These are the early years of her marriage to henry ii when theyre still head over heels in love with one another. Chadwick uses eleanors original name, alienor, and her research, like penmans, is impeccable. Eleanor was, presumably, pretty happy to see uncle raymond for a number of reasons. Eleanor was born in 1122, daughter of the future duke william x and aenor, who was the daughter of william ixs mistress. During this time she produced another seven children, acted as regent when henry was away from england and played an active part in political negotiations. Eleanor was the daughter and heiress of william x, duke of aquitaine and count of poitiers, who possessed one of the largest domains in francelarger, in fact, than those held by the french king. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the autumn throne. She had a younger sister called petronilla of aquitaine. It must have felt like coming home after a decade of exile. Due to her fathers enormous wealth, eleanor was raised in one of europes most cultured courts and given an excellent education, the bbc reports. Eleanor of aquitaine lived a long life of many contrasts, of splendor and desolation, power and peril, and in this stunning narrative, weir captures the woman and the queenin all her glory. The autumn throne by elizabeth chadwick librarything. Eleanor of aquitaine served as queen of both france and england in the twelfth century, making her one of the most powerful women of the time.
My 3 book contract for the novels about alienor of aquitaine is an ongoing career move, achieved mostly by sales built gradually by word of mouth by readers over a span of 20 years. Chadwicks version has a different focus, so far, looking at eleanor as a young girl and queen of france, so that was a point in its favor. My response to the contract was a bit like my response to getting the call when my first novel was accepted for publication. Queen eleanor of aquitaine is sitting on a cloud surrounded by friends and family, waiting for the arrival of her second husband, king henry ii of england. Elizabeth chadwick on eleanor of aquitaine, and how to push henry ii out of the. The last book in elizabeth chadwicks eleanor of aquitaine trilogy seemed to be a long time coming but was well worth waiting for. September 17, 2015 on the 9 th september, queen elizabeth ii surpassed queen victoria as the longest reigning british monarch. The eleanor of aquitaine trilogy by elizabeth chadwick home. Both marriages were arranged in large part because of eleanor s claim to the vast, wealthy duchy of aquitaine in france, and weir carefully shows how the unions deteriorated. Eleanor s new life is full of riskand unlimited opportunity. Elizabeth chadwicks eleanor of aquitaine trilogy draws to a close. It is the epic tale of renard, the heir to the ravenstow estate and his journey from humble crusader to impassioned rival. Both marriages were arranged in large part because of eleanors claim to the vast, wealthy duchy of aquitaine in france, and weir carefully shows how the unions deteriorated. As well as being duchess of aquitaine in her own right, she was queen consort of france 171152 and of england 11541189.
The first two books the summer queen and the winter crown are available to buy now in paperback and ebook. The summer queen 20 deals with eleanors early life and her time as queen of france. See the download icons below for extracts from the summer queen. A novel of eleanor of aquitaine ebook written by elizabeth chadwick. Thanks for stopping by, i hope you enjoy your visit. A renowned beauty, with a headstrong, spirited personality, she has been compared to cleopatra, the celebrated egyptian queen, elizabeth i of england and many others. Eleanor s grandfather, william ix, was the duke of aquitaine and is. Elizabeth chadwick is a british author of historical fiction. Apr 19, 2011 book announcement for elizabeth chadwick s forthcoming novels on eleanor of aquitaine. The medieval and postmedieval image of eleanor of aquitaine, he works to destroy the myths that surround the life of eleanor.
Eleanor of aquitaine, queen consort of france and england. Elizabeth chadwicks the leopard unleashed was published in 1993. Why we should not forget the medieval era when searching for our most powerful queens. Much of elizabeth chadwicks research is carried out as a member of regia anglorum, an early mediaeval reenactment society with emphasis on accurately recreating the past. Imprisoned by her husband, king henry ii, eleanor of aquitaine, queen of england. Eleanor of aquitaine is a 12th century icon who has fascinated re. Sticking closely to the known facts about her life, this is a fairly intense interpretation of a career which saw alienor become in turn the ruling duchess.
Elizabeth chadwicks eleanor of aquitaine trilogy draws to a close as the autumn throne is. The other two books are the winter crown and the autumn throne. The winter crown the second title in the eleanor of aquitaine trilogy. Everything you know about eleanor of aquitaine is wrong. When it was all said and done, she held the titles of duchess of normandy, duchess of aquitaine, countess of anjou, countess of poitou. She later became queen of france, divorced her husband, and then became queen of england a short few months later. The complete series list for eleanor of aquitaine elizabeth chadwick. By student laura bright a first look eleanor was a french duchess. The first novel in a trilogy about the scandalous life of eleanor of aquitaine, wife of englands king henry ii. Mother to richard the lionhearted and king john lackland. She won a betty trask award for the wild hunt and has been shortlisted for.
She also tutors in the skill of writing historial and romantic fiction. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Chadwick did an extensive amount of research for this book and i. Eleanor and her court were also responsible for the development of courtly love, ideals and etiquette governing the courtship of knights and ladies, which became the accepted mode of behavior for the. This land was over twice the size of the land owned by the french royal family, stretching from the loire river to modern day spain, which made her family wealthier and more powerful than even the king. The autumn throne eleanor of aquitaine 9781402296840. Louis and eleanor were married in july 17, but had little time to get to know one another before louis father the king fell ill and died. Eleanor is a fascinating figure who inherits aquitaine on the death of her father and has to marry the king of france as a way of protecting her inheritance.
It is the third installment of chadwicks ravenstow trilogy, coming after the wild hunt and the running vixen. Eleanor of aquitaine series by elizabeth chadwick goodreads. Sticking closely to the known facts about her life, this is a fairly intense interpretation of a career which saw alienor become in turn the ruling duchess of aquitaine, queen of france and queen of england. Eleanor of aquitaine s powerful story is brought to a triumphant and beautiful close by muchloved author elizabeth chadwick. Eleanor was born in 1122 in aquitaine a huge swath of southwestern, modernday france andwas the first daughter of william x, duke of aquitaine and his wife aenor. Eleanor of aquitaine simple english wikipedia, the free.
Elizabeth chadwick on eleanor of aquitaine, and how to. Upon williams death in 17 she inherited the duchy of aquitaine and in july 17 married the heir to the french throne, who succeeded his father, louis vi, the following month. Publishing in the uk on september 1st 2016 by sphere. This is the 2nd of the trilogy of eleanor of aquitaine and so eagerly awaited and it did not disappoint. William x held one of the largest domains in franceeven larger than that held by the king of france himself. Oct 23, 2016 everything you know about eleanor of aquitaine is wrong. Eleanor grew up in the french duchy of aquitaine until the age of fifteen. The summer queen eleanor of aquitaine, book 1 by elizabeth. Ever since elizabeth was young, she has been making up stories, but only started writing when she was 15. She brought the province of aquitaine to england when she married henry ii of england. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the summer queen. The summer queen is the first in a planned trilogy dedicated to the life of eleanor of aquitaine and elizabeth chadwick tells her story with extensive research, integrity and yes, imagination, whilst deftly remaining within the realms of historical likelihood. Eleanor of aquitaine series in order elizabeth chadwick. Elizabeth chadwicks version of the first part of eleanor of aquitaines story is an excellent historical novel.
Henry was the duke of normandy through his mother, empress matilda, and count of anjou through his father. The guide to the william marshal series, eleanor of aquitaine trilogy, the wild hunt trilogy, and all standalone novels kindle edition by kelley, rachel bridget. Henry died long before eleanor, but his life on earth was filled with rather questionable behavior, and he has had to spend some time in helleight centuries to be exact. When eleanors father bequeathed his lands, a clause stated that they would not become the. In eleanors time, aquitaine was a vast territory stretching from the loire down to the south coast, and was the richest and largest province of france.
Aenor was the daughter of dangerossa, mistress of william xs father william ix. Book announcement for elizabeth chadwicks forthcoming novels on eleanor of aquitaine. Elizabeth chadwick on eleanor of aquitaine, and how to push. Employing deception and disguise, seduction and manipulation, eleanor of aquitaine makes. It completed the story of eleanors life from her incarceration in sarum by her husband henry ii as punishment for, as he saw it, inciting their sons to. Eleanors grandfather, william ix, was the duke of aquitaine and is. Deconstructing the story of eleanor of aquitaine the. Eleanor, duchess of aquitaine, queen of england unofficial. A sister, aelith called the more pronounceable, petronilla and a brother, william, would follow in short order. Eleanor of aquitaine is like a force of nature, wife to two kings, one of france, one of england, mother of two kings of england and powerful duchess in her own right, a woman who lived into her 80s in an era when few men or women lived much beyond their mid 50s, outliving nearly all of her children and seeing her grandchildren grow up. Eleanor of aquitaine, queen consort of both louis vii of france 1752 and henry ii of england 11521204 and mother of richard i the lionheart and john of england.
