Eleanor Duchess Of Aquitaine Analysis

Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, Queen of England, Countess of Poitiers, and numerous other things, was above all, a powerful and influential woman who shaped the world in ways that few could even imagine at the time. Eleanor grew in Aquitaine, and unlike most girls at the time, was raised by her father to be a ruler. She traveled around with him, routinely touring their duchy to collect taxes and sort out any problems. After her father died, she was married off to the pious Louis, crown prince of France, and soon after became Queen of France. Although she found life in Paris boring compared to her adventurous one in Aquitaine, she was able to travel on the second Crusade, then get a divorce and marry Henry, son of the Duke of Normandy. While

As a child, Eleanor is married to Louis, but is still able to keep some control over government and is given some rights. Eleanor advises Louis about how to deal with the Count of Champagne, which the Pope disagrees with, resulting the Louis being excommunicated. Although Abbot Bernard attempts to convince her not to meddle in politics, his words do nothing to stop her, only being subdued temporarily due to having to deal with Marie, her daughter. However, Eleanor still travels on the Second Crusade, something extremely unusual for a women. Nonetheless, Eleanor convinces Louis to reluctantly bring her and several other ladies along. However, soon after they return, Eleanor has another daughter which she uses to her advantage to convince Louis and the Pope to grant her a divorce. Although she is bored of Paris and her pious husband, she realizes that to convince the Pope and Louis, she would need a better excuse. Already, Eleanor was influencing others to do her bidding. Eleanor also made deals behind bars, agreeing to marry the young Henry after divorcing Louis, resulting in the Plantagenet family, which would then include Eleanor, to own lands stretching from the English Channel to Spain. Even while married to someone like Louis, Eleanor is able to find ways to make her own decisions that concern

Eleanor created the Courts of Love, which praised ideals of marriage through ideal love and true romance. These ideals are still praised today with most marriages in developed countries being based on love whereas arranged marriages are seen as primitive and uncouth. Romantic ideas of chivalry remain today as well. Today, the ideas of chivalry come from the writings about the stories of King Arthur, written down by Eleanor. These ideals of chivalry include ideas about respecting women and being courteous that were not previously included. Though these stories, literature was re-introduced into the medieval world. Before, the majority of the stories were handed down over generations by bards and troubadours. By writing these down, not only did Eleanor shape the medieval world, but she left a lasting impact on literature. Even today, there are fantasy stories based in the Middle Ages which often involve knights and chivalry. Eleanor’s lasting impacts can be seen today as Europe, finally exiting the Middle Ages, begins to see a huge surge in art, literature, and