In her life Eleanor of Aquitaine achieved little of significance
"In her life, Eleanor of Aquitaine achieved little of significance". Assess the validity of this statement
There can be no doubt that, from her birth in 1124 (c) to her death in 1204, Eleanor of Aquitaine made a significant contribution to politics and mediaeval life in general, despite numerous obstructions from those around her due to her position as a women or the extent of her actions. In this essay however, I will examine the extent of her influence throughout the different phases of her life in chronological order, as this will allow us to consider the positive and negative effects respectively of each single achievement or trait. To this end, I shall categorise her life into the periods of: Her early years and marriage to King Louis of France, her marriage to King Henry and years of freedom therein, the rebellion of 1173 and her subsequent imprisonment, and her contribution under the reigns of her sons Richard and John. It will be necessary therefore to comment, if she was not influential for a period of her life, upon the reasons and causes for this, as our opinion and conclusions about her must change if she was unable, rather than unwilling to achieve her targets.
Let us first examine her formative years and the consequences of her marriage to Louis. It is here that we see the first example of a man, in this case her husband, limiting her political and personal aspirations at court. In this way, she was only allowed power through her husband, and her influence over him. This is demonstrated through his military campaign of 1141 to fulfil her claim over Toulouse, as well as the annulment of Ralph of Vermandois’ marriage to Count Theobald’s sister so he could marry Eleanor’s sister Petronilla. In both these examples she was unable to wield control in her own right, and therefore the public impression of her would have been negligible in this period, yet we can see that she is the person pulling the strings of power in the royal court. This claim is
There can be no doubt that, from her birth in 1124 (c) to her death in 1204, Eleanor of Aquitaine made a significant contribution to politics and mediaeval life in general, despite numerous obstructions from those around her due to her position as a women or the extent of her actions. In this essay however, I will examine the extent of her influence throughout the different phases of her life in chronological order, as this will allow us to consider the positive and negative effects respectively of each single achievement or trait. To this end, I shall categorise her life into the periods of: Her early years and marriage to King Louis of France, her marriage to King Henry and years of freedom therein, the rebellion of 1173 and her subsequent imprisonment, and her contribution under the reigns of her sons Richard and John. It will be necessary therefore to comment, if she was not influential for a period of her life, upon the reasons and causes for this, as our opinion and conclusions about her must change if she was unable, rather than unwilling to achieve her targets.
Let us first examine her formative years and the consequences of her marriage to Louis. It is here that we see the first example of a man, in this case her husband, limiting her political and personal aspirations at court. In this way, she was only allowed power through her husband, and her influence over him. This is demonstrated through his military campaign of 1141 to fulfil her claim over Toulouse, as well as the annulment of Ralph of Vermandois’ marriage to Count Theobald’s sister so he could marry Eleanor’s sister Petronilla. In both these examples she was unable to wield control in her own right, and therefore the public impression of her would have been negligible in this period, yet we can see that she is the person pulling the strings of power in the royal court. This claim is