Eleanor of Aquitaine

Queen of France and England, Mother of Empires

Sara Cockerill, QC

$74.95

Hardback

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English

Amberley Publishing
15 November 2019

History; Medieval history

Eleanor of Aquitaine lived a life so remarkable that a novelist would hesitate to invent it. Raised at one of the most cultured - and louche - courts in Europe, she succeeded aged thirteen to the massive and influential Duchy of Aquitaine and within weeks she was married and Queen of France. The unhappy marriage to Louis VII was eventually annulled and she married her own choice of second husband, Henry II. In many ways the marriage was a huge success: it spawned three Kings of England, including England's greatest crusader king, Richard the Lion Heart, King John and Queens of Castile, Sicily, France, Aragon and Portugal. But Henry's failure to give her or her sons real power eventually drove Eleanor into the unheard of step of armed rebellion. It failed and she spent the rest of Henry's reign - nearly twenty years - in prison in England. Henry II's death might have been expected to see her move to a luxurious retirement. In fact it was the start of her most successful years. She ruled England as Queen on behalf of her absent crusading son Richard. Eleanor has not lacked biographers - she is beyond doubt the most famous woman of the medieval era. However, too many have repeated the myths that surround her extraordinary life. Sara Cockerill tells the real story of medieval Europe's wealthiest and most powerful woman.

By: Sara Cockerill QC
Imprint: Amberley Publishing
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 156mm,
Weight: 793g
ISBN: 9781445646176
ISBN 10: 144564617X
Pages: 448
Publication Date: 15 November 2019
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Unspecified

Sara Cockerill studied Law at the University of Oxford. Between 1990 and 2017 she was a barrister and later a QC specialising in commercial law. She has had a lifelong interest in English history, which led her to write Eleanor of Castile: The Shadow Queen, the first full-length biography of Edward I's beloved queen. She is married with one cat, and divides her time between London and the seaside.

Reviews for Eleanor of Aquitaine: Queen of France and England, Mother of Empires

Impeccably researched and beautifully written, this book offers a fresh perspective on one of the most controversial queens in history. Not to be missed. -- Tracey Borman `Sara Cockerill's new biography of Eleanor of Aquitaine is a welcome addition to the literature on this fascinating medieval queen. There have been many books on Eleanor, but too many repeat myths and misconceptions about her. Cockerill's careful historical detective-work digs behind the mythology to reveal what we know about the real Eleanor of Aquitaine.' -- Michael Evans, author of Inventing Eleanor This scholarly, well-written book provides a welcome reassessment of the extraordinary life of a woman who was successively queen of France and of England. Sara Cockerill deploys forensic skills in a thoroughly readable study solidly based on the sources. Eleanor of Aquitaine is revealed not as a romantic heroine, but as a woman faced with extraordinary problems, from her unsatisfactory marriage to Louis VII of France, to her turbulent relationship with Henry II of England and her rebellious sons. -- Michael Prestwich, Emeritus Professor of History, Durham University `Blows the other biographies out of the water!' -- Elizabeth Chadwick, author of The Summer Queen