Eleanor of Aquitaine by Desmond Seward
In "King John", Shakespeare portrayed Eleanor of Aquitaine as a "canker'd grandam". Indeed she spent 15 years in prison for conspiring against her husband Henry II. She dominated her children's lives, turning them against their father, feuded with at least one of her daughters-in-law and contributed to the death of her grandson. Yet this powerful queen consort had another side. Heiress to the rich Duchy of Aquitaine, she married Louis VII of France and, after a madcap courtship, the young King Henry of England. She was splendid in person, rank and fortune, and renowned for her beauty and generosity. She was worshipped by men, loved by her children and celebrated in song by the troubadours. This glamerous queen was the patron of artists and poets, but she was also a powerful politician and ruler. This biography shows how a rich and determined woman could throw off the constraints imposed by 12th-century conventions.
Desmond Seward is a highly-regarded historian of the late Middle Ages. He is the author of HENRY V AS WARLORD published in Classic Penguin Military History, THE MONKS OF WAR (Penguin), THE WARS OF THE ROSES and RICHARD III: ENGLAND's BLACK LEGEND (Penguin).
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780141390925 |
| ISBN 10 | 0141390921 |
| Title | Eleanor of Aquitaine |
| Author | Desmond Seward |
| Series | Penguin Classic Biography S |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Penguin Books Ltd |
| Year published | 2001-10-25 |
| Number of pages | 272 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |