12th century English/French history; High Middle Ages; First Renaissance; time when England owned "most" of western, northern France; and then shortly after, lost it in the 100 Years War.
Romantic literature thrived during the 12th century
Perhaps Eleanor represents that period of coming out of the Dark Ages; England is defined as a country that controls, but then loses, western/northern France. One woman at the center of all this: Eleanor of Aquitaine -- Queen of France (annulled); Queen of England; mother of two kings whom she outlived.
Eleanor and Henry II build up huge empire -- England, Ireland, most of France -- only to lose most of France due to son John's ineptitude.
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Before Eleanor is born/married: England -- through Wm the Conqueror still held Anjou and Normandy on the continent.
Marriage of Eleanor to King Henry II (England) added Aquitaine to Anjou and Normandy on the continent.
Anjou, Normandy, and Aquitaine: pretty much all of western and northern France.
Henry II vs Louis VII
Hundred Years War: England throne lost French lands forever; 1337 - 1453
It is of interest that despite the English kings/royalty holding title to French lands, these French kings/royalty were "vassals" to the French king and owed them their support. The French kept trying to reduce the power and the possessions of English royalty on the continent. Gascony -- far southwest of France, along the Castille, Navarre and part of Aragon of Spain -- was about all that was left by the time of the 100 Years War (need to confirm)
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Eleanor becomes Duchess of Aquitaine (owned by "France" ) - 1137
Second marriage to King Henry II (Duke of Normandy, Count of Anjou)
So, she is queen (and later queen dowager) of England when married to Henry II
She outlives two of her sons who become king: third-born son Henry (King Richard I -- "Lionheart" -- almost all his time in France) and King John
War of the Roses, 1455 - 1487
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Geoffrey (nickname, Plantagent), Count of Anjou
Son by Empress Matilda: Henry II (either Angevin Empire or first Plantagenet), becomes king, 1154
Third son Richard I ("Lionheart" - most of time in France)
Fifth son John (who lost continental holdings)
John's son, Henry III -- first (or second) Plantagenet
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Eleanor of Aquitaine -- during High Middle Ages
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First of many Franco-Scottish alliances under Louis VII to frustrate Henry II
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Progeny Henry II, England
First son: William, 1153 (thereabouts); died at age "not quite three" in 1156
Second son: Lord Henry, 1155
First daughter: Matilda (in honor of the Empress), 1156
Her third son: Richard, 1157; designated heir to Eleanor's Poitou and Aquitaine, in place of his deceased brother William; Richard was Eleanor's special son (p. 147)
Fourth son: Geoffrey, after the King's late father and brother, 1158
Fifth (?) son: Philip, unlikely but rumors; unusual name for a son; died in infancy? (p. 155)
Second daughter: Eleanor, 1161 (first baby in three years; led to rumors of Philip; married to King Alfonso VIII, Castile; daughter Blanche to become Louis's wife; Louis VIII)
Third daughter: Joanna, 1165
Six son, last child: John, 1166, raised as an oblate? (p. 170)
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Soon after her birth, Henry "conspired" to have his son Lord Henry marry King Louis VII's new daughter Marguerite -- if no male heir, Marguerite could inherit the French kingdom (not allowed under French law, but that wouldn't stop Henry)(hopes to "have" France ended when Louis VII married a second time, after first wife's death in childbirth -- p. 152); Marguerite to have the French Vexin has her dowry; Vexin had been ceded back to France by Henry's father; Vexin to be protected by Knights Templar (p. 148)
11 y/o Lady Matilda to Henry of Saxony; part of plan to ally with German Emperor; Henry the Lion (Saxon) was 24 years her senior; very successful marriage; improved trade between England and Germany
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Preface
12th century
an age of burgeoning scholarship that is now regarded as the first Renaissance
an age that gave birth to a ssuccession of outstanding and perceptive chroiclers
Prologue: 1152 (Eleanor about 30 years of age); the year she married Henry II, son of Geoffrey -- this would have brought Anjou, Normandy and Aquitaine all under English king (but still vassals? to the French king)
Married in the Cathedral of Poiters; Poiters at one time in the province that ruled Aquitaine; it appears Poiters was Eleanor's home. Considered far from Frankish power.
