Alienora Aquitaine can be called the grandmother of medieval Europe. Why "grandmother"? Of course, this is a metaphor, and yet there is a great deal of truth in it. Because her grandchildren, and later great-grandchildren, ruled in many states of Western Europe. In England, in France, in Sicily (the Sicilian kingdom), in Germany, in Castile - her descendants were everywhere.
This woman is unique in many ways and in this, fertility, as well. She gave birth to 10 children from two kings - French Louis VII and English Henry II Plantagenet. Capetians and Plantagenets - and between them Alienora of Aquitaine, daughter of Guillaume, Duke of Aquitaine.
The Aquitanian house was considered, and absolutely rightly, the haven of poets and troubadours. Her grandfather is a poet, her father is also a poet. This is a special region, south-west of France, full of sun, colors, vibrant lush vegetation, amazing vineyards and, of course, wine. Everything is in abundance there, and the joy of being overflows.
The Duchy of Aquitaine is huge, the largest in France at that time and, apparently, the richest. And in 1152, after the death of the Duke of Aquitaine, it became a dowry of Alienora, a 15-year-old girl, let's say from herself - a luxurious dowry. Alienora is an enviable bride, there is no end to the applicants, kings, dukes line up. Also because she was officially recognized as the first beauty in Europe. Europe followed her and her potential suitors with attention.
Why did she have such an unusual name - Alienora? This is because when she was born, Eleanor was already in the family. That is why she was named "Another Eleanor", from the word alienus - "different, different."
So, an extremely enviable bride, a beauty is waiting for the groom. And in the end his name is called - it is Louis VII, king of France from the Capetian dynasty. Europe is perplexed. The Capetians are frankly poor in those days, their land - Ile-de-France - a tiny saucer between Paris and Orleans. When the French nobility chose the first Capetian, many factors were taken into account, in particular, they tried to make him not stronger than others. Something similar happened in Russia when the Romanovs were elected. Beginning in 987, the Capetian began to rule France, although they did not have a particularly strong power.
Over time, the early Capetian increased their influence step by step. This became especially noticeable under Louis VI, nicknamed Tolstoy. His clever and educated advisor, Abbot Suger, was able by all means available to him to achieve the marriage of the king's son, also Louis, and the brilliant "Aquitaine bride". Right at the wedding feast held in Bordeaux, the news of the death of Louis VI came. It turned out that Alienora had married not a prince, but a young king - Louis VII. And such a little girl, Ile-de-France, was joined by the huge and wonderful Aquitaine.
It took 13 years of marriage, she gave birth to children, but these were three girls and not a single boy. And the king began to demand a divorce, officially explaining his demands by the inability of his wife to give birth to a boy, an heir. The event is incredible in itself in medieval Europe, and even more incredible for the royal family. The Catholic Church did not allow divorce. But Louis was still able to achieve his goal.
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What's the matter? Why? How was it possible to voluntarily abandon a beautiful wife, from her dowry - Aquitaine? It was rumored that the whole thing was in jealousy, he was jealous of her to such an extent that life became not sweet to him, and therefore all sound arguments did not work.
And he obtained the permission of the Pope under a different pretext - supposedly, unexpectedly, too close relationship between their houses was revealed. Sheer nonsense! First, where has it been all these 13 years ?! And secondly, all the royal houses of Europe were to some extent related to each other. But … I managed to come to an agreement with my dad. And the divorce took place.
Lost Aquitaine. According to the feudal laws of those times, the ancestral possessions could not be rejected, which was sacredly observed. Only sons could claim her land. There were no sons. And she, together with her Aquitaine, again became the most enviable bride in Europe.
Let's remind - she is 28 years old, and she has only one concern - to hide, no matter how someone kidnapped her, would not marry her forcibly. She is tired of family life, of constant pregnancies, of etiquette, of lack of freedom - she has a different disposition, she is Alienora of Aquitaine, that says a lot. And suddenly - Count Henry of Anjou, 11 years younger than her.
If in our time such a difference in the age of spouses is not too encouraged, then it was unheard of. He's almost a boy, what a husband he is! But here Alienora insisted, and love spoke in her, maybe for the first time tested, which knew no barriers. In 1152, very soon after the divorce from Louis VII, a new marriage was concluded with Henry of Anjou, an alliance associated with passionate feelings.
It soon became clear that he was the antipode of her first husband. He was a little fanatical in faith, prayed a lot. Even the Crusades for him are, first of all, not a war, but a pilgrimage to the Holy Lands … Somehow, Alienora said that Louis VII was more a monk than a king. And the passionate Aquitaine was looking for something different in a man. And she found this different in the Count of Anjou. 2 years later, in 1154, he became the English king Henry II, which means that Alienora is queen again, now queen of England.
Henry of Anjou was not the son of a king. His mother, Matilda, heiress to the English throne from the first Norman dynasty, made a treaty with her rival, Stephen of Blois. Under this treaty, she renounced her claim to the throne in favor of her son, Henry of Anjou. This prospect, perhaps, Alienora could take into account.
