Show notes
We’re kicking off Eleanor of Aquitaine with family scandal, an enormous inheritance, a reluctant monk-king husband, and one of the biggest military disasters of the Middle Ages. You know, normal medieval queen stuff.
Born into the wealthy and powerful Duchy of Aquitaine, Eleanor became one of the most eligible heiresses in Europe while she was still a teenager. Before long, she was married to Louis VII and crowned Queen of France. Unfortunately, Eleanor and Louis could not have been more different.
In Part 1, we’re getting into Eleanor’s unconventional childhood, her marriage to Louis VII, her rocky introduction to the French court, a family scandal that turns into an actual war, and Eleanor’s infamous journey on the Second Crusade. By the time she returns to France, her marriage is hanging by a thread, and Eleanor is ready for an annulment.
And trust us: becoming the ex-Queen of France is only the beginning of Eleanor’s story.
In this episode:
- Eleanor’s scandalous Aquitaine family tree
- How teenage Eleanor became one of the richest women in Europe
- Her marriage to the very pious Louis VII of France
- Eleanor’s rocky transition from Aquitaine to the French royal court
- Petronilla’s marriage scandal and the war that followed
- Eleanor and Louis on the disastrous Second Crusade
- The rumors surrounding Eleanor and Raymond of Antioch
- Why Eleanor wanted out of her marriage to Louis
- The beginning of the end of Eleanor’s time as Queen of France
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