He was 19; she was about 30?
Henry: claimed England through his mother Empress Matilda; Duke of Normandy, Count of Anjou.
But Eleanor also:
- former Queen of France
- Duchess of Aquitaine
- Countess of Poitou
- owned most of the land between the Loire and the Pyrenees
- renowned for her loveliness
- huge prize for an aspiring ruler
- Louis VII was unaware of the simply, hasty marriage
Chapter 1: "Opulent Aquitaine"
- history of Aquitaine
- history of troubadours
- romantic literature flourished in the 12th century, particularly in Aquitaine and Provence
- chanson de geste tended to celebrate ideals of courage in battle, loyalty, honour and endurance, as well as legendary heroes such as Charlemagne, Roland, and King Arthur
- romantic poems and lais (lays) of love
- the poets of the south, the troubadours, popularized the concept of courtly love, revolutionary in the day
- troubadours drew on Plato and Arab writers; influenced by the growth of the cult of Virgin Mary
- lyric poetry and rather complex songs in the mellifluous langue d'oc
- deified women; granting them superiority over men; laid down codes of courtesy, chivalry, gentlemanly conduct
- these precepts echoed int he lays of the trouveres of northern France, who wrote in the lange d'oeil
- this chapter not completed
Chapter 3: "Counsel of the Devil" -- begins, "early in 1141, Louis VII decides to lay claim to Toulouse in his wife's name; Eleanore probably instigated this; her grandmother was Philippa of Toulosue
Chapter 4: "To Jerusalem" -- begins, " King Louis meets up with the Emperor Conrad at Metz on the banks of the Mosel...in the middle of June, 1147."
Chapter 5: "A Righteous Annulment"
Chapter 6: "A Happy Issue" -- marries Henry, Duke of Normandy, Count of Anjou, 19 years of age
Chapter 7: "All the Business of the Kingdom"
Chapter 8: "Eleanor, by the Grace of God, Queen of England"
Chapter 9: "The King Has Wrought A Miracle"
- the early days of the new King, Queen in England
- the early days of Thomas Becket
- son William dies
- bastard son Geoffrey
- son Lord Henry and new female infant return to France with Eleanor
- third son Richard born 1157; Richard may have been named heir to Poitou and Aquitaine, in place of his deceased brother William
- "The eagle of the broken covenant shall rejoice in her third nesting" -- Merlin, p. 147
- Becket arranges marriage between Henry's son Lord Henry to Louis VII infant daughter Marguerite; Louis VII loses the Vixen; Henry gets back "his" Normandy which his father had ceded back to Louis VII in 1151; Henry also promised Brittany over his brother's claim to Brittany;
- end of chapter: names Chancellor Becket to be Archbishop of Canterbury
- 1158; Henry returns to England; absent for five years; would be in England for next 3 years
- this chapter is on the rift between Becket and Henry II
- Weir's narrative suggests Becket pretty much in the wrong on all counts
- Becket escapes to Flanders; Louis VII protects him in Cistercian abbey of Pontigny in Burgundy
- Henry's plan to ally with German Emperor Frederick Barbarossa (p. 163)
- Henry's Welsh campaign; Eleanor in France; famous affair between Henry and Welsh Rosamund; "no other mistress of an English king has ever inspired so many romantic tales" -- but nothing verifiable (p. 165 - 166)
- Aquitaine in revolt; adding to problems -- Henry had designated Lord Henry to inherit Aquitaine; Lord Henry already had Anjou and Normandy; Geoffrey had Brittany; that meant Richard -- Eleanor's favorite -- would get nothing (p. 168)
- Empress Matilda dies (daughter of Henry I, mother of Henry II, wife of Geoffrey)
- the story of William the Marshall (p. 171 - 172); saved Eleanor's life in Aquitaine; appointed him guardian, tutor, and master in chivalry to the Lord Henry; became inseparable companions; later described as the "best knight who ever lived"; befriended five English kings; would culminate 50 years later, in his ruling England as regent for the young Henry III
- Louis and Henry (at Louis' suggestion) agreed to his: no French inheritance for John who was to give his life to the Church; Lord Henry -- Anjou, Maine, Brittany; Geoffrey -- hold Brittany as Lord Henry's vassal; Lord Richard -- Aquitaine
- Henry II and Louis VII at odds again; Louis VII allies with Henry's other enemy, William the Lyon, King of Scots, thus forging the first in a long tradition of Franco-Scottish alliances
