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Eleonore von Aquitanien: Königin des Mittelalters
Keine Königin des Mittelalters war so mächtig, so berühmt und zugleich so berüchtigt wie Eleonore von Aquitanien (1124–1204). Sie war erst Königin von Frankreich, dann Königin von England, Gefangene ihres eigenen Ehemanns und Verbündete ihrer Söhne im Kampf gegen den Vater, nicht zuletzt Regentin eines Riesenreichs von der schottischen Grenze bis zu den Pyrenäen; sie förderte den Aufstieg der gotischen Kunst und bis heute gilt sie als «Königin der Troubadoure».In diesem genau recherchierten Buch beleuchtet Ralph V. Turner ihre abenteuerliche Lebensgeschichte auf dem neuesten Stand der historischen Forschung.
634 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 26, 2009
18 people are currently reading
450 people want to read
About the author
Ralph V. Turner
8 books8 followersA specialist on the Angevin kings and their government, Ralph V. Turner is is Distinguished Research Professor of History (emeritus) at Florida State University. He earned a BA and an MA in history at the University of Arkansas, and after spending an academic year at Poitiers, France, as a Fulbright Scholar he attended the Johns Hopkins University, where he completed his doctorate in history in 1962.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
January 29, 2013
I've given this 5 stars despite a few caveats (such as Turner stating that Geoffrey of Anjou drowned and went on the 2nd crusade, neither of which are true). However, as a general overview it's one of the few biographies around that goes even half way to doing Eleanor justice. Biographies by the likes of Alison Weir (awful), Desmond Seward, Douglas Boyd and Marion Meade are complete non starters. This one at least stays on the side of sanity when it comes to the matter of Eleanor's affairs and political clout. (less than a lot of people think). Until Jane Martindale publishes a biography of Eleanor, this, although flawed, is one of the best around.
December 28, 2018
I recently saw an theater adaption of The Lion in Winter and loved it. In fact, it reminded me how much I liked Eleanor's story although my knowledge was limited. Thus, I decided to look up a non-fictional book about her life at my local library.
I was quite happy with my choice. The book delivered my much needed overview without being too dry. Luckily, it also explained all the geographical aspects of her time because the kept on confusing me. In the end, the book has the problem nearly all non-fictional works of this time have: there are hardly any remaining sources concerning her life. Unfortunately, sometimes it dwelled on random facts just because there was a document to talk about. I would have liked it more if the booked had skipped those information.
All in all, great book that satisfied my need to know more about Eleanor of Aquitaine. Most likely, I'll pick up another book about her sons soon.
I was quite happy with my choice. The book delivered my much needed overview without being too dry. Luckily, it also explained all the geographical aspects of her time because the kept on confusing me. In the end, the book has the problem nearly all non-fictional works of this time have: there are hardly any remaining sources concerning her life. Unfortunately, sometimes it dwelled on random facts just because there was a document to talk about. I would have liked it more if the booked had skipped those information.
All in all, great book that satisfied my need to know more about Eleanor of Aquitaine. Most likely, I'll pick up another book about her sons soon.
March 21, 2010
Appearance is rather scholarly but there were some frustrations. In the first 63 pages, the author mentioned 48 times (yes, you can tell how much it annoyed me that I went back to count) that Eleanor benefited from the example of all the powerful women who preceded her in a time period when there were no powerful women. What?
The author often seemed to want it both ways. For example, Turner painstakingly informs us many times that Eleanor did not have a relationship with her younger son, John, due to various events in their lives (including her house arrest for over 15 years and her support of Richard over him) then suddenly he comes to save her when she is in a besieged castle because of the strong feelings he had for her. Sure needed some more proof for that to be the reason—which more than likely was because even John would have been aware of how important Eleanor was to him politically.
Seemed to be a lot of repeat information (at least not in the same phrases) and oddly placed ‘emotional’ words (suddenly for a span of about 15 pages the author referred to Henry II as Eleanor’s ‘hated husband’).
As an admirer of the formidable Eleanor, I can’t help but enjoy any book written about her and Turner does a thorough job addressing the various historic images Eleanor has gone through relevant to the time period. Lots of notes and a thorough bibliography do Turner credit.