The ducal crown Alienore was given from birth, she wore French for 13 years, and now her second marriage promised her an English crown. And yet there are many reasons to believe that there was a passionate love between Alienora and Henry of Anjou, who began to rule in England as the founder of the Plantagenet dynasty. And the main proof of this is the rabid hatred that replaced it.
In the beginning, they are inseparable. She participates in state affairs, signs documents, which, by the way, was not accepted, they receive ambassadors together, walk in parks, ride horses, their laughter is heard everywhere - the spouses are closer than ever and happy. One pregnancy follows another, Alienora gives birth to boys! Europe freezes in amazement, and then, probably, bursts into laughter - quite recently, her first husband officially announced that she could not give birth to an heir.
And here you are, 5 boys in a row, one, however, died in infancy. She is completely rehabilitated. However, Henry of Anjou, quite recently so loving, begins to cheat on Alienore and decides to imprison his annoying wife in a remote castle. She spent 16 years in this relatively honorable confinement.
It is believed that the reason was her jealousy of the royal mistress Rosamund. Probably, like her first husband once, this feeling did not allow Alienore to live, became the nightmare from which she was not able to get rid of. Probably, and Heinrich had a hard time, that's why he decided to imprison her in the castle. Of course, she was not in chains and not in the basement - she even had her own small courtyard, her own retinue, but she was deprived of that without which it was impossible for her to live - freedom. And one more unbearable loss for this woman is the lack of society. And the need to be in public, to participate in conversations, to show off, to seduce - all this was characteristic of Alienore of Aquitaine to the highest degree.
She retained this need throughout her long life. And she lived for 82 years. A unique case! She did not turn into a decrepit old woman, but was active, active, judicious until the very last breath. When she was almost 80, she made a trip across the Pyrenees to her granddaughter, Blanca of Castile. Grandmother took her with her to France and married a French prince, the future Louis VIII. The marriage took place, and Blanca of Castile gave birth to the French, probably the most wonderful medieval ruler, Louis IX, who had the nickname Saint (and such nicknames are simply not given).
I will continue the story about the uniqueness of Alienora. Having 10 children is not a common occurrence in royal families. At 80 years old, not everyone will go to travel beyond the Pyrenees - this is absolutely obvious. To wear three crowns in one eyelid - who else can boast of that? Alienora lived several lives, at least three - one in France, another in England, the third in exile. She witnessed the heyday of the knightly age. And, I think, it was Alienora and her beloved son, Richard I the Lionheart, who became the symbol of the female and male principles in chivalry.
Richard Alienora raised in Aquitaine, adored him from birth, and in his youth he loved her very much. Troubadours in honor of their ruler composed poems and sang songs. She was fluent in several languages, knew rhetoric. When she had to fight for the release of her son from captivity, she wrote to the Pope: "While my son, like Achilles, fought under the walls of Accra, the treacherous Philip of France left him as a traitor …" And so it was, one fought, the other has left, but - what a style! Antique. Homer comes to mind.
Her youth is the zenith of the Western European Middle Ages. Knightly literature was born, a novel about Tristan and Isolde appeared, Chrétien de Troyes created. But, as you know, after the zenith movement is possible only downward. The end of the knightly age is not far off. And life, Alienora's personal life, her fate just falls on this rise and fall, became their personification. Already Philip II Augustus in France dared to trample on chivalrous ideals when they became a hindrance to real politics. And John Landless, the youngest son of Alienora of Aquitaine, tries to do the same, although he knows little, demonstrating the degeneration of chivalry within the family.
In general, John is a tragic figure for her. He was born unexpected, the last, and he was not as stately, handsome as his brothers. Richard the Lionheart with a mighty mane of fiery golden hair, handsome as God, in battle - like a lion brave and strong, rushed to enemies first, was terrible in an individual battle, knew no fear. And at the same time - a mama's son. She took Richard to Aquitaine, away from the English court, and there, among the poems and songs of the troubadours, she caressed and raised him. And he learned from infancy poetry and chivalrous behavior, becoming a knight not only externally, but also by conviction.
It is curious that the life of Alienora of Aquitaine is a true novel, fascinating, full-blooded, bright - in literature, in art, it is primitively and grossly simplified. What is just her participation in the Second Crusade! She rode most of the way on horseback, some of it rode in carts, but from Paris to Jerusalem it is about 6,000 km! An incredible woman!
During the Third Crusade, one of whose leaders was Richard the Lionheart, she married her son to Berengaria of Navarre, again not being afraid to embark on a long journey for the bride. And then - many years of imprisonment. As soon as Henry II died, ascended the throne Richard I freed her. She returned not at all tired, not broken, and immediately plunged into an active life - political and personal.
