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Loading... Eleanor of Aquitaine: Queen of France, Queen of England (edition 2009)by Ralph V. Turner
Work InformationEleanor of Aquitaine: Queen of France, Queen of England by Ralph V. Turner
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Oh goodness. Three stars is generous, but two would be too little. Turner is, at times, clearly a talented writer who is passionate about his subject. This passion does not overwhelm him as it has many other writers on Eleanor; he sticks to the evidence (however little there is), as part of the purpose of this book is to right the exaggerations and misinterpretations of the past. As a historian I was drawn to this biography of Eleanor for that reason; and as a historian I understand that we are taught that 'more is more' when it comes to writing, but there really needs to be a change in mindset in the profession. This book could have been a good 50 pages shorter had it been more concise. Time and again I wanted to put the book down and not continue; I've had it out of the library off and on since late July. Certain sections I sped through, but others dragged for repitition of information over and over ... If you're a French medievalist or other serious scholar of Eleanor or one of her husbands or sons, I definitely recommend reading this. If not, definitely pass. ( ) no reviews | add a review
Eleanor of Aquitaine's extraordinary life seems more likely to be found in the pages of fiction. 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 throne-Richard the Lionheart and John. Renowned for her beauty, hungry for power, headstrong, and unconventional, Eleanor traveled on crusades, acted as regent for Henry II and later for Richard, incited rebellion, endured a fifteen-year imprisonment, and as an elderly widow still wielded political power with energy and enthusiasm.This gripping biography is the definitive account of the most important queen of the Middle Ages. Ralph Turner, a leading historian of the twelfth century, strips away the myths that have accumulated around Eleanor-the "black legend" of her sexual appetite, for example-and challenges the accounts that relegate her to the shadows of the kings she married and bore. Turner focuses on a wealth of primary sources, including a collection of Eleanor's own documents not previously accessible to scholars, and portrays a woman who sought control of her own destiny in the face of forceful resistance. A queen of unparalleled appeal, Eleanor of Aquitaine retains her power to fascinate even 800 years after her death. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)942.03History and Geography Europe England and Wales England Plantagenet 1154-1399LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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