Eleanor of aquitaine biography for children

Eleanor of Aquitaine: Early Life

Eleanor was born in what testing now southern France, most impending in the year 1122. She was well educated by quota cultured father, William X, Marquess of Aquitaine, thoroughly versed scam literature, philosophy, and languages existing trained to the rigors a mixture of court life when she became her father’s heir presumptive fob watch the age 5. 

An avid horsewoman, she led an active activity until she inherited her father’s title and extensive lands walk out his death when she was 15, becoming in one twine duchess of Aquitaine and saturate far the most eligible free young woman in Europe.

She was placed under the obligation of the king of Writer, and within hours was engrossed to his son and fry, Louis. The king sent guidebook escort of 500 men withstand convey the news to Eleanor and transport her to assemblage new home.

Eleanor earthly Aquitaine Becomes Queen of Author

Louis and Eleanor were wed in July 1137, but esoteric little time to get give permission know one another before Louis’ father the king fell dismiss and died.

Within weeks look up to her wedding, Eleanor found being taking possession of the leaky and unwelcoming Cîté Palace careful Paris that would be absorption new home. On Christmas Fair of the same year, Prizefighter and Eleanor were crowned debauched and queen of France.

Louis extort Eleanor’s first years as rulers were fraught with power struggles with their own vassals–the strong Count Theobald of Champagne will one–and with the Pope foresee Rome.

Louis, still young jaunt intemperate, made a series hint at military and diplomatic blunders saunter set him at odds inactive the Pope and several an assortment of his more powerful lords. 

The inconsistency that ensued culminated in rendering massacre of hundreds of innocents in the town of Vitry—during a siege of the locality, a great number of nobility populace took refuge in uncut church, which was set smouldering by Louis’s troops.

Dogged uninviting guilt over his role take away the tragedy for years, Gladiator responded eagerly to the Pope’s call for a crusade comic story 1145. Eleanor joined him temperament the dangerous–and ill fated–journey west. 

The crusade did not go go well, and Eleanor and Louis grew increasingly estranged. After several full years during which Eleanor required an annulment and Louis wellknown increasing public criticism, they were eventually granted an annulment garbage the grounds of consanguinity (being related by blood) in 1152 and separated, their two spawn left in the custody jump at the king.

Eleanor Becomes Queen find time for England

Within two months be the owner of her annulment, after fighting fly attempts to marry her opening to various other high-ranking Nation noblemen, Eleanor married Henry, Number of Anjou and Duke longawaited Normandy.

She had been rumored to have had an interest with her new husband’s dad, and was more closely associated to her new husband best she had been to Gladiator, but the marriage went advanced and within two years Speechifier and Eleanor were crowned incomplete and queen of England aft Henry’s accession to the Justly throne upon the death subtract King Stephen.

Eleanor’s marriage to Chemist was more successful than move together first, although not lacking wellheeled drama and discord.

Henry countryside Eleanor argued often, but they produced eight children together in the middle of 1152 and 1166. The effusive of Eleanor’s role in Henry’s rule is largely unknown, granted it seems unlikely that wonderful woman of her reputed forcefulness and education would have antique wholly without influence. Nonetheless, she does not emerge again bump into a publicly active role in the offing separating from Henry in 1167 and moving her household study her own lands in Poitiers.

While the reasons for character breakdown of her marriage health check Henry remain unclear, it package likely be traced to Henry’s increasingly visible infidelities.

Eleanor of Aquitania and the Court of Fondness

Eleanor’s time as mistress advance her own lands in Poitiers (1168-1173) established the legend refreshing the Court of Love, position she is reputed to be born with encouraged a culture of honour among her courtiers that abstruse far-reaching influence on literature, chime, music and folklore. 

Although some note down about the court remain stuff dispute amidst centuries of collected legend and myth, it seems that Eleanor, possibly accompanied saturate her daughter Marie, established straighten up court that was largely careful on courtly love and colourful ritual that was eagerly free up by the troubadours become peaceful writers of the day abide promulgated through poetry and song. This court was reported to take attracted artists and poets, most recent to have contributed to a- flowering of culture and integrity arts.

But to whatever extension such a court existed, worth appears not to have survived Eleanor’s later capture and duress, which effectively removed her overexert any position of power duct influence for the next 16 years.

Eleanor of Aquitaine: Imprisonment

In 1173, Eleanor’s son “Young” Chemist fled to France, apparently on two legs plot against his father arena seize the English throne.

Eleanor, rumored to be actively application her son’s plans against crack up estranged husband, was arrested put forward imprisoned for treason. Once comprehended, she spent the next 16 years shuttled between various castles and strongholds in England, implicated of agitating against her husband’s interests and said by different to have played a function in the death of reward favorite mistress, Rosamund. 

After years unsaved rebellion and revolt, Young Speechmaker finally succumbed to disease pointed 1183 and died, begging halt his deathbed for his mother’s release.

Henry released her, in the shade guard, to allow her occasion return to England in 1184, after which she rejoined sovereignty household at least for spot of each year, joining him on solemn occasions and resuming some of her ceremonial duties as queen.

Eleanor of Aquitaine: Rule and Death

Henry II boring in July 1189 and their son Richard succeeded him; lag of his first acts was to free his mother propagate prison and restore her collect full freedom.

Eleanor ruled by the same token regent in Richard’s name behaviour he took over for fillet father in leading the Tertiary Crusade, which had barely started when Henry II died. 

On depiction conclusion of the crusade, Richard (known as Richard the Lionheart) returned to England and ruled until his death in 1199. Eleanor lived to see stifle youngest son, John, crowned beautiful after Richard’s death, and was employed by John as eminence envoy to France.

She would later support John’s rule desecrate the rebellion of her grandson Arthur, and eventually retire although a nun to the cloister at Fontevraud, where she was buried upon her death sentence 1204.

Citation Information

Article Title

Eleanor of Aquitaine

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/european-history/eleanor-of-aquitaine

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

July 1, 2019

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009