Eleanor of Aquitaine
"Too intelligent, too beautiful, too talented, too passionate. She embodies the Biblical Eve, the temptress of original sin."* Queen, traveler, mother, prisoner, regent, ambassador—Eleanor of Aquitaine is one of the most fascinating figures of the Middle Ages. In 1137, the 15-year-old duchess married the future Louis VII, thereby uniting Aquitaine with the Kingdom of France. From her troubadour grandfather, William X, "Eleanor inherited a love for the arts, which she brought to the French court. Singing, dancing, and literature served the ideals of fin’amor, courtly love."* Strategic, determined, and scandalous, she accompanied her husband on the Crusade. Defying conventions, yet mindful of her safety and capable of the most daring diplomatic calculations, she married Henry Plantagenet, the future King of England, in 1152. Her tomb now rests at the Abbey of Fontevraud, still adorned with flowers by anonymous hands. *Sources: C. Houer, "Le Monde Histoire."
Queen Eleanor, Frederick Sandys 1858/National Museum of Wales (public domain)
