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Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Four Kings
The story of that amazingly influential and still somewhat mysterious woman, Eleanor of Aquitaine, has the dramatic interest of a novel. She was at the very center of the rich culture and clashing politics of the twelfth century. Richest marriage prize of the Middle Ages, she was Queen of France as the wife of Louis VII, and went with him on the exciting and disastrous Second Crusade. Inspiration of troubadours and trouveres, she played a large part in rendering fashionable the Courts of Love and in establishing the whole courtly tradition of medieval times.
Divorced from Louis, she married Henry Plantagenet, who became Henry II of England. Her resources and resourcefulness helped Henry win his throne, she was involved in the conflict over Thomas Becket, and, after Henry’s death, she handled the affairs of the Angevin empire with a sagacity that brought her the trust and confidence of popes and kings and emperors. Having been first a Capet and then a Plantagenet, Queen Eleanor was the central figure in the bitter rivalry between those houses for the control of their continental domains, a rivalry that excited the whole period: after Henry’s death, her sons, Richard Coeur-de-Lion and John Lackland (of Magna Carta fame), fiercely pursued the feud up to and even beyond the end of the century. But the dynastic struggle of the period was accompanied by other stirrings: the intellectual revolt, the struggle between church and state, the secularization of literature and other arts, the rise of the distinctive urban culture of the great cities. Eleanor was concerned with all the movements, and closely connected with all the personages; she knew every city from London and Paris to Byzantium, Jerusalem, and Rome.
Amy Kelly’s story of the queen’s long life—the first modern biography—brings together more authentic information about her than has ever been assembled before and reveals in Eleanor a greatness of vision, an intelligence, and a political sagacity that have been missed by those who have dwelt on her caprice and frivolity. It also brings to life the whole period in whose every aspect Eleanor and her four kings were so intimately and influentially involved. Miss Kelly tells Eleanor’s absorbing story as it has long waited to be told: with verve and style and a sense of the quality of life in those times, and yet with a scrupulous care for the historic facts.
Divorced from Louis, she married Henry Plantagenet, who became Henry II of England. Her resources and resourcefulness helped Henry win his throne, she was involved in the conflict over Thomas Becket, and, after Henry’s death, she handled the affairs of the Angevin empire with a sagacity that brought her the trust and confidence of popes and kings and emperors. Having been first a Capet and then a Plantagenet, Queen Eleanor was the central figure in the bitter rivalry between those houses for the control of their continental domains, a rivalry that excited the whole period: after Henry’s death, her sons, Richard Coeur-de-Lion and John Lackland (of Magna Carta fame), fiercely pursued the feud up to and even beyond the end of the century. But the dynastic struggle of the period was accompanied by other stirrings: the intellectual revolt, the struggle between church and state, the secularization of literature and other arts, the rise of the distinctive urban culture of the great cities. Eleanor was concerned with all the movements, and closely connected with all the personages; she knew every city from London and Paris to Byzantium, Jerusalem, and Rome.
Amy Kelly’s story of the queen’s long life—the first modern biography—brings together more authentic information about her than has ever been assembled before and reveals in Eleanor a greatness of vision, an intelligence, and a political sagacity that have been missed by those who have dwelt on her caprice and frivolity. It also brings to life the whole period in whose every aspect Eleanor and her four kings were so intimately and influentially involved. Miss Kelly tells Eleanor’s absorbing story as it has long waited to be told: with verve and style and a sense of the quality of life in those times, and yet with a scrupulous care for the historic facts.
448 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1950
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
September 10, 2008
I made it about 270 pages through this 400+-page book before calling it quits, and I experienced a bit of guilt at dropping out when I did. I like this book. Published some 50 years ago, Amy Kelly's history is beautifully written, well-researched and extremely detailed. What made me put it down is not, as avid readers of history may assume, related to its age. For less-than-avid readers of history I'll here point out the modern historiographical conceit to which I refer - as so much else in today's world, in the discipline of history, newer is considered better.
Certainly, histories published in the last 5-10 years employ the newest theories and, as such, have found fruitful alternatives to the antiquated "Great Men" treatment of history. History has moved into post-modern waters swimming with anthropological theory, microhistory, post-colonial theory and so forth. Traditional reliance on unproblematized narrative has passed out of vogue in most current schools of historical thought. Modern methodologies pose ontological and epistemological questions to the very project of researching and writing history. They explore the nature of language, ways of generating meaning, and modes of expression. Such methods, as different as they are from each other, share a mistrust of traditional (read: old) linear narrative. That said, older historiography still has a corner on something these theory-laden new methodologies achieve only unevenly - readability.
