Eleanor Of Aquitaine: Queen Of Middle Age Europe

"She enhanced the grandeur of her birth by the honesty of her life, the purity of her morals, the flower of her virtues; and in the conduct of her blameless life, she surpassed almost all the queens of the world (Kelly 387)." This is a description of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Eleanor of Aquitaine is a captivating woman who defied her time; she is more successful than any ruler of her time. Her influence is significant in both her own era and today. Eleanor of Aquitaine had a long life until the age of 82, where she out-lived her siblings, her husbands, almost all of her children, most of the son/daughter-in-laws, and some of her grandchildren. Not only did she successfully ruled as Queen three times, but Eleanor of Aquitaine brought culture to France and England, traveled, influenced literature, and had successful children, some who became Kings and Queens. She is considered to be the most powerful woman and the most successful queen of Middle Age Europe.

Biography

The Artsy Duchess: 1122-1137
However, in 1227, William X’s father, William IX, died due to illness and William X became the Duke of Aquitaine. Six years earlier, William X of Aquitaine, and Aenor of Chatellerault married; then only a year after, Eleanor of Aquitaine in Bordeaux was born. Eleanor was the oldest of William X’s three children; she had a younger sister, Petronilla, and a younger brother, William Aigret; additionally, she had half-brother named William. William X continued his father’s focus on leading Aquitaine in culture, including the arts, music, and literature. William X ensured that all of his children received the best education, which included learning Latin, art, music, literature, riding, hawking, and hunting; Eleanor of Aquitaine loved poetry