The polychrome tufa recumbent statue of Eleanor of Aquitaine (with Henry II in the background) at Fontevraud Abbey (Maine-et-Loire) • WIKIMEDIA COMMONS A fascinating figure of the Middle Ages, Eleanor of Aquitaine had the most extravagant adventures. Through her extraordinary life and the criticisms she suffered, she reveals the condition of women of her time. We do not know the exact date of her birth, around 1122, because the birth of a daughter is of secondary importance in large families where male heirs are expected. However, his father, Guillaume X, Duke of Aquitaine, had to resolve to do without a son:the young heir, Guillaume Aigret, died in 1130. No other son was born. The more the probability that Aliénor inherits the Duchy of Aquitaine increases, the more care is taken over her education:reading, writing, Latin, music, hunting, horse riding... Orphaned at 15, she fell under the control of the King of France, whose father was the vassal, and who immediately arranges her marriage with her own son Louis in 1137. An heiress of this importance cannot marry the first comer. Thus the immense and rich Aquitaine will fall into the hands of France. A queen's life Then begins a life as a queen whose main challenge is to give a son to her husband, Louis VII, who became king shortly after their union. Alas! Aliénor will only give birth to two daughters, Marie and Alix. But her husband loves her. He is so close to her that he becomes the laughingstock of the court and of the great:a real man should not allow himself to be led by his wife. Aliénor quickly acquires the reputation of a threatening woman:too intelligent, too beautiful, too talented, too passionate. She is the incarnation of the Eve of the Bible, the temptress of original sin. Alienor quickly acquired the reputation of a threatening woman:too intelligent, too beautiful, too talented, too passionate. She is the incarnation of the Eve of the Bible, the temptress of original sin. It must be said that the reputation of her family precedes her:her grandmother, nicknamed "Dangerous" because of her charms, had left her husband, the Viscount of Châtellerault, with whom she had five children, to become Guillaume's mistress. IX of Aquitaine. Guillaume being none other than the paternal grandfather of Aliénor, the scandal is terrible:Dangereuse has seduced the stepfather of his own daughter. From this troubadour grandfather, Aliénor inherited a taste for the arts that she brought to the court of France. Singing, dancing and literature are at the service of the fin’amor , courteous love. If the royal entourage condemns the one who is perceived as a foreigner, her husband loves her all the more. So that when Louis VII goes on the crusade and she pretends to accompany him, the king accepts, thus revealing his weakness a little more in the eyes of all. The Black Legend Eleanor will visit more countries during her life than any of her contemporaries. In the XII th century, most women move very little, locked up in fortresses that look more like dungeons than fairy-tale castles. In later accounts of the second crusade, Aliénor was credited with several adulterous adventures:one with his uncle Raymond, prince of Antioch, the other with Saladin, the famous Muslim leader, regardless of the fact that he was not was only 10 years old at the time! The Black Legend of Eleanor is on. His behavior deviates dangerously from the canons of the time. But Louis VII is more and more pious, and the situation deteriorates between the two spouses. As the queen had no sons, their marriage was finally annulled in 1152, officially for consanguinity. It is therefore not a simple repudiation. Eleanor has agreed, also wanting to separate from her husband. To replace her, Louis VII first married Constance of Castile, a wiser and more obedient woman, who died in childbirth in 1160 after having given him two more daughters. His third wife, Adèle de Champagne, would be the mother of the future King Philippe Auguste. However, Aliénor did not leave the court of France empty-handed. She recovered her dowry, Aquitaine, which again made her one of the most beautiful parties in Europe despite her 30 years, an advanced age for a woman of the Middle Ages. She has already escaped two kidnapping attempts when the young Henri Plantagenêt asks for her hand. Aliénor has already escaped two kidnapping attempts when the young Henri Plantagenêt asks for her hand. The Count of Anjou, grandson of a king of England, born in Le Mans and neighbor of Aquitaine, is not insensitive to either his charm or his possessions. Eleanor is 11 years older than him, but who cares! They wed just eight weeks after the annulment of the marriage of the Queen, who did not consider retiring to a convent, as one might have expected. Plot against the king First snub for Louis VII:the new husband of his ex-wife becomes King of England in 1154. If Eleanor is no longer Queen of France, she becomes Queen of England. Second scathing snub:she will give eight children to her husband, three girls and five boys, three of whom will reign over the kingdom of their father:Henri le Jeune, Richard Coeur de Lion and Jean sans Terre. Aliénor's second marriage is not without its clouds:a woman of leadership and power, she plots with her sons to overthrow her husband. Discovered, she was locked up for 15 years, prisoner of the Plantagenet, first in Chinon, then in Salisbury. Definitively freed in 1189, she became a precious auxiliary for her reigning sons:while Richard was on his way to the third crusade, she brought him his fiancée, Berengaria of Navarre, to the island of Cyprus, where the wedding was celebrated. before the return of the two women to the British archipelago. Eleanor then collects the enormous ransom demanded for the release of Richard, captured in Austria on his return from the crusade, and brings it herself to Mainz. She will also advise her son Jean, sovereign hated by his subjects. Aliénor will live more than 80 years, an astonishing age for a woman, while childbirth mortality is a real scourge. She will have known four generations of princes. Between two missions as a tireless ambassador, she rests on her land, in the calm of the monastery of Fontevraud, directed by a woman. She will be buried there in 1204. Her recumbent figure is regularly decorated with flowers by anonymous hands. Find out more Alienor of Aquitaine, by Martin Aurell, Puf, 2020.Anne of Brittany, by Claire L’Hoër, Fayard, 2020. Blanche, the strong regent Blanche de Castille is better known for having been the mother of Saint Louis than the wife of Louis VIII. However, his marriage is a surprise. In the year 1200, Eleanor of Aquitaine went to Castile to fetch the king's daughter, the future wife of the son of the king of France. Despite her 80 years, A has a very sure judgment and quickly notices that the youngest outweighs the eldest in finesse. She dismisses Urraque, with a repulsive first name for the French, in favor of the little 12-year-old Blanche, whom she brings back to the court of France. After giving birth to Louis IX in 1214, Blanche was widowed in 1226. She firmly defended her 12-year-old son, whose power was disputed by the barons:Eleanor was not mistaken in her choice.