- Eleanor initiates separation from Henry II; he is not entirely in favor of this; Oedipus worry; but benefits outweigh concerns; Eleanor to live with Richard in Aquitaine; reasons not known; the story of Rosamund surfaces; but nothing suggests this was the reason (she, 46; he, 35)
- Eleanor sets up court at Poitiers
- the Courts of Love, probably a literary invention, p. 175; inspired by Ovid;
- plans fall through Henry's daughter Eleanor to marry son of Frederick Barbarossa; now, new plans for daughter Eleanor to marry 12 y/o King Alfonso VIII of Castille (ro prevent a Franco-Castilian alliance)
- Lord Henry crowned as The Young King at age 15; his wife, daughter of Louis VII not crowned
- The Young King becomes ever more upset that he has meaningless titles; no money, no power; even his young brothers ruling their fiefdoms in France
- first-hand account of the killing of Becket by the four knights; Henry II was in Normandy when the four knights slipped away to murder Becket at Canterbury; December 29, 1170
- the four knights that murdered Becket remained holed up for one year in Knaresborough Castle in Yorkshire
- was it the murder of Becket that turned Eleanor against her husband? relations soured between late 1170 and late 1172
- Henry II changes his mind about dedicating his youngest son John, age 5, to the church
- John betrothed to Humbert's heir, German (Maurienne -- later Savoy and Piedmont); controlled Alpine passes
- 1171: Henry takes Ireland, more or less; institutes Christian reforms
- Henry absolved by the Pope over the Becket murder
- Richard, 15 years old: Eleanor oversees his "Duke of Aquitaine" ceremony; Richard "stronger" than the Young King (Henry); lange d'oc; troubadour culture, an Angevin,
- wow -- a real rogue -- three illicit daughters; gave Pride to the Knights Templar; Avarice to the Cistercians; and Sensuality to the princes of the Church -- p. 194; and he is considered a "god" by the English -- wow
- the Young King and Marguerite, a second crowning
- Louis VII tried to drive wedge between Henry II and the Young King (the latter upset with his father; delaying him any power, money)
- Young King spending time with Eleanor, Richard, and Geoffrey -- stage is being set
- Becket canonised by Pope Alexander III
- rebellion by Eleanor and three sons against Henry II; the latter prevails
- no savage retribution; Eleanor taken prisoner
- not much is known about Eleanor at this time; kept in restraint for a decade
- Henry II no longer trusted her; kept her away from his sons
- vassals of Poitou and Aquitaine upset, but switched their allegiance from Eleanor to her son Richard
- commentators saw Eleanor as the Eagle of Merlin's prophecies
- Henry was Merlin's King of the North Wind
- Henry lives openly with his mistress, Rosamund de Clifford
- Rosamund unlikely presided over court; most likely the young Queen Marguerite stood in for the queen
- Duke Richard off to his domain -- Poitou, Aquitaine; ruthless, savage against the rebels
- Duke Geoffrey (bastard) off to his domain -- Brittany
- Young King Henry and Henry II reconciled; all was at peace in the English world
- 1175 -- Henry II took first steps to annul marriage -- but he would lose his/her lands (Aquitaine, Anjou) and she could no longer be kept prisoner
- again, the Young King planned to revolt; but Henry II discovered intent; stopped it
- 1176 -- negotiations concluded for Henry II's daughter Joanna to marry William II, King of Sicily
- 1176 -- Lord John betrothed to his cousin Hawise, daughter and heiress of Williams, Earl of Gloucester, one of the most powerful English magnates and son of the Earl Robert, who had so staunchly supported the Empress Matilda; John would acquire widespread estates in England
- 1176 -- Rosamund retires to a nunnery; dies in late 1176 (or 1177)
- many legends about Rosamund and Eleanor; none of them true
- new scandal: Henry II begins affair with Princess Alys -- who was pre-contracted to his son, Richard
- Princess Alys was daughter of Queen Constance (King Louis VII) -- died in childbirth
- King Louis VII told Henry II to stop liaison with Alys; Henry II "agreed"
- Richard no longer wanted to marry Alys; nor could he -- it would be incestuous
- Henry II maintained affair with Alys
- daughter Eleanor married to King Alfonso VIII, Castile
- son Lord John sent to Ireland
- 1179 -- King Louis VII incapacitated with a stroke, son Philip crowned -- and eager to get French lands back from Henry II
- 1181 -- true son Geoffrey finally married to Constance of Brittany
