Eleanor of Aquitaine

In her biography of Queen Eleanor, Marion Meade tells the story of a strong and impactful woman who made history. She played a huge role in the reexamination of women in the twelfth century. She was a duchess of Aquitaine, a queen of France and England, who acted like a king. She dominated the male roles and proved that women could be intelligent and political as well. She proved her intelligence and strength through participating in crusades, wars, and expeditions. She demanded divorce from her first husband and turned her sons against her second husband causing a war. She made people rethink the role of women in politics and the church. During a time when women were expected to be hopeless and uneducated, Marion Meade has told the story of Eleanor, headstrong, devious, from a historical woman’s point of view.
Eleanor’s parents, Aenor and William Duke of Aquitaine had desired a son for years when Eleanor was born. They were extremely disappointed when she was born a girl. Little did they know, later she …show more content…
Roger of Wendover said, “she arranged matters in the kingdom according to her own pleasure and nobles were instructed to obey her in every respect.” Eleanor fought for sixty-six years and she finally got what she wanted, full power over men. She proved her intelligence while continuing to lead England after the death of her husband. She produced several sons, her favorite was Richard Coeur-de-lion who was a homosexual that obviously could not produce an heir. Another famous son was King John who was a savage king, his reign resulted in the Magna Carta. The place of her own death is unknown but she died at the age of eighty-two and was a queen for sixty-six years. In her tomb, she holds a book in her hands and a faint smile. As said by Marion Meade, she reads on in peace and