Eleanor D'Acquitaine
Female 1122 - 31 March 1204
Born, Chateau de Belin, Bordeaux, Acquitaine.
Died, Abbaye de Fontevrault, Maine-Et-Loire, France.
Married to Ii Plantagenet. Mother of Eleanor Plantagenet and King Plantagenet.
rench and English Monarch. Duchess and heiress of Aquitain
e andGascogne, Countess of Poitou. Queen Eleanor of Aquitai
ne inherited theduchy of Aquitaine from her father in 1137
. In the same year, on July25., she married Louis of France
. The couple was very different.,Louis had been raised a
t a monastery and was very calm and she was awoman of indep
endent spirit. In 1147 they both joined the Crusade.Durin
g their stay in Antioch she was suspected to have a liaiso
n withher uncle Raymond de Poitiers, who reigned as Princ
e of Antioch, andshe had to return to France alone. She gav
e birth to two daughters,Marie and Alix, that where later m
arried to two brothers. In March1152 she got divorced and m
arried again in May the 19 year old HenryPlantagenet, whic
h led to a scandal. With the divorce and remarriageLouis no
t only lost a wife, that he had apparently loved, but als
o herinheritance which considered of West and a large par
t of South France.In 1154 Henry became King and his spher
e of influence extended therebyfrom Scotland to the Pyrenee
ses. Over the years they had 8 children.In the beginning th
e marriage seems to have been very happy, but laterHenry st
arted to have affairs. With much energy she made politicsag
ainst her husband. In 1173 she encouraged her three oldes
t sons torebel against him and to claim their inheritance
s early. In 1174 Henrydefeated his sons and captured Eleono
re. He imprisoned her for most ofthe following 16 years. Sh
e was released when the message of his deathreached her pri
son. While Richard was in on the Crusade she reined thecoun
try very skilled. She traveled all her life governing herch
ildren's possession in France. In the Winter of 1199/1200 w
ith thehigh age of 77 she travelled over the Pyreneeses t
o Castile to visither daughter Aenor and accompany her gran
ddaughter Blanca to France tomarry the dauphin. In later ye
ars she more often retired to the Abbeyof Fontevraud wher
e she died and was buried beside her husband and twoof he
r children. She had survived her husbands and eight of he
r tenchildren. During the Revolution her body was exhumed
, her bonesscattered and never recovered. (bio by: Lutetia)
Sources
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