
Size: 7.81h x 5.06w x 0.44d