Eleonore Dss d’Aquitaine, Ctss de Poitou, Ctss de Saintonge, Angoûmois, Limousin, Auvergne, Bordeaux et Agen, Queen Consort of England

GUILLAUME d'Aquitaine (1099-Santiago de Compostela 9 Apr 1137, bur Santiago de Compostela)
x ELEONORE de Châtellerault, d/o AMAURY [I] Vicomte de Châtellerault & his wife Amauberge "Dangerose"[601] --- (-after Mar 1130)

ELEONORE d'Aquitaine (Nieul-sur-Autize, Vendée or Château de Belin, Guyenne or Palais d’Ombrière, Bordeaux 1122-Abbaye de Fontevrault 1 Apr 1204, bur Abbaye de Fontevrault).
The Chronicle of Alberic de Trois-Fontaines names "Alienor Guilielmi filia comits Pictavorum et Aquitanie ducis" as wife of "regi Francie Ludovico"[606]. “Willelmus…dux Aquitanorum” donated property to “ecclesiæ B. Hilarii de Cella” (La Celle, outside Poitiers) granted by “Gaufredus avus et Guillelmus pater mei” by charter dated 3 Mar 1130, subscribed by “Willielmi ducis Aquitanorum, Aenordis comitissæ, Alienordis filiæ eorum, Wilelmi Aigres filii eorum”[607]. She succeeded her father in 1137 as ELEONORE Dss d’Aquitaine, Ctss de Poitou, Ctss de Saintonge, Angoûmois, Limousin, Auvergne, Bordeaux et Agen. She left France with her husband in Jun 1147 on the Second Crusade[608]. "Helienordis...Francorum regina et Aquitanorum ducissa" confirmed the privileges of Notre-Dame de Saintes, at the request of "Agnetis abbatisse", with the consent of “Ludovici regis Francorum et ducis Aquitanorum collateralis nostri et Aelith sororis nostre”, by charter dated 1151[609]. She was crowned Queen Consort of England with her husband 19 Dec 1154 at Westminster Abbey. She supported the revolt of her sons against their father in 1173, was captured and imprisoned in the château de Chinon, later at Salisbury until 1179. The Continuator of Florence of Worcester records the death "XII Kal Apr" [1204] of "regina Alienor" and her burial "ad Fontem Ebraldi"[610]. The Chronicle of Alberic de Trois-Fontaines records the burial of "uxor [regis Henrici] regina Alienordis" in the same abbey as her husband[611].
x (Bordeaux, Cathedral of Saint-André 22 Jul 1137, annulled for reasons of consanguinity Château de Beaugency 21 Mar 1152) as his first wife, LOUIS associate King of France, son of LOUIS VI "le Gros/le Batailleur" King of France & his wife Adélaïde de Maurienne [Savoy] (1120-Paris, Palais Royal de la Cité 18/19 Sep 1180, bur Abbaye cistercienne de Notre-Dame-de-Barbeaux near Fontainebleau, transferred 1817 to l'église de l'Abbaye royale de Saint-Denis). He succeeded his father in 1137 as LOUIS VII "le Jeune/le Pieux" King of France. He was crowned Duke of Aquitaine, in right of his first wife, 8 Aug 1137 at Bordeaux.

1. MARIE de France (1145-11 Mar 1198, bur Cathedral of Meaux, Seine-et-Marne).
2. ALIX de France (1150-11 Sep after 1195)

xx (Poitiers or Bordeaux Cathedral 18 May 1152) HENRI Duke of Normandy, Comte d'Anjou et du Maine, son of GEOFFROY "le Bel/Plantagenet" Comte d'Anjou et du Maine & his wife [Empress] Matilda [Maud] of England (Le Mans, Anjou 5 Mar 1133-Château de Chinon 6 Jul 1189, bur Abbaye de Fontevrault). He was recognised as HENRY II King of England after the death of Stephen 25 Oct 1154, he was crowned in Westminster Abbey 19 Dec 1154