At the time of Kelly's writing history was still, as it had been for centuries, the matter of a well-crafted narrative backed up by sound research. Period. And a well-crafted narrative backed up by sound research is what Amy Kelly provides. Notwithstanding the epistemological problems inherent in narrative, I must admit a strong affection and even preference for it. And Kelly creates compelling narrative history - she pays actual attention to her narrative voice and literary style, she provides end notes instead of footnotes that interrupt the flow of reading, she attempts to keep her reader aesthetically as well as intellectually engaged. She does not, however, offer much of what her title promises - Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Naturally, to discuss Eleanor of Aquitaine one must also discuss those "Four Kings", the men whose fortunes were so tied to her own, through amity or enmity (or both, as seems to have been standard in Eleanor's relationships). And perhaps my familiarity with newer histories led me to expect something an historian from 50 years ago could not possibly provide - what the actual woman's life would have looked like, day-in and day-out, how she must have understood her own role vis-à-vis Louis or Henry or her sons, the forces that crafted her own ambitions, which were considerable. Instead, Kelly roots her narrative firmly in the male gaze - i.e., when Henry imprisons Eleanor for 16 years, the narrative does not explore Eleanor's experience of these years, but instead, for chapters on end, follows Henry, as though it were a work solely about him. I should not, I suppose, expect an historian of Kelly's era to fix her lens too firmly on Eleanor who, as a woman, would not have been considered overly important to the history of European nation-building, the primary focus of traditional history. Shifting that focus is the work of later historians who turned their attention from "Great Men" to other groups of people, less mentioned and more difficult to get at. I confess, though, to expecting Kelly's titular figure to play a central role in her own history, if not in traditional History with a capital H. In defense of this expectation - of all medieval women Eleanor of Aquitaine has few rivals for the era's most powerful, influential and commented-upon woman. Surely, even in the 1950s, she merited a work of history all her own. Even Eleanor's contemporaries paid her that sort of attention.
Certainly, histories published in the last 5-10 years employ the newest theories and, as such, have found fruitful alternatives to the antiquated "Great Men" treatment of history. History has moved into post-modern waters swimming with anthropological theory, microhistory, post-colonial theory and so forth. Traditional reliance on unproblematized narrative has passed out of vogue in most current schools of historical thought. Modern methodologies pose ontological and epistemological questions to the very project of researching and writing history. They explore the nature of language, ways of generating meaning, and modes of expression. Such methods, as different as they are from each other, share a mistrust of traditional (read: old) linear narrative. That said, older historiography still has a corner on something these theory-laden new methodologies achieve only unevenly - readability.
At the time of Kelly's writing history was still, as it had been for centuries, the matter of a well-crafted narrative backed up by sound research. Period. And a well-crafted narrative backed up by sound research is what Amy Kelly provides. Notwithstanding the epistemological problems inherent in narrative, I must admit a strong affection and even preference for it. And Kelly creates compelling narrative history - she pays actual attention to her narrative voice and literary style, she provides end notes instead of footnotes that interrupt the flow of reading, she attempts to keep her reader aesthetically as well as intellectually engaged. She does not, however, offer much of what her title promises - Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Naturally, to discuss Eleanor of Aquitaine one must also discuss those "Four Kings", the men whose fortunes were so tied to her own, through amity or enmity (or both, as seems to have been standard in Eleanor's relationships). And perhaps my familiarity with newer histories led me to expect something an historian from 50 years ago could not possibly provide - what the actual woman's life would have looked like, day-in and day-out, how she must have understood her own role vis-à-vis Louis or Henry or her sons, the forces that crafted her own ambitions, which were considerable. Instead, Kelly roots her narrative firmly in the male gaze - i.e., when Henry imprisons Eleanor for 16 years, the narrative does not explore Eleanor's experience of these years, but instead, for chapters on end, follows Henry, as though it were a work solely about him. I should not, I suppose, expect an historian of Kelly's era to fix her lens too firmly on Eleanor who, as a woman, would not have been considered overly important to the history of European nation-building, the primary focus of traditional history. Shifting that focus is the work of later historians who turned their attention from "Great Men" to other groups of people, less mentioned and more difficult to get at. I confess, though, to expecting Kelly's titular figure to play a central role in her own history, if not in traditional History with a capital H. In defense of this expectation - of all medieval women Eleanor of Aquitaine has few rivals for the era's most powerful, influential and commented-upon woman. Surely, even in the 1950s, she merited a work of history all her own. Even Eleanor's contemporaries paid her that sort of attention.
August 12, 2008
This is one of the most intelligent and academically sound nonfiction books I've ever encountered, yet it reads with the movement, presence and passion of fiction. Amy Kelly's "Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Four Kings" is thoroughly engaging -- an exceptionally complete work on one of the most fascinating women in history. The story brings alive in flesh and blood the character of the fabled and notably beautiful woman whose 82+-year-life spanned the late 11th and early 12th centuries and whose intimate involvement in the transformation of feudal Europe cannot fairly be matched. Eleanor, who began as a young Duchess of Aquitaine and Countess of Poitou and who was the richest marriage prize in all of Europe, was known, among other accomplishments, for leading 400 women to Jerusalem on the Second Crusade as Queen of France during her marriage to Louis VII (Capet) and for bearing two kings, John "Lackland" (of Magna Carta fame) and the heroic and well-loved King Richard Coeur-de-Lion, her eldest and favorite son, while Queen of England during her marriage to Henry II (Plantagenet). As Queen of England, Eleanor brought with her a great love for poetry, music and art. Her avid patronage of the arts and her sponsorship of the pursuit of courtly love solidified in history the lyric poetry and romantic ideals that originally arose in the ducal halls of her girlhood home, thanks to her grandfather Guillaume IX, who was the first Provencal poet and in whose court in Aquitaine troubadours and poets were encouraged and supported. Eleanor's political savvy and intellectual brilliance were not subservient to her artistic pursuits, however, as she demonstrated many times during her long life, both as a wise negotiator of treaties on her family lands in the beautiful, warm, fertile Loire river valley and including the entire southwest of France from Anjou to the Pyrenees and as Queen of the Angevin empire after the death of her husband Henry II. Life was not alway easy for a Queen: Eleanor conspired with her sons to revolt against her husband, for which she was imprisoned for 16 years until Henry's death. And if the above is not enough to fuel a deep and lively historical treatise, you have but to consider that, in addition to being centrally involved in the dynastic struggles between the Capets and the Plantagenets, Eleanor was intimately connected to and witnessed events such as the conflict that led to the death of Thomas Becket, the rise of the intellectual class (termed historically as a revolt), the intense struggle between church and state, the secularization of literature and other arts, and the rise of urban culture in the great European cities. Amy Kelly brings this rich historical figure to life in a way that only a handful of scholarly writers can manage. Bravo to "Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Four Kings."