Later, in cinema, literature, theater, she is not represented at all like that. Here is James Goldman's The Lion in Winter. Heinrich Plantagenet is shown in his declining years, he is about 50 - an old man for the Middle Ages. She is 63. But she is a young woman and looks better than him and feels more cheerful, which makes him very upset. She, apparently, had an iron health - this was noted by eyewitnesses of her participation in the Crusade.
But the play shows only one facet of her character, behavior and only two days of her life - Christmas 1183. Goldman, who tries very hard to follow the historical truth, looks at her through the eyes of the main character - Henry. But not the young man who passionately loved her, but the elderly, exhausted by life, who had already experienced his feelings and hated his spouse.
In life, she turned out to be stronger than him. More optimistic, bolder and more significant. A man can hardly forgive this. Henry hated her openly, evil calling Medusa the Gorgon. Her sons, who quarrel over the throne, not knowing which of them she will help, are also badly treated. But this is just a small piece of life taken out of the entire life context. And such a view is always a violation of the truth. There are no troubadours, no Crusade. And in this aging woman, who does not want to grow old, she absolutely does not see that young Alienora. In life, everything is different.
In addition to the official literature and science that deal with it, there is also a rumor about Alienor of Aquitaine. These popular interpretations are sometimes even more interesting, because "there is no smoke without fire." Myths and legends about her began to form during her lifetime. All of them condemn her and generally paint a negative image. During the Crusade, she supposedly from time to time rode in front of the crusader army, surrounded by her maids of honor, in an Amazon costume. This means that one breast had to be naked. For medieval Europe, this is immoral.
And besides, she was sitting on a horse not sideways, as befits a woman, but on horseback, and not in a lady’s saddle … Not good, ugly. It was rumored that she had several affairs. For example, with Baron Geoffroy de Rankon - a noble, prominent, beautiful, but there is no reason to believe this - and Regine Pernoux very carefully studied many different materials - no. Rumor, that's all.
Her very appearance in Paris, perhaps, angered the Parisians - she had already come with a certain rumor. At a luxurious wedding in Bordeaux, they saw a charming 15-year-old girl in a purple dress, beautiful, bright, not downtrodden, not meek and not shy. They imagined her pale, sad, with tears in her eyes because of separation from her homeland … Nothing of the kind! She comes from the world of the sun, wine, courtesy, where there seems to be no place for despondency and sadness, to Paris, which, in comparison with her homeland, is a northern, austere, cold land.
The south and north of France - Languedoc and Languedoil - were very different from each other in culture until the 13th century. Basically, these were two civilizations. The south was much more influenced by the Romans than the north. And besides that, Paris was not at all affected by Arab influence. The North was alien to the East with its poetry, guttural languages, with its music, attraction to luxury, silks, furs, perfumes … And so a young lady who grew up in this atmosphere came to Paris. Rumor quite naturally does not approve of her, Alienora with her courtly habits should have seemed a lecher in Paris. And so it seemed.
And then - even further north, to London, where she arrives as the Queen of England. Here the tradition is even more strict than in Paris, the Anglo-Saxon heritage with the Norman is intertwined in it, and Normandy and its inhabitants are all the same descendants of the harsh and fearless Vikings. She arrives in another, harsh world, rather gloomy and cold, and most importantly - completely unlike her homeland.
It will be appropriate to remember that Aquitaine, this beautiful land, has been independent for a long time. Its inhabitants fought courageously and selflessly, trying to preserve their independence and identity. Only as a result of the Albigensian Wars of the 13th century will the north finally deal with this civilization. Alienora, who passed away at the very beginning of the 13th century, remained an Aquitaine - she absorbed all the juices of this region and never in her life changed the features she acquired there.
And so the popular rumor creates the image of Alienora. Which one? She changes lovers, poisoned Rosamund, the mistress of her husband Henry of England … Poisoned her? No evidence exists, but rumors persist. But what about ?! Rosamund is her own, from Wales. And this one is a stranger, a foreigner, a divorced wife of the King of France. Rumor is initially hostile to her. For the fact that she is from southern France, for the wrong manners, for the fact that during the Crusade she did not ride as expected, for the fact that during the campaign she had a lot of carts with cloaks, fur collars, dresses, and she changed them, despite fatigue and incredible difficulties …
But she is Alienora of Aquitaine, and she has her own style. Well, how could she not appear in Constantinople in a luxurious outfit? After all, this is a Byzantine court, the emperor receives them solemnly and magnificently. She, brought up in Aquitaine, believes that it is necessary to respond with pomp and compete with her.
And the tradition of the north of France and England is different, the spirit of moderation and unpretentiousness reigns there. Here the men are dressed in chain mail, in coarse road cloaks, they do not get off the saddle for weeks, they are hacked with heavy coarse swords, and on their faces there is a stern and unyielding expression. And she does not resemble the people of the north either in her appearance, or in her expression, or in her smile. It remains only to be amazed at how it was possible in a completely different, alien world to remain yourself! And this is its uniqueness …
N. Basovskaya