Eleanor of aquitaine books

Thats because the subject, eleanor of aquitaine, was a women, and thus, in the context of the time, not worth a lot of attention in the records kept then. Eleanor of aquitaine audiobook by charles river editors. Like most books claiming to be a biography of a lesser known woman from hundreds of years ago, this book isnt so much about eleanor of aquitaine as it is about her husbands and sons, famous kings of medieval england and france, and other powerful men of the time. 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. In a real epic, eleanor marries the kings of france and of england, goes on a crusade, gives birth to no less. 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. Combining the pace and descriptive quality of a novel with the authority of a textbook, alison weirs study of the revered and reviled eleanor of aquitaine should. Eleanor of aquitaine 11221204 has been long noted for her political and cultural achievements that profoundly shaped twelfthcentury europe. A compassionate and comprehensive account of the life of eleanor of aquitaine, a woman of enormous intelligence and titanic energy. Eleanor of aquitaine alison weir this book is dedicated with heartfelt thanks to my agent, julian alexander and to jill black who has edited so many of my books. Eleanor of aquitaine trilogy the summer queen, the first of three ground breaking linked but standalone novels detailing the life of eleanor aquitaine.

The first edition of the novel was published in 1999, and was written by alison weir. Nov 15, 2019 in the competition for remarkable queens, eleanor of aquitaine tends to win. Living the history eleanor of aquitaines appearance or. The summer queen, the first of three ground breaking linked but standalone novels detailing the life of eleanor aquitaine. They tended to be employed by a wealthy person, often for their whole careers, and mostly in the provence region of medieval france. This is the first novel that ive read in many years about her, and it expands on the eleanor that novelists like sharon kay penman have only touched on in their work. She brought the province of aquitaine to england when she married henry ii of england. Eleanor of aquitaine book by jean markale official. Eleanor of aquitaine, wife of two kings and mother of two more, was born in 1122, the daughter of william x of aquitaine, a large important duchy in southwestern france. Eleanors a fascinating figure, and makes a great character in historical fiction, but its damned hard to write a biography about her. Eleanor of aquitaine alison weir read online free books. Alison weir in eleanor of aquitaine, by the wrath of god queen of england. If her money didnt hook a man, the fact she was hot enough to make even the devoutest of monks recant their vows would. So she has used a lot of imagination but as the story of a truly remarkable woman, it works.

Hers was an interesting life, and marion meade tells it quite well. She was married to louis vii of france shortly after the death of her father in april 17. Alison weir brought her to life and as well as telling her story, she explained how her life as a woman was then in medieval society to how women are treated in todays society. Eleanor of aquitaine, like cleopatra, played a pivotal role in her era, often pitted against powerful men and holding a driving agenda and ambition of her own. Eleanor was the daughter of the duke of aquitaine, the largest and richest province of france. Weir offers a full portrait of eleanor from both the primary sources and the myths surrounding the queen consort and, like schiff, does so in a biography that is storybased, richly. The main characters of this history, non fiction story are eleanor of aquitaine. 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. Eleanor of aquitaine in this beautifully written biography, alison weir paints a vibrant portrait of a truly exceptional woman and provides new insights into her intimate world. A books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who.

A novel of eleanor of aquitaine ebook written by elizabeth chadwick. She was perhaps the most powerful woman in 12thcentury europe. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the autumn throne. At a time when women were regarded as little more than chattel, eleanor managed to defy convention as she exercised power in the political sphere and crucial influence over her husbands and sons. Growing up, elizabeth i and eleanor of aquitaine were two of my very favorite heroines. With astonishing historic detail, mesmerizing pageantry, and irresistible accounts of royal scandal and intrigue, she recreates not only a remarkable. Facts and stories about eleanor of aquitaine live as. At a time when women were regarded as little more than chattel, eleanor managed to defy convention as.

Learn more about eleanor of aquitaine in this article. Alison weirs book on the life of eleanor of aquitaine is a good read. Eleanor of aquitaines section is a fabulous overview of her life, and trust me, if you find eleanor fascinating, youll also enjoy reading about the other three ladies. If she conformed to 12th century europes ideal standards of feminine beautyshe must have been blond with grey or. The basic premise of the book is that after being raped by king louis on her wedding day and finding out ten days later that she had become pregnant, eleanor of aquitaine, who in this book is a whiny professional victim, turns to the handsome bernard of ventadour. 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. In 17, fifteenyearold eleanor became duchess of aquitaine, a wealthy and powerful province in. As others and the author herself acknowledge, much of this book is history of the late 12th century and a bit of the th. Is kellys eleanor of aquataine and the four kings a reissue of the 1950 book, or did she rewrite it. In fact her story sometimes seems so extreme it ought to be made up. Ive been reading a biography of eleanor of aquitaine 171152, which led me to the subject of troubadours. Dec 31, 2019 a compassionate and comprehensive account of the life of eleanor of aquitaine, a woman of enormous intelligence and titanic energy. Eleanor of aquitaine is the story of the 12th century french queen of both england and france. Eight weeks after her divorce, on may 18, 1152, at the cathedral of poitiers, henry married eleanor of aquitaine, in a quiet ceremony, swift and discreet.