December 18, 2017
A fantastically researched and beautifully written text. I've been fascinated by Eleanor - Alianor, in her own time - for a long while now and despite it's age, this book added more to my knowledge of this amazing woman than I'd have guessed possible. I've read nearly every book available about Queen Eleanor, yet her story never ceases to amaze me. Having outlived two husbands - both kings - and eight of her ten children, her life is simply fascinating. In a time where women did not have power, she wielded more, and for longer, than any other queen dared dream. I will say this is not the book I'd start with for those who know nothing about Eleanor. It can be a bit dense, particularly in Eleanor's absence as Henry's prisoner all those years. But the stories are all so entwined, it would be impossible to have told hers without her sons' - Richard and John of course. I can't praise this book enough. Don't let the publication date trick you into thinking it's irrelevant; it's wonderfully written and really brings a remarkable woman to life.
March 17, 2014
The best biography on Eleanor of Aquitaine which is descriptive and vivid with details not just about this fascinating woman, duchess, countess and twice times queen, but also of her contemporaries. Laden with facts, wonderfully researched and a myriad of details written in such a way you literally are trabsported back to the twelfth century and start of the following century. Eleabor of Aquitaine and the Four Kings is a Must-Read for everyone.
August 23, 2012
I picked up this book for free at a used book store in Winnipeg earlier this year. I figured that Eleanor of Aquitaine is one of those historical figures that I seem to hear about often enough but I didn't really know much about her. This book is very dense, filled with much historical fact, and yet it's better than any soap opera, I am sure! Eleanor was 83 when she died -- very old considering she lived in the 1100s. She was Queen of France and of England. She went on crusade. She was the mother of King Richard and King John (from the Robin Hood legend ... and while these kings did exist, Robin Hood did not). She was Queen when Thomas Becket was martyred. One cannot help but marvel.
Unfortunately, my unfamiliarity with the feudal system of politics left me bewildered from time to time. And, as usual, many of the figures in the book have the same name, but that cannot be helped!
So ... read this instead of Pillars of the Earth. It takes place just a little bit later in history, and was a much more rewarding read.
Unfortunately, my unfamiliarity with the feudal system of politics left me bewildered from time to time. And, as usual, many of the figures in the book have the same name, but that cannot be helped!
So ... read this instead of Pillars of the Earth. It takes place just a little bit later in history, and was a much more rewarding read.
March 28, 2012
When I read novels about Eleanor of Aquitaine, the person I think of is the Eleanor portrayed here.
August 15, 2011
I got really interested in Eleanor of Aquitaine after reading Regine Pernoud's considerably shorter ALIENOR d'Aquitaine. She mentions in her bibliography Kelly's book which she calls "absolutely remarkable in its scholarship and brilliance" That could well be, but it would take another scholar to make that claim. I do know it's an exhaustively detailed account of the life of Eleanor of Aquitaine which spanned most of the tumultuous 12th century in what is now western France and England. She died in 1204 at the age of 82, having outlived eight of her ten children, the most famous of whom were Richard the Lion Hearted and King John of Magna Carta fame.
The "four kings" were Louis VII of France (she was duchess of the vast Aquitaine area) whom she married when she was 15, a marriage designed to cement France Aquitaine, Henry II of England whom she hastily married after her marriage to Louis was annulled, her son, Richard who was to die at age 42, and finally, the other son, the erratic John. She is the only woman to have been queen over both England and France.
Why is she signficant? To read about her is to read about 12th century western Europe in all of its political and military intrigues which centered around consolidating power, making individual fiefdoms subservient to a larger kingdom. In a way, I suppose, it is the beginning of the move, away from a feudal society, always threatening to collapse into anarchy, toward nation states in Europe. Eleanor was everywhere. She lived in Paris, she went on a Crusade and spent time in Antioch and Byzantium, she lived in London. She knew the Popes, she was constantly plotting to create dynasties through royal marriages of her children. At the same time, she was sophisticated and the cult of courtly love and the creation of a knightly code of behavior based on the legendary King Arthur flourished at her court in Poitiers.
I thought the most interesting part of the book was the conflict between idealistic religious motives and practical financial and political matters. Both crusades that Eleanor was involved in were failures. Huge sums were raised through levies and taxes to drive out the heathen from the Holy Places - the sums disappeared in the Middle East as if they had never existed. Richard the Lion Hearted cut his Middle East campaign short to come home and deal with back-stabbing on the part of his brother, John, who was taking over Richard's lands. On the way back, Richard was captured by German princes and held for an enormous ransom. This, in spite of a Papal "guarantee of safety". When appealed to, the Pope didn't lift a finger to help Richard. Why? Because he had other political constituents to satisfy. Eleanor, now in her 70's, was frantic, trying to obtain Richard's releas. She succeeded, but that in turn had more political reverberations, What must she have thought when she died, weak and withdrawn from the ongoing conflicts - that all of these battles had accomplished little?
The "four kings" were Louis VII of France (she was duchess of the vast Aquitaine area) whom she married when she was 15, a marriage designed to cement France Aquitaine, Henry II of England whom she hastily married after her marriage to Louis was annulled, her son, Richard who was to die at age 42, and finally, the other son, the erratic John. She is the only woman to have been queen over both England and France.
Why is she signficant? To read about her is to read about 12th century western Europe in all of its political and military intrigues which centered around consolidating power, making individual fiefdoms subservient to a larger kingdom. In a way, I suppose, it is the beginning of the move, away from a feudal society, always threatening to collapse into anarchy, toward nation states in Europe. Eleanor was everywhere. She lived in Paris, she went on a Crusade and spent time in Antioch and Byzantium, she lived in London. She knew the Popes, she was constantly plotting to create dynasties through royal marriages of her children. At the same time, she was sophisticated and the cult of courtly love and the creation of a knightly code of behavior based on the legendary King Arthur flourished at her court in Poitiers.
I thought the most interesting part of the book was the conflict between idealistic religious motives and practical financial and political matters. Both crusades that Eleanor was involved in were failures. Huge sums were raised through levies and taxes to drive out the heathen from the Holy Places - the sums disappeared in the Middle East as if they had never existed. Richard the Lion Hearted cut his Middle East campaign short to come home and deal with back-stabbing on the part of his brother, John, who was taking over Richard's lands. On the way back, Richard was captured by German princes and held for an enormous ransom. This, in spite of a Papal "guarantee of safety". When appealed to, the Pope didn't lift a finger to help Richard. Why? Because he had other political constituents to satisfy. Eleanor, now in her 70's, was frantic, trying to obtain Richard's releas. She succeeded, but that in turn had more political reverberations, What must she have thought when she died, weak and withdrawn from the ongoing conflicts - that all of these battles had accomplished little?
September 7, 2013
I was blessed with time to read the entire book this summer at a cabin in Vermont. I had waited over ten years to get to it, but was totally absorbed by page 270 and couldn't put it down. Although Amy Kelly's scrupulously researched work demands time and respect from the reader, I follow "Julie" in praising it and Sara Gothard in contrasting it to the array of contemporary scholarly approaches in use today. Kelly's book is not post-modern; it is not a novel; it is not romance. It is solid history, in understandable and clear language, sequenced as a lively narrative. It reads like a novel. While Eleanor is the central and longest lived character, the subject is the dynamic interplay of power, motives, and characters in twelfth-century Europe, which she experienced, influenced, and shaped. You will read the dramas behind Eleanor's lion in winter (Henry II); Thomas Becket's murder in the cathedral(by Eleanor's husband); Robin Hood, Ivanhoe, and the ransom of Eleanor's son (Richard Lion Heart); the Arthurian legends at Eleanor's Courts of Love (led by her daughter, Marie de Champlain); and the Amazon Crusader (Eleanor) with King Louis in the Holy Lands. Eleanor had intimate relationships with battling Popes, the Holy Roman Emperor, and the Four Kings (two husbands, two sons). Their vengeful hatreds and power struggles - with each other and King Philip of France (her ex-husband's son)- tumble to a breathtaking climax after 387 pages. What a century ! What a Queen!
April 7, 2011
Eleanor was a 12th century French noblewoman who inherited in her own right the duchy of the Acquitaine, a large province on the Atlantic coast. Her four kings? There was her first husband, Louis VII, King of France; then after their annulment, her second husband, Henry, Duke of Anjoy, who became King Henry II of England. Henry's mother had been Matilda ("Maude") who ruled on and off as Queen of England, interrupted sporadically by rebellions in favor of her cousin, Stephen. Then two of her four sons ascended the throne: Richard I, King of England, and John, his successor. So Eleanor was at the heart of the levers of poweer in western Europe for most of her long life. This is her story, one of a woman fighting to assert her rights in medieval times.
April 14, 2015
I really liked this book. Amy Kelly wrote so dramatically about Eleanor and her life. I read in tandem with Sharon Kay Penman's books on Henry II and Richard I. It was good to recap everything that happened with Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Four Kings. T^he saddest chapter was the next to the last when she covered all the things John did to lose his European empire. I was glad Eleanor died before the full realization hit her that her kingdom was gone. She was quite a lady and her life was very interesting. I feel she left a great legacy to the world.
June 9, 2009
While an older book, this biography of Eleanor is both riveting and rollicking. Eleanor is not always framed in soft lighting by the author, who is well-given to point out Eleanor's shortcomings and flaws, but paints a dramatic portrait of a woman ahead of her time (a little cliche, I know) that influenced the power politics and course of two nations during the turbulent early Middle Ages. While not having the same modern prose style of Allison Weir, this is still a worthwhile read.
