Deschutes Public Library

The courts of love, the story of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Jean Plaidy

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages [551]-552)

no index present

fiction

The courts of love

bibliographydictionaries

251493903

Jean Plaidy

the story of Eleanor of Aquitaine

When I look back over my long and tempestuous life, I can see that much of what happened to me--my triumphs and most of my misfortunes--was due to my passionate relationships with men. I was a woman who considered herself their equal--and in many ways their superior--but it seemed that I depended on them, while seeking to be the dominant partner--an attitude which could hardly be expected to bring about a harmonious existence. Eleanor of Aquitaine was revered for her superior intellect, extraordinary courage, and fierce loyalty. She was equally famous for her turbulent relationships, which included marriages to the kings of both France and England. As a child, Eleanor reveled in her beloved grandfather's courts of love, where troubadours sang of romantic devotion and passion filled the air. In 1137, at the age of fifteen, Eleanor became Duchess of Aquitaine, the richest province in Europe. A union with Louis VII allowed her to ascend the French throne, yet he was a tepid and possessive man and no match for a young woman raised in the courts of love. When Eleanor met the magnetic Henry II, the first Plantagenet King of England, their stormy pairing set great change in motion--and produced many sons and daughters, two of whom would one day reign in their own right