Eleanor of Aquitaine

Eleanor
Tomb effigy at Fontevraud Abbey
Duchess of Aquitaine
Reign	9 April 1137 – 1 April 1204
Predecessor	William X
Successor	John
Serving with	Louis (1137–1152) Henry (1152–1189) Richard (1189–1199) John (1199–1204)
Queen consort of France
Tenure	1 August 1137 – 21 March 1152
Coronation	25 December 1137
Queen consort of England
Tenure	19 December 1154 – 6 July 1189
Coronation	19 December 1154
Born	c. 1124 Bordeaux, Aquitaine
Died	1 April 1204 (aged ~80) Fontevraud Abbey[1]
Burial	Fontevraud Abbey, Fontevraud
Spouses	Louis VII of France ​ ​ (m. 1137; ann. 1152)​ Henry II of England ​ ​ (m. 1152; died 1189)​
Issue Detail	Marie, Countess of Champagne Alice, Countess of Blois William IX, Count of Poitiers Henry the Young King Matilda, Duchess of Saxony Richard I, King of England Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany Eleanor, Queen of Castile Joan, Queen of Sicily John, King of England
House	Ramnulfids
Father	William X, Duke of Aquitaine
Mother	Aénor de Châtellerault

Eleanor of Aquitaine (French: Aliénor d'Aquitaine, Éléonore d'Aquitaine, Occitan: Alienòr d'Aquitània, pronounced [aljeˈnɔɾ dakiˈtanjɔ], Latin: Helienordis, Alienorde or Alianor;^[a] c. 1124 – 1 April 1204) was Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right from 1137 to 1204, Queen of France from 1137 to 1152 as the wife of King Louis VII,^[4] and Queen of England from 1154 to 1189 as the wife of King Henry II. As the heiress of the House of Poitiers, which controlled much of southwestern France, she was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages. Militarily, she was a leading figure in the Second Crusade, and in a revolt in favour of her son. Culturally, she was a patron of poets such as Wace, Benoît de Sainte-Maure, and Bernart de Ventadorn, and of the arts of the High Middle Ages.

Eleanor was the eldest child of William X, Duke of Aquitaine, and Aénor de Châtellerault. She became duchess upon her father's death in April 1137, and three months later she married Louis, son of her guardian King Louis VI of France. Shortly afterwards, Louis VI died and Eleanor's husband ascended the throne, making Eleanor queen consort. The couple had two daughters, Marie and Alix. Eleanor sought an annulment of her marriage,^[5] but her request was rejected by Pope Eugene III.^[6] Eventually, Louis VII agreed to an annulment, as fifteen years of marriage had not produced a son.^[7] The marriage was annulled on 21 March 1152 on the grounds of consanguinity within the fourth degree. Their daughters were declared legitimate, custody was awarded to Louis, and Eleanor's lands were restored to her.

As soon as the annulment was granted, Eleanor became engaged to her third cousin Henry, Duke of Normandy. The couple married on Whitsun, 18 May 1152 in Poitiers. Eleanor was crowned queen of England at Westminster Abbey in 1154, when Henry acceded to the throne. Henry and Eleanor had five sons and three daughters, but eventually became estranged. Henry imprisoned her in 1173 for supporting the revolt of their eldest son, Henry the Young King, against him. She was not released until 6 July 1189, when her husband died and their third son, Richard I, ascended the throne. As queen dowager, Eleanor acted as regent while Richard went on the Third Crusade.^[8] She lived well into the reign of her youngest son, John.

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