June 8, 2011
Wonderfully researched and meticulously presented. Sadly, I found it extraordinarily difficult to read given the author's archaic phrasing and often obscure vocabulary. I finally discovered why I was having such a problem. The book was published in 1950. Still, after all these years, Kelly's book is regularly cited as a leading source on Eleanor.
February 7, 2008
I never knew anything about Eleanor of Aquitaine or her role in the crusades. Fascinating read about the mother of Richard the Lionheart and John, signer of the Magna Carta. I really enjoyed this, but it is slow. Perfect bedtime reading.
February 2, 2008
Who knew? One of the most fascinating, gifted, powerful woman ever--wife to two kings, one of France and one of England, and mother to two of England. Again, a book of the middle ages and a whole new realm of interest for me...
May 13, 2009
I was directed toward this book by a professor when I was struggling to come up with a theme for a term paper. I'd never heard of Eleanor until then, but I was hooked. An excellent introduction to that era, and a remarkable woman far ahead of her time.
March 2, 2013
I forced myself to finish this book after two months of false starts. It is not an easy book to read. Kelly's writing style gets overly florid at times, and this gets in the way of narrative and comprehension.
February 6, 2013
This was a very informative and interesting work of history. Even Vera Nabakov highly recommended this book.
If you enjoy the history of the British Monarchy, especially the Plantagents, give this book a go.
If you enjoy the history of the British Monarchy, especially the Plantagents, give this book a go.
June 25, 2007
I didn't finish this book. I was bored to death. She is one of the most fascinating women in history and I wanted to poke my eyes out. There must be a better book about her!
July 30, 2012
A classic recount of the biography of Eleanor. The erudite poetic-prose style is of an era worth reading, though you might need to re-read and get out a dictionary of old terms.
October 3, 2025
I really enjoyed this book. The queen was truly a remarkable woman and lived a life few people even today could claim to have lived better.
Seriously, to have been queen of France AND England??!! To have gone on crusade to the Holy Land. To have ruled and matched wits with the most powerful men in Europe. She was truly something else.
And yet, for all that, was she happy? I wonder. Ultimately, she was estranged from both of her husbands. She used her sons by Henry against him but still spent years as a prisoner. One by one, her children rose to power only to die before her. Eight out of ten in total preceded her through death's door. Despite all her years of anguish and effort, she must have died knowing that the Franks would ultimately wrest Normandy and Aquitaine from her descendants' hands. I wonder if she didn't die bitterly.
One remarkable observation is that after spending years as a prisoner, far from the halls of power, and nearing her 70s, when news of Henry's death arrived, she strode back onto the stage without missing a beat. I'm sure she acted knowing that she had to display absolute confidence in order to command men who were itching to carve out more lands for themselves. But she must have also had her news sources everywhere, and despite her seclusion, she was ready to take decisive action on behalf of her sons once Henry left the scene. Truly remarkable!
So read the book, and wonder whether power is really worth it!
Seriously, to have been queen of France AND England??!! To have gone on crusade to the Holy Land. To have ruled and matched wits with the most powerful men in Europe. She was truly something else.
And yet, for all that, was she happy? I wonder. Ultimately, she was estranged from both of her husbands. She used her sons by Henry against him but still spent years as a prisoner. One by one, her children rose to power only to die before her. Eight out of ten in total preceded her through death's door. Despite all her years of anguish and effort, she must have died knowing that the Franks would ultimately wrest Normandy and Aquitaine from her descendants' hands. I wonder if she didn't die bitterly.
One remarkable observation is that after spending years as a prisoner, far from the halls of power, and nearing her 70s, when news of Henry's death arrived, she strode back onto the stage without missing a beat. I'm sure she acted knowing that she had to display absolute confidence in order to command men who were itching to carve out more lands for themselves. But she must have also had her news sources everywhere, and despite her seclusion, she was ready to take decisive action on behalf of her sons once Henry left the scene. Truly remarkable!
So read the book, and wonder whether power is really worth it!
March 2, 2013
The bones of this story is nothing short of incredible. Eleanor was one of the beauties of her time. Her father's untimely and unexpected death coincided with an equally unexpected demise of Louis the Fat, the king of France. In the 12th century dynasties needed to be knit together lest warring nobles spin off into revolt or neighboring states swoop in for conquest. Thus Eleanor, only 15 was betrothed to king Louis of France who had been raised to assume an ecclesiastical position in deference to his older brother who also died unexpectedly. Acquitane in southwestern France was a prosperous but vulnerable province. It was not a good match as Louis was more interested in spiritual endeavors than being a strong king or a good husband. They were married 12 years but after a crusade to recapture the holy land ended up a failure--- a crusade that Eleanor accompanied her husband, Eleanor demanded a divorce on the grounds of consanguinity, meaning they were cousins and did not receive papal dispensation to marry. This was a common escape clause as most of royalty and high nobility were closely related as daughters were pimped out to forge alliances. Eleanor said she wanted a man not a saint and Louis was reluctantly won over to the idea because he wanted an heir and Eleanor had only produced 2 daughters.
