Eleanor of Aquitaine : queen of France, queen of England
(Book)

In this engaging biography, eminent medieval historian Turner (emer., Florida State Univ.) takes on a larger-than-life subject and breathes new life into her, even though Eleanor has never lacked for treatment, and is as popular as ever with the advent of feminist scholarship. In many ways, this is a conventional work, spinning a narrative of events that provides wonderful context and compelling claims for refocusing on neglected aspects of her life. Some examples include making Aquitaine the priority in her various political machinations (including meddling in her children's lives), which came out of her rather proud and largely secular heritage; her initial partnership in rule with second husband King Henry II of England; and the fact that she was active politically until near the end of her life, even during her years of imprisonment, or "house arrest," as Turner calls it. The author also convincingly argues against Eleanor's undeserved reputation as bad wife and mother, adulterer, jealous plotter, and patron of the courtly love tradition, even if, contrary to his claims, many of these legends have already been challenged and even dispelled. Overall, a beautifully written, well-researched book that will attract a wide spectrum of readers interested in medieval history. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. B. Lowe Florida Atlantic University

Eleanor of Aquitaine comes into her own in Turner's measured, meticulously researched biography of a queen more often associated with scandal and frivolity than with intelligence and power. Married first to Louis VII of France and then to Henry II of England, the mother of three English kings was a renowned beauty and the daughter of a distinguished French dynasty. During the course of her exceptionally long (1124-1204) and eventful life, she broke a host of gender-based barriers, including accompanying Philip on the Second Crusade, acting as Henry's regent during his long absences, and becoming actively involved in the political intrigue surrounding the power struggle for the English throne. Imprisoned by Henry for 15 years after plotting against him, Eleanor emerged from her enforced confinement stronger and more determined than ever, eventually becoming the power behind the throne of her two sons, kings Richard I and John. Firmly grounding his subject into historical context, Turner provides a portrait of a passionately ambitious and extremely intelligent twelfth-century queen who transcended societal limitations and expectations.--Flanagan, Margaret Copyright 2009 Booklist

The self-confident and power-seeking Eleanor of Aquitaine (1124-1204) was heir to France's largest duchy. Eleanor became queen of France through her marriage at 13 to the future Louis VII. But Louis's indecisiveness during the Second Crusade and Eleanor's forthright support of her uncle the prince of Antioch's strategy over Louis's provoked the dissolution of her 15-year marriage. She quickly remarried a younger man, the future Henry II, 12th-century Europe's most powerful monarch. She bore him nine children while acting as regent during Henry's long absences in his reign's crucial early years. But Henry's interventions in her own realm of Aquitaine drove Eleanor to urge her three eldest sons to rebel against their father. After Henry's death, she emerged from 15 years of house arrest to play a significant political role in the reigns of her sons Richard I and John. Despite repetitious prose and a somewhat off-putting academic format, Turner's (King John) work is highly readable and informative, fleshing out the adventurous life and times of a spirited, beautiful and ambitious political animal who paid a heavy price for defying medieval expectations of women. Illus., maps. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Eleanor of Aquitaine comes into her own in Turner's measured, meticulously researched biography of a queen more often associated with scandal and frivolity than with intelligence and power. Married first to Louis VII of France and then to Henry II of England, the mother of three English kings was a renowned beauty and the daughter of a distinguished French dynasty. During the course of her exceptionally long (1124–1204) and eventful life, she broke a host of gender-based barriers, including accompanying Philip on the Second Crusade, acting as Henry's regent during his long absences, and becoming actively involved in the political intrigue surrounding the power struggle for the English throne. Imprisoned by Henry for 15 years after plotting against him, Eleanor emerged from her enforced confinement stronger and more determined than ever, eventually becoming the power behind the throne of her two sons, kings Richard I and John. Firmly grounding his subject into historical context, Turner provides a portrait of a passionately ambitious and extremely intelligent twelfth-century queen who transcended societal limitations and expectations. Copyright 2009 Booklist Reviews.

The self-confident and power-seeking Eleanor of Aquitaine (1124–1204) was heir to France's largest duchy. Eleanor became queen of France through her marriage at 13 to the future Louis VII. But Louis's indecisiveness during the Second Crusade and Eleanor's forthright support of her uncle the prince of Antioch's strategy over Louis's provoked the dissolution of her 15-year marriage. She quickly remarried a younger man, the future Henry II, 12th-century Europe's most powerful monarch. She bore him nine children while acting as regent during Henry's long absences in his reign's crucial early years. But Henry's interventions in her own realm of Aquitaine drove Eleanor to urge her three eldest sons to rebel against their father. After Henry's death, she emerged from 15 years of house arrest to play a significant political role in the reigns of her sons Richard I and John. Despite repetitious prose and a somewhat off-putting academic format, Turner's (King John) work is highly readable and informative, fleshing out the adventurous life and times of a spirited, beautiful and ambitious political animal who paid a heavy price for defying medieval expectations of women. Illus., maps. (May)