The lives of the sons of Eleanor of Aquitaine are the stuff of legend. Her daughters, however, are less well known, and the fascinating personalities of her daughters-in-law have been almost entirely overlooked, as have those of the daughters she bore Louis VII of France. The Families of Eleanor of Aquitaine showcases the lives, travels […]
Female networks of power in the Middle Ages
Medieval royal marriages were about creating networks of power. This gave the female members of a family more influence than we might think, says JF Andrews, and the history of the five daughters and five daughters-in-law of Eleanor of Aquitaine show how these marriage connections worked in practice. ‘Name the sons of Eleanor of Aquitaine’ […]
The personal and the political in the Middle Ages
In the Middle Ages, when both England and France were ruled by personal monarchy, the king’s (and they were all kings) personality, preferences and relationships had a significant influence on political decisions, as the historian Catherine Hanley shows in her new book, Two Houses, Two Kingdoms. In January of the year 1200, a woman in […]