Eleanor was one of three grandchildren born from the dishonest relationship between William IX of Aquitaine and Dangereuse, wife of the viscount of Chtellerault. William IX had stolen Dangereuse from the viscount, and even though the two could not officially marry, they had allowed their oldest children to marry each other. Dangereuses oldest daughter Aenor had married William IXs oldest son, William X.
They had three children, two daughters, Eleanor and Petronilla, and a son, William Aigret. Of the three, Eleanor was unique in that she resembled her grandparents more than she did her parents. She had the same traits of an iron will, gaiety, restlessness, and intelligence possessed by her grandparents. These are the trains which will help her become the queen of two nations in medieval Europe.
Eleanor of Aquitaine has been a very influential person in medieval Europe. Though her name andaccomplishments are not universally recognized, they were nevertheless important in shaping Europe into the continent today. She had been born into wealth, and it had never left her side.
Eleanor had been married to King Louis VII of France, which was when she had received her first taste of great powers.
However, after several years of debilitating problems, the marriage had obviously come to its end. Eleanor had requested an annulment from the church so that she and Louis VII would still remain related, as fourth cousins. The annulment was granted by the church without opposition from Louis VII.Her next husband was Henry Plantagenet, heir to the English thrown. They had fallen deeply in love, despite the fact that Eleanor was a full twelve years older than Henry.
After only six weeks since the annulment had been granted between Eleanor and Louis VII, she got married with Henry at Bordeaux. When Henry was appointed King of England at the Westminister Abbey, Eleanor was appointed Queen of England.Though from this point on is considered by most people to be the time when Eleanor had acquired an ambition to rule and the power to make that possible, it didnt really start until the two have had their second child.Eleanor and Henrys first child, a son called William, had died at an early age. After William, Eleanor gave birth to eight more children.
In order from eldest to youngest, they were:
Matilda, Henry, Richard, Geoffrey, John, Eleanor, and Joanna. Richard was Eleanors favorite child, while John was Henrys favorite. The royal marriages of these children were planned at birth, which will eventually come to mean that Eleanors lineage will extend from England to every major nation in Europe.The children had become rebellious to Henry, when they found out that he was having an affair with Richards wife, Alys, a French Princess.
Although this brought her a lot close to her children while distancing them from Henry, they were far from being loyal and loving to each other. Each and every son were competing for the throne.
This is where the main conflict in Eleanor of Aquitaine starts. Eleanor wanted her son, Richard, to be king, but she mostly wanted to hurt Henry. The way to hurt Henry was to see that John does not get the thrown and to see to it that she receives control of the Aquitaine province. Those who know Richard know that the way to get at him is to tell them how much they love him.
Henry wanted his son, John, to be king, and wanted to retain control of the Aquitaine province. In between these two superpowers are the rest of the children, who also want the throne. Hence, during this time in the English court, corruption, scheming, and cruel manipulation was running wild.
After a while, all seems stabilized, and John is destined to become king. In an attempt to ease the transition, he tries to quell the rebellion.
However, Henry finds out that even his beloved John could not avoid having a part in all the turmoil and betrayals within the royal family. He finds out that John has betrayed and tried to manipulate him too, in order to receive the throne.
This drives Henry to seek a new heir, one outside his immediate family. However, this notion infuriates Eleanor, and she threatened to rise up against him with her children. As a result, Henry locked her up in a dungeon in Winchester as imprisonment, only to be allowed out on holidays.
Immediately afterwards, all is settled down, and Richard becomes king. After Henry dies, sixteen year later, Richard releases his mother.
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