The Quiet Strength of Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Forceful Cadence in the Dark

Part 2

INTRO

From a young age, Eleanor explored the countryside of the powerful and wealthy vassal state of Aquitaine in Southwest France. With its mystic forests, lush rolling hills, free-flowing rivers and proximity to the sea, it was rich in agriculture, particularly grapes and contained an abundance of natural minerals such as iron and silver. Along with her younger sister, Petronilla, Eleanor trapsed the foothills of the surrounding Pyranees with some contentment that she was part of the bloodline of Portier Dukes that had been ruling Aquitaine now for the better part of two centuries.    

Picture the girls wearing oversmocks dyed an elegant blue over modest linen shifts. Floor-length and fitted at the waist, their smocks covered their arms tightly, giving way to loose, flowing sleeves.  Their hair would have been braided or loosely tucked under a veil. On their feet, they wore the softest of Corvadon leather ankle boots imported from neighboring Spain. 

Their Father, William X had descended from a two-hundred-year faction that had ruled the wealthy and vast Duchy of Aquitaine. Eleanor’s Mother came from the Châtellerault family. While not much is known about the girl’s formal education, it is documented that Eleanor, in particular, was able to read and write in her native tongue and Latin. She was versed in scripture, courtly culture and estate management.

Growing up in the countryside was no deterrent for Eleanor’s diplomatic training. Aquitaine one of the richest and powerful terrritories in the region, was well regarded and influential.  Eleanor often traveled with her father, who included her in stateside meetings. Eleanor was more worldly and mentally prepared to rule than most men in similar positions. In what could only have helped her status as most coveted bachelorette, it was said that she was exquisitely beautiful with auburn hair, above-average stature and an athletic physique. A trained horsewoman, with a love of adventure and the outdoors, Eleanor was said to have had a gift for oration and languished in supporting the arts. Eleanor had a definitive role in distributing lyrical poetry, having come to it naturally, as her Grandfather William IX was credited with giving birth to the troubadour movement, which modernized the way women were depicted in courtly love.

Image Credit: Frederick Sandys, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

When Eleanor was just ten years old, her mother perished from a fever and seven years later, her Father, William, set out on a pilgrimage from which he was never to return. Eleanor is fifteen when she inherets the power of the Duchy in the absence of a surviving brother. Even at this young age, Eleanor does not shrink from the responsibility of ruling. She has been well trained and has inherited intelligence, charm and wit. She knows the state of her vassals well and sets out to guide them with confidence.

Being a female ruler in the Middle Ages, though, comes with its own unique circumstances. A beautiful young woman with land is seen as a keen political advantage. For her protection, her late father had written to King Louis VI of France on his deathbed, asking him to protect Eleanor and find her a suitable husband. King Louis, seeking the advantageous lands that Eleanor has inherited, wastes no time in betrothing her to his own son, Louis VII. 

 Eleanor of Aquitaine Marries Louis VII of France in 1137

So it was in the Summer of the year 1137 that Eleanor married Prince Louis of France. Just a few months later, Louis’ Father died, making the young couple the official King and Queen of France. Together, they ruled for seventeen years, giving birth to two daughters. During this time, Louis VII made plans to set out for Jerusalem as a leader of the Second Crusade. Rather than staying home, Eleanor persuaded Louis to take her with him. Together, with some knights and men and women in waiting, they crossed the perilous mountain path over the Pyrenees. It took them two years to complete the journey and when they returned, it was said that of the party, Eleanor shone as one of the most skilled riders and displayed a keen grasp of military command. Louis, on the other hand, appeared weak and ineffective. Many speculated that Louis’ ego, now having been outperformed by his bride, could have played a part in his decision to seek an annulment of their marriage shortly after in 1152.

Chinon mural in the Chapel of St. Radegond

Marriage to Henry II Makes Eleanor the English Queen

It is now Eleanor’s turn to seek out a husband, one who will stand up to Louis and his want of her ancestral lands. She chooses the newly named heir to the English throne, Henry II. Henry’s grandfather was Henry I and while his cousin, Stephen of Blois, had taken reign while Henry was young, he and his strong and determined mother, Matilda, have been campaigning in Europe for years for Henry’s rightful place of rule. Henry has already proven himself to be ambitious, quick at battle and able to lead campaigns in favor of him.

The couple marries in May of 1152, just eight weeks after Eleanor’s first marriage has been annulled. Together, their combined territories are more expansive than those of Louis’ in France. What makes it worse for Louis is that in 1153, the couple produce a male heir, securing their right to the British throne.  They go on to have eight children in total, two of whom later become kings.

Their marriage is stormy. In the beginning, they complement one another with their boldness and determination. Henry rules England diplomatically, creating improvements in order and law. Eleanor looks over her territories between giving birth, but as their marriage matures, Henry’s eyes wander. Fractions in the family over divided rule passed on to their sons, without Henry II actually giving up any purse or power, led to their sons rebelling against him. United, they form an army from none other than the shelter of Louis lands in France. Yet, their father’s grip on England is strong. He is able to defeat them and a treaty is made.

Imprisonment and Final Years

The one person Henry cannot forgive, however, is Eleanor. She immediately had taken the side of her sons and attempted to join them in France. For this, all of her dominion over Aquitaine, Poitou,and the rest of her lands are taken from her control. Eleanor is imprisoned in several English country castles for the span of  16 years. There she is allowed hunting and horseback riding, fine clothes and food but the one thing she had been born for, to rule her father’s lands, has been stripped from her hands.

It wasn’t until Henry’s death in 1189 that Eleanor was released. Freed by her son, Richard, the next living heir to the English throne, she proved that even imprisonment could not silence her or quell her will. She went on to be instrumental in several diplomatic endeavours, including raising a heavy ransom from the English crown to free Richard when he was imprisoned in Germany. She helped guide the coronation of both Richard and John. The security of Aquitaine and England were guided by her wisdom several times throughout the years.

The magnificent and fierce Eleanor of Aquitaine died at age 82 at the Fontevrault Abbey in Anjou.

There, the nuns said of her, she was a Queen 

 “who surpassed almost all the queens of the world.” 

Tomb effigies of Eleanor and Henry II at Fontevraud Abbey in central France