See also
| Husband: | Louis VII of FRANCE ( - ) | |
| Wife: | Eleanor of AQUITAINE (c. 1123-1204) | |
| Marriage | 12 Jul 1137 | |
| Name: | Louis VII of FRANCE | |
| Sex: | Male | |
| Father: | - | |
| Mother: | - | |
Eleanor of AQUITAINE, Eleanor of aquitaine
| Name: | Eleanor of AQUITAINE | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Father: | - | |
| Mother: | - | |
| Birth | c. 1123 | |
| Death | 31 Mar 1204 (age 80-81) | |
Annulled 21 March 1152
Eleanor of Aquitaine (in French: Aliénor d’Aquitaine, Éléonore de Guyenne) (1122 or 1124 - 1 April 1204) was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages. As well as being Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, she was queen consort of France (1137–1152) and of England (1154–1189). She was the patroness of such literary figures as Wace, Benoît de Sainte-Maure, and Bernart de Ventadorn.
Eleanor succeeded her father as suo jure Duchess of Aquitaine and Countess of Poitiers at the age of fifteen, and thus became the most eligible bride in Europe. Three months after her accession, she married Louis VII, son and junior co-ruler of her guardian, King Louis The Fat. As Queen of France, she participated in the unsuccessful Second Crusade. Soon after the Crusade was over, Eleanor sought an annulment of her marriage[2] but was rejected by Pope Eugene III.[3] However, after the birth of Alix, another daughter, Louis agreed to an annulment.[4] The marriage was annulled on 11 March 1152, on the grounds of consanguinity within the fourth degree. Their daughters were declared legitimate and custody was awarded to Louis, while Eleanor's lands were restored to her.
As soon as the annulment was granted, Eleanor became engaged to Henry Plantagenet, Count of Anjou and Duke of Normandy, her cousin within the third degree, who was nine years younger than her. The couple married on 18 May 1152, eight weeks after the annulment of Eleanor's first marriage. On 25 October 1154, Henry ascended the throne of the Kingdom of England, making Eleanor Queen of the English. Over the next thirteen years, she bore Henry eight children: five sons, two of whom would become king, and three daughters. However, Henry and Eleanor eventually became estranged. She was imprisoned between 1173 and 1189 for supporting her son Henry's revolt against her husband.
Eleanor was widowed on 6 July 1189. Her husband was succeeded by their son, Richard I, who immediately released his mother. Now queen dowager, Eleanor acted as a regent for her son while he went off on the Third Crusade. Eleanor survived her son Richard and lived well into the reign of her youngest son John. By the time of her death she had outlived all of her children except for King John and Eleanor, Queen of Castile.