1. WILLIAM (Poitiers or in Normandy 17 Aug 1153-Wallingford Castle, Berkshire Apr or Jun 1156, bur Reading Abbey).
2. HENRY (Bermondsey Palace 28 Feb 1155-Château de Martel, Turenne 11 Jun 1183, bur Le Mans Cathedral, Anjou, later removed to Rouen Cathedral).
3. MATILDA (Windsor Castle Jun 1156-Brunswick 28 Jun 1189, bur Brunswick Cathedral).
4. RICHARD (Beaumont Palace, Oxford 8 Sep 1157-Chalus 6 Apr 1199, bur Fontevrault Abbey[437]) "Cœur-de-lion " King of England
5. GEOFFREY (23 Sep 1158-Paris 19 Aug 1186, bur Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris).
6. ELEANOR (Domfront, Normandy 13 Oct 1162-Burgos 25 Oct 1214, bur Cistercian monastery Santa María la Real “de las Huelgas” near Burgos).
7. JOAN (Château d’Angers, Anjou Oct 1165-Fontevrault Abbey in childbirth 4 Sep 1199, bur Fontevrault Abbey)
8. JOHN (Beaumont Palace, Oxford 24 Dec 1166 or 1167-Newark Castle, Lincolnshire 18/19 Oct 1216, bur Worcester Cathedral). JOHN King of England.

• https://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/AQUITAINE.htm#Eleonoredied1204
• https://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/CAPET.htm#LouisVIIdied1180B
• https://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/ANJOU,%20MAINE.htm#HenryIIEnglandd...

  ---

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine

  ---

Eleanor of Aquitaine

Eleanor of Aquitaine, a powerful medieval figure, inherited the vast Duchy of Aquitaine and the County of Poitiers at 15, becoming one of the wealthiest and most influential women in Europe, and later queen of both France and England.

Inheritance and Marriage to Louis VII of France (1137-1152)

• Eleanor was born around 1122, the daughter of William X, Duke of Aquitaine.
• Upon her father's death in 1137, she inherited the Duchy of Aquitaine, which included the regions of Poitiers, Gascony, Limousin, and Auvergne.
• She was placed under the guardianship of King Louis VI of France and married his son, Louis VII, at the age of 15, becoming Queen of France.

France, Aquitaine and Poitiers in 1154 by Reigen

• Eleanor and Louis VII had two daughters, but their lack of a son led to tension and eventually their divorce in 1152.
• 25 yr old Eleanor and 27 yr old Louis VII joined the Second Crusade to the Holy Land (1147–1149) after Pope Eugenius III called for European intervention against Muslim forces in the Levant. She traveled with her vassals and a large retinue of knights, unusual for a queen. The crusade was plagued by poor leadership and military failures, particularly in Anatolia, where the French forces suffered heavy losses. Eleanor was criticized for her closeness to her uncle, Raymond of Antioch, which led to tensions with Louis.The crusade ended in failure, with the French forces unable to reclaim Edessa or make significant gains in the Holy Land.

Route of the Second Crusade

Cutaway of part of the territory under Nur al-Din Zengi in 1174 CE

• Eleanor’s marriage to Louis VII deteriorated after the failed crusade, and they had no male heir.Their marriage was annulled in 1152, citing consanguinity (they were distant cousins).
• An approximately 30 yr old Eleanor quickly married 19 yr old Henry, Duke of Normandy (later Henry II of England), consolidating their power and forming the Angevin Empire.

Queen of England (1154–1173) 32-51 yrs old

• Henry II became King of England in 1154, making Eleanor Queen of England.She played a key role in governing the vast Angevin territories, including England and much of France.
• 1153-1166 She gave birth to eight children, including future kings Richard the Lionheart and John.
• 1156 Death of William (Poitiers or Normandy, August 17, 1153 - Wallingford Castle, Berkshire, April or June 1156)
• 1168 12 yr old Matilda married 39 yr old Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria
• 1172 17 yr old Henry, known as Henry the Young King, married 14 yr old Margaret of France, Louis VII's daughter
• As Henry II’s rule became more controlling, tensions grew between them.

