The Queen

Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine the queen was a very unique person. She wasn't the typical queen, as it was portrayed through history. She wasn't just the king's wife, or the royalty that assisted the people, she was very political. She was a strong political mind of the time. Eleanor was almost always consulted on matters of state, whether it was King Louis VII, King Henry II, King Richard I or King John I.   Her high position as royalty allowed her to be the woman she was. Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine was able to assist her royal subject and the people of Aquitaine, as well as, England and all of France.   She was unique in the type of armor she wore. That's saying a great deal, considering women never went to fight. During the second crusade, she went along with King Louis VII into battle. She wore the armor with three hundred other women and the assistance of one thousand men from Aquitaine. She was involved in many important battles and victories for her army. One important battle was at Constantinople. A portrait that displays her entering Constantinople can be seen be- low.   As a queen, she also went through a tough time as a wife. She had an affair with her uncle, Raymond. That made Louis furious. The fury and the added anger from the lack of a male heir, he divorced Eleanor. Their marriage was allowed to be annuled because, they were third cousins and he was the king. Before the divorce, they had a long discussion that

was sparked by a meeting with the pope at Rome on the way back to France.   After the divorce, she became the Queen of England. She married King Henry II of England He was captured by her beauty and she adored him, even though he is eleven years younger than her. Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine was involved politically and was given a large amount of power in France, but Henry tried to deprived Eleanor of her power. This led to her constant visits to France and with the aid of her sons a rebellion against the king. On one attack against the king, Eleanor and her sons were captured but the children were released. Eleanor, on the other hand, was imprisoned until Henry's dying day. When was released, Richard came into power. While King Richard I was in power, Eleanor was a strong queen. He always consulted his mother on all matters of state. He had trusted her so much, that when he left on the Third Crusade, Richard gave Eleanor full power over England. He left her in charge as the regent of France. Later, after Richard's death, John became king. Like with her other son, Eleanor stood by his side politically and was consulted on all matters of state.   With her role as queen, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine transcended the role of a queen. It's not as much who she was or who she married, but what she did that made her so special. (Image at top: King Henry II of England)

Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine
entering Constantinople.