Eleanor of Aquitaine

Eleanor of Aquitaine (1124-1204), the legendary queen of France and later England, has captivated historians for centuries. Heiress to the duchy of Aquitaine, wife to King Henry II, and mother to Richard the Lionheart and King John, her life was marked by power, influence, and myth.

This concise, accessible history sheds new light on Eleanor, cutting through the hearsay and slander with a close reading of primary sources. It highlights the family bonds that shaped her power and identity, tracing her roots to the Loire rather than the Occitan south. Lindy Grant demonstrates that Eleanor's story is one of resilience: like Churchill, she saved England during a national crisis, though her political judgement could be equally erratic.

‘Rejecting the rose-tinted, make-believe version of Eleanor, Lindy Grant here tells the queen's story as it has never been told before. The outcome is not only the best short biography of Eleanor, but of any medieval queen.’ — Nicholas Vincent, professor of medieval history, University of East Anglia

‘Who can resist the idea of comparing Eleanor of Aquitaine with Winston Churchill? Not me! Certainly not when the thought comes from Lindy Grant, world-renowned authority on French politics and culture and author of Blanche of Castile, Queen of France, the modern study on Eleanor's granddaughter and one of France's greatest queens.’ — John Gillingham, London School of Economics and Political Science