Random Facts That Prove Eleanor of Aquitaine Was Not to Be Messed With (16 items)

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  (#12) She May Have Had An Affair With Her Uncle

  While she was traveling in the Middle East with her husband, Louis VII, on the Second Crusade, Eleanor met up with her paternal uncle, Raymond, ruler of Antioch. Raymond welcomed his niece and nephew into his principality, but some contemporary sources suggest more: they allege incest between uncle and niece. 

  Raymond was a bastion of culture in comparison to the monk-like Louis, and Eleanor and her hubby were suffering marital difficulties at the time. Raymond also had much in common with Eleanor, such as her love of all things luxurious.

  Despite these historical rumors, however, there is no concrete evidence to support this claim. 
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  (#16) Her Life Ended In A Nunnery

  Eleanor eventually retired to Fontevraud Abbey in France, a spot popular with high-ranking women as a place to retire at the end of their lives. The abbey also had close personal ties to the Plantagenets, the family of Eleanor's second husband, Henry, including Eleanor's own mother-in-law, Empress Matilda. Even Eleanor's own daughter, Joan, passed just after taking the veil as a nun at Fontevraud.

  Eleanor, Henry, Richard, and other Plantagenets were buried at the sanctuary.
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  (#1) She Was Married Twice To Two Rival Kings

  Eleanor walked down the aisle twice, both times to a powerful monarch or monarch-to-be. In order to ally her duchy to France, which was actually smaller than Aquitaine at the time, King Louis VI arranged the marriage of young Eleanor to his own heir, also named Louis. They wed in July, 1137, just prior to King Louis's passing a month later.

  The match was ill-fated from the start; the two had many disagreements, as Louis was reputedly very religious and Eleanor very sensual. After two daughters and 15 years of marriage, Eleanor and Louis divorced.

  Eleanor married Henry, Duke of Normandy, just two months after her marriage to Louis ended. Two years later, Henry was crowned king of England and Lord of numerous French lands – and thus a rival to Eleanor's first husband. 
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  (#15) Her Grandmother Was Originally Her Grandfather's Mistress

  Eleanor's paternal grandfather, Duke William IX of Aquitaine, was one of the original troubadours, medieval bards, and courtly poets who composed songs of adoration to their lady loves. William's work is the first known surviving literature in the language of Aquitaine, Provençal.

  Although he was married to Philippa of Toulouse, William took the wife of one of his vassals, Dangereuse, as his mistress. He even brought his lady love to live in his castle at Poitiers – a decision that was obviously met with disapproval from his wife. William was excommunicated from the Church twice, but, reluctant to give up his mistress, he threatened the bishops.

  Despite her lover's tantrums, Dangereuse tied her own family to his by marrying off her daughter, Aenor, to the duke's son and heir, also named William. The resulting child was Eleanor of Aquitaine.
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  (#13) Her Favorite Child May Have Been Richard The Lionheart

  Modern scholars believe that Richard, Eleanor's second-eldest surviving son, was her favorite out of all of her children. She appointed him as the future duke of her beloved Aquitaine, although this may have been because her eldest son, Henry, was already bequeathed the rule of England. 

  Like his mother, Richard was passionate about music and poetry and often patronized troubadours. In fact, one story claims that a poet found where Richard was being held captive because he heard the king singing a beautiful tune.

  Others caution against the opinion that Eleanor played favorites. Most evidence of their close bond comes from the time after Richard became king; she may have also been very close to her eldest son, who died before his father. 
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  (#10) She Birthed Ten Children, But Only Nine Survived

  As the life expectancy in 12th-century Europe was fairly low, child mortality was quite high. Fortunately, Eleanor's children didn't succumb to the statistics. She gave birth to ten children, nine of whom survived to adulthood. Sadly, her first son with her second husband did not survive. This child was named William, most likely for Eleanor's paternal ancestors and for William the Conqueror, founder of Henry's own dynasty.

  Young William died at the age of three, but Eleanor went on to birth four more sons by Henry – all of whom revolted against their father later in life. Eleanor bore her last child, the troublesome John, around the age of 44.

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