Transcript Eleanor of Aquitaine - ripkensworldhistory2

Eleanor of Aquitaine
1122 CE – 1204 CE
By: Stephanie Scott
Location
Eleanor was from the province
of Aquitaine in France. Since
her father had no male heirs
she was named the heir and
she gained all of her fathers
land, which is why she
married the king. After her
divorce from King Louis VII of
France she moved to England
to marry her second husband,
King Henry II of England, who
also wanted her for the land
she owned.
Highlighted are Aquitaine, England and the
location of the crusades. Eleanor accompanied
King Louis VII to the Second Crusade and her
son, Richard the Lionhearted to the Third
Crusade
Province of
Aquitaine in France.
Land Eleanor owned
after becoming heir.
Timeline
History – The High Middle Ages
Eleanor of Aquitaine lived during the times of the High Middle ages. During
this time period the Carolingian empire had been divided by Charlemagnes
grandsons. This was also the time of the second, third and fourth crusades.
Eleanor was at both the second and third crusades, a large feat for a women
of her time period. Agriculture during the High Middle Ages due to the warm
climate and 3-field system of farming which decreased famine significantly
in Europe. Knight cavalry was also at a high during this time period because
it was a time of heavy battle due to the crusades and land disputes.
Catholicism and Christianity were the main religions during Eleanors life,
which was beneficial to women as they were allowed to participate as nuns.
Womens lives were overall fairly good during these times as they were
allowed to participate in daily rituals, allowed to go out in public and allowed
to be land holders when their husbands were away. Although they were not
equal to men, they were much more fortunate than a lot of women of their
era. During her lifetime the re-establishment of the Bulgarian empire was
formed and Fredrick I of Barbarossa was crowned king of the Holy Roman
empire.
History – Early Life
Eleanor was the oldest child of William X, Duke of Aquitaine and Aenor de
Châtellerault. Eleanor had a very good education due to her fathers high
standing and persistence. Her native tongue was Poitevin but she was
taught to speak fluent Latin. Music, literature, horseback riding, hawking
and hunting were also some of Eleanors strong points. Since her only
brother died at age 4 she was named the heir to her fathers domains. Since
Aquitaine was the riches, largest province in medieval France, Eleanor was a
very high standing Duchess. Eleanor and her younger sister Petronilla were
sent to Bordeaux while their father set out for the Shrine of Saint James of
Compostela, he died while on his journey. At age fifteen she became
duchess of Aquitaine and the most eligible heiress in all of Europe. Before
his death her father gave her rights to King Louis VI of France so he could
protect her from kidnappers and find her a suitable husband. Louis VI, faced
with death through illness, decided to bring Eleanor under the French Crown
by marrying his son and heir Louis VII.
History – King Louis VII of France
In 1137 CE Eleanor of Aquitaine became
married to King Louis VII of France. During this
time Eleanor was crowned as Queen of the
Franks after her husband became sole
monarch. She was often criticized by the
church for misbehavior and un-orderly conduct
but her husband was so in love with her he
often overlooked this behavior and focused on
her good traits and trying to meet her needs.
History – The Second Crusade
Eleanor insisted in taking part in the crusades by
being the feudal leader of the soldiers from her duchy.
Her involvement and female recruitment greatly
emphasized the role of women in society, which
caused women rights to increase during her time.
After the return of the defeated Germans Eleanor and
her husband made their way to the crossing of Mount
Cadmos where they were seized by Turks. Their
crusade was greatly unsuccessful but it gave them a
better understanding of what they were up against.
History – King Henry II of England
After her divorce from her first husband she was
almost kidnapped due to the fact that she was a
wealthy eligible duchess. After this she asked Henry to
marry her so she would no longer have the threat of
being kidnapped. She became the Duchess of the
Normans and the Countess of Angevins and her
husband became Duke of Aquitaine and Count of
Poitiers. After Henry became king she became Queen
of England by Archbishop of Canterbury. Henry and
Eleanors marriage was by no means faithful as they
both had other lovers during their time together.
