This was the time period that England owned land in what is now France and they fight over later in the War of the Roses.Įleanor is a wonderful character, spirited and strong. She also raised sons that shaped the monarchy in England.
She came up with the Chivalrous knights and manners and courtly love. She marries several people in her life and she was very much into politics and came up with so many things the middle ages are known for.
We learn about Eleanor, and it's her story, when she is getting married and who she is. There are 4 parts told from 4 different people. It's a bit odd to bring in that, but it works. sets this up as all these people are in heaven and they are telling their stories of what happened on Earth. I don't know how I feel about the story set up, but I enjoy the story told. I did recognize the name Eleanor of Aquitaine and of course her song Richard the Lion Hart who is in Robin Hood. I admit to not knowing much about the 1100's in history besides Robin Hood. But everything in it about Eleanor and her family and her times is true. And she did all this in a time when a king could keep his queen a prisoner - and did! This book is a novel, fiction, fantasy even. Wife of two kings, mother of two others, Richard the Lion Heart and John, she set the tone of court life for her times, sponsored poets and musicians, established the legend of King Arthur as a romantic feature of English literature, set the Rules of Courtly Love, and helped rule a kingdom that spanned from Scotland to the Pyrenees. Each person in turn tells a part of Eleanor's life, vividly illustrating the excitement of living in twelfth-century England and France, and especially the excitement of being Eleanor. A chance encounter with Abbot Suger, an old friend of Eleanor's from the time of her first marriage, starts the four of them remembering times past. Waiting with Eleanor are Henry's mother, Matilda-Empress, and William the Marshal. Henry had died even before Eleanor, but he still had not won admission into Heaven. Eleanor of Aquitaine is in Heaven, waiting to learn whether or not her second husband, King Henry II of England, will be able to join her.
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