Eleanor of Aquitaine, Essay Example

Biography

Eleanor of Aquitaine was a female hero of the Crusades “She was born in 1122 on Bordeaux in the country of Aquitaine,(1) having for a father the future duke of Aquitaine, William X, and her mother Aenor of Chatellerault In Aquitaine women had liberties rarely found elsewhere in Europe and they mixed freely with men. Her personality, as she grew older, owed a lot to this atmosphere of civility.” (“Eleanor o. Aquitaine, Queen “). She brought her many possessions from the River Loire to the Pyrenees into her marriage to King Louis VII at the age of 15. Queen Eleanor now gathered together over 300 townspeople to help the wounded. The Catholic Church was very happy with the help she was giving to the wounded especially even more than the many thousands fighting vassals she provided. Eleanor was wealthy because she was heiress of the duchy of Aquitaine, one of the greatest fiefs in Europe.

“Eleanor was the elder daughter of William X, Duke of Aquitaine, and Aenor (Eleanor) of Châtellerault. William died on April 9, 1137. The marriage of his heiress was of great importance because Aquitaine was one of the largest fiefs of France. Probably in accord with her father’s wish, Eleanor married Louis, son of King Louis VI (July 25, 1137); they were installed as rulers of Aquitaine at Poitiers.” (“Eleanor of Aquitaine”).

The people did not appreciate women travelling in wagons, dressed in armour dressing and carrying lances. It was not a traditional style. Eleanor reached the city of Antioch and found her long lost uncle Raymond there who had been appointed Prince of Antioch. Eleanor quite fancied Raymond for he was just older than she and much more interesting and lovely than her own husband. Raymond decided that it was best to conquer Edessa to protect the Westerner’s presence in the Holy Land. She wanted to follow Raymond, but Louis commanded her to follow him to his journey to Jerusalem. Eleanor was quite furious of the demand for she wanted to be with Raymond, hence she proclamated to the town that the marriage was not valid under the eyes of the Catholic Church.  The expedition failed and King Louis and Queen Eleanor rode back from the journey on separate ships.

She learned on her way come while passing through Sicily that her uncle Raymond had been killed in battle so she returned to her home with King Louis, very unhappy to be in the marriage, yet bore two children with him and eventually had the marriage annulled and remarried Henry of Anjou, who two years later became King of England.

Eleanor bore children for her new husband Duke Henry for the next thirteen years of five sons and three daughters. Eleanor began to feel very discontent with the relationship between her and her second husband from his many infidelities and having to vehemently agree with everything he stated, she felt as though she had lost total control or power in the marriage. Further history shows that he boar many illegitimate children whilst in the marriage to Eleanor. She decided to take her third son Richard and planned to take over her husband’s throne. It failed due to Louis’s weak military control and failure to keep troop discipline. Eleanor was immediately imprisoned for the next 15 years of her life at the castle at Winchester. Damascus was a disastrous military failure hence the royal family retreated to Jerusalem and then sailed to Rome and back to Paris. While in the eastern Mediterranean, Eleanor learned about what would become admiralty law.

King John II of England eventually died and her son Richard took throne. She continued to travel throughout Europe even at her old age to maintain honour and integrity within the English subject, keeping marriages together. Eleanor further rode to Spain to see her first children and grandchildren.

Brief Glimpse at the Contributions of Eleanor of Aquitaine

It has been historically noted that Eleanor gave rise to romance, chivalry and courtly love for Westerners. She led the Second Crusade to the Middle East and would have been successful if her husband King Louis had her jailed. “Perhaps her greatest contribution, at the height of her power at 47 is her legendary romantic courts of love.”(“Who Was Eleanor of Aquitaine?”) As time passes she becomes the Master Politician of the European Kingdoms. “At 82, a mother of ten, queen of two countries and creator of the great romantic court traditions her life is over. Her children became the royalty of Italy, Germany, Spain, France and England – King Richard the Lionhearted, King John, Queen Eleanor of Spain, Queen Joanna of Sicily, and granddaughter Blanche, Queen of France.” (“Who Was Eleanor of Aquitaine?”). Eleanor contributed to ending marriages of women as property. Women were to be no longer the bargaining chips for their father’s success.

Eleanor promoted elegant form of architecture-the Romanesque. She further brought in Spanish, Muslim and Persian influence as customs of dressage, cooking and thought. This gave birth to the first European Renaissance. She worked diligently to bring romance in as a social code to justice to the domains she ruled. “However upon her death the Church and the King expunged and condemned her hard work won through court practises, legal judgments and the book of love.” (“Who Was Eleanor Aquitaine?”).