The author often seemed to want it both ways. For example, Turner painstakingly informs us many times that Eleanor did not have a relationship with her younger son, John, due to various events in their lives (including her house arrest for over 15 years and her support of Richard over him) then suddenly he comes to save her when she is in a besieged castle because of the strong feelings he had for her. Sure needed some more proof for that to be the reason—which more than likely was because even John would have been aware of how important Eleanor was to him politically.
Seemed to be a lot of repeat information (at least not in the same phrases) and oddly placed ‘emotional’ words (suddenly for a span of about 15 pages the author referred to Henry II as Eleanor’s ‘hated husband’).
As an admirer of the formidable Eleanor, I can’t help but enjoy any book written about her and Turner does a thorough job addressing the various historic images Eleanor has gone through relevant to the time period. Lots of notes and a thorough bibliography do Turner credit.
June 1, 2023
I am a big fan of Eleanor of Aquitaine, and will gladly put in the work to learn about and retain what few details of her life are known and understood - to such an extent that this is the second time I’ve read this biography. I think it’s probably one of the better ones available due to the sheer amount of research the author put in, and even more thanks to his commitment to view and portray the figures in the story as objectively as possible instead of judging and analyzing them through modern lenses or with popular unprovable theories. One of his main goals in writing this book was to distill as much of the truth about Eleanor as he could from a mire of salacious and unfair assumptions about who she was, and I’m very glad he was willing and able to make that effort.
It is, however, dry as dust, highly technical, and fairly difficult to get through. Turner is clearly more of an academic than a writer, and even his obvious skill at sifting through and interpreting daunting primary sources and an overabundance of untrustworthy accounts isn’t enough to make the book as gripping as it should be. So even though I admire Eleanor and, again, salute Ralph Turner’s achievement, this will be my last time reading it.
It is, however, dry as dust, highly technical, and fairly difficult to get through. Turner is clearly more of an academic than a writer, and even his obvious skill at sifting through and interpreting daunting primary sources and an overabundance of untrustworthy accounts isn’t enough to make the book as gripping as it should be. So even though I admire Eleanor and, again, salute Ralph Turner’s achievement, this will be my last time reading it.
March 2, 2025
Me ha gustado mucho pero leermelo en un dia y medio ha sido lo peor que he hecho este año
October 2, 2017
So.
Biographies.
Tricky things, aren't they. You gotta stick to the facts and still convey some sense of the person behind them. If the person lived recently enough, you have their own writings to draw from for that. But if they didn't, you're forced to construct your own interpretation of their personality based on the detritus left by the parade of history. You can do this and still remain true to the facts, or you can stolidly present only the facts and end up where Ralph V. Turner ends up: with a biography that, while factually correct, is extremely dry and presents Eleanor of Aquitaine more as a succession of dates and titles than a human being.
Eleanor was a queen, a duchess, a countess, wife of kings and mother of more, so it's not really surprising that most of what we know about her is her political acts. And there are a lot: she didn't exactly keep all her thoughts trapped in her wimples. To his credit, Turner's work reconsiders her not as some sort of manipulative temptress, but as a tough, complex woman with her own agenda, whose intrigues helped shape modern Europe.
The problem is that he focuses too much on that agenda, expressed as a series of battles and marriages and betrayals, and on dispelling rumors, that he seems to forget there's a human person at the heart of all this history. When Eleanor chooses to rebel against her husband Henry II, for example, Turner hardly mentions any causes beyond "she wanted Aquitaine to remain independent", which is fine—but when after his death she devotes all her energies to keeping his empire intact, he can offer no explanation for the switch. In Turner's hands, Eleanor doesn't feel like a woman who lived, but as a motivating force, like the Church or Chivalry.
He also does very little to place us in the world he's writing about. That's not a necessity, but there was a lot going on in 12th century France and it wasn't all fighting. What did Eleanor eat? What might she have worn? What was a day in her life like? Even if he's unwilling to speculate about her inner life, he could at least give us a sense of her outer one. But no, it's all events, and frequently, she isn't even at the center.
Part of this, I'm sure, is due to the absence of documents from the era. And Turner, which I'm thankful for, doesn't try to fill in the gaps with too much supposition; he sticks to sources from the era and offers reinterpretations where necessary. It's not like we have a diary or anything to go by.
But I want more about her than he's willing to give. At times, it's as if his real goal is a chronicle of medieval Western Europe, not a life of Eleanor of Aquitaine. And that does a disservice to both her and his audience.
Biographies.
Tricky things, aren't they. You gotta stick to the facts and still convey some sense of the person behind them. If the person lived recently enough, you have their own writings to draw from for that. But if they didn't, you're forced to construct your own interpretation of their personality based on the detritus left by the parade of history. You can do this and still remain true to the facts, or you can stolidly present only the facts and end up where Ralph V. Turner ends up: with a biography that, while factually correct, is extremely dry and presents Eleanor of Aquitaine more as a succession of dates and titles than a human being.
Eleanor was a queen, a duchess, a countess, wife of kings and mother of more, so it's not really surprising that most of what we know about her is her political acts. And there are a lot: she didn't exactly keep all her thoughts trapped in her wimples. To his credit, Turner's work reconsiders her not as some sort of manipulative temptress, but as a tough, complex woman with her own agenda, whose intrigues helped shape modern Europe.
The problem is that he focuses too much on that agenda, expressed as a series of battles and marriages and betrayals, and on dispelling rumors, that he seems to forget there's a human person at the heart of all this history. When Eleanor chooses to rebel against her husband Henry II, for example, Turner hardly mentions any causes beyond "she wanted Aquitaine to remain independent", which is fine—but when after his death she devotes all her energies to keeping his empire intact, he can offer no explanation for the switch. In Turner's hands, Eleanor doesn't feel like a woman who lived, but as a motivating force, like the Church or Chivalry.
He also does very little to place us in the world he's writing about. That's not a necessity, but there was a lot going on in 12th century France and it wasn't all fighting. What did Eleanor eat? What might she have worn? What was a day in her life like? Even if he's unwilling to speculate about her inner life, he could at least give us a sense of her outer one. But no, it's all events, and frequently, she isn't even at the center.
Part of this, I'm sure, is due to the absence of documents from the era. And Turner, which I'm thankful for, doesn't try to fill in the gaps with too much supposition; he sticks to sources from the era and offers reinterpretations where necessary. It's not like we have a diary or anything to go by.
But I want more about her than he's willing to give. At times, it's as if his real goal is a chronicle of medieval Western Europe, not a life of Eleanor of Aquitaine. And that does a disservice to both her and his audience.
January 20, 2014
This is an exceptionally well-researched portrait of Eleanor of Aquitaine as well as of the times she lived in and why her reputation was besmirched for so many centuries. Astonishingly, Turner is able to do this in just over 300 pages. Equally as impressive is how he balances the scholarly tone with straightforward writing that never leaves the reader playing catch-up. Turner's goal is simple: to show Eleanor as a real, human woman and not ascribe modern mores or motives onto her actions. He argues she is not a proto-feminist, a wanton woman, or any other label that twentieth-century biographers stuck on her. She was simply Eleanor, and thanks to Turner her life speaks for itself.
August 5, 2009
I was excited to read this biography, but I stopped about 50 pages into it because the author just kept repeating the same things. And hinting over and over about what was to come later. He acknowledged at the start of the book that relatively little was known about her, and then tried to stretch it into 400 pages.
February 10, 2024
Uneven, but saved by the second half! Author often repeats himself - each chapter starts and ends with the same wrap up and he has a tendency to literally repeat the same sentence within and across chapters. Plus he really dislikes the medieval church, with never ending scathing comments, to the point he becomes a nonreliable narrator. [Also the first chapter is so bad I almost DNF'd!] But persevere! It gets much better!
That said: Turner does a marvelous job of showing how Eleanor was acting politically and not "emotionally." The many legends of her supposed sexual misconduct were instead the historians of the day (usually churchman) appalled that Eleanor rebelled against their model of ideal womanhood - a wife subservient to her husband. (an excellent book on this is Jaenga's work on medieval sexuality Eleanor, the same age as her first husband and a stronger personality wanted power, and was willing to politically fight Louis's powerful church advisors to get it. Later, after marrying a man 9 years her junior who she may have thought she could equally control, Eleanor wanted her dutchy to stand alone and not be under Henry's control. She was not a woman controlled by passion, but a woman who schemed against her husband to control her fate -and lost.
Torn by the conflict between her marriage vows, wounded pride, fears for her duchy's further, and ambition for her sons, she went further than any other unhappy high-born wife in literally going to war against her own husband.
Chapter 8, about the 1173-74 rebellion, is outstanding. Much like in Arid's Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy" Turner explains how King Henry's ability to control the purse strings kept all his sons dependent on him, and especially trapped the Young King Henry in a landless state well past his marriage. Eleanor, now having her control over Poitu slowly stripped from her, was able to use her son's dissatisfaction against their father.
Eleanor's concern was not the integrity of her husband's possessions, but her own duchy of Aquitaine's preservation as a distinct political unit. She did not share her husband's vision of unity for his possessions, especially as the couple drifted apart. She saw her own ancestral line as more ancient and more prestigious than his lineage, and her chief concern was ensuring Richard's position as the continuator of her lineage. She anticipated that Aquitaine would go its own way after Henry's death, her ancestral line continuing through Richard's offspring and ruling unfettered by links to the Plantagenet dynasty."
My first biography of Eleanor, so I may change the rating depending on what I find later.
That said: Turner does a marvelous job of showing how Eleanor was acting politically and not "emotionally." The many legends of her supposed sexual misconduct were instead the historians of the day (usually churchman) appalled that Eleanor rebelled against their model of ideal womanhood - a wife subservient to her husband. (an excellent book on this is Jaenga's work on medieval sexuality Eleanor, the same age as her first husband and a stronger personality wanted power, and was willing to politically fight Louis's powerful church advisors to get it. Later, after marrying a man 9 years her junior who she may have thought she could equally control, Eleanor wanted her dutchy to stand alone and not be under Henry's control. She was not a woman controlled by passion, but a woman who schemed against her husband to control her fate -and lost.
Torn by the conflict between her marriage vows, wounded pride, fears for her duchy's further, and ambition for her sons, she went further than any other unhappy high-born wife in literally going to war against her own husband.
Chapter 8, about the 1173-74 rebellion, is outstanding. Much like in Arid's Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy" Turner explains how King Henry's ability to control the purse strings kept all his sons dependent on him, and especially trapped the Young King Henry in a landless state well past his marriage. Eleanor, now having her control over Poitu slowly stripped from her, was able to use her son's dissatisfaction against their father.
Eleanor's concern was not the integrity of her husband's possessions, but her own duchy of Aquitaine's preservation as a distinct political unit. She did not share her husband's vision of unity for his possessions, especially as the couple drifted apart. She saw her own ancestral line as more ancient and more prestigious than his lineage, and her chief concern was ensuring Richard's position as the continuator of her lineage. She anticipated that Aquitaine would go its own way after Henry's death, her ancestral line continuing through Richard's offspring and ruling unfettered by links to the Plantagenet dynasty."
My first biography of Eleanor, so I may change the rating depending on what I find later.
August 18, 2018
This is a book of incredible work (don’t believe me? See the mountain of sources used for it) and probably the closest to the truth about Eleanor you can find. I’ve been scanning the market and read another biography recently released which wasn’t even close this flawless work. I see people complaining it’s a heavy read and that Turner repeats things. And to those people I want to say... Of course it’s difficult to read! Eleanor is one of Europe’s most dragged queens ever. The black legends are numerous and have been living since her own lifetime (as seen in the last chapter). It’s not easy to clean up 800 years of lies which are still told as truths. Turner still manages to be pedagogical enough to guide us through the complicated jungle of medieval sources. Part of it being easier to understand (even if it can get a bit too much at times) is through repeating facts told before and not demand you remember every tiny detail he presents. Since a life and events aren’t always best told chronological repeating can be a necessity. It also ties the story together better. This is true for Eleanor’s story.
It takes some time to get into but I’m happy I read this book. Now I feel like I’m closer to the truth than ever. And what a queen she was! Fearless and not backing away from breaking barriers. Not caring about other people’s view on her. I‘m distraught at how she has been lied about for centuries, but I feel that right now is the time to elevate her back to who she really was. A badass queen who ruled on the Central European map. Not a guardian of “courtly love”. Not an adulterer. Not a bejeweled trophy wife. A political animal. A loving mother. A guardian of Aquitaine. She truly makes up for her name “the grandmother of Europe” in more ways than her many children and grandchildren.
I’m inspired and thankful. Eleanor is allegedly my great, great, great, great (yeah you get the idea..) grandmother. I do want her story to be told for who she really was and through this for me to know where I (and many many many other people) come from. Thank you Ralph for writing such a piece! This is the future.
It takes some time to get into but I’m happy I read this book. Now I feel like I’m closer to the truth than ever. And what a queen she was! Fearless and not backing away from breaking barriers. Not caring about other people’s view on her. I‘m distraught at how she has been lied about for centuries, but I feel that right now is the time to elevate her back to who she really was. A badass queen who ruled on the Central European map. Not a guardian of “courtly love”. Not an adulterer. Not a bejeweled trophy wife. A political animal. A loving mother. A guardian of Aquitaine. She truly makes up for her name “the grandmother of Europe” in more ways than her many children and grandchildren.
I’m inspired and thankful. Eleanor is allegedly my great, great, great, great (yeah you get the idea..) grandmother. I do want her story to be told for who she really was and through this for me to know where I (and many many many other people) come from. Thank you Ralph for writing such a piece! This is the future.
March 21, 2018
I have another biography to review and this of the controversial Eleanor of Aquitaine. Eleanor was born in 1124, was married to the King Louis VI of France, went on the second crusade, divorced, married King Henry II of England, was the mother of King Richard the Lion-hearted and King John, and then died at 82 years old.
This biography was a bit difficult for me to get through, not because of the writer, but because I have absolutely nothing in common with Eleanor. I don’t relate to her motives for power or any aspect of her personality. I think if we met in person that we would find it difficult to have anything to talk about at all. She was a passionate and strong woman who I can admire for doing so much more than history every expected of her, but I also felt like she caused many of her own problems by not listening to anyone’s advice. Interesting read, but not my favorite biography.
This biography was a bit difficult for me to get through, not because of the writer, but because I have absolutely nothing in common with Eleanor. I don’t relate to her motives for power or any aspect of her personality. I think if we met in person that we would find it difficult to have anything to talk about at all. She was a passionate and strong woman who I can admire for doing so much more than history every expected of her, but I also felt like she caused many of her own problems by not listening to anyone’s advice. Interesting read, but not my favorite biography.
May 22, 2017
I became quite interested in Eleanor of Aquitaine after reading numerous novels about her. I was excited to see this biography as I was keen to learn more of the facts as opposed to fiction of the amazing woman that she was.
Although this book is not particularly long (313pp not including the 100pp notes/bibliography) I found it repetitive - mentioning the same instances even with the same page or previous pages. Other than information on Eleanors father and grandfather, I didn't learn very much that was new which told me the "fiction" I had read was very close to facts anyway and much easier to read.
I gave this book 3 stars simply because all in all, I am a huge fan of this woman and generally enjoy anything written about her.
Although this book is not particularly long (313pp not including the 100pp notes/bibliography) I found it repetitive - mentioning the same instances even with the same page or previous pages. Other than information on Eleanors father and grandfather, I didn't learn very much that was new which told me the "fiction" I had read was very close to facts anyway and much easier to read.
I gave this book 3 stars simply because all in all, I am a huge fan of this woman and generally enjoy anything written about her.