- bastard son Geoffrey appointed chancellor of England (Becket's old job)
- sons Geoffrey and Young King Henry still causing trouble for Henry II in France
- Young King Henry still a spoiled brat and Richard still the ass -- p. 226
- June, 1183: Young King Henry dies of dysentery
- Henry II, through Marguerite kept most of French lands (Vexin, Normandy, Anjou)
- 1183, Henry II, 50 years old
- Eleanor has been prisoner for a decade; she was 61
- Henry II and Eleanor seen more often together now, probably for political reasons
- Henry II keeping Alys under guard at Winchester
- King Philip wanted Alys married to Richard immediately; Henry II resisted
- Henry II did not want Richard to get: England, Normandy, Angou, Poitou, and Aquitaine
- John "Lackland" would get only Ireland as it now stood; Henry II would not stand for that
- John was Henry's favorite son; 16 years old
- John: a dandy, rampantly promiscuous like his father; had at least 7 bastards; raped at will
- chroniclers considered John worse than Hell; he murdered when it was expedient
- quarreled with the church; excommunicated
- father, sons feuding among themselves
- 1184: Eleanor returns to England
- family in England; Geoffrey sent to oversee Normandy; shocked observers
- John given the crown of Ireland; his first kingdom
- 1186: Duke Geoffrey dies (Brittany)
- war about ready to erupt between King Philip of France and Henry II, over Alys
- Richard becomes a close friend of King Philip; ally with each other to fight Henry II
- meanwhile, in Jerusalem: Saladin, the Turk, wipes out crusaders in Jerusalem; crusaders have only three seaports in the Mideast
- Henry II raises money for crusades; Richard says he will go to Jerusalem
- the ancient elm of Gisors cut down by King Philip
- Henry II -- weak and very ill, loses convincingly to King Philip and Richard
- 1187, summer: Matilda of Saxony, age 34, Eleanor's/Henry's oldest daughter, dies
- 1187: a few days later, before he got knew that his daughter died; Henry II dies
- Richard: the undisputed heir
- Richard I is king
- first act: free Eleanor and put Eleanor in charge of England until he could get there; Eleanor: 67 y/o
- she put Alys in house arrest; age 29; future unsettled but would not be part of Richard's life
- Richard planned to marry Alys
- John joined them (Richard and Eleanor in England)
- Richard makes Geoffrey the Archbishop of York (honoring his father's (Henry II's) wish
- Geoffrey, at Richard's request, resigns his office as chancellor of England
- John marries his cousin Hawise of Gloucester
- Richard gives John several counties in England; a county in Normandy; etc -- John becomes the wealthiest and most powerful English magnate; John also gets Ireland
- most magnificent coronation ever in English history; set precedents for future coronations; Richard and Eleanor ride in together
- coronation marred by anti-Semitic acts/killings; King of England supposed to protect the Jews
- despite his lion-hearted reputation, Richard I was to prove a failure as King of England
- William Longchamp / Hugh de Puiset -- co-leaders of England while Richard I gone; William Longchamp deposes de Puiset; Longchamp alone in charge
- Eleanor calls Duke John to England to take charge; watch over Longchamp
- no clear heir if Richard killed (see why, page 257)
- Eleanor knew Richard needed "new" betrothal (not Alys) and fast and a male heir
- Berengaria, daughter of King Sancho VI of Navarre, the little kingdom that straddled the Pyrenees
- Mildenhall, Bishop's Lynn (now King's Lynn), Norwich, Lincoln, and Stamford mentioned in connection with anti-Semitism, p. 254
Chapter 17: "The Admiration of Her Age"
- Richard departs; side-by-side with King Philip to the crusades; though they eventually take separate routes (must have tired of each other) -- upset about Alys (page 261)
- Richard arrives in Sicily; finds his sister Joanna a prisoner; delays Richard until spring 1191
- meanwhile, Eleanor and Berengaria, had crossed winter-bound St Bernard Pass; on way to Lombardy
- Joanna and Berengaria remain in Italy; Eleanor had not seen her daughter for 14 years
- Eleanor joins son Richard in Sicily
- Eleanor heads back to Normand; Richard continues to Outremer (French for "overseas"; was a general name given to the Crusader states established after the First Crusade: the County of Edessa, the Principality of Antioch, the County of Tripoli and especially the Kingdom of Jerusalem. The name was often equated to the Levant of Renaissance)
- 1191, Cyprus: Richard and Berengaria finally married
- arrives at Acre; since the founding of the crusader kingdoms of Outreme, Acre had been the major port of Jerusalem; Richard takes Acre
- Richard's atrocity: beheaded 3,000 Turks
- Richard heads for Jerusalem
- Geoffrey, meanwhile, although consecrated Archbishop of York at Tours, he was told to stay out of England for three years; ignored that advice; headed for England
- John prepares to take over as King of England; chancellor Longchamp on the run
- Richard had been in the Holy Land for a year; still no nearer to launching an assault on Jerusalem
- re-taking Jaffa, his last victory; ill again with malaria
- on way home, Richard taken prisoner by Duke Leopold of Austria (a cousin)
- Richard, imprisoned, under the watch of Emperor Henry VI (Holy Roman Emperor/Germany)
- Eleanor took control of England; John preparing for his role
- 1193; Richard spoke for his release at Speyer, p. 283
- Eleanor refers to herself as Queen of England, Duchess of Normandy, Countess of Anjou, p. 283
- John returns to England; intent on establishing himself as King
- King Philip invades Normandy
- Richard released after huge ransom paid, p. 291; Richard held in house arrest until ransom raised
- 1194: Richard finally released; Eleanor had traveled to Speyer to receive him
- arrives back in England; first time since December 1189
- Queen Eleanor and King Richard; Berengaria was not present; remained in Poitou
- visits Sherwood; legend of Robin Hood, p. 298
- while in the Levant, Philip takes some of Normandy from Richard
- Richard gives up on the Crusades; eager to get his Normandy lands back from King Philip
- John asks for forgiveness from his brother Richard; gets it
- John stays quiet for five years; out of mischief
- for the rest of his life, Richard fought Philip for his land; never able to return to the Crusades
- 37 years old
- Eleanor, 72, withdraws to Fontevrault, the refuge of many high-born widows; she had ruled England for 18 turbulent months; had reconciled her sons; felt entitled to a rest; however, she did not take veil, but lived at the abbey as a gues tin her own apartments; may have remained there for most of the rest of Richard's reign
- not much heard of Eleanor after 1194; Fontevrault centrally placed between Anjou and Poitou
- no evidence that Richard was homosexual (pp 302 - 304) but much speculation
- finally brought Berengaria to England, but they never had any children
- Richard finally frees Alys; she is married to Count of Ponthieu, never heard of after that
- 1196, Richard names Anthony his heir of Brittany (Anthony -- mother Constance)
- Eleanor names her grandson, Otto of Saxony, her heir
- the mural: possibly King Richard I, Queen Eleanor, Queen Berengaria, Eleanor's heir, her grandson Otto of Brunswick; and the fifth, a young, lad, Arthur of Brittany, who Richard had just named his own heir (unlikely County John) -- pp. 306 - 307
- reminder: Angevins; Plantagenets
- around 1197, Eleanor lost her two daughters by Louis (Alix and Marie)
- 1199: 5-year truce between Richard and Philip; Richard got his French lands (Normandy) back
- 1199: Richard dies of gangrene; arrow hit him in the arm; died, age 41; named John his heir
- Berengaria left almost destitute after death of her husband Richard; John withheld most of the estates left to her; on one occasion, the Knights Templar intervened on her behalf
- Berengaria: took care of the poor in her widowhood; found the Cistercian monastery of l'Espan near Le Mans where she retired; 30 years later she became a nun, took the name Juliana; date of death unknown
- Eleanor had lost her favorite son; now needed to protect his youngest son's inheritance
- John to assume power; not sure if all will support him; needs Eleanor's assistance
- Arthur of Brittany had greater claim; primogeniture not established at that time; Arthur a mere boy; John a grown man; King Philip proclaims 12-y/o Arthur the right heir to the Angevin empire
- Eleanor outraged; order that Anjou be laid waste
- Eleanor spent early weeks touring her domains; attending to business; imagine her age
- 1199: John crossed into England to claim his kingdom
- John had his marriage to Hawise annulled
- looked for new wife; considered one of the daughters of King Sancho I of Portugal -- either Theresa or Berengaria -- who was unwed -- another Berengaria?
- John and Eleanor meet up in Rouen; joined by Joanna, pregnant, destitute (bad husband, Raymond)
- Joanna, dying; newborn dies; Eleanor mourns the loss of yet another child
- Eleanor cedes Poitou and Aquitaine to John
- Philip and Arthur grow apart
- Eleanor travels across the Pyrenees in the dead of winter; gathers up Blanche, daughter of King Alfonso VIII of Castile and Queen Eleanor (this Queen Eleanor was the 2nd daughter of King Henry II and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine -- received her namesake from her mom)
- Blanche to be married to Louis, son of Philip II -- ensures that Eleanor's descendents would one day sit on the throne of France (p. 327)
- Eleanor retires to Fontevrault, again
- John, chance meeting, falls in love with Isabella, a 13-y/o;heiress of Count Aymer of Angouleme; political suicide for John if he marries her
- John marries Isabella, year 1200
- John and Isabella tour England
- 1201: John and Isabella cross into Normandy
- War breaks out between John and Philip; Eleanor actively supports John
- John defeats and takes Arthur of Brittany captive; most brilliant victory of John's career; saves his mother
- but John, through his stupidity, failed to consolidate his position (p 334)
- Eleanor: 80 years old
- Eleanor: returns to Fontevrault and takes the veil
- rumors that John killed Arthur (Eleanor's grandson; Eleanor had told John not to harm Arthur); Arthur was John's nephew
- the story of how Arthur might have died, pp. 336 - 338
- Philip and John still at war
- Philip had made such inroads into Normandy it was clear that John would never recover what he had lost
- John losing everything in Normand; English aware of his ineptitude
- nothing is heard of Eleanor during these terrible months
- April 1, 1204: Eleanor died; 82 years old
- her death virtually unremarked in the chaos surrounding the collapse of the Angevin empire
- buried in the crypt of the abbey of Fontevrault, between those of her husband, Henry II, and her son, Richard I
- during the French revolution, the abbey of Fonevrault was sacked and the tombs were disturbed and vandalized; the bones of Eleanor, Henry, Richard, Joanna, and Isabella of Angouleme were exhumed and scattered, never to be recovered. The abbey was then converted to a prison.
- The prison later converted to a hotel, which it remains
- Eleanor did not leave to see the eventual destruction of the empire that both she and Henry had built
- her own death, in fact, removed an insuperable legal obstacle to Philip's ambitions
- by June, 1204, the whole of Normandy was in Philip's possession -- lost by John
- grandson Henry III born three years after Eleanor's death
- Eleanor, like Queen Victoria: could be accurately described as the Grandmother of Europe: her sons and their descendents were kings of England, her daughters were queens of Sicily and Castile; among her grandsons were a Holy Roman Emperor and the kings of Castile and Jerusalem, while her great-grandson became king of France; two saints, St Louis IX of France and St Ferdinand III of Castile were among her descendents; in England, the line of kings that she and Henry founded endured until 1485, and her blood flows in the veins of Britain's present queen, Elizabeth II
- portrayed in Shakespeare's King John
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