History – The Third Crusade
After marrying Henry and bearing his children
she became very tied to her son, Richard the
Lionhearted. After Richard had made the
decision to go on the Third Crusade Eleanor
told him he would go to Jerusalem with him.
This crusade was also a large failure as they
saw the Fall of Jerusalem. Although they were
not successful Eleanor became much closer to
her son Richard and he quickly became her
favorite child.
History – Revolt Against Henry II
In 1173 Eleanors son Henry launched a two
year revolt against his father. The younger
Henry convinced his mother and his two
siblings Richard and Geoffrey to accompany
him in the revolt. After they went to Paris,
where Henry II was staying, Eleanor convinced
the kings of the south to join the revolt. On the
way to Paris Eleanor was captured and taken to
the king of Rouen. After taking Eleanor to
England they imprisoned her in a large castle
there where she stayed until 1189.
History – Eleanor’s Imprisonment
Eleanor was imprisoned in various locations through out Europe
for sixteen years (1173-1189). During her time in prison her
husband Henry fell in love with one of his mistresses named
Rosamund. He flaunted her around to Eleanor in attempts to
get her to agree to annulment. However if she would have
done this he would have revoked her titles and gained almost
all of her land which she knew. Eleanor did not seek annulment
and kept her titles and land, making Henry more furious with
her. It is rumored that Eleanor poisoned Rosamund in attempts
to infuriate Henry II. Young Henry tried once again to revolt
against his father but he was attacked by troops and eventually
died of disease. Eleanor was eventually sent to Normandy
where she gained some freedom and sometimes traveled with
her husband but she was still in custody and was not released
until Henry’s death in 1189. After his death Eleanor created
more freedom in Normandy and England for the people of her
lands.
History – Impacts on Society
Eleanor of Aquitaine impacted society greatly due to
her improvement of womens rights. She created the
Courts of Love in Aquitaine that were for women so
that they were encouraged to have a mind of their
own. She also created the courts to advertise that
women did not need men in their lives and it was okay
to be strong, independent women. She promoted
troubadours who were singing poets and encouraged
authors to write books which affected the arts. Her
jury system in the Courts of Love also affected the
Jury system of England and was implemented after
King Henry II death. Overall Eleanor of Aquitaine was
probably the most famous women’s activist of her
time.
Appearance
Eleanor of Aquitaine was portrayed as being one of the
most beautiful women of her time, which is one of the
reasons why her husbands both fell in love with her.
History - Politics
Eleanor was very interested in the politics of
running England. She often gave her ideas to
King Henry II and when he was away at war or
visiting other lands of England she was put in
charge of the royal seal. This would involve
making state decisions, protecting the royal
treasury, collecting taxes, and approving
spending. After Richard became King she
continued with her political advice and was very
involved in his court. In addition, she oversaw
aspects of Aquitaine management.
History - Offspring
Louis VII of France (First Husband)
Marie, Countess of Champagne (1145-1198)
Alix, Countess of Blois (1151-1198)
• Henry II of England (Second Husband)
William XI, Count of Poitiers (1153-1156)
Henry the Young King (1155-1183)
Matilda, Duchess of Saxony (1156-1189)
Richard I of England (1157-1199)
Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany (1158-1186)
Eleanor, Queen of Castile (1162-1214)
Joan, Queen of Sicily (1165-1199)
John of England (1167-1216)
•
Conclusion
Eleanor of Aquitaine lived to be 82 years
old. The average age for women in the
Middle Ages was around 30-40, many
women died young due to childbirth. Only
two of her ten children survived her time.
It’s a testament to her tenacity and her
ability to adapt to any situation that gave
her such a long lived, illustrious life.
Bibliography
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<www.robertfripp.ca>.
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Frater, Jamie. "Women of History." Listverse. 2 Oct. 2008. Web. 15 Dec. 2009.
<www.listverse.com>.
"Tomb of Eleanor of Aquitaine." 18 Sept. 2003. Web. 15 Dec. 2009.
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<lib.utexas.edu>.
"Aquitaine photo." Web. 15 Dec. 2009. <www.plumoil.com>.