| Eleanor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Duchess of Aquitaine | |
| Reign | 9 April 1137 – 1 April 1204 |
| Predecessor | William X |
| Successor | John |
| Serving with | |
| Queen consort of France | |
| Tenure | 1 August 1137 – 21 March 1152 |
| Coronation | 25 December 1137 |
| Queen consort of England | |
| Tenure | 19 December 1154 – 6 July 1189 |
| Coronation | 19 December 1154 |
| Born | c. 1124 Bordeaux, Aquitaine |
| Died | 1 April 1204 (aged ~80) Fontevraud Abbey[1] |
| Burial | Fontevraud Abbey, Fontevraud |
| Spouses | |
| Issue Detail | |
| House | Ramnulfids |
| Father | William X, Duke of Aquitaine |
| Mother | Aénor de Châtellerault |
Eleanor of Aquitaine (French: Aliénor d'Aquitaine, Éléonore d'Aquitaine, Occitan: Alienòr d'Aquitània, pronounced [aljeˈnɔɾ dakiˈtanjɔ], Latin: Helienordis, Alienorde or Alianor;[a] c. 1124 – 1 April 1204) was Duchess of Aquitaine from 1137 to 1204, Queen of France from 1137 to 1152 as the wife of King Louis VII,[4] and Queen of England from 1154 to 1189 as the wife of King Henry II. As the heiress of the House of Poitiers, which controlled much of southwestern France, she was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages.
The eldest child of William X, Duke of Aquitaine, and Aénor de Châtellerault, Eleanor became duchess upon her father's death in 1137. Later that year, she married Louis, son of King Louis VI of France. Shortly afterwards, Eleanor's father-in-law died and her husband became king, making her queen consort. Louis VII and Eleanor had two daughters, Marie and Alix. During the Second Crusade, Eleanor accompanied Louis to the Holy Land. An initial request in 1149 for an annulment of the marriage on grounds of consanguinity[5] was rejected by Pope Eugene III.[6] In 1152, after fifteen years of marriage, Eleanor had not borne a male heir, and the annulment was granted.[7] Their daughters were declared legitimate, custody was awarded to Louis, and Eleanor's lands were restored to her.
In the same year, Eleanor married Henry, Duke of Normandy. In 1154, following the death of King Stephen of England, Henry and Eleanor became king and queen of England. The couple had five sons and three daughters, but eventually became estranged. Henry imprisoned Eleanor for supporting the 1173 revolt against him by their sons Young Henry, Richard and Geoffrey. She was not released until 1189, when her husband died and their third son, Richard I, ascended the throne. As queen dowager, Eleanor acted as regent during Richard's long absences from England and France. On Richard's death in 1199, she successfully campaigned for his younger brother John to succeed him. After continuing turmoil between the French and English kings and the successive loss of the lands she and Henry II had once ruled over, she died in 1204 and was buried in Fontevraud Abbey in France.[8]
- ^ Brown 2003, p. 17.
- ^ Chadwick 2021a.
- ^ Grasilier 1871, p. 36.
- ^ Middleton 2015, p. 274.
- ^ Meade 1991, p. 106.
- ^ Meade 1991, p. 122.
- ^ Meade 1991.
- ^ Birch 2009, p. 331.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).