Eleanor of Aquitaine: The Mother Queen
by Desmond Seward
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Description
"A monstrous injurer of heaven and earth," as Shakespeare referred to this powerful medieval matriarch, Eleanor of Aquitaine's reign as England's stormiest and most ambitious queen has never been matched.As the greatest heiress in Europe, she was in turn Queen of France and Queen of England; among her sons were Richard the Lionheart and King John. A magnificent independent ruler in her own right, she lost her power when she married Louis VII of France. She received neither influence nor fame show more by her second marriage to King Henry II, who jailed her for fifteen years for conspiring and supporting their son's claim to the throne. Her husband was succeeded by their son, King Richard the Lionheart, who immediately released his mother from prison. Eleanor then acted as Regent while Richard launched the Third Crusade.Her loveliness and glamour, her throwing-off of the constraints that shackled women of the twelfth century, and her very real gifts as a politician and ruler make Eleanor's story one of the most colorful of the High Middle Ages. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
This is not the best biography of Eleanor, filled with speculation, as well as, pseudo-psychology of mother/son relationships and homosexuality. His history on the One Hundred Years War and biography of Marie Antoinette are much better.
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Author Information
36 Works 4,471 Members
Desmond Seward was born in Paris and educated at Cambridge. He is the author of Richard III, The Last White Rose, The Demon's Brood, and The Warrior King and the Invasion of France. He lives in England.
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1978
- People/Characters
- Eleanor of Aquitaine; Richard I, King of England; John, King of England
- Dedication
- For Elisabeth Pollington
- First words
- Eleanor of Aquitaine was born in 1122, either at Bordeaux or at the nearby castle of Berlin.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)By the conventions of medieaeval art her marble face can scarcely be a natural likeness, but it is the face of an extraordinarily attractive woman.
Classifications
- Genres
- History, Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 942.03 — History & geography History of Europe England and Wales England Plantagenet 1154-1399
- LCC
- DA209 .E6 .S45 — History of Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania Great Britain History of Great Britain England History By period Early and medieval to 1485 1154-1485. Angevins. Plantagenets.
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 251
- Popularity
- 128,550
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.29)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 7
- ASINs
- 6
