Basic Info:
Queen consort of France and England and duchess of Aquitaine in her own right
Born- 1122 in France
Died- April 1, 1204 in Poitiers, France
Father- William X of Aquitaine
Mother- Aénor de Châtellerault

Childhood:
She was born in southern France in the year 1122 (although the exact date isn't certain). She received a good education and was very active, spending a lot of time horseback riding. She inherited her father's land and money at his death. She was just 15 years old.

The king of France became her guardian and not kid after that she was engaged to his son, Louis. The king sent 500 men to escort Eleanor to her new home.

Becoming Queen of France:
Louis and Eleanor married in July of 1137. Shortly after that, the king of France died of sickness. On Christmas Day of that same year, Louis and Eleanor were crowned the king and queen of France.

They faced many struggles for power in their first year as rulers. They had to face Theobald of Champagne and even the pope, who challenged their power. Louis was young and inexperienced, so he involved the military in these disagreements with these men and many other lords. This conflict resumed in the deaths of hundreds of innocent civilians in Vitry. The people had taken refuge in a church, which was then set of fire by Louis' men. Louis felt a tremendous amount of guilt for these deaths and agreed with the pope to start another crusade in 1145.

Eleanor joined him on this crusade, which didn't end well. Their marriage was strained because of the conflict and Eleanor frequently searched for a way to annul the marriage. Louis faced increasing criticism because of it and they were eventually granted an annulment on the grounds of consanguinity (being related by blood. They were third cousins). They separated in 1152 and their two daughters were left in custody of Louis.

Becoming Queen of England:
Now that Eleanor was single and once again one of the most eligible woman in France, various noblemen were fighting for her hand in marriage. Two months after her annulment, she married Henry, Count of Anjou and Duke of Normandy. There were rumors that she'd had an affair with Henry's father and she was even more closely related to Henry than she had been to Louis.

Two years later, Eleanor and Henry were crowned king and queen of England after the death of the previous ruler, King Stephen.

Her marriage to Henry was dramatic and unhappy, but still more successful than her marriage to Louis. They had eight children between the years of 1152 and 1166.

The extent of her role in Henry's rule as king isn't exactly known, but we do know that a well educated woman in this position would have used being queen to her advantage. She did not have a very public role until her and Henry's separation in 1167. She loved to her own house in Poitiers. The true reason behind their separation is unknown, but was likely because of Henry's constant affairs.

Court of Love:
Eleanor was a mistress of her own land from 1168-1173. During these years, the legend of the Court of Love grew. She encouraged chivalry among her courtiers and had a great influence on music, folklore, and poetry.

There's not much known about this time in her life and much of it is uncertain to be myth or real.

However, it appeared that Eleanor (and possibly her daughter, Marie) established a court that focused on love and symbolic ritual. The court attracted artists and poets from all over and they were influenced by her ways and beliefs.

Imprisoned:
Eleanor's son Young Henry fled to France in 1173. He was attempting to plot against his father and take over the English throne, and rumor had it that Eleanor was helping him. She was arrested and imprisoned for treason against the king. She spent the next 16 years in several different castles and strongholds throughout England.

She was said to have done everything she could to agitate her husband's interests and some believed she even played a role in the death of his favorite mistress, Rosamund.

Young Henry continued his rebellion until he died of disease in 1183. In his deathbed, he begged for his mother's release from prison, a request that King Henry partially granted.

Eleanor returned to England in 1184, rejoining Henry's household for certain parts of the year and resuming some of her duties as queen.

Regency:
King Henry II died in July of 1189, leaving their son Richard (later known as Richard the Lionheart) as king. One of his first acts was fully releasing his mother, Eleanor. She ruled as regent in Richard's name while he led the Third Crusade. He returned after the crusade was over and ruled until his death in 1199.

Death:
She lived to see her younger son, John, crowned king after Richard died. John employed her as an envoy to France. She later supported John's rebellion against her grandson, Arthur.

Eventually, she retired as a nun to the abbey at Fontevraud. She was buried there after her death in 1204. She is revered to be one of the most powerful women in 12th century Europe.

Cool facts:
• Eleanor may be the reason we have built-in fireplaces. After moving to Louis' palace in the north, she was shocked by the cold and renovated the palace, using the first built-in fireplace in the new design
• she was said to be extremely beautiful, frivolous, and capricious when she was younger
• as she grew older, she was praised for her maturity and political wisdom
• the nuns at the abbey she retired to stayed that Eleanor was a queen "who surpassed almost all the queens of the world"
• she may have been the first person named Eleanor (she was at least the first known bearer of the name).
• Her name is said to mean "the other Aenor." Her mother's name was Aenor
• she was fluent and Karin and very athletic, competing in sports such as hunting and hawking