ELEANOR OF AQUITAINE: BIOGRAPHY, MARRIAGES, CRUSADES, DEATH - ARTE - 2025

Eleanor of Aquitaine (c. 1122 - 1204) was Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, as well as Queen Consort of France (1137 - 1152) and England (1152 - 1189). She belonged to the house of Poitiers and managed to exercise a degree of power unusual for the women of her time.

He gave repeated support to art and letters since Leonor served as patrons of troubadours and poets of his time, who without his support had not been able to develop their activities. Especially after her return to Poitiers, where concepts such as courtly love were consolidated.

Eleanor of Aquitaine, Unknown,, via Wikimedia Commons

But that was not the only scenario in which Eleanor of Aquitaine played an important role, participated first-hand in warlike conflicts, as was the case of the Second Crusade, in which she led her own armies.

After the death of her brother, while still a child, Eleanor became the heir to the Duchy of Aquitaine, which aroused the interest of many high-ranking suitors. Her first nuptials united her with Louis the Younger, who later became the monarch of France.

Two daughters were born from Eleanor's union with Luis, but when the relationship between them was definitively broken, the Duchess of Aquitaine requested an annulment through the pope, which was granted.

After that she married Enrique Plantageret, the heir to the English crown. In her marriage to Henry II she had 8 children, of which two came to occupy the throne of England.

She herself incited her children to take up arms against Henry II, which guaranteed her a long stay as her own husband's prisoner until 1189. During her final years she continued to hold great influence in the governments of her children, until passed away at the age of 82.

Early years

Eleanor (or Alienor) of Aquitaine was born c. 1122. The place of birth generates controversial debates for historians, who pose three possibilities: Poitiers, where she spent most of her childhood, Bordeaux or Nieul-sur-l'Autize.

His mother was Eleanor (Aenor) Chatellerault, while his father was William X of Aquitaine, or the Tolosano. They both had two more children, another girl named Petronila and a boy named Guillermo, like her father.

Guillermo X was the son of Guillermo el Trouvador. His father, in addition to having held the titles of Duke of Aquitaine and Count of Poitiers, was the first poet to use the Occitan language in his texts.

In 1130, William, Eleanor's brother, passed away, making her the apparent heir to her father's possessions and titles (the Duchy of Aquitaine and the county of Poitou). This made it the holder of domains that exceeded those of the French king at the time.

In addition to her sister Petronila, also called Aelith, Leonor had a male half-brother named Joscelin, who although he was the legitimate son of Guillermo X, was not named heir by the duke.

Education

From very early on, due to her status as an apparent heir, Leonor received an education that exceeded in depth and quality what was expected for any girl of any social background. She was instructed in arithmetic, astronomy, and history, areas in which few young women had knowledge.

However, the role she was destined to fulfill as a woman and mistress of her own home was not neglected. The administration of the house, as well as sewing, embroidery and weaving were aspects in which Eleanor of Aquitaine was adequately prepared.

In addition, as expected of a young woman of her status, she had to be prepared for social activities, so she was eagerly instructed in her conversational talents, as well as in dance and the main board games of the time.

Leonor knew about music, could sing and play the harp. Likewise, she could speak fluently languages such as Latin and Poitevino, which was her mother tongue. Other activities in which the future duchess was prepared were hunting and horse riding.

In this way, William X made sure to leave his domain in the hands of a girl capable of handling matters that were at the height of her position.

Death of his father and promotion

Leonor and her sister Petronila traveled to Bordeaux in 1137. At the request of William X, the archbishop living there agreed to take care of the girls, so that their father could make the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela with ease.

What had not been foreseen by the Duke of Aquitaine was that this would be his last trip, since he died on April 9, 1137, far from his home and his daughters. But, anticipating events, Guillermo prepared the entire process that would take place after his death.

He entrusted Luis VI with the task of watching over his daughter Leonor, who was then 15 years old. She requested that he find a suitable husband for her and take care of her safety while the right suitor showed up.

Despite the fact that the King of France, Louis VI, known as el Gordo, was seriously ill, his mental faculties still remained intact, with which he could see the door that was being opened for his son to retake the territories of the Poitiers.

