Eleanor the Queen

Name: Eleanor the Queen
Rating: 3.78 (926 reviews)

by Norah Lofts

First published 1955

Amazon

3.8(926)

Eleanor of Aquitaine inherits one of the richest principalities in western Europe and becomes queen of France through her marriage to Louis VII. Their political and personal incompatibility becomes increasingly visible during the Second Crusade, where Eleanor’s position as duchess, queen and participant in the expedition gives her an independence that unsettles expectations of royal womanhood. The marriage is eventually annulled, leaving Eleanor free to choose a radically different political future.
Her swift marriage to Henry of Anjou makes her queen of England when he becomes Henry II and places her at the centre of the Angevin Empire. Lofts follows the marriage through power, infidelity and rebellion as their sons—including the future Richard I—grow into political actors of their own. Eleanor’s long life becomes a study of dynastic strategy and personal endurance in a world where land, marriage and motherhood are instruments of government.