In the competition for remarkable queens, Eleanor of Aquitaine tends to win. In fact her story sometimes seems so extreme it ought to be made up. The headlines: orphaned as a child, Duchess in her own right, Queen of France, crusader, survivor of a terrible battle, kidnapped by her own husband, captured by pirates, divorced for barrenness, Countess of Anjou, Queen of England, mother of at least five sons and three daughters, supporter of her sons' rebellion against her own husband, his prisoner for fifteen years, ruler of England in her own right, traveller across the Pyrenees and Alps in winter in her late sixties and seventies, and mentor to the most remarkable queen medieval France was to know (her own granddaughter, obviously). It might be thought that this material would need no embroidery. But the reality is that Eleanor of Aquitaine's life has been subjected to successive reinventions over the years, with the facts usually losing the battle with speculation and wishful thinking. In this biography Sara Cockerill has gone back to the primary sources, and the wealth of recent first-rate scholarship, and assessed which of the claims about Eleanor can be sustained on the evidence. The result is a complete re-evaluation of this remarkable woman's even more remarkable life. A number of oft-repeated myths are debunked and a fresh vision of Eleanor emerges. In addition the book includes the fruits of her own research, breaking new ground on Eleanor's relationship with the Church, her artistic patronage and her relationships with all of her children, including her family by her first marriage.

Courts have the right to compel non-parties to give evidence or produce documents in aid of litigation and arbitration proceedings. As well as providing a clear statement of the law relating to witness summonses, letters of request and the European Taking of Evidence Regulation, this book gives practical guidance with use of checklists, for example on the issues arising in drafting and defending letters of request and conducting or advising at a hearing of a deposition under a letter of request. The book considers how regulation from outside England and Wales affects compelled evidence, explaining the European Taking of Evidence Regulation and its similarities and differences to the Hague Convention. As well as giving guidance on compelling evidence from abroad in aid of English proceedings, with reference to the different procedures applicable in relation to different countries, the book also addresses cases where evidence is compelled in England for use in foreign proceedings and where evidence is compelled within England and Wales for use in domestic cases; identifying the common principles which underpin the different areas and key differences to consider. Finally, the book addresses related jurisdictions including CPR 31.17 (third party disclosure), Bankers' Books Evidence Act, and evidence in aid of arbitrations and CPR 71 (cross examination of judgment debtor). Clearly structured to contain the law, procedure, and relevant source materials, this book provides an invaluable and single point of reference to bring clarity and detail to a previously obscure and under-resourced area of the law. With a Foreword by Mr Justice Andrew Smith.

In the competition for remarkable queens, Eleanor of Aquitaine tends to win. In fact her story sometimes seems so extreme it ought to be made up. The headlines: orphaned as a child, Duchess in her own right, Queen of France, crusader, survivor of a terrible battle, kidnapped by her own husband, captured by pirates, divorced for barrenness, Countess of Anjou, Queen of England, mother of at least five sons and three daughters, supporter of her sons' rebellion against her own husband, his prisoner for fifteen years, ruler of England in her own right, traveller across the Pyrenees and Alps in winter in her late sixties and seventies, and mentor to the most remarkable queen medieval France was to know (her own granddaughter, obviously). It might be thought that this material would need no embroidery. But the reality is that Eleanor of Aquitaine's life has been subjected to successive reinventions over the years, with the facts usually losing the battle with speculation and wishful thinking. In this biography Sara Cockerill has gone back to the primary sources, and the wealth of recent first-rate scholarship, and assessed which of the claims about Eleanor can be sustained on the evidence. The result is a complete re-evaluation of this remarkable woman's even more remarkable life. A number of oft-repeated myths are debunked and a fresh vision of Eleanor emerges. In addition the book includes the fruits of her own research, breaking new ground on Eleanor's relationship with the Church, her artistic patronage and her relationships with all of her children, including her family by her first marriage.