The monarch sent a letter notifying the young Eleanor, both the death of Guillermo X, and the duty that he entrusted to find a husband for her. The chosen candidate was Louis the Younger, son of the king and heir to the French throne.

First marriage

Luis the Younger was 17 years old, while his fiancee, Eleanor of Aquitania, was about 15 years old. Along with the groom, 500 gentlemen left to accompany him on his journey to Bordeaux where his future wife was waiting for him.

On July 25, the union took place without delay in the Cathedral of Saint Andrew in Bordeaux, a ceremony in which they also became Dukes of Aquitaine and Counts of Poitiers.

However, the lands of Aquitaine were not joined to France, these domains would remain independent until a male child engendered by the couple was old enough and ascended to both thrones.

On August 1, 1137, King Louis VI died as a result of the dysentery that had afflicted him for some time. The young couple of kings were crowned at Christmas of that same year.

Despite the deep love that Eleanor had awakened in Luis VII, she did not quite please the Northerners, who saw her as a frivolous and unseemly young woman. However, Luis indulged his wife's every whim, and even allowed himself to be influenced by her in affairs of state.

Louis VII against the pope

When the Archdiocese of Bourges became vacant, King Louis VII proposed one of his faithful servants named Carduc for the post.

In parallel, Pope Innocent II and the College of Cardinals showed their support for Pierre de la Chatre, whom they consecrated despite having been vetoed by Louis.

In response to what he viewed as an outrage, the King of France ordered the city gates to be closed to the newly appointed Archbishop of Bourges. Which meant a frontal affront to the pope.

Innocent II classified the behavior of the French as "childish" and commented that he lacked discipline lessons. Louis VII, enraged, said that while he was alive, Pierre de la Chatre would not enter Bourges.

This is how a series of tensions between Rome and France began that lasted several years and even triggered an internal war in the territories of Louis VII.

Conflict with the Duke of Champagne

Tybalt I, Duke of Champagne was the first to begin hostile actions against Louis VII by giving refuge to Pierre de la Chatre after being rejected at Bourges. The French ruler knew that from then on the duchy had become one more enemy.

Eleanor pressured Luis VII to grant Raúl I de Vermandois permission to repudiate his wife, Eleanor de Blois, and marry his sister Petronilla of Aquitaine. The Frankish president gave his approval, especially because Eleanor de Blois was the sister of Tybalt I.

In this way, an armed confrontation was unleashed that lasted two years, between 1142 and 1144, when the men of Louis VII managed to seize Champagne.

The king himself was a participant in the taking of the town known as Vitry-le-François. There, more than 1,000 people died when they set fire to the church where the inhabitants were sheltering.

In addition, Petronila and Raúl I de Vermandois were excommunicated by Pope Innocent II, who did not consent in the first place to the separation of the count and his wife, which made their new union not in accordance with the principles of the Catholic religion.

Mediation of Bernardo de Claraval

In 1144 Eleanor of Aquitaine, queen consort of France, addressed the monk Bernard of Clairvaux in Saint Denis. Then she asked the religious to intercede with the pope to lift the excommunication of her sister and brother-in-law.

Mariage de Louis VII et Aliénor d'Aquitaine, 14th century, by Unknown,, via Wikimedia Commons

In exchange for his help, Eleanor offered Bernardo de Claval that her husband would make concessions in the matter related to Archbishop Pierre de la Chatre.

The monk was shocked to see such behavior in a woman and recommended that she stay out of the affairs of state that corresponded to her husband. She argued that she was interested in such matters because of the lack of children in her marriage.

Bernardo de Clairvaux recommended that she seek peace, that she not put her husband against the designs of the Church and that if she did he would ask God to grant her the long-awaited offspring.

So did Leonor and in 1145 she gave birth to her first daughter, whom they named Maria. At the same time, she began to pressure her husband, Louis VII, to agree to participate in the second crusade.

The King of France did not lack reasons for wanting to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, since since the burning of the church in Vitry-le-François he was trying to find peace and he would only find it washing his sins in the service of God.

Eugene III, the successor as head of the Church after the death of Innocent II, asked Louis VII to lead the second crusade and he accepted in December 1145.

