This childrens book is a delightfully beautiful retelling of the cinderella fairy tale. The basic premise of the book is that after being raped by king louis on her wedding day and finding out ten days later that she had become pregnant, eleanor of aquitaine, who in this book is a whiny professional victim, turns to the handsome bernard of ventadour. Had i not first read marion meades book, eleanor of aquitaine, a biography, i might not be so disappointed reading weirs. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read. In her fascinating book on eleanor, alison weir describes how eleanor left paris as soon as her marriage was terminated, and rushed to aquitaine with an entourage of soldiers, pursued by several counts who wanted to force her into marriage, thereby acquiring her vast territory and wealth.
Louis and eleanor were married in july 17, but had little time to get to know one another before louis father the king fell ill and died. Hugh and guy and aimar and achilles cantering down the summer. Eleanor of aquitaine, queen consort of both louis vii of france 1752 and henry ii of england 11521204 and mother of richard i the lionheart and john of england. She is the author of numerous works of history and historical fiction, specialising in the medieval and tudor periods. Offers an accessible overview of the vibrant personal and intellectual developments in the medieval court and monasteries during eleanor of aquitaines lifetime. A novel of eleanor of aquitaine ebook written by elizabeth chadwick. Eleanor of aquitaine 11221204, duchess of aquitaine in her own right and queen consort successively of france and england, was probably the most powerful woman in europe in the middle ages. Published by ballantine books, a division of random house, inc. Barely out of childhood and faced with great scandals, fraught relationships, and forbidden love at every turn, eleanor must use all her cunning to secure her future as one of the most powerful women in the world. Ann kramer nonfiction series for ages 9 to 12 national geographic, 2006 isbn. Posts about eleanor of aquitaine written by gardenia. She was one of the most powerful and influential people of her time. Duchess of aquitaine in her own right, she would go onto become queenconsort of france and later queen of england.
Marie of france 1145 1198 married henry i 1127 1181, count of champagne, in 1164. This is the first novel that ive read in many years about her, and it expands on the eleanor that novelists like sharon kay penman have only touched on in their work. The mere mention of eleanor of aquitaine brings to mind an remarkable woman in many respects. Eleanor of aquitaine, courtly love, and the troubadours. Reading sections childrens books comics fantasysf general fiction lifestyle mystery nonfiction romance.
However, i was so enthralled by marion meades, page turning biography, i could barely put it down. Eleanor of aquitaine eleanor of aquitaine, courtly love. I would suggest looking for a different retelling of her story. Discovering queen eleanor of aquitaine is a revelation i have read very many excellent books about this intriguing woman and this a good book to get to know the real person behind the hype. Ive been curious about the historical figure of eleanor of aquitaine for a long time. These books about eleanor of aquitaine are historicallyaccurate testaments to this strongwilled woman of the middle ages. Best historicalfiction about eleanor of aquitaine 24 books. In the journey east, mark richard beaulieu continues the fascinating life of eleanor of aquitaine with a second volume. Eleanor of aquitaine book by jean markale official. The majority of the book focuses on the men in her life and not on eleanor at all, though it seems to be historically accurate with many sources. Eleanor of aquitaine led a remarkable life queen of england and france, participant in a crusade, mother of richard the lionheart, patron of troubadours, benefactor of convents, and actor in numerous court intrigues that decided the fates of kingdoms and helped shape the.
Eleanor of aquitaine, queen consort of both louis vii of france and henry ii of england and mother of richard i the lionheart and john of england. So she has used a lot of imagination but as the story of a truly remarkable woman, it works. She was perhaps the most powerful woman in 12thcentury europe. This is the final book in elizabeth chadwicks historical fiction trilogy on the life of eleanor of aquitaine. One of marion meades problems, as she freely admits, was lack of sources.
An ebook reader can be a software application for use on a computer such as microsofts free reader application, or a book sized computer that is used solely as a reading device such as nuvomedias rocket ebook. Eleanor of aquitaines extraordinary life seems more likely to be found in the pages of fiction. Eleanor of aquitaine 11221204 was one of the most powerful and influential figures of the middle ages. Eleanor of aquitaine was wife to both louis vii of france and henry ii of england, and her sons with the latter. Facts and stories about eleanor of aquitaine posted on april 5, 2019 by james malcolm living eighty years, she was the wife of the king of france when she was thirteen, then at twentyeight wife of the king of england, and mother of three english kings. Eleanor of aquitaine is a fascinating historical figure, but sewards book does her little justice. Eleanor daquitaine, queen consort of england 1122 1204. Frederick sandys british queen eleanor eleanor of aquitaine eleanor was one of the most powerful women of the middle ages. Eleanor of aquitaine by jean markale eleanor of aquitaine 11221204. Instead, he delineates well and clearly what these women accomplished, and how they changed the course of history for good and ill. She is also included in wiliam shakespeares king john with a different spelling of her name. Tracey borman sara cockerills new biography of eleanor of aquitaine is a welcome addition to.
Renowned in her time for being the most beautiful woman in europe, the wife of two kings and mother of three, eleanor of aquitaine was one of the great heroines of the middle ages. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Learn more about eleanor of aquitaine in this article. Cockerills careful historical detectivework digs behind the mythology to reveal what we know about the real eleanor of aquitaine. Eleanor of aquitaine 1122 april 1, 1204 was a medieval firebrand, and no question about it. Eleanor was the daughter of william x, the duke of aquitaine. Eleanor was born in either 1122 or 1124 and died in 1204 around the age of eighty which represents almost twice the life expectancy of her time. In 17, fifteenyearold eleanor became duchess of aquitaine, a. Marion meade has told the story of eleanor, wild, devious, from a thoroughly historical but different point of.
Set in the historically rich 12th century, the young french queen brings her culture into conflicted paris, where she will become a mother. Alison weirs book on the life of eleanor of aquitaine is a good read. The other 710 is about her husbands, her children and speculation surrounding her and her family. Marion meade has told the story of eleanor, wild, devious, from a thoroughly historical but different point of view. Facts and stories about eleanor of aquitaine live as. She was queen consort of both france and england in her lifetime biography. While her children and husbands lead interesting lives, i purchased a book claiming to be about the renowned eleanor of aquitaine.
Alison weir is one of britains topselling historians. A life i was able to sate my eagerness to know what kind of life this woman, that was the duchess of aquitaine in her own right and queen of both france and england, lived. She enjoyed an exceptional longevity for a woman of the high middle ages. King john, the fourth son of henry ii and eleanor of aquitaine, his personality was so distorted by chroniclers such as roger of wendover and matthew paris that the author has set out to investigate his acts and how he was seen against the background of h. Catherine the greats probable promiscuity, or eleanor of aquitaines desire for control. Look eleanor of aquitaine queen of the troubadours. Troubadours were poets and musicians whose art form flourished mostly between the 11 th and th centuries. Her bestselling history books include the six wives of henry viii, eleanor of aquitaine, elizabeth of york and the lost tudor princess.
Eleanor of aquitaine reads like a really upmarket historical novel and that is a compliment. I said last time that i would blog about some of the research books ive been using to write the first of my 3 novels about eleanor of aquitaine. Eleanor of aquitaine peoplecharacters librarything. Inheriting a vast estate at the age of 15 made her the most soughtafter bride of her generation. I wanted to read more about the enigmatic and mysterious eleanor. He makes boudicca and elizabeth of england vividly real. Eleanor of aquitaine was a complex, boldly original woman who transcended the mores of her society. Twelfth century folk did not jot down every passing thought. Its hard to make the 12th centurythe time of the violent forging of european nationhood, the literary invention of courtly love, and names like dangerosa and the lord of cognacboring, but biographergenealogist weir the life of elizabeth i, 1998 gives it the old oxford try. Eleanor of aquitaine is one of the most memorable women of history, and a modern woman who lived 800 years ago. Eleanor of aquitaine by sara cockerill waterstones. Proud daughter of a distinguished french dynasty, she married the king of france, louis vii, then the king of england, henry ii, and gave birth to two sons who rose to take the english thronerichard the lionheart and john. They tended to be employed by a wealthy person, often for their whole careers, and mostly in the provence region of medieval france.
The novel the book of eleanor by pamela kaufman tells the story of eleanors life from her own point of view. The first 110 of the book and the last 210 of the book are about eleanor. He was the king of frances vassal, but he was also a very powerful man who ruled over a large part of what is france today. Best historicalfiction about eleanor of aquitaine score a book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Kinuko craft, 1940 eleanor of aquitaine, art, history. Finding a decent biography of eleanor has been difficult as many of eleanors biographers tend to wander off into fiction and speculation at the drop of a hat.
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