No longer young but still beautiful , Eleanor was soon married to Henry ii , the King of England who was five years younger but no slouch in the manliness department. Henry was not only King of England but also ruled Normandy and Brittany and with the addition of Aquitane, he became a serious rival to Louis to take over France. Eleanor had 5 sons and several more daughters but the marriage soured when Henry pushed her aside in favor of a mistress. By this time the boys were grown and joined with Eleanor in a revolt against Henry which failed. Henry did not punish his sons but he put Eleanor under arrest, kept in a castle under guard and not allowed to venture out on her own.
Meanwhile Louis died and his son Phillip became King and a more formidable adversary to Henry. Phillip finally got the better of Henry who died knowing that many of his allies had joined Phillip including Henry's two surviving sons. With Henry's death , his son Richard took the throne, Richard the Lionhearted. He promptly released Eleanor from her 15 years of house arrest. She became his leading advisor. Richard no sooner became King that he too joined an ill fated crusade. An able fighter but with an unerring ability to antagonize his fellow chief crusaders, Richard was captured and imprisoned by one of his foes. With no word from Richard, his disloyal brother John attempted to take over in his absence. Eleanor resisted this and rallied the barons to stay loyal to Richard. When word got out that Richard was in prison , she outbid King Phillip to ransom him. She wanted to return him to the throne while King Phillip wanted to throw Richard in prison without any chance of release ,
Richard finally made it back to merry old England but a few short years later he was killed in combat as he was subduing a recalcitrant lord. By this time Eleanor was in her 80's but she rallied the nobles behind her sole remaining son. King John who was a snake. King John not only was defeated by Phillip but the French wrested Normandy from the English. John did rescue Eleanor who was in a castle besieged by Phillip. She died at age 83 as King John plotted a comeback. John's incessant wars and taxes to pay for those wars led to a revolt by the English barons who forced him to sign the Magna Carta.
This is an amazing story but the author is not quite up to the task of sorting out all of the warring factions and the countless intrigues that enveloped Eleanor. In a blurb in the back jacket of the book, a reviser says:"Kelly writes truth for truth. When she does not know, she says so. When she is guessing, she says she is guessing". But the problem is that there are huge gaps in our knowledge of what transpired in the 12th century and many of the chroniclers tended to focus on the King rather than the power behind the throne. The author just does not have the imagination to weave it all together.
Suffice it to say that Eleanor was a force to be reckoned with in that age or any other age.
No longer young but still beautiful , Eleanor was soon married to Henry ii , the King of England who was five years younger but no slouch in the manliness department. Henry was not only King of England but also ruled Normandy and Brittany and with the addition of Aquitane, he became a serious rival to Louis to take over France. Eleanor had 5 sons and several more daughters but the marriage soured when Henry pushed her aside in favor of a mistress. By this time the boys were grown and joined with Eleanor in a revolt against Henry which failed. Henry did not punish his sons but he put Eleanor under arrest, kept in a castle under guard and not allowed to venture out on her own.
Meanwhile Louis died and his son Phillip became King and a more formidable adversary to Henry. Phillip finally got the better of Henry who died knowing that many of his allies had joined Phillip including Henry's two surviving sons. With Henry's death , his son Richard took the throne, Richard the Lionhearted. He promptly released Eleanor from her 15 years of house arrest. She became his leading advisor. Richard no sooner became King that he too joined an ill fated crusade. An able fighter but with an unerring ability to antagonize his fellow chief crusaders, Richard was captured and imprisoned by one of his foes. With no word from Richard, his disloyal brother John attempted to take over in his absence. Eleanor resisted this and rallied the barons to stay loyal to Richard. When word got out that Richard was in prison , she outbid King Phillip to ransom him. She wanted to return him to the throne while King Phillip wanted to throw Richard in prison without any chance of release ,
Richard finally made it back to merry old England but a few short years later he was killed in combat as he was subduing a recalcitrant lord. By this time Eleanor was in her 80's but she rallied the nobles behind her sole remaining son. King John who was a snake. King John not only was defeated by Phillip but the French wrested Normandy from the English. John did rescue Eleanor who was in a castle besieged by Phillip. She died at age 83 as King John plotted a comeback. John's incessant wars and taxes to pay for those wars led to a revolt by the English barons who forced him to sign the Magna Carta.
This is an amazing story but the author is not quite up to the task of sorting out all of the warring factions and the countless intrigues that enveloped Eleanor. In a blurb in the back jacket of the book, a reviser says:"Kelly writes truth for truth. When she does not know, she says so. When she is guessing, she says she is guessing". But the problem is that there are huge gaps in our knowledge of what transpired in the 12th century and many of the chroniclers tended to focus on the King rather than the power behind the throne. The author just does not have the imagination to weave it all together.
Suffice it to say that Eleanor was a force to be reckoned with in that age or any other age.
February 2, 2016
You hear the occasional reference to Eleanor of Aquitane in European history and historically-related writing, but who was she really? This biography by Amy Kelly attempts to answer that question.
I read somebody else’s review shortly after I started reading this that complained that it didn’t really give you much of a sense of who Eleanor was as a person, and after having read the whole thing, I have to agree that is true. However, I am convinced that this is not the author’s fault. She has exhaustively researched her subject and seems to have included nearly every fact, poetic reference, and rumor available, with the possible exception of Eleanor’s court rulings when she was sitting in judgement in some court as a stand-in for her second husband, Henry II of England or her son, Richard I (Coeur-de-Lion), and she has even speculated a little regarding Eleanor’s possible sentiments at certain periods of her life, especially during her early years when she was first married to Louis VII of France, but the problem appears to be that there are few actual direct facts recorded about Eleanor, and much of what we know about her is recorded incidentally to the lives of her husbands and sons. In order to get very much closer to what she was really thinking or feeling a biographer would have to be making stuff up.
What we do know is that she was married to Louis VII when she was fifteen, a marriage hastily arranged after the death of her father by Louis’ father in order to secure the large and rich provinces of Aquitane and Poitou along with some other lands of which she was heiress to the French throne. They had two daughters, but no sons that lived, and desiring sons he received permission from the Pope to divorce her, citing consanguinity (which idea Eleanor herself had first brought up). Almost as soon as she was free of Louis, she married Henry, whose father was at the time Duke of Anjou (and some other places). Not long after that, Henry succeeded his father as the Duke of Anjou, and a little later still he became King of England. He took Eleanor there, and proceeded to establish new courts and generally consolidate his hold there. This is where Eleanor occasionally dispensed justice in his stead when he had to be off doing something else.
Henry and Eleanor had eight children altogether, five of whom were boys. One of the boys died young, but the others all managed to grow up. So when, a number of years later, Henry decided that he too wanted to divorce her, he did not have the excuse of not having any heirs. His idea was to install her in an abbey as abbess, but it never happened, and apparently he never succeeded in getting the pope to approve the divorce, so he kept her imprisoned in a castle in England for about sixteen years while he feuded with his sons over who would succeed him and who would get which of his properties.
After Henry’s death, Eleanor was free again and spent the rest of her life supporting the reigns of first Richard, who was the oldest of her sons still living by then, and the John, the fifth and last remaining son, although she was very old by the standards of the time by then. She died in 1204, after a long life of having been in the middle of many of the major events of her time.
The book was very dense with facts. It was not boring or hard to read, but anyone without a serious interest in history would probably not care for it.
I read somebody else’s review shortly after I started reading this that complained that it didn’t really give you much of a sense of who Eleanor was as a person, and after having read the whole thing, I have to agree that is true. However, I am convinced that this is not the author’s fault. She has exhaustively researched her subject and seems to have included nearly every fact, poetic reference, and rumor available, with the possible exception of Eleanor’s court rulings when she was sitting in judgement in some court as a stand-in for her second husband, Henry II of England or her son, Richard I (Coeur-de-Lion), and she has even speculated a little regarding Eleanor’s possible sentiments at certain periods of her life, especially during her early years when she was first married to Louis VII of France, but the problem appears to be that there are few actual direct facts recorded about Eleanor, and much of what we know about her is recorded incidentally to the lives of her husbands and sons. In order to get very much closer to what she was really thinking or feeling a biographer would have to be making stuff up.
What we do know is that she was married to Louis VII when she was fifteen, a marriage hastily arranged after the death of her father by Louis’ father in order to secure the large and rich provinces of Aquitane and Poitou along with some other lands of which she was heiress to the French throne. They had two daughters, but no sons that lived, and desiring sons he received permission from the Pope to divorce her, citing consanguinity (which idea Eleanor herself had first brought up). Almost as soon as she was free of Louis, she married Henry, whose father was at the time Duke of Anjou (and some other places). Not long after that, Henry succeeded his father as the Duke of Anjou, and a little later still he became King of England. He took Eleanor there, and proceeded to establish new courts and generally consolidate his hold there. This is where Eleanor occasionally dispensed justice in his stead when he had to be off doing something else.
Henry and Eleanor had eight children altogether, five of whom were boys. One of the boys died young, but the others all managed to grow up. So when, a number of years later, Henry decided that he too wanted to divorce her, he did not have the excuse of not having any heirs. His idea was to install her in an abbey as abbess, but it never happened, and apparently he never succeeded in getting the pope to approve the divorce, so he kept her imprisoned in a castle in England for about sixteen years while he feuded with his sons over who would succeed him and who would get which of his properties.
After Henry’s death, Eleanor was free again and spent the rest of her life supporting the reigns of first Richard, who was the oldest of her sons still living by then, and the John, the fifth and last remaining son, although she was very old by the standards of the time by then. She died in 1204, after a long life of having been in the middle of many of the major events of her time.
The book was very dense with facts. It was not boring or hard to read, but anyone without a serious interest in history would probably not care for it.
November 19, 2014
What can I say? I loved this book, even though it took me several months to finish it. I read several others in between, because this is not a book you can read anytime or anywhere. It is dense with information, it requires concentration and unfortunately, my reading time these days has been scarce and mostly made up of small lapses spent in waiting rooms, travels or a few minutes before falling asleep at night... So I found myself craving for those special moments where I had no distractions and time enough to immerse myself into the book. For the past months I've been living with the twice-Queen Eleanor (first of France, then of England) in my head, together with her four kings - two husbands (Henry II and Louis VII) and two sons (Richard-the-Lionhearted and John “Lackland”). At first I was surprised to find this is a history book and not a fictional biography, as I had thought, but this only pleased me even more, for I have never read such an interesting history book. I liked Amy Kelly's serious work: when there are information gaps, she just says she doesn't know what happened, and when she guesses something from the context, she makes it clear it is a guess. And although she makes no attempt to fictionize, the book demands concentration and the font is small, I really had a hard time putting it down. More than just a biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine, this book tells the violent and fascinating history of Western Europe in the twelfth century, with all the fights between the Capet and Plantagenet houses for the control of continental domains but also the fight between church and state and the secularization of literature in which Eleanor was particularly involved. I read this book through Bookcrossing (thank you aneca!) so I will make it travel again, but I am getting a copy for my personal collection and I would love to get a translation into Portuguese, but haven't found any so far. So if anyone knows about one (maybe in Brazil?), please let me know where I can find it.
January 30, 2016
I loved this book. Let me say it again - I loved this book. My mom sent it to me just as I was finishing the Game of Thrones series. At first I dismissed it. I mean, the cover was dorky and it was written in 1950. But I came back to it and noticed it was published by Harvard. And there is a NY Times review on the back saying "I found every bit of it fascinating" so I decided to try....
I'm so glad I did. Every moment of this book IS fascinating. And scholarly. You will begin to wonder if you are worthy of Amy Kelly's writing, and you will be correct to wonder. Do not underestimate Amy Kelly. It's hard to find information on her. She was an "associate professor" at Smith college. But she has done her research and she writes with passion, clarity and poetry. This is no simple romance. She will tie you up with facts, dates and relations if you don't pay attention. But if you do, it will be worth it, because you will learn all about the 12th century - rivalries between England and France, Tthe Capets and the Plantagenets, The origins of European monarchies, Crusades to the Holy Land, ("Palestine" back then) and wars with Syrians. You will learn about Richard the Lion Hearted, Heloise and Abelard, and finally about effigies. And all in Kelly's beautiful poetic language. So by all means read this book. It is inspiring and every bit as good as Game of Thrones. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if George RR Martin read it.
I'm so glad I did. Every moment of this book IS fascinating. And scholarly. You will begin to wonder if you are worthy of Amy Kelly's writing, and you will be correct to wonder. Do not underestimate Amy Kelly. It's hard to find information on her. She was an "associate professor" at Smith college. But she has done her research and she writes with passion, clarity and poetry. This is no simple romance. She will tie you up with facts, dates and relations if you don't pay attention. But if you do, it will be worth it, because you will learn all about the 12th century - rivalries between England and France, Tthe Capets and the Plantagenets, The origins of European monarchies, Crusades to the Holy Land, ("Palestine" back then) and wars with Syrians. You will learn about Richard the Lion Hearted, Heloise and Abelard, and finally about effigies. And all in Kelly's beautiful poetic language. So by all means read this book. It is inspiring and every bit as good as Game of Thrones. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if George RR Martin read it.
Read
July 30, 2011This is probably the best written of the Eleanor biographies, dating from the fifties and published by Harvard. It is Amy Kelly's life work: she toiled at it for ages and never wrote another book. The current fashion in medieval studies would frown on the emphasis on Eleanor and her daughter's supposed participation in Courts of Love. But this book gives a taste of what the twelfth century must have been like, and will perhaps make readers want to know more. My book group is reading Alison Weir's bio, and finding it "dry." Kelly's book is anything but.
March 5, 2012
This was a very informative biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine, who ruled in France and England during the 12th Century, thanks to two marriages. She also bore two kings of England, Richard-the-Lionhearted, and King John.
I don't believe I've ever read the facts behind these two legendary kings, nor had I ever read anything of Eleanor.
I appreciated the research that so obviously went into this book, and I also appreciated the readable style.
This book has caused me to become more interested in the Middle Ages.
I don't believe I've ever read the facts behind these two legendary kings, nor had I ever read anything of Eleanor.
I appreciated the research that so obviously went into this book, and I also appreciated the readable style.
This book has caused me to become more interested in the Middle Ages.
Want to read
August 30, 2009It is amazing what you can find at a great used bookstore. In this case "The Book House" www.bookhousestl.com. This appears to be a wonderfully researched history, from the Harvard University Press, of a remarkable 12th century queen. Crusades, Thomas Becket, Henry the II, Richard the Lion Heart and Magna Carta famed John are all a part of this amazing woman's life.
December 24, 2011
This story about Eleanor and her kings can be a bit rough going at times. Packed with details and wandering hither and yon - as Eleanor did - I occasionally had to re-read a page or two to remember where I was. But what a stunning cast of people, what a fascinating and complicated time, and what a fine work by Kelly.
September 4, 2012
I was glad that I had read Sharon Kay Penman's books prior to reading Kelly's Eleanor of Aquitaine.... Penman's novels fleshed out the characters and locations. With Penman's background info I found Kelly's non-fiction interesting and well worth reading although it required a bit of tenacity. A suggestion when reading this book...keep a dictionary handy.
May 7, 2013
Good Book! Rich in backgorund of the players, the times and as to why Eleanor was the bright, adventurious, power player she was. Also insightful into the Crusades and a myth breaker of the Holy Quest and good Richard. Truly an pre-read for Lion in the Winter. Recommended for those into the middle ages and powerful people.
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