A lively, comprehensive survey of the life and times - and effect -
of 12th century Eleanor, her two husbands, and her two sons is
drawn from all available contemporary and related sources and
reveals what those writers had to say about their own times. In its
coverage it traces the feud between the Capet and Plantaganet
lines, the downfall of the Angevin empire, and the consolidation of
a double empire. Queen of the Franks by her first marriage to
Louis, Eleanor found means to get rid of him and to marry Henry of
Normandy who founded the Plantaganet rule in England, and suffered
through the tragedy of Becket. But Eleanor returned to Poitiers,
was guilty of treason until she came into power under her son,
Richard, later known as Coeur de Lion, and later when another son
became king, John Lackland, died in her 80's with full honors. A
colorful, interesting period is given full due with the accent on
the importance of the individuals in leaving their stamp on the
times adding to the overall effect. A book first of all for serious
students of history but not too pedantic for its more casual
followers. (Kirkus Reviews)
The story of that amazingly influential and still somewhat
mysterious woman, Eleanor of Aquitaine, has the dramatic interest
of a novel. She was at the very center of the rich culture and
clashing politics of the twelfth century. Richest marriage prize of
the Middle Ages, she was Queen of France as the wife of Louis VII,
and went with him on the exciting and disastrous Second Crusade.
Inspiration of troubadours and trouveres, she played a large part
in rendering fashionable the Courts of Love and in establishing the
whole courtly tradition of medieval times. Divorced from Louis, she
married Henry Plantagenet, who became Henry II of England. Her
resources and resourcefulness helped Henry win his throne, she was
involved in the conflict over Thomas Becket, and, after Henry's
death, she handled the affairs of the Angevin empire with a
sagacity that brought her the trust and confidence of popes and
kings and emperors. Having been first a Capet and then a
Plantagenet, Queen Eleanor was the central figure in the bitter
rivalry between those houses for the control of their continental
domains-a rivalry that excited the whole period: after Henry's
death, her sons, Richard Coeur-de-Lion and John "Lackland" (of
Magna Carta fame), fiercely pursued the feud up to and even beyond
the end of the century. But the dynastic struggle of the period was
accompanied by other stirrings: the intellectual revolt, the
struggle between church and state, the secularization of literature
and other arts, the rise of the distinctive urban culture of the
great cities. Eleanor was concerned with all the movements, closely
connected with all the personages; and she knew every city from
London and Paris to Byzantium, Jerusalem, and Rome. Amy Kelly's
story of the queen's long life-the first modern biography-brings
together more authentic information about her than has ever been
assembled before and reveals in Eleanor a greatness of vision, an
intelligence, and a political sagacity that have been missed by
those who have dwelt on her caprice and frivolity. It also brings
to life the whole period in whose every aspect Eleanor and her four
kings were so intimately and influentially involved. Miss Kelly
tells Eleanor's absorbing story as it has long waited to be
told-with verve and style and a sense of the quality of life in
those times, and yet with a scrupulous care for the historic facts.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
