Eleanor of Aquitaine c.1122-1204
Queen of France and of England

She was the daughter of William, Duke of Aquitaine, whom she succeeded as duchess (1137) when she married Prince Louis, who became King Louis VII of France a month later. Beautiful and volatile, she led her own troops on the Second Crusade (1147-49), dressed as an Amazonian warrior. In 1152 the marriage was annulled, and she married Henry Plantaganet, who became Henry II of England (1154). She took an active part in administration and the management of her own lands, making her court at Poitiers a model of courtly life. As a result of Henry's infidelities she supported their sons, Richard and John, in a rebellion against him, and was imprisoned (1174-89). She acted as regent for her son Richard I during his crusading campaigns abroad (1189-94), and raised the ransom for his release. In 1200 she led the army that crushed a rebellion in Anjou against her second son, King John.

Bibliography: Amy Kelly, Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Four Kings (1950)