Queen of Two Kingdoms and Mother of an Empire | Eleanor of Aquitaine - Part 1

How did Eleanor of Aquitaine become queen of two powerful kingdoms, England and France? This video looks at her early life in France, her first marriage to Louis VII, and the reasons why their marriage broke down, and the contribution Eleanor made to the disastrous Second Crusade. Watch out for Part 2 next week!
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Sources:
She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth by Helen Castor
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Eleanor Of Aquitaine: By the Wrath of God, Queen of England by Alison Weir
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Queens of the Crusades: Eleanor of Aquitaine and her Successors by Alison Weir
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Eleanor of Aquitaine: Queen of France and England, Mother of Empires by Sara Cockerill
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[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

Thanks for watching! Do you guys feel Eleanor of Aquitaine had a game plan? Do you believe the rumours about her and her uncle? Check out more of my videos here, and don't forget to like and subscribe! The First Feminist Writer? kzbin.info/www/bejne/g2nbn3x3jraSoLM What Was It Like As A Medieval Peasant? kzbin.info/www/bejne/kKHHlqetnbKCl9U

[@francinesicard464]

If you want to destroy someone and their reputation, gossips, rumours and propaganda are not inventions of the 20th and 21th Centuries.

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

@@francinesicard464 Absolutely! The more you sift through history, the more of it you find is propaganda, much of it that continues today in popular memory.

[@juneroberts5305]

Absolutely not true - that's my feeling. Water seeks its own level, so she was probably drawn to him because he was like her in temperament and language. Therefore, they spent a lot of time together. I spend a lot of time with my cousin because he is basically a male version of me, but anything more? No. No. No!

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

@@juneroberts5305 I definitely agree! I think it was an easy hit for propaganda against Eleanor, and as you say, I think they were probably just very similar in personality. She was also in a place where not many people spoke her native language and understood her own customs, so as her uncle did, it was probably nice to have a feeling of familiarity.

[@MidnightAndLuna]

I can’t get enough content on Eleanor of Aquitaine! Thank you for covering this fascinating and formidable woman!

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

You're very welcome! I'm pleased you're enjoying the videos. 😊 Eleanor certainly had a fantastic story to go over, she was a really interesting woman.

[@denisestevens2540]

My 23rd Great Grandmother. I love reading about her. ♡

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

She's a fascinating person to read about! It was brilliant to find the newer perspectives of her now and add that into the documentary.

[@lilibetp]

Me, too. Hello, cousin!

[@lisalking2476]

Love this family reunion of distant cousins 😀

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

@@lisalking2476 I feel like there needs to be an annual meet-up now. 🤣

[@darybear0330]

King Henry II is my 27th Great Grandfather but im decended thru his mistress lol.

[@briansmith9439]

Despite her being the Queen of France and later of England, Eleanor's wealth, power, and prestige came from her being, first, the Duchess of Aquitaine and secondly the Duchess of Normandy.

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

You're right, it certainly did come from being Duchess of Aquitaine. It was definitely the reason her Aquitaine subjects felt so strongly about Eleanor leading them, not her husband or (at first) son. Aquitaine was almost half of France, so it was certainly a great prize for whoever managed to marry her! (Although the Duchess of Normandy came through her marriage to Henry II).

[@pedanticradiator1491]

she was only Duchess of Normandy by marriage

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

Yup, that's true. Normandy had managed to come through Henry II's father and mother, Geoffrey of Anjou and Empress Matilda, when he took the duchy in the name of his wife, who herself claimed it through her grandfather, William the Conqueror!

[@rachelv6767]

Where’s Part. 2? I absolutely adore Eleanor. One of the most formidable women in history.

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

Part 2 will be out this Friday, 7pm GMT. 😀 She definitely was a formidable woman, and it's amazing how much she got done in her lifetime! She's always remembered for her part in the revolt against Henry II, but in later life she was the main reason for keeping her sons from fighting with one another, and holding their lands together.

[@rachelv6767]

@@HistorysForgottenPeople yay!! I’m watching your Matilda series now🥰

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

@Rachel V Thank you for the support! I hope you enjoy my Empress Matilda videos too. 👍☺

[@lindadeal3344]

I can honestly say we enjoy everything that you put out for us to watch as I love history and literature! Many thanks!

[@OffRampTourist]

The Lion in Winter is one of my annual Christmas traditions, so this video is most timely.

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

Someone else mentioned that in relation to Christmas just the other day - I'll have to see if I can find a copy, I haven't seen it for years.

[@OffRampTourist]

@@HistorysForgottenPeople Hepburn is glorious in the role.

[@BeverlyPetersen-x1y]

I just found your channel. I love your videos and learning from them. You are amazing not just for your content but how you make it so easy to follow along. Your voice is amazing as well. Thank you

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

Aww, thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying the channel. 😊

[@lindadeal3344]

Eleanor was a very strong and self willed woman!!! She never suffered fools in her lifetime!

[@francinesicard464]

Eleanor of Aquitaine, Duchess of Aquitaine in her own rights, (The duchy of Aquitaine with the Duchy of Bretagne were not applying the salic law, again an exception in medieval Europe) twice queen, is certainly one of the greatest female figures of the early Middle Ages. Raised at the court of her grandfather Guillaume IX, Duke of Aquitaine, the troubadour prince, one of the most refined courts in 12th century Europe, she received an exceptional education for a woman of that time.

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

She certainly did have a very refined and well-educated childhood compared to many noble women of the time, you're right. And the fact she was so strongly Duchess of Aquitaine came across later when the people there sided with her (and later her son), and it managed to remain part of the English crown rather than the French for much longer than other 'English' lands in France!

[@francinesicard464]

@@HistorysForgottenPeople If you visit the Abbaye of Fontevraud, the necropolis of the Plantagenêts, you will see that Eleanor's recumbent is slightly higher than that of her husband Henri II who died before her in 1189 if I'm not mistaken. I found it amusing, was this her way to have in death the last word "I, Duchess of Aquitaine"?🤣

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

@@francinesicard464 Oh wow, I didn't know that. I love it! 😂 Yes, I certainly wouldn't have put it past her to have 'suggested' the height difference before she died!

[@francinesicard464]

@@HistorysForgottenPeople Absolutely, I wouldn't put it past her either. From what I have read, almost all the chronicles of that time celebrate her intelligence, even those of the clergy who were afraid of her and her power and did not particularly hold her in their hearts. We know about her difficulties with the Abbot Suger when Queen of France.

[@selinapersaud7629]

Actually, she lived in the high middle ages.

[@melissagallinetti9521]

Eleanor is my grandmother! I inherited her temper and will.

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

Inheriting her will certainly isn't a bad thing, it got her through very difficult times!

[@pedanticradiator1491]

I think you mean several times great grandmother and 1000s of people can claim that descent including myself

[@CleversonSantos]

Well done!!!👍👍👍

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

Thank you!

[@dieppeboon9627]

I went to Poitiers in 1983 and saw her Castle in Poitiers...it was impressive..her Power and her wealth

[@patriciajrs46]

Thank you. It was then a good thing to be the Duchess.

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

She certainly wasn't shy in using her position as Duchess to her advantage!

[@Paulaggramalho]

Love it!

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! 😊

[@phillipmoore9012]

She was my great-grandmother.... ok, ok, my 23rd-great grandmother. Yeah, like just about everyone's from the west, but it takes a lot of work to find those lines from a family tree.

[@dieppeboon9627]

Are you sure..??.or just wishful thinking..??

[@phillipmoore9012]

@@dieppeboon9627 Yes, via her daughter Eleanor Queen of Castile, her granddaughters Berengaria Queen of Leon and Blanche Queen of France, her great grandchildren Ferdinand II of Castile, Alfonso Prince of Leon, Louis IX of France, and Robert Count of Artois, and so forth.

[@patricialong5767]

My ancestress.

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

Wow, that's amazing! She's a formidable ancestor to have. 🙂

[@jennaolbermann7663]

Mine as well through King John’s daughter.

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

You ladies have very regal ancestry! My ancestors are all Irish famers and steelworkers from the North of England, no royal blood here, sadly.

[@SuAva]

So is she of almost every Northwestern European. Doesn’t make it any less interesting though.

[@elizabethm888]

@@HistorysForgottenPeople Don't worry. I'm Irish. My grandmother was born in England on the family's way to America. She is to said she was English, because of prejudice against the Irish. My great-grandfather shouted "sure! And if you were born in a barn would you be a horse!?!"🤣😉

[@stardresser1]

Oh my goodness its a MIRACLE they advised thaT crusades nonsense. Bad idea to say the least...

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

Absolutely! But the lure of lands, wealth and power was too much for the royalty and clergy of Europe, sadly.

[@MatildeFerrer-d9d]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤amen

[@helpinyerdasellavon]

Wonderful video on Eleanor of Aquitaine. She's a fascinating female historical figure of the early Middle Ages and one of my distant ancestors, a huge amount of people are descended from her. Love your in-depth, eloquent and well documented content. Your French pronunciations are excellent considering it's a hard language to learn. Glad to see there's also part 2. Thank you 🙏

[@michellepomponio1537]

I admire and adore Elenor’s. My favorite QUEEN.SHE WENT HEAD TO HEAD WITH HENRY. RICHARD WAS HER FAVORITE. SHE LIVED A VERY EXCITING LIFE FOR A WOMAN .LIVED A LONG LIFE.

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

She really did, especially for a woman born in the medieval period!

[@lindadeal3344]

We don't hear much about Petronella is that a good thing? Was she as talented as a woman in leadership and political matters as her sister?

[@HistorysForgottenPeople]

I'll be honest, I don't really know a lot about Petronilla, but then, I haven't put in any serious research for her, either. I think because her husband Count Raoul of Vermandois had basically cast aside his first wife for her, and then they married against everyone's wishes (they were excommunicated for it, but the marriage was later declared legitimate after the death of Count Raoul's first wife, Eleanor of Champagne), no one felt inclined to record much about Petronilla, sadly.

[@selinapersaud7629]

She’s a recurring character in historical fiction. Maybe even a fictionalized portrayal could give you at least some true insight.

[@veronicajade20]

I think Eleanor of Aquitaine is one of the most interesting women in European history. She had to have gumption to help two of her sons rebel against their king father. I'd love to see a miniseries about her life. And even though it's entirely fictional, one of my most favorite films about Eleanor is "Lion in the Winter."