The title notwithstanding, much of the book revolves around the men in eleanor s life. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you. Comparison of elenor of aquitaine, queen elizabeth i, and catherine the great. The novel begins with eleanor s marriage at thirteen years old to the future king of france and follows her eventful life as she matures through political and marital upheavals and becomes a force to be reckoned with. Aenors father was dangerossas first husband, aimery.
See the complete eleanor of aquitaine series book list in order, box sets or omnibus editions, and companion titles. An ebook reader can be a software application for use on a computer such as microsofts free reader application, or a booksized computer that is used solely as a reading device such as nuvomedias rocket ebook. Comparison of elenor of aquitaine, queen elizabeth i, and. It recounts the harrowing battles in the holy land as well as the. Meades sounds interesting, almost gossipy like her book on jazz age women. Eleanor of aquitaine 1122 1 april 1204 was queen consort of france 171152 and england 11541189 and duchess of aquitaine in her own right 171204. My 3 book contract for the novels about alienor of aquitaine is an ongoing. Learn eleanor of aquitaine with free interactive flashcards. Her father arranged what should have been a glorious match with. British historical fiction author elizabeth chadwick has written a series of three novels about eleanors life.
Evans, lecturer in medieval history at central michigan university. In may 1152, eleanor of aquitaine married henry fitzempress. She writes a series featuring the reallife historical figure william marshal. Eleanor of aquitaine trilogy by elizabeth chadwick. See more ideas about eleanor of aquitaine, aquitaine and plantagenet.
She was perhaps the most powerful woman in 12thcentury europe. Marion meade has told the story of eleanor, wild, devious, from a thoroughly historical but different point of view. The summer queen eleanor of aquitane trilogy 1 eleanor of. The eleanor of aquitaine trilogy by elizabeth chadwick. Apr 27, 2009 ebook is an electronic version of a traditional print book that can be read by using a personal computer or by using an ebook reader. Buy the summer queen eleanor of aquitane trilogy 1 eleanor of aquitaine trilogy by elizabeth chadwick isbn. Eleanor of aquitaine 11241204 is the most famous queen in all the middle ages and one of the most infamous women in history. Eleanor of aquitaine was one of the most influential women in the history of europe, having been a queen to rulers of both france and england, along with. The next 15 years of eleanors life were split between england, normandy and her beloved aquitaine.
Elizabeth chadwick on eleanor of aquitaine, and how to push henry. Eleanor of aquitaine trilogy by elizabeth chadwick youtube. As a member of the ramnulfids house of poitiers rulers in southwestern france, she was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in western europe during the high middle ages. While a time of anarchy reigned in england, eleanor was a pampered heiress of the southern duchy of aquitaine. He was also the heir to the throne of england as settlement of the conflicting claims of his mother empress matilda empress maud, daughter of henry i of england, and her cousin, stephen, who had seized the throne of england at.
This wonderful book tells her tale in exquisite detail, from describing the fashionable furs and luxurious clothing she carried with her, to vivid descriptions of the court of medieval france. For more than sixty years, queen eleanor of aquitaine was involved in all the important events in twelfthcentury france and england. Barely out of childhood and faced with great scandals, fraught relationships, and forbidden love at every turn, eleanor must use all her cunning to secure her future as one of the most powerful women in the world. Eleanor of aquitaine or more correctly alienor is one of those fabulous women from history who cry out for good fiction and elizabeth chadwick has delivered that in spades with this book. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading elizabeth chadwick reading order and. It completed the story of eleanors life from her incarceration in sarum by her husband henry ii as punishment for, as he saw it, inciting their sons to rebel against him, and the end of her life in 1203. The summer queen eleanor of aquitaine, book 1 by elizabeth chadwick book cover, description, publication history. Is kellys eleanor of aquataine and the four kings a reissue of the 1950 book, or did she rewrite it. Learn more about eleanor of aquitaine in this article.
Renowned in her time for being the most beautiful woman in europe, the wife of two kings and mother of three, eleanor of aquitaine was one of the great heroines of the middle ages. At a time when women were regarded as little more than chattel, eleanor managed to defy convention as she exercised power in the political sphere and crucial influence over her husbands and sons. Us publication is october 1st with a different cover. With astonishing historic detail, mesmerizing pageantry, and irresistible accounts of royal scandal and intrigue, she recreates not only a remarkable. Choose from 41 different sets of eleanor of aquitaine flashcards on quizlet. Praise for elizabeth chadwick enjoyable and sensuous daily mail stunning grasp of historical details.