When we think of the infamous queens of England, some names come to mind, but one rises to the top for the number of black myths and influence surrounding her name: Eleanor of Aquitaine. The orphaned Duchess of Aquitaine, who married the future King Louis VII of France, went on the Second Crusades with her husband, survived battles and kidnappings, and ended up divorcing her first husband because she couldn’t give a male son. So, she married the young Count of Anjou, who would become the first king of the Plantagenet dynasty, King Henry II, who had a large family and split her time between England and France. Eleanor would eventually side with her sons, rebel against Henry, and spend 15 years in prison. A fire-cracker of a queen, but how many of the stories surrounding the titular queen are true? In her latest biography, “Eleanor of Aquitaine: Queen of France and England, Mother of Empires,” Sara Cockerill dives deep into the archives to tell the true story of this much-maligned queen of England and France.
I want to thank Amberley Publishing for sending me a copy of this book. I have enjoyed reading books about Eleanor of Aquitaine, and when I heard about this biography, I was fascinated. A few of my history friends have read this book and enjoyed it, so I wanted to see what the hype was about regarding this particular title.
Cockerill begins by showing what myths are typically associated with Eleanor of Aquitaine and how these myths have developed over time. She explains that Eleanor was a much more subdued queen than we imagined her to be and that her dive into the primary sources will show her readers the true Eleanor of Aquitaine. Cockerill then moves into the history of the Duchy of Aquitaine and Eleanor’s family, shaping her into the ruler and mother she would become.
The bulk of this book explores Eleanor of Aquitaine’s married life, first to King Louis VII of France and then to King Henry II of England. As Queen of France, Eleanor had two daughters, went on the Second Crusades, was kidnapped by pirates, and saw numerous battles. Eleanor’s reputation was blackened during the Crusades with the alleged Affair at Antioch. Still, Cockerill takes the time to go through the origins of each myth and show what might have happened according to the primary sources available. With the demise of the marriage of Eleanor and Louis VII, we see how Eleanor met Henry II and how her time as Queen of England was different than her time as Queen of France. We see her relationships with her sons and daughters and how her marriage with Henry went sour.
Most of the primary sources Sara Cockerill explores are charters that Eleanor of Aquitaine worked on as Duchess of Aquitaine and as Queen of France and England. This means it is more academic, and for casual history lovers, it can come across as a bit dry in some places. Overall, I found this a compelling retelling of Eleanor of Aquitaine’s story that gave me a lot to think about her and her time. Suppose you want a new biography that will present a fresh approach to the life and times of Eleanor of Aquitaine. In that case, I highly recommend you read “Eleanor of Aquitaine: Queen of France and England, Mother of Empires” by Sara Cockerill.
What was the first book you read that excited you so much about the historical figure that you wanted to continue studying history? You would read any text you could get ahold of that mentioned their name, including encyclopedia entries. You have fond memories of that book and wish to reread it as an adult to see if it is still a great book with all its charms. I have noted numerous times that the book series that enticed me to study history was The Royal Diaries Series. The book that started my fascination with the Tudors was “The Royal Diaries- Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor” by Kathryn Lasky.
When we think of the phrase “middle ages,” we think of a time of bloody battles and deadly plagues, full of warriors and kings, and a more patriarchal society where women sat on the sidelines. Only the highly pious women or women who tore down barriers genuinely stood out in the history books. At least, that is what we have been told for centuries, but what does archeological research tell us? How about the newly discovered historical records? In her latest book, “Femina: A New History of the Middle Ages, Through the Women Written Out of It,” Janina Ramirez tells the story of the Middle Ages innovatively; through the stories of women who, until recently, were hidden voices from the past.
A nautical disaster has left Henry I of England in a bind. His only legitimate child is his daughter Matilda, the former Holy Roman Empress. Matilda’s path to the throne may seem straightforward as she has the oaths of all the leading men in the kingdom and a new younger husband named Geoffrey of Anjou, but things take a drastic turn when Henry I dies. Chaos reigns supreme as her cousin, Stephen of Blois, is declared King of England. Matilda knows that the throne is rightfully hers, and she will fight tooth and nail to recover what has been lost. Her story is told in Carol McGrath’s latest novel, “The Stolen Crown.”
Two independent women separated by time but united over two compelling portraits and the secrets hidden behind the paint. Mira (Miramonde) is a nun from a Renaissance convent in the Pyrenees who believes she is an orphan who wants to escape her small community and explore the world. Five hundred years later, Zari, an art scholar, begins the journey to discover who Mira is by using the clues she left behind in her works of art that will take her on a journey that will change her life forever. These two tales are woven together in the first book of the Miramonde series, “The Girl From Oto” by Amy Maroney.
The tale is as old as time, of beauty and the beast. We know the story from either Disney or retellings. A peasant girl finds herself locked in a castle with a prince who is transformed into a hideous beast. He can only change back into a human if he can learn to love another person. Like many fairy tales, we often ask ourselves whether this story can be based on historical facts. Molly Greeley believes that Beauty and the Beast’s origins could be found in the true story of Pedro and Catherine Gonzales, who lived in the court of Catherine de Medici. She has chosen to tell their love story in her latest novel, “Marvelous.”
A young Spanish princess sits with her close friend, sisters, and brother as their beloved tutor, Dona Beatriz Galindo, tells them a story. As the children of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabel of Castile, they must marry and create alliances to strengthen their kingdoms, while Beatriz must ensure they are ready for the challenge. Childhood ends rather quickly with a holy war against the Moors, the expulsion of the Jews from the kingdom, and death around every corner. In her novel, “Falling Pomegranate Seeds: The Duty of Daughters,” Wendy Dunn transports readers into a world of hope and sorrow, life and death.
The year is 1536. A young woman climbs the scaffold for her execution while her three-year-old daughter is miles away, not knowing what will happen to her mother. Never speaking about her mother in public for decades, it would seem that the bond between mother and daughter broke that fateful day. Still, Elizabeth I kept the memory of her influential mother, Anne Boleyn, close to her heart. How did Anne prepare her beloved daughter for the complex nature of the Tudor court, and how did Elizabeth keep the memory of her mother alive? This bond is explored in depth in Tracy Borman’s latest book, “Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I: The Mother and Daughter Who Changed History.”
One of the most critical years in English history was 1066, when William Duke of Normandy invaded England in the Norman Conquest. Known as William the Conqueror, his strength and ruthlessness made him a legend, but William would not have been the Duke or King of England without his equally formidable wife. Matilda of Flanders stood her ground, became the Duchess of Normandy, had a large family with William, and would become the first crowned Queen of England. Although much has been written about William the Conqueror and the Norman Conquest, Matilda of Flanders has not received the same attention until now. Tracy Borman has written the first biography dedicated to this remarkable woman entitled, “Matilda: Wife of the Conqueror, First Queen of England.”
The wives of King Henry VIII have been discussed for centuries in length through novels and nonfiction books. Katherine of Aragon, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Catherine Parr are all very popular queens, but there is one that you have all been waiting for, the most famous Tudor queen, Anne Boleyn. Her story has been told so many different ways by historians and historical fiction authors for centuries, and now it is time for another historian to write their spin on her story. In his latest book, “Anne Boleyn, An Illustrated Life of Henry VIII’s Queen,” Roland Hui paints a picture of the tumultuous life, love life, and death of Anne Boleyn.
Adventures of a Tudor Nerd 