Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204) - angevin
Daughter of William, 10th Duke of Aquitaine
Married:
1. (1137) @ age 15 Louis VII of France
- referred to as a 'fashionable, black-haired,
black-eyed beauty'
- (1146) went on crusade with Louis and designed
uniform of white tunic with red crowns, slit at sides to show red tights and
long red leather boots
- 2 daughters Marie and Alix
- marriage annulled 18/3/1152 on the grounds of
no male children
2. (1152) @ age 30 Henry (Plantagenet) II (born
1133, king 1154)
- married at Bordeaux 1/5/1152
- 8 children - (1153) William; (1155) Henry; (1156)
Matilda; (1157) Richard (I/the Lionheart), king 1189; (1158) Geoffrey; (1161)
Eleanor; (1165) Joanna; (1167) John, king 1199
- (1173) Henry's son Richard revolts and Eleanor
is captured and placed under constant supervision at Winchester Castle for
16 years
- known as the 'Royal Grandmother of Europe' due
to marrying her daughters to various kings
- helps raise money for Richard's crusade
- (1189) Henry dies and Eleanor is released from
Winchester; Richard becomes king
3. Eleanor marries again to Alix of Champagne
- further son Phillip Augustus who becomes Phillip
III of France and another daughter Margaret
- (1191) escorts Berengaria of Navarre to Richard
in Cyprus
- (1193) writes letters titling herself as 'Eleanor,
Queen of England, widow of Henry II'
- (1195) @ age 73 goes to Germany to deliver ransom
for Richard to Emperor
- (1199) Richard dies and Eleanor supports her
son John against her grandson Arthur of Brittany, son of Geoffrey
- (1202) @ age 80 collects granddaughter Blanche
(daughter of Eleanor) and takes her to France to marry Louis, Heir of France,
son of Philip Augustus
- defends Mirabeau against Constance of Brittany
and her husband Arthur, Eleanor's grandson