Eleanor of aquitaine 11221204 has long been noted for her political and cultural achievements. Katherine hepburn was one of my ultimate favorite actresses, from hollywoods golden years. In 17, fifteenyearold eleanor became duchess of aquitaine, a. This is a substantial book of 394 pages, and of all the single. Eleanor of aquitaine was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in europe during twelfth century ad who served as both queen of france and queen of england through her two marriages. They tended to be employed by a wealthy person, often for their whole careers, and mostly in. I am currently reading eleanor of aquitaine, courtly love, and the troubadours by ffiona swabey, but have just started it. She was born in 1122 on bordeaux in the country of aquitaine,1 having for a father the future duke of aquitaine, william x, and her mother aenor of chatellerault. By the wrath of god, queen of england by weir, alison isbn. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read eleanor of aquitaine. A novel of eleanor of aquitaine by alison weir, eleanor of aquitaine. Books for eleanor of aquitaine the history of england. Had i not first read marion meades book, eleanor of aquitaine, a biography, i might not be so disappointed reading weirs.

Eleanor of aquitaine is a fascinating and remarkable woman who lived in the medieval ages. E leanor of aquitaine was a rare individual indeed. 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. She was the richest heiress in europe at the age of 15, and arguably the greatest beauty as well. 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. Lord and lady and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Best historicalfiction about eleanor of aquitaine score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. In the competition for remarkable queens, eleanor of aquitaine tends to win. 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. Sarah cockerills bio is the first one that incorporates the newest research about eleanor to give a wellrounded picture of this queen.

Eleanor of aquitaine was one of the most influential people of the medieval period, and one the most famous women in the history of europe. The life and legacy of medieval europes most famous queen attempts to provide an unbiased look at eleanors life by exploring the achievements and trials of the duchessqueen and deconstructing the black legends and other compelling tales that continue to envelop her to this day. 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 force to be reckoned with. Eleanor of aquitaine is one of the most memorable women of history, and a modern woman who lived 800 years ago. She is the symbol of the middle ages, a queen who is wellknown outside the academia.

Eleanor, exceptionally beautiful at fifteen, had matured into a saucy, hotblooded damsel, and perhaps he her father feared that, unproperly chaperoned, she might grant excessive courtesies to some ardent knight. I notice that it gives the correct birth date of eleanor as 1124. 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. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 441 pages and is available in paperback format. 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. Owen and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. Alternately depicted as a temptress, warrior, protective mother, and powerful queen. This is inevitable, however, owing to scant records on this former queen of england and queen of france. Eleanor married in turn louis vii of france and henry ii of england, and was the mother of richard the lionheart and king john.

Unfortunately, not many reliable contemporary sources that record the protagonist life are available to us, and in consequence, my expectations had to be readjusted. Renowned in her time for being the most beautiful woman in europe, the wife of two kings and mother of three, eleanor of aquitaine was one of the great heroines of the middle ages. Eleanor of aquitaine 1122 april 1, 1204 was a medieval firebrand, and no question about it. It is more likely that she had red or auburn hair since a mural in the church of sainte radegonde in chinon which almost certainly depicts eleanor and was painted during her lifetime in a region in which she was well known, shows a woman with reddishbrown hair. 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. The novel begins with eleanor s 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.

She has also written biographies of woody allen, buster keaton, eleanor of aquitaine, victoria woodhull, and madame blavatsky, as. Her portrail of eleanor of aquitaine, in the movie version of. As wife of louis vii, she ruled france, only to divorce her husband and marry henry of anjou, who would later make her queen of england. Acknowledgments i should like to extend very special thanks to my editor, anthony whittome, for his creative input and his. Eleanor was the daughter and heiress of william x, duke of aquitaine and count of poitiers, who possessed one of the largest domains in francelarger, in fact, than those held by the french king. 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. Jan 22, 2012 i am currently reading eleanor of aquitaine, courtly love, and the troubadours by ffiona swabey, but have just started it. Net archive search books by rating android app menu.

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. Published by ballantine books, a division of random house, inc. She had a younger sister called petronilla of aquitaine. Twelfth century folk did not jot down every passing thought. Troubadours were poets and musicians whose art form flourished mostly between the 11 th and th centuries. One of marion meades problems, as she freely admits, was lack of sources. By the wrath of god, queen of england and over 8 million other books are available for amazon kindle. 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. I picked the book up for eleanor of aquitaine and came away with so many new favourite medieval women. It was a love match, though modern historian turner doubts it was a love match. These books about eleanor of aquitaine are historicallyaccurate testaments to this strongwilled woman of the middle ages.

Marion meade portrays eleanor of aquitaine as a woman of great intelligence and titanic energy who lived in a passionate and creative age. Eleanor of aquitaine reads like a really upmarket historical novel and that is a compliment. Marriage may have gotten her into positions of power, but what eleanor did with that power was her own special gift. Eleanor of aquitaine, page 1 read online free books archive.

Best historicalfiction about eleanor of aquitaine score a book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Apr 01, 2018 eleanor of aquitaine 1122 april 1, 1204 was a medieval firebrand, and no question about it. At fifteen eleanor married a relative soon to be king louis vii r. Eleanor of aquitaine is considered by many to have been the most powerful and enlightened woman of her age, if not the entire medieval epoch. In a real epic, eleanor marries the kings of france and of england, goes on a crusade, gives birth to no less then 10 children, including richard lion heart and king john. Best historicalfiction about eleanor of aquitaine 24 books. The death of eleanor of aquitaine kyra cornelius kramer.