Musical Influence of Eleanor of Aquitaine

“Eleanor’s grandfather, William IX of Aquitaine, was in fact the first known toubadour in history. He was the first influential supporter of this aristocratic music, which had probably been developing in the southern regions of France for some time and was based around the area’s vernacular, the langue d’oc. Eleanor’s father, William X, continued to patronize the art and poetry of the troubadours, and instilled a love for the music in his daughter.  (Hoppin, Medieval Music, pg. 284). Eleanor’s second marriage speeded up the pace of vernacular music to France. She passed her musical love on to her son Richard the Lion-Hearted and her two daughters from King Louis, Marie and Aelis further helped to spread the music of the trouveres throughout northern France in the thirteenth century.

Eleanor was once revered as the duchess of Aquitaine, queen of England and grandmother of Europe for her dominant presence in the High Middle East Ages amidst the twelfth century with the unceasing Holy War. She spent the brunt of her life in the political scenes of her realm. She was perhaps the most instrumental patrons of the Renaissance. Her life shaped the destiny of Northern Europe.

France was divided into several regions of which each was governed by its own Duke. Because communications were slow in those days Dukes were often made to make major decisions before the messages reached the Kings, decisions even concerning whether a person would live or die. One of the largest of these duke-doms was at the southern providence of Aquitaine where Eleanor’s father reigned.  In Eleanor’s time in Aquataine the presence of art and poetry were sophisticated. When Eleanor came to live in France and England she brought a standard of style. She became trusted as a political ruler because she was as strong as a man.

Eleanor’s time in Poitier was very significant but yet revealed. It appears that she set up what was known as a court style to encourage courtly love. The court was set up for twelve men and women to hear cases of love. Eleanor further set up a jury system in England to release all prisoners after Henry’s death. Henry attempted to control her reign of the Aquitaine and reign at the court of Politer. Henry was the cause of the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket to be murdered at the alter in 1170.

During Eleanor’s imprisonment throughout various places in England she would spend nearly sixteen years there and lost communications with her children especially her favourite son Richard. Tale has it that Eleanor had Rosemund, one of Henry’s mistresses poisoned.

Richard, Eleanor’s son again tried to ambush his father at Limoges in 1183. His brothers Geoffrey and Phillip sent troops to aid Richard in the ambush. Henry’s troops besieged the town and force Richard to leave. It was then that he realized he was dying of dysentery. Henry died in 1189 and with Richard having reign, he sent troops to England with orders to release Eleanor, but to his amazement the custodians had already released her. Eleanor rule England while Richard went on his third crusade. “Slowly, all of Normandy was lost to king John, culminating in 1204 as the entire Norman heritage left by William the Conqueror was lost. Eleanor, after Mirebaur, retired to Poitou, which held against Phillip II. The king hesitated on invading, since not only was she not at war with him, but she was his vassal. John did nothing to help her. She returned to the nunnery of Fontevrault and on March 31, or April 1, 1204 passed away wearing the habit of the nuns. (“Eleanor o. Aquitaine, Queen”).

After her death her legacy was carried on by Normans. Two or three years following her death “it was her presence that Uc De Saint-Circ remembered in his fanciful description of Bernart de Ventadorm’s love affair with her.” She played a leading role in the politics of Syria and Palestine, in England and in Aquitaine between the years of 1147-1202. History states that Eleanor retained her title as duchess of the Normans through Henry of Anjou for over fifty years which was longer than any other consort in the history.

Deeper Look into Eleanor’s Contributions through the Crusades

“Eleanor visited the celebrated Abbé Bernard of Clairvaux at the cathedral of Vézelay  to offer him thousands of her vassals for the Second Crusade. Rumour has it that Queen Eleanor was so in favour of the crusades that she appeared at the cathedral dressed like an Amazon and galloped through the crowds on a white horse, urging them to join the crusades.” (Newark, 1989). After she renewed her kinship with her uncle Raymond in Antioch she was forced to come back with her husband to fight the war with him. She brought back news that her uncle Raymond had been killed in battle and his head had been cut off and delivered to the Caliph of Baghdad. After this the church forbade all women to join the Crusades. Eleanor was wealthy coming from Aquitaine one of the greatest fiefs in Europe. Many were believed to be in love with the lovely Eleanor.

It became obvious that the marriage union between her and King Louis was not well-matched after the Second Crusade. It was then that she had the marriage annulled on a technicality that they were third cousins and within the year married Henry of Anjou. Henry became King of England in 1154. They were well matched with power and strength but it was told that his many adulterous affairs are what broke the marriage. “Eleanor was an independent ruler since she had inherited from her father Aquitaine and the Poiters at the age of 15.” (“Eleanor of Aquitaine”).  She bore for the next three years William, Henry, Richard, Geoffrey, John, Matilda, Eleanor and Joan.  “In 1173 she led her three of her sons in a rebellion against Henry, surprising him with this act of aggression so seemingly unusual for a woman. In her eyes it was justified. After two decades of child bearing, putting up with his infidelities, vehemently disagreeing with some of his decisions, and, worst of all, having to share her independence and power, Eleanor may have hoped that her prize would have been the right to rule Aquitaine with her beloved third son Richard, and without Henry.” (“Eleanor of Aquitaine”).

Henry passed away in 1189. Her son Richard was given reign.  She aided Richard in fighting in the Holy Land she repeatedly – even against her son John. She used her considerable influence to help raise the ransom and secure Richard’s release when he was captured on his way back from fighting the Holy Land. History tells that her relentless work with aiding her son Richard is what helped her political rise to power.

Through her old age she continued ventures to secure the honour of England. She rode to Spain to collect her granddaughter Blanche of Castile so that she could arrange the marriage to Louis VIII of France, the grandson of her first husband Louis VII. She further rode over the Pyrenees to collect the bride of Richard, Berengaria, the daughter of King Sancho the Wise of Navarre.

Aquitaine was one of the most accessible cities of France and that is what gave the ruler of the nation such power. “Bayonne is located just six hours from France and a few kilometres from Spain.” (“Aquitaine, 2009).  There are many airports and privately owned runways in Aquitaine and Bayonee.

Eleanor is perhaps one of the most famous medieval Queens of England. Though she was a spirited fighter for the Crusades her multifarious activities lent themselves to malicious distortion. Everyone thought because she was a woman she was the sin of Eve. More frequently the townspeople and noblemen relied on hearsay rather than what they would see eye for eye. Perhaps Eleanor showed her vivacious tactics with her fight for a relationship with her Uncle, but this did not constitute the lusty and ugly gossip that was spread among the land. While in the Holy Land she attracted rumours like they were flies on a peasant. There was a misinterpretation of her motives which can be blamed on the chroniclers. Richard of Devizes shared a different view from the gossiping chroniclers. He saw Eleanor as a virtue of beauty and humility with great intelligence. He had personal knowledge of her and he was loyal to her son Richard. In the 1160’s poet Wace comprised a biography of her husband Henry and gave biography to Eleanor henceforth. He ranted that she came from wealth and was wise and of great virtue. He never speaks negatively about the marriage of Eleanor and Henry. “To say she had become a legend of her own time was no rhetoric.” (Douglas & Roy, 1996).

In Historical Fiction

James Goldman directed a play The Lion in Winter which was later turned into a classic film starting Peter O’Toole and Katherine Hepburn in 1968. Queen Eleanor also appears in Shakespeare play King John. She has appeared in UK BBC Shakespeare versions in 1984. She prominently is a character in When Christ and His Saints Slept, Time and Chance, and Devil’s Brood. Penman, novels by Sharon Kay Penman. Eleanor has been featured in a number of British Television Series in the Adventures of Robin Hood and Phyllis Neilson-Terry in the British series Ivanhoe.  Further she has been portrayed in the silent film Becket

and a favourite television series called Richard the Lion heart and The Devil’s Crown.” Her most recent appearance has been in 2006, portrayed by Lynda Bellingham in the BBC series Robin Hood (2006).”(“Eleanor of Aquitaine”).  

Conclusion

Eleanor came from wealth and died with not only personal wealth but leaving behind her legacy as a well-triumphed lady with class, distinction, chivalry and spunk. Her sons were just as capable as she was to fight to keep England alive. Her legend certainly remains with the many plays and films that depict her reign.

Works Cited

Weir, A. (1999) Eleanor of Aquitaine 2009 12 Oct. 2009 http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/EofAreturns.html.

Who Was Eleanor of Aquitaine? 10 Dec. 2009. 11 Oct. 2009 http://www.eleanorofaquitaine.net/.

Swicegood J. (1997) The Musical Influence of Eleanor of Aquitaine 11 Feb. 1997. 12 Oct. 2009 <http://www.vanderbilt.edu/Blair/Courses/MUSL242/johnspa1.htm>.

Eleanor o. Aquitaine 1978. 12 Oct. 2009< http://ehistory.osu.edu/middleages/PeopleView.cfm?PID=394>.

Eleanor of Aquitaine 2009. 12 Oct. 2009< http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/EofAreturns.html>.

Aquitaine 2009. 12 October, 2009<http://www.directessays.com/viewpaper/44221.html.>.

Eleanor of Aquitaine 2009. Oct. 12, 2009. <http://www.answers.com/topic/eleanor-of-aquitaine>.

Douglas, D. and Owen, R. Eleanor of Aquitaine:  Queen of England  New York: NY: Wiley-Blackwell, 1996