Second crusade

Leonor felt entrusted with the responsibility of leading the crusade together with her husband after speaking with Bernardo de Claraval. In addition, she thought that in that way she could influence Luis VII to provide support to his uncle Raimundo de Antioquia.

Although Luis did not agree to take Eleanor with him, she insisted that as the greatest feudal lady in the entire kingdom, she should lead her men just like everyone else. Finally, the king agreed and the consort accompanied them.

More than 300 women who were not of noble origin served Eleanor as an escort on her journey. It has been said that they all wore Amazonian costumes, although it has not been corroborated. In 1147 Louis VII and Eleanor of Aquitaine left from Vézelay.

At the same time the pope agreed that the crusade was also fought in Iberia, where Alfonso VII of Castile got permission to fight the Moors, while Alfonso I of Portugal was able to regain Lisbon and, thanks to a coalition, he also made sure control of the port of Almería.

However, the French kings took the east as their destination. In Constantinople they were received by Manuel I Komnenos, there all the French forces met and continued on their way to Asia Minor.

To Antioquia

Although Manuel made Louis VII promise that any recovered territory would return to Byzantine rule, he did not provide any military aid to the Crusaders, who continued on their way alone.

At Nicaea, the Germans and the French joined forces to go together to Ephesus. On the way to Antioquia, on Mount Cadmus there was a confrontation with the Turks that left many casualties in the French ranks.

Eleanor's vassal, Geoffrey de Rancon, was the one who proposed to continue and consequently led them into the trap. That led to the blame falling on Leonor, who was responsible.

It was also said that the size of the queen's luggage and non-combatant companions made strategy easier for the infidels.

Seals of Eleanor of Aquitaine, by Acoma, via Wikimedia Commons.

From then on, the vassals and royalty went their separate ways: the nobles boarded ships that would take them directly to Antioquia, while the commons had to continue the journey by land.

Soon, having reached their destination, the royal couple began to have great discrepancies. Eleanor wanted Luis to direct her troops to Aleppo and thus begin the reconquest of Edessa, while she wanted to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

Road to jerusalem

Leonor was close to her uncle Raymond, with whom she had shared a lot of time during her youth. Some interpreted their family closeness as an incestuous relationship between them, especially those who already resented the queen consort.

For this reason, when Leonor proposed to Luis that he would stay in Antioquia with his uncle, the monarch did not grant his consent and forced her to continue with him to Jerusalem.

In addition, Leonor began to argue that the relationship between the two seemed to be too close to be adequate in a marriage.

The fact that Louis VII ignored Eleanor's will and led her on her journey against her wishes was very humiliating for her and was one of the reasons that definitively fractured their union, which was already fragile.

After arriving in the Holy Land, Conrad, Louis VII and Baudouin III joined forces to recapture the city of Damascus, but the siege that occurred in 1148 was a total failure and trust between the allied crusaders was broken.

Maritime law

During her stay in the Mediterranean, Leonor was able to soak up her knowledge of maritime law issues. Ultimately she became the first promoter of these regulations in her domains, which set a precedent for all of Western Europe.

The first maritime laws promulgated by Eleanor were known as the Rools of Olerón and were established in 1160. Then he applied them in England during the government of his son Richard I, called the Lionheart.

Return to france

After spending a short time in Jerusalem the French kings decided to return to their dominions. They did so in separate boats, although they did not count on the Byzantines, on the orders of Manuel I, would attack their ships and forced them to separate.

Although they were not captured, more than two months passed before Eleanor could arrive on the continent, where she was received by Count Roger II of Sicily, in Palermo. It was he who explained that everyone had considered both she and Luis to be dead.

Some time later, Luis arrived on the coast of Calabria and carried with him the news that Eleanor's uncle, Raymond, had been beheaded by the Muslims. They went on an appointment with Pope Eugene III, who was in Tusculum.

Instead of granting them the annulment of their marriage, the pontiff recommended that they reconcile and explained that the marriage was perfectly legal. Although the result of the papal administration was Eleanor's second pregnancy, the couple's problems were not resolved.

In 1151 the last daughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Louis VII was born and named Adelaide. Shortly after the arrival of the girl, the couple decided that they should continue with their separation since there was no way to carry on the relationship.

Divorce

Luis had entered into his relationship with Leonor, deeply in love with her for all her virtues, but when he realized that his wife always tried to manipulate him, he accumulated resentment against her until life together became unbearable.

Although they had two descendants, neither had been male. Consequently, Eleanor had not procreated an heir for the King of France. Furthermore, it never found its way into the hearts of the northern French, of whom Louis's court was composed.

This is how both decided to put an end to their marriage in March 1152. They formally requested the nullity of their union on the grounds of the fourth degree consanguinity that the couple shared.

Both María and Adelaida were declared legitimate daughters of the king, since it was considered that the inconvenience had not been in bad faith but due to ignorance. The custody of both girls remained in the hands of their father Luis VII.

Likewise, it was established that the lands that originally belonged to William X would return to their legitimate heir, that is, Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Return to Poitiers

On the trip to Poitiers, two gentlemen tried to kidnap her to force her into a marriage with which they would be able to take away the rights to their domains. These were Tybalt V, Count of Blois and Godfrey VI of Anjou.

Second matrimony

Eleanor managed to evade the captors and wrote to Henry, Duke of Normandy and heir to the King of England. In a short space of time, the young prince appeared to arrange his connection with Eleanor of Aquitaine, celebrated on May 18, 1152, although she was his cousin in the third degree.

This action was not to the liking of Luis VII, since in this way Enrique Plantagenet was done with a territorial extension much greater than his own within France. So he decided to unite with other lords against the common enemy.

In the alliance were, in addition to the King of France, other important feudal lords such as the Count of Champagne, the Count of Perche and even Enrique Plantagenet's own brother: Godofredo de Ajou.

Enrique managed to avoid direct confrontations with Luis VII in Aquitaine and later, due to an illness that attacked the king, hostilities were suspended and the Englishman took the opportunity to seek peace with the monarch of France and, incidentally, with his brother Godofredo.

Queen consort of England

In October 1154, Eleanor of Aquitaine's husband became Henry II of England. Two months later Eleanor was also crowned the royal consort. The new union was far more fertile than her first marriage.

Philip II sends an emissary to Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, by Chroniques de Saint-Denis, via Wikimedia Commons.

The couple conceived eight children, of whom five were boys and three girls. The first offspring, named Guillermo, died at 3 years of age. He was followed by Enrique in 1154, a year later Matilda was born and in 1157 Ricardo arrived.

Godofredo was the fifth fruit of the union in 1158. Eleanor, was born in 1162 and two years later the kings of England had Juana. The last child of the couple was Juan, whom Eleanor of Aquitaine gave birth to in 1166.

Distancing

Henry II was not characterized by being a devoted husband and faithful to his queen, but had many illegitimate children in his lovers. Although Leonor resented his behavior, she came to raise the first offspring of her husband, Godofredo, who had been born before marriage.

In 1166 Eleanor was angered by how public Henry II's relationship with Rosamunda Clifford had become.

Eleanor's first children to marry were Henry, who married Louis VII's daughter Margarita and then, in 1167, Matilda married Henry the Lion of Saxony.

In 1168 Eleanor decided to leave England and return to the city of Poitiers. The trip was guarded by the men of Enrique II, reason why it seems that the separation of the couple was arranged between both.

Patron of love

The Poitiers family had a special affection for the arts, especially poetry. The memory of William the Troubadour was close and in Aquitaine the cavalry had flourished as in few places in Europe at that time.

In 1168 when Eleanor returned from England accompanied by her children, she began to support poets and troubadours at her court, for whom she served as patrons.

It was for this reason that some have argued that in "the court of love", a nickname given to the dominions of Eleanor, the fundamental ideas and concepts around courtly love were forged and French manners were developed that later became the national standard.

That idea is held by Andreas Capellanus, although others claim that courtly love was already growing as a current even before Eleanor's birth and that their support simply strengthened it.

Revolt

Enrique, Eleanor's eldest son, felt that his power in his father's kingdom was extremely limited. Furthermore, the king decided to grant his youngest son, Juan, some castles that belonged to the inheritance of Henry the younger.

The boy who was about 18 years old and was close to figures who did not feel sympathy for Henry II of England, such as his father-in-law, Louis VII, decided to organize an uprising against his father.

The popularity of Henry II had been impaired by the possible relationship that the monarch had with the death of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket.

Alliance and Capture

He went to meet his younger brothers, Godofredo and Ricardo, who were in Aquitaine next to Eleanor. This meeting was a success, his mother allowed the young people to leave for France to organize the rebellion.

In 1173 Eleanor had just embarked on a journey to meet her children and was intercepted by the men of Henry II.

For a full year, the King of England kept this information to himself and nothing was known about the whereabouts of Eleanor of Aquitaine, then he took her to England.

Prison

While Henry II was alive, he continued to guard his wife Eleanor firmly. The queen spent more than 16 years in prison, although on special occasions such as holidays, she was allowed to leave her chambers.

In 1183 Enrique the Younger, as Eleanor's eldest son was nicknamed, again conspired against his father.

Again he failed to seize power, consequently he spent time in Aquitaine aimlessly. At that time the heir apparent contracted dysentery.

After regretting the behavior he had taken with his father, he asked him to have mercy on Leonor and set her free.

Felipe II, who had assumed the throne in France, began to claim property that he considered belonged to his sister, the widow of Henry the Younger.

However, Enrique II stated that these properties belonged to Eleanor and that after the boy's death they returned to the hands of his mother. The English monarch sent his wife to these lands to appease the clamor of Felipe II.

Last years

In 1189 Henry II died and the legitimate and undisputed heir was Richard I, nicknamed the Heart of the Lion. He immediately ordered that Eleanor be released from captivity and she ruled for a brief time on behalf of her son.

Between 1190 and 1992 Ricardo I was participating in the third crusade. Upon returning, the English sovereign was the victim of a kidnapping commanded by the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry VI.

Two more years Richard I lasted outside his domain as a consequence. Although formally there was a Council of Regency, Leonor had great influence in the decisions and was fundamental in the negotiations for the release of Ricardo I.

Eleanor's closeness with her descendants was always intense. She was one of those in charge of negotiating the marital unions of her grandchildren, a task of great diplomatic importance at the time.

He even saw some years of the rule of his youngest son, Juan, whose rule began in 1199.

Death

Eleanor of Aquitaine died on April 1, 1204 in the monastery of Fontevrault, in Anjou, where she had retired some time before. She was buried there along with her husband Enrique II and her son Ricardo I.

Tombs of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, by krischnig, via Wikimedia Commons

His last outstanding act was the trip he made to Castile in 1200 to choose one of his granddaughters, Blanca of Castile, as the wife of Philip II of France and thus try to stop the war between France and England.

References

1. American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-V).
2. Simpson, SA; Wilson, MP; Nordstrom, K (2016). Psychiatric Emergencies for Clinicians: Emergency Department Management of Alcohol Withdrawal. The Journal of emergency medicine.
3. Walker, Valentina (2015). Alcohol Withdrawal: Symptoms, Treatment and Alcohol Detox Duration. Recovered from webmd.com.
4. MedlinePlus (2017). Neonatal abstinence syndrome. Recovered from medlineplus.gov.
5. PubMed Health. Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. Recovered from ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
6. E Shokri-Kojori, D Tomasi, CE Wiers, GJ Wang (2017). Alcohol affects brain functional connectivity and its coupling with behavior: greater effects in male heavy drinkers. Recovered from nature.com.
7. E Appiani, R Ossola, DE Latch, PR Erickson (2017). Aqueous singlet oxygen reaction kinetics of furfuryl alcohol: effect of temperature, pH, and salt content. Recovered from pubs.rsc.org.
8. SP Kurtz, ME Buttram, HL Surratt (2017). Benzodiazepine dependence among young adult participants in the club scene who use drugs. Journal of psychoactive drugs.
9. D de Melo Costa, LK de Oliveira Lopes (2017). Alcohol fixation of bacteria to surgical instruments increases cleaning difficulty and may contribute to sterilization inefficacy. Taken from ajicjournal.org.