Historical Figures

Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122 - 1204)

Eléonor de Guyenne is better known by her anglicized name:Aliénor. She marries Louis VII the Younger thus bringing the Duchy of Aquitaine, of which she is the heiress, to the kingdom of France. Cultivated woman and queen of the troubadours, her character does not go well with her husband. She accompanies the king during the second crusade, but the journey will only poison the relationship of the two spouses. The queen was repudiated in 1152. Furious, she married Henri Plantagenêt only two months after his repudiation. In 1154, she became Queen of England. Ten years of happiness and splendor followed for Aliénor, who gave birth to five children, including Richard Coeur de Lion and Jean sans Terre (1166). But Aliénor ended up retiring to Poitiers in her Duchy of France to pursue a policy hostile to her husband, while favoring her children. She had her son Richard crowned and paid his ransom when he was captured during the Third Crusade. She died at the age of 80 after a full life.


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