January 3, 2025
Ralph v. Turner did an excellent job by writing - with such limited resources - such an intricate and detailed book. The book gives a great overview of her whole life, as well as the conflict between the Plantagenêt and Capetian dynasties. He also greatly highlights the discrimination and societal pressure Elanor faced throughout her entire life and together with that why she acted differently from noble women of her time; excluding maybe Empress Matilda and some others. Furthermore, he masterfully elaborates on why a "black legend" looms over her legacy. The only small critique of this book is that - sometimes, even if on accident - Ralph v. Turner tries to forecfully attacks Catholicism.
December 10, 2020
An excellent biography of the medieval queen, well-written and thoughtful. Does a great job of laying out the politics of the era and examining centuries of historiography. Maaaaybe a skosh too sympathetic to Eleanor, but I appreciated that the author neither romanticized her as a medieval Mary Sue nor portrayed her as the wicked lead of a telenovela.
September 29, 2019
This is a really excellent biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine! It was well researched and the author sought to try and rectify the image of Eleanor. She was often maligned and he tells a story that shows she was a real person. Great read for any medieval history buff!
November 24, 2013
Oh goodness. Three stars is generous, but two would be too little. Turner is, at times, clearly a talented writer who is passionate about his subject. This passion does not overwhelm him as it has many other writers on Eleanor; he sticks to the evidence (however little there is), as part of the purpose of this book is to right the exaggerations and misinterpretations of the past. As a historian I was drawn to this biography of Eleanor for that reason; and as a historian I understand that we are taught that 'more is more' when it comes to writing, but there really needs to be a change in mindset in the profession. This book could have been a good 50 pages shorter had it been more concise. Time and again I wanted to put the book down and not continue; I've had it out of the library off and on since late July. Certain sections I sped through, but others dragged for repitition of information over and over ... If you're a French medievalist or other serious scholar of Eleanor or one of her husbands or sons, I definitely recommend reading this. If not, definitely pass.
December 6, 2012
I bought this because the college professor cousin of an old friend wrote it. I have read several books about Eleanor already. She is a fascinating character whose reputation may have been the result of her gender, not her character. I have just started this version which won great acclaim in France. I am already impressed because the author disputes the stories (gossip) about Eleanor as a result of the age old 'nuts and/or sluts' (my term, not the author's) way that inconvenient or challenging women have been vilified. It started possibly with Mary Magdelane and continues to modern times. I'm very much looking forward to delving this scholarly work.
September 26, 2013
Turner offers the painstaking research and documentation to cut through the myth, cultural judgement, and literary license surrounding Eleanor. He builds his biography carefully, with sufficient repetition and cross-references to keep the reader on track though the political, social, and religious milieux of her long life. The book deserves attentive reading--which does not go quickly--but I found it compelling and thus enjoyable. Turner's desire to evaluate only what we can reasonably know allowed me to appreciate Queen Eleanor much more fully than any fictional interpretation of her life.
May 23, 2016
Wish there had been more discussion of sources, the few there seem to be, and that the final chapter on Eleanor's 'black legend' was longer ('because people were misogynistic' isn't really an explanation for me). Definitely could have been shorter overall as there was a lot of rather unnecessary repetition, even within each chapter. However, a clear biography about a rather complicated person that does well to tackle not only sparse primary sources, but an historiography fraught with half-truths.
will-not-finish
January 1, 2014I just gave up on this after awhile. The writing comes off as really repetitive, although it might just be that it's poorly organized. What made me put it down for good was that he kept referring to the bad relationship between Henry II and Thomas Becket--and building important points upon it--without explaining it and how it got that way. Maybe he circles back to it later, but there again: poor organization.
June 26, 2009
A thorough coverage of the life of the remarkable Eleanor of Aquitaine--wife of two kings and mother of 3 kings. In a period where women were most often chattel with little but their inherited holdings to offer, she ruled for long periods of time in France and England.
April 6, 2010
I mainly focused my reading on the chapters surrounding her first marriage, but found quite good source referencing, even if I wasn't sure about the tone of the author.
Read
September 18, 2014Just started it and it is fascinating. The author's covering just enough of her ancestors to set the stage for her amazing life. Very good so far!
July 24, 2013
Not bad. Heavy reading. Lots of background info and on her ancestors.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews