ELEANOR OF AQUITAINE, A REBEL IN THE MIDDLE AGES

Exceptional destinies

An episode from the series SECRETS OF HISTORY - PORTRAITS

Synopsis

Queen of France at 15 years old upon marrying King Louis VII, she became Queen of England at 30 when she wed Henry II Plantagenet.

An astute political strategist, she gave birth to the legend of King Arthur for the benefit of her husband, Henry II. She brokered, haggled, and armed her sons' arms to keep the throne of England and Aquitaine. For Richard Lionheart, she assumed the regency of the Empire, squashing rebellions all by herself.