By all accounts this Queen of England and wife of Henry II was one of the most truly remarkable women of the Middle Ages. You may remember her as played by actress Katharine Hepburn in the 1968 movie "Lion in Winter".

Eleanor of Aquitane was the Queen of France (1137-1152) and England (1154-1204). She was the mother of two English kings, Richard (The Lion-Hearted, 1157-1199) and John I (1167-1216) and the most politically influential woman of her time.

She was born in France as the daughter of William X and wed Louis VII of France in 1137. During her marriage to Louis, she had two daughters and accompanied her husband on The Second Crusade (Holyland) from 1147-1149. She took 300 women with her on the Second Crusade to fight and help nurse the wounded. Her marriage to Louis was consentially annulled in 1152. She later married King Henry II in 1154 and bore to him 5 sons and 3 daughters.

She inherited the Duchy of Aquitane at 15 and brought it in her marriage, which marked the beginning of the ever present conflict between France and England that continued throughout the Middle Ages. Eleanor convinced Henry to invest in their son, Richard, with these lands. There were problems within Henry's marriage to Eleanor, his continued unfaithfulness alienated Eleanor and in turn, she joined her son's rebellion against Henry in 1173. They were unsuccessful in their attempt to overthrow Henry and Eleanor was captured while fleeing and imprisoned until Henry's death in 1189. Once she was released, she was a powerful influence presence at the court. She granted amnesty to prisoners and secured the succesion of Richard to the throne. She ruled during Richard's absence on the Third Crusade and thwarted an attempt by John to conspire with France against England. She also negotiated a reconciliation between the brothers upon Richard's return in 1194. This reconciliation maintained the peace in England and insured John's succession to the throne.

Eleanor's influence also extended into culture and education, she gathered the leading poets, scholars and musicians to form an educational institution.

Now, here are some not well known, but interesting, facts about Eleanor:

She arranged the marriage of her granddaughter, Blanche of Castille to Louis VIII of France

She sucessfully defended her French territories against assault

She created allies with several ruling houses in Europe, through her five daughters

She retired the Abbey of Fontrevault, France in 1202

She turned over thousands of vassalls to Abbe Bernard in 1146

She was seized by her husband to protect her from her uncle(1147)

She found the sensous life of the Eastern Christiens more attractive than the tedious routines of Paris

She established the "court of love" with daughter Marie in Poitiers to teach concepts of courtly love

She payed ransom to Henry VI for Richard's freedom (1193-1194)

Her daughter Marie died at age 53 in 1199

She lead an army that crushed the rebellion in Anjou against king John

She died April 1, 1204 at age 83

Henry II was 10 years her junior

Source: Famous Medieval People