Eleanor of Aquitaine

Woman, Queen and Legend

Lindy Grant

$36.99

Hardback

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English

Reaktion Books
01 December 2025

Biography: historical, political & military; History; British & Irish history; Medieval history; Social & cultural history; Gender studies: women

Series: Medieval Lives

Eleanor of Aquitaine (1124-1204), the legendary queen of France and later England, has captivated historians for centuries. Heiress to the duchy of Aquitaine, wife to King Henry II and mother to Richard the Lionheart and King John, her life was marked by power, influence and myth. This concise, accessible history sheds new light on Eleanor, cutting through the hearsay and slander with a close reading of primary sources. It highlights the family bonds that shaped her power and identity, tracing her roots to the Loire rather than the Occitan south. Lindy Grant demonstrates that Eleanor's story is one of resilience: like Churchill, she saved England during a national crisis, though her political judgement could be equally erratic.

'Rejecting the rose-tinted, make-believe version of Eleanor, Lindy Grant here tells the queen's story as it has never been told before. The outcome is not only the best short biography of Eleanor, but of any medieval queen.'

Nicholas Vincent, professor of medieval history, University of East Anglia

'Who can resist the idea of comparing Eleanor of Aquitaine with Winston Churchill? Not me! Certainly not when the thought comes from Lindy Grant, world-renowned authority on French politics and culture and author of Blanche of Castile, Queen of France, the modern study on Eleanor's granddaughter and one of France's greatest queens.'

John Gillingham, London School of Economics and Political Science

By: Lindy Grant
Imprint: Reaktion Books
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 138mm,
Weight: 454g
ISBN: 9781836390862
ISBN 10: 1836390866
Series: Medieval Lives
Pages: 224
Publication Date: 01 December 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Lindy Grant is professor emeritus of medieval history at the University of Reading and an honorary research fellow at the Courtauld Institute of Art. Her books include Blanche of Castile, Queen of France.

Reviews for Eleanor of Aquitaine: Woman, Queen and Legend

""In a brilliantly conceived and beautifully written book, Grant provides a powerful and convincing portrait of the most extraordinary woman of her age. By telling first Eleanor's story and then examining her pedigree and contemporary setting, Grant shows us who Eleanor really was, warts and all, finally freeing us from the tyranny of the Eleanor of Legend. The book is a triumph of the biographer's art.""--Stephen Church, author of 'King John: England, Magna Carta and the Making of a Tyrant' ""Who can resist the idea of comparing Eleanor of Aquitaine with Winston Churchill? Not me! Certainly not when the thought comes from Lindy Grant, world-renowned authority on French politics and culture and author of Blanche of Castile, Queen of France, the modern study on Eleanor's granddaughter and one of France's greatest queens.""--John Gillingham, London School of Economics and Political Science