Rebellion Against Henry II and Imprisonment (1173–1189) 51 to 67 yrs old

• Eleanor supported her sons in a revolt against Henry in 1173, seeking more autonomy for their territories.The rebellion failed, and Henry II imprisoned Eleanor for 16 years, keeping her in various castles in England.
• 1177 12yr old Joanna marries William II of Sicily in Winchester, and 15yr old Eleanor left for Castille and was married to Alfonso VIII in Burgos
• 1180 Louis VII dies and his son Philip II succeeds
• 1181 23yr old Geoffrey was married to Constance of Brittany
• 1183 Henry died of dysentery at Martel, at age 28 (Bermondsey Palace, February 28, 1155 - Château de Martel, Turenne, June 11, 1183) His dying wishes included a plea for his mother to be set free and that his wife Marguerite be provided for.
• 1184 Eleanor returned to England where her 28 yr old daughter Matilda and son-in-law Henry (now in exile) were able to stay with her at Winchester and then Berkhamsted.
• 1186 Death of 27 yr old Geoffrey (September 23, 1158 - Paris, August 19, 1186)
• 1189 Death of 33 yr old Matilda (Windsor Castle, June 1156 - Brunswick, June 28, 1189) just after her own daughter, Eleanor's, marriage to William IV of the Netherlands

Rule During Richard I’s Reign (1189–1199) 67 to 77 yrs old

• 1189 56 yr old Henry II died in 1189, and their son, Richard I (the Lionheart), freed 65 yr old Eleanor.
• 1189 31 yr old Richard is crowned, and Eleanore acts as regent while Richard goes on the Third Crusade. She played a crucial role in securing his ransom when he was captured on his return journey.
• 1189 22yr old Prince John married his second cousin 14 yr old cousin Isabella
• 1190 Once Richard had set off, Eleanor sent Prince John to England while she travelled to Pamplona to fetch 25 yr old Berengaria, daughter of Sancho VI of Navarre. From there, she escorted Berengaria to Sicily, where , in Messina, she and Richard found that Joan, widowed since November 1189, was being held prisoner and had her freed.
• 1191, Richard and Berengaria together with Joanna left Sicily, with the women on a separate ship, bound for Outremer, but storms diverted them to Cyprus where Richard and Berengaria were married on 12 May at Limasol, and Berengaria was crowned.They then sailed to the Holy land on 5 June, arriving at Acre on the 8th, which Richard captured.
• 1192 In the Holy Land, Richard made little progress in his quest to capture Jerusalem, and by late 1192 was forced to arrange a truce with Saladin, and sent Joanna and Berengaria back to Sicily in September, departing from Acre himself on 9 October. His whereabouts were unknown till January 1193 when Eleanor learned that he had been taken prisoner by Duke Leopold, whom he had slighted on his arrival in Acre.
• 1194 A ransomed Richard is finally released.
• 1196 Joan marries Raymond VI of Toulouse
• 1199 Death of 41 yr old Richard (Beaumont Palace, Oxford, September 8, 1157 - Chalus, April 6, 1199)
• 1199 Death of 33 yr old Joan (Château d’Angers, Anjou, October 1165 - Fontevrault Abbey possibly in childbirth, September 4, 1199)

Final Years and Death (1199–1204) 77 to 82 yrs old

• After Richard’s death in 1199, Eleanor supported her youngest son, John, in his struggle for the throne against her 12 yr old grandson, Arthur of Brittany.
• She continued to be involved in the affairs of Aquitaine, where she spent her final years.
• She retired to Fontevraud Abbey, where she died in 1204 at age 82, and was buried in the abbey church at Fontevraud, next to Henry II.
• 1214 Death of Eleanor (Domfront, Normandy, October 13, 1162 - Burgos, October 25, 1214)
• 1216 Death of John (Beaumont Palace, Oxford, December 24, 1166 or 1167 - Newark Castle, Lincolnshire, October 18/19, 1216)

  ---

In a way Eleanor of Aquitaine's life had barely begun after she returned to France from her travels on the Second Crusade. She lived until her eighties, becoming one of the great political and wealthy powers of medieval Europe. Eleanor was wealthy because she was heiress of the duchy of Aquitaine, one of the greatest fiefs in Europe. Aquitaine was like a separate nation with lands extending in southwestern France from the river Loire to the Pyrenees. Eleanor's court was a trend setter in the medieval world, known for its sophistication and luxury. Heavily influenced by the Spanish courts of the Moors, it gave patronage to poets and encouraged the art of the troubadours, some of whom were believed to be in love with the beautiful Eleanor. One story is that in her effort to shed her rough knights of their unruly ways, she made up a mock trial in which the court ladies sat on an elevated platform and judged the knights, who read poems of homage to women and acted out proper courting techniques. The men wore fancy clothes - flowing sleeves, pointed shoes - and wore their hair long.

During their adventures on the Second Crusade, it became apparent that her marriage with dour, severe King Louis VII of France was ill matched. The marriage was annulled on a technicality, and Eleanor left her two daughters by him to be raised in the French court. Within a short time Eleanor threw herself into a new marriage, a stormy one to Henry of Anjou, an up and coming prince eleven years younger than she. Their temperaments as well as their wealth in land were well matched; her new husband became Henry II king of England in 1154.

For the next thirteen years Eleanor constantly bore Henry children, five sons and three daughters. (William, Henry, Richard I "the Lionheart", Geoffrey, John "Lackland", Mathilda, Eleanor, and Joan). Richard and John became, in turn, kings of England. Henry was given the title "the young king" by his father, although father Henry still ruled. Through tough fighting and clever alliances, and with a parcel of children, Henry and Eleanor created an impressive empire. As well, Eleanor was an independent ruler in her own right since she had inherited the huge Duchy of Aquitaine and Poitiers from her father when she was 15.

However all was not well between Henry and Eleanor. When her older sons were of age, her estrangement from her husband grew. In 1173 she led her three of her sons in a rebellion against Henry, surprising him with this act of aggression so seemingly unusual for a woman. In her eyes it was justified. After two decades of child bearing, putting up with his infidelities, vehemently disagreeing with some of his decisions, and, worst of all, having to share her independence and power, Eleanor may have hoped that her prize would have been the right to rule Aquitaine with her beloved third son Richard, and without Henry. The rebellion was put down, however, and fifty-year-old Eleanor was imprisoned by Henry in various fortified buildings for the next fifteen years.

In 1189, Henry died. On the accession of her son Richard I to kingship, Eleanor's fortunes rose again. When Richard was fighting in the Holy Land she repeatedly intervened to defend his lands - even against her son John. When he was captured on his way home, she used her considerable influence to help raise the ransom and secure Richard's release. Her relentless work on behalf of her favorite son increased her fame as an extremely able politician.

Eleanor traveled constantly, even in her old age. Running from one end of Europe to another, she often risked her life in her efforts to maintain the loyalty of the English subjects, cement marriage alliances, and manage her army and estates. By this time she had many grandchildren. Possibly one of her wisest acts was to travel to Spain to chose and collect her thirteen year old grand daughter Blanche of Castile to become the bride of Louis VIII of France, the grandson of her first husband Louis VII! Blanche eventually proved a rival to Eleanor in political influence and success as queen of France. Eleanor also, when almost seventy, rode over the Pyrenees to collect her candidate to be Richard's wife, (Berengaria, the daughter of King Sancho the Wise of Navarre). She then traversed the Alps, traveling all the way down the Italian peninsula, to bring Berengaria to Sicily. Berengaria then travelled to Cyprus, where Richard married her at Limossol on May 12, 1191.

Eleanor died in 1204 at her favorite religious house, the abbey of Fontevrault, where she had retreated to find peace during various moments of her life.

Eleanor of Aquitaine’s grandchildren through her children with Louis VII of France

Through Marie of France, Countess of Champagne (1145–1198) and Henry I, Count of Champagne (1127–1181)

• Henry II, Count of Champagne (1166–1197) – Married Isabella I of Jerusalem
• Marie of Champagne (c. 1174–1204) – Married Baldwin I of Constantinople
• Theobald III, Count of Champagne (1179–1201) – Married Blanche of Navarre
• Scholastica of Champagne (d. 1219) – Possibly unmarried

Through Alix of France (1150–c. 1195) and Theobald V, Count of Blois (c. 1130–1191)

• Theobald VI, Count of Blois (c. 1179–1218) – Unmarried
• Louis I, Count of Blois (d. 1205) – Married Catherine of Clermont

Eleanor of Aquitaine’s grandchildren through her children with Henry II of England

Through Henry the Young King (1155–1183)

• No known children.

Through Matilda, Duchess of Saxony (1156–1189) and Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria (c. 1129–1195)

• Richenza of Saxony (c. 1172–1204) – Married Godfrey VI, Count of Louvain
• Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (1173–1227) – Married Agnes of Hohenstaufen
• Lothar of Saxony (1174–1190) – Died unmarried
• Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor (1175–1218) – Married Beatrice of Swabia
• William of Winchester, Lord of Lüneburg (1184–1213) – Married Helen of Denmark

Through Richard I of England (1157–1199)

• No known legitimate children
• possibly Philippe de Cognac by an unknown mistress

Through Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany (1158–1186) and Constance, Duchess of Brittany (c. 1161–1201)

• Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany (c. 1184–1241) – Never married (imprisoned for life)
• Matilda of Brittany (c. 1185–before 1189) – Died young
• Arthur I, Duke of Brittany (1187–1203, presumed killed) – Betrothed to Marie of France, but never married

Through Eleanor, Queen of Castile (1162–1214) and Alfonso VIII, King of Castile (1155–1214)

• Berengaria of Castile (c. 1180–1246) – Married Alfonso IX, King of León
• Sancho, Prince of Castile (1181–1181) – Died young
• Sancho VII of Navarre (1182–1234) – Married (possibly) Constance of Toulouse (marriage uncertain)
• Urraca of Castile (1186–1220) – Married Alfonso II, King of Portugal
• Blanche of Castile (1188–1252) – Married Louis VIII, King of France
• Ferdinand of Castile (c. 1189–1211) – Died unmarried
• Mafalda of Castile (1191–1204) – Betrothed but never married
• Eleanor of Castile (1202–1244) – Married James I, King of Aragon

Through Joan of England (1165–1199) and William II of Sicily (1155-1189)

• Bohemond (1182 - died young)

Through Joan of England (1165–1199) and Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse (1156–1222)

• Raymond VII, Count of Toulouse (1197–1249) – Married (1) Sancha of Aragon, (2) Margaret of Lusignan
• Jeanne de Toulouse (1198–1255) – Married Bernard II de la Tour, Lord of la Tour.

Through John, King of England (1166–1216) and Isabella of Angoulême (c. 1188–1246)

• Henry III, King of England (1207–1272) – Married Eleanor of Provence
• Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall (1209–1272) – Married (1) Isabella of Pembroke, (2) Sanchia of Provence, (3) Beatrice of Falkenburg
• Joan of England (1210–1238) – Married Alexander II, King of Scotland
• Isabella of England (1214–1241) – Married Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
• Eleanor of England (1215–1275) – Married (1) William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, (2) Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine