They were in high spirits on Christmas Eve, when they chose to camp in a lush valley near Ephesus. Her half-brother Joscelin was acknowledged by WilliamX as a son, but not as his heir. In the ensuing Battle of Mount Cadmus, the Turks, who had been following and feinting for many days, seized their opportunity and attacked those who had not yet crossed the summit. She was perhaps the most powerful woman in 12th-century Europe. [39], Eleanor serves as an important allegorical figure in Ezra Pound's early Cantos.[40]. On her release, Eleanor played a greater political role than ever before. Eleanor Henry was born on June 7, 1897, and died at age 79 years old in October 1976. A book rests on her chest, though in typically enigmatic style, we are left to guess what she may be reading. Eleanor had lived an incredibly full medieval life before she even met Henry. For Eleanor to be convicted of these scandals in the court of public opinion for over 800 years based on such flimsy evidence is ludicrous. On 13August 1189, Richard sailed from Barfleur to Portsmouth and was received with enthusiasm. Her four-year-old brother William Aigret and their mother died at the castle of Talmont on Aquitaine's Atlantic coast in the spring of 1130. Eleanor, nearly 80 years old, fearing the disintegration of the Plantagenet domain, crossed the Pyrenees in 1200 in order to fetch her granddaughter Blanche from the court of Castile and marry her to the son of the French king. In the 1964 film Becket, Eleanor is briefly played by Pamela Brown to Peter O'Toole's first performance as a young Henry II. New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island (NJ) (11) Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City (NJ) (7) A book on rebellions in the medieval era is due soon, and Matts current project is a biography of Warwick the Kingmaker, in a return the fifteenth century. He fled to Paris. Join Now Auditions & Jobs. Copyright 2023 History Today Ltd. Company no. The king did not announce the arrest publicly; for the next year, the queen's whereabouts were unknown. Daughter and heiress of William X, Duke of Aquitaine and Count of Poitou, she was beautiful, wanton, capricious, sophisticated, highly intelligent and accustomed to having her own way. In the cost Henry incurred on her care, and her placement at one of her favourite castles at Old Sarum, there is little trace of the vindictive, wronged husband. The revolt of her sons against her husband in 1173 put her cultural activities to a brutal end. She may well have encouraged her sons to rebel against their father in 1173 and after that he kept her penned up as a prisoner in England until he died in 1189. He was interred at the feet of the tomb of his great-grandfather, Henry I, in Westminster Abbey. [16] She may not have been anointed on this occasion, however, because she had already been anointed in 1137. In 1183, the young King Henry tried again to force his father to hand over some of his patrimony. One of Louis's avowed Crusade goals was to journey in pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and he stated his intention to continue. Here they were ambushed by a Turkish detachment, but the French proceeded to slaughter this detachment and appropriate their camp. 0. Alternate titles: Alinor dAquitaine, Alinor de Guyenne, Elonore dAquitaine, Elonore de Guyenne, Eleanor of Guyenne. The film is about the difficult relationship between them and the struggle of their three sons Richard, Geoffrey, and John for their father's favour and the succession. In 1137 Duke William X left Poitiers for Bordeaux and took his daughters with him. "[32] One source claimed that the queen sent her younger sons to France "to join with him against their father the king. Pioneer Theatre Company presentsThe Lion in Winter, a fascinating look at two of the most iconic figures in English history. Her fatherWilliam X,. By this marriage she hoped to ensure peace between the Plantagenets of England and the Capetian kings of France. Louis then decided to cross the Phrygian mountains directly in the hope of reaching Raymond of Poitiers in Antioch more quickly. Henry allows Eleanor to travel to Normandy to visit the grave of their son Henry the Young King. . He reportedly "nimbly and bravely scaled a rock by making use of some tree roots which God had provided for his safety" and managed to survive the attack. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. In early summer, Eleanor was ill, and John visited her at Fontevraud. Her interest in their second son, Richard, was probably less to do with selecting a favourite child than with his having been conceived in Aquitaine and positioned to be its next duke. It allowed him to meet the chivalric imperative of helping another, and a family member too, to help prevent him suffering dishonour. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Eleanor Henry. His sources no longer exist, and he alone mentions this birth.[27]. In the same year she helped to defend Anjou and Aquitaine against her grandson Arthur of Brittany, thus securing Johns French possessions. Although Henry and Eleanor were, in many ways, the original European power couple, telling their story presents unique problems. "On the second day in Easter week, he was slain in the city by a man-at-arms in the service of Brandin",[33] a rival mercenary captain. She was not aided by memories of Constance of Arles, the Provenal wife of Robert II, tales of whose immodest dress and language were still told with horror. Searching to find out more about Eleanor Henry? Much money went into making the austere Cit Palace in Paris more comfortable for Eleanor's sake.[13]. Geoffrey of York, for example, was an illegitimate son of Henry, but acknowledged by Henry as his child and raised at Westminster in the care of the queen. Her parents' marriage had been arranged by Dangereuse with her paternal grandfather WilliamIX. She is an actress, popularly known for her appearance as Mae Mobley on 'The Help'. Henry made the apparently absurd move of asking King Stephen, his mothers cousin, but his rival for the throne of England, to bail him out. What happened next tells us a great deal about Henry, and about King Stephen, and probably helped bring about the end of The Anarchy. Eleanor of Aquitaine is thought to be the queen of England mentioned in the poem "Were diu werlt alle min," used as the tenth movement of Carl Orff's famous cantata, Carmina Burana.[42]. In 1199 Richard died without leaving an heir to the throne, and John was crowned king. That made Eleanor a target, and I think it is through this lens that we need to view later criticisms of her, not to mention sordid stories that began to do the rounds. Either way, when Henry succeeded to the throne of England in 1154, the effect was to give the rulers of England a domain in France stretching from the English Channel to the Pyrenees and covering ten times as much of the country as the French kings themselves possessed. In June 1144, the king and queen visited the newly built monastic church at Saint-Denis. Her marriage to Louis was annulled amid rumours that she had indulged in an affair with her uncle, Raymond, Prince of Antioch whilst in the Holy Land. They had five sons and three daughters. When it went horribly wrong, he asked his mom, Empress Matilda, for money to pay his men, but she refused. Yet despite his impending death, Louis's mind remained clear. This notorious affair caused a monkish scribe to transcribe Rosamund's name in Latin to "Rosa Immundi", or "Rose of Unchastity". Still without a son and in danger of being left with no male heir, as well as facing substantial opposition to Eleanor from many of his barons and her own desire for annulment, Louis bowed to the inevitable. Eleanor had only one other legitimate sibling, a younger sister named Aelith (also called Petronilla). Henry Twins Played Mae Mobley. [9] Eleanor came to learn arithmetic, the constellations, and history. It seems likely that she sent word to Henry that she would be willing to marry him, and Henry, who was busily preparing an invasion of England when the offer arrived, dropped everything, and darted south. Dismayed at her attitude, Bernard scolded Eleanor for her lack of penitence and interference in matters of state. "[31], In March 1173, aggrieved at his lack of power and egged on by Henry's enemies, his son by the same name, the younger Henry, launched the Revolt of 11731174. Eleanor of Aquitaine, also called Eleanor of Guyenne, French lonore or Alinor, dAquitaine or de Guyenne, (born c. 1122died April 1, 1204, Fontevrault, Anjou, France), queen consort of both Louis VII of France (113752) and Henry II of England (11521204) and mother of Richard I (the Lionheart) and John of England. Children born to a marriage that was later annulled were not at risk of being "bastardised," because "[w]here parties married in good faith, without knowledge of an impediment, children of the marriage were legitimate." For this reason Henry summoned Eleanor to Normandy in the late summer of 1183. She was also instrumental in developing trade agreements with Constantinople and ports of trade in the Holy Lands. She seems to have exerted a great deal of influence over Louis, something his councillors and courtiers resented. Later that year she married and soon became queen of France. About four miles from Shrewsbury and close by Haughmond Abbey is "Queen Eleanor's Bower", the remains of a possible triangular timber castle which is believed to have been one of her prisons. He and Eleanor were anointed and crowned king and queen of France on Christmas Day of the same year. Henry joined her in Poitiers and they were married in the cathedral on Whit Sunday in a simple ceremony with none of the pomp and splendour that might have been expected. Updated: 1:34 AM CST Feb 27, 2012. Their two daughters were, however, declared legitimate. Their daughters were declared legitimate, custody was awarded to Louis, and Eleanor's lands were restored to her. Learn how and when to remove this template message, BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, Golden Globe Award for Best Actress Motion Picture Drama, The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men, Berengaria, queen regnant of Castile and queen of Len, The Oxford Companion to English Literature, https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/basis/williamofnewburgh-two.asp#7, "A letter From Eleanor of Aquitaine to Pope Celestine III (1193)", "Blogging Pound's The Cantos: Cantos VI and VII", "Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Brother Who Never Was", Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Four Kings (1978 edition), Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Biography; (1991 edition), "Royal manuscript patronage in late Ducal Normandy? Its incredible how theyve stuck despite a lack of real evidence for them, and plenty of political motivations for seeking to undermine her. Although the figures are intended as Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry II of England, and William Marshall, the story is an entire invention. To astonishment that has echoed through the centuries, Stephen handed over the money Henry requested. He shunned all majesty, preferring to send his Chancellor Thomas Becket to Paris to make a splendid, showy entrance to the city because, well, it just wasnt Henrys style. 1. Eleanor supported her uncle's desire to re-capture the nearby County of Edessa, the objective of the Crusade. Select this result to view Eleanor D Henry's phone number, address, and more. As queen of France, Eleanor participated in the unsuccessful Second Crusade. Rather than act as guardian to the duchess and duchy, he decided to marry the duchess to his 17-year-old heir and bring Aquitaine under the control of the French crown, thereby greatly increasing the power and prominence of France and its ruling family, the House of Capet. The girls were 3 years old when "The Help" was filmed. Inheriting a vast estate at the age of 15 made her the most sought-after bride of her . Eleanor Gail Henry, Age 74 Current Address:KUEAPeony Ln, Jackson, MO Past Addresses:Keokuk IA, Oswego NY +1 more Phone Number:(573) 833-GAME+2 phones Email Address:eRPOV@earthlink.net +2 emails UNLOCK PROFILE Contacts(6) Locations(4) Family(2) Social(1) Court(30) And More Phone & Email(6) We found 6 phone numbers and email addresses. His goal throughout his reign was to recover and restore all of the rights held by his grandfather Henry I, and he would pursue these ferociously and doggedly. The death of William, one of the king's most powerful vassals, made available the most desirable duchy in France. She had been locked away by her husband since 1173, following her complicit involvement in her sons' rebellions against Henry II. 1556332. Louis was sent to Bordeaux with an escort of 500 knights, along with Abbot Suger, Theobald II, Count of Champagne, and Raoul I, Count of Vermandois. Two of their sons, Richard and John, would be kings of England. Theobald had also offended Louis by siding with the Pope in the dispute over Bourges. As soon as the French archbishops had formally annulled her marriage on March 21st, Eleanor left the royal castle at Beaugency on the Loire, near Orleans, dodged an attempt to seize her by the Count of Blois and took a barge along the river towards Tours with an escort of her own men. My answer would be that understanding the end of a story (or at least the closing of a chapter) often requires knowledge of its beginning. Marriage to Henry II and administration of England, Armand-Jean du Plessis, cardinal et duc de Richelieu, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Eleanor-of-Aquitaine, World History Encyclopedia - Eleanor of Aquitaine, The Ohio State University - eHistory - Eleanor of Aquitaine, Heritage History - Biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Eleanor of Aquitaine - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard I, and Henry II. Hugues de Toucy, archbishop of Sens, presided, and Louis and Eleanor were both present, as were the archbishop of Bordeaux and Rouen. There is no real evidence to position Eleanor as some kind of mastermind in a bid to tear her family and their lands apart. Custody of them was awarded to King Louis. In autumn 1145, Pope Eugene III requested that Louis lead a Crusade to the Middle East to rescue the Frankish states there from disaster. At a young age she was granted title of Duchess of Aquitaine, and by the age of thirteen/fifteen, on the death of her father in 1137, Eleanor inherited the Duchy in her own right. The king, having scorned royal apparel in favour of a simple pilgrim's tunic, escaped notice, unlike his bodyguards, whose skulls were brutally smashed and limbs severed. Damascus was a major wealthy trading centre and was under normal circumstances a potential threat, but the rulers of Jerusalem had recently entered into a truce with the city, which they then forswore. The Pope, recalling similar attempts by William X to exile supporters of Innocent from Poitou and replace them with priests loyal to himself, blamed Eleanor, saying that Louis was only a child and should be taught manners. This suspicion of responsibility did nothing for her popularity in Christendom. As they ascended the mountains, however, the army and the king and queen were horrified to discover the unburied corpses of the Germans killed earlier. [9][13][14] Louis donated the vase to the Basilica of St Denis. Eleanor was allowed to return to the place she loved above all others as its duchess, to train Richard in the tricky art of ruling Aquitaine. However, he died on Good Friday of that year (9April). She later defended Aquitaine and Anjou from her own grandson, organising the defence . Henry and Eleanor are the main characters in James Goldman's 1966 play The Lion in Winter, which was made into a film in 1968 starring Peter O'Toole as Henry and Katharine Hepburn in the role of Eleanor, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress and the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role and was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress Motion Picture Drama. It was rumoured that the bride and groom had anticipated the ceremony and there was also a story that she had known the grooms late father, Geoffrey of Anjou, considerably better than she should have done. On 18 May 1152 (Whit Sunday), eight weeks after her annulment, Eleanor married Henry "without the pomp and ceremony that befitted their rank."[24]. The king had many mistresses, but although he treated earlier liaisons discreetly, he flaunted Rosamund. By all accounts, Eleanor's father ensured that she had the best possible education. The Lion in Winter will be directed by Tom Hollis. 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