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Eleanor of Aquitaine Facts & Worksheets

Eleanor of Aquitaine was Duchess of Aquitaine from 1137 to her death, Queen of France from 1137 – 1152 and Queen of England from 1154 – 1189

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Eleanor of Aquitaine was Queen of France from 1137 – 1152 and Queen of England from 1154 – 1189. She was also the Duchess of Aquitaine from 1137 until her death. Eleanor was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women during her era in Western Europe.

See the fact file below for more information on Eleanor of Aquitaine or alternatively, you can download our 26-page Eleanor of Aquitaine worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Early Life

  • Eleanor of Aquitaine was the daughter of William X, Duke of Aquitaine. The details of her birth are relatively unknown. But historians estimated that it was in about 1122 in South France. 
  • She was well educated and thoroughly versed in arithmetic, literature, philosophy, and languages. 
  • She also learned all the standards of court life.  She was a skilled equestrian and a hunter.  
  • Eleanor was the eldest of three children of the Duke of Aquitaine and Aénor of Châtellerault, the daughter of Viscount Aimery I. 
  • In the spring of 1130, her mother and her four-year-old brother died at the castle of Talmont on Aquitaine’s Atlantic coast. Eleanor became heir presumptive at a young age.  She was an extrovert, very active, intelligent, and strong-willed.
  • In 1137, she inherited her father’s title and wealth when he died on April 9 during a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Eleanor became the Duchess of Aquitaine between the ages of 12–15. 
  • The Duchy of Aquitaine was the largest and richest province of France which made Eleanor the most eligible heiress in Europe. 
  • Her father’s will appointed King Louis VI of France as Eleanor’s guardian, which entailed having a legal right to her land until she found a husband. The King immediately arranged the betrothal of his son and heir, Louis, to Eleanor. He sent an escort of 500 men to inform Eleanor and brought her to her new home. 
  • In July 1137, Louis and Eleanor were married, but before they had time to know each other, Louis’s father fell ill and died. On Christmas day that year, Eleanor found herself and her husband at Cîté Palace in Paris, crowned as the King and Queen of France.

First Marriage

  • The marriage of King Louis VII and Queen Eleanor was not without problems during their first years. 
  • The King’s mother, Adelaide of Maurienne, thought Eleanor was a bad influence and too flighty. There are also stories that the new queen wore an immodest dress and used coarse language. However, the King was madly in love with her even though her behavior baffled and vexed him. 
  • The King also had his own issues as a young ruler of France. He was in constant power struggles with his own vassals, the Count Theobald of Champagne, and the Pope in Rome. 
  • The conflict resulted in the massacre of hundreds of innocents in the town of Vitry as they tried to seek refuge in a church that was set aflame by Louis’s troops in 1142. 
  • To make amends for this mistake, the King and Eleanor eagerly joined the Pope’s call for a crusade in 1145. King Louis showed himself as a weak and ineffectual leader, while Eleanor was admired for her strength and wisdom. The crusade was unsuccessful and contributed to the further estrangement of Louis and Eleanor. 
  • They were already having marital problems before the crusade began, mainly because of  Eleanor’s inability to produce an heir.  There were rumors about an affair with her uncle Raymond which were proven to be false. Eleanor supported her uncle’s plan to recapture the nearby County of Edessa from the Muslims, which was the purpose of the crusade. 
  • When Eleanor finally returned home, she sought the approval of Pope Eugene to grant her an annulment on the grounds of consanguinity. However, the Pope denied her request and tried to reconcile Eleanor and Louis. 
  • The two attempted to fix their marriage. A second daughter rather than a son was conceived, which served as the decisive factor to end the marriage. 
  • On March 21, 1152, four archbishops, with the approval of Pope Eugene, granted the annulment on the grounds of consanguinity within the fourth degree. The custody of their two daughters was awarded to King Louis. 

Second Marriage

  • Eleanor wished to stay unmarried. But due to her power and wealth, she was subjected to kidnapping to take her land forcibly. 
  • On May 18, 1152, Eleanor married Henry, Count of Anjou and Duke of Normandy. In 1154, Henry became King Henry II of England. The two had a more successful marriage than Eleanor’s previous one. She bore eight children with him, and five of them were sons.
  • Although the two reportedly argued often, mainly because of Henry’s infidelity, Eleanor remained invisible to the public eye until 1167. They separated in 1167, and Eleanor moved back to Poitiers. 

The Court of Love

  • Upon her separation from the King, she became the mistress of her lands and established the Court of Love. Here, she found a culture of chivalry that influenced literature, poetry, music, and folklore.
  • Her first daughter with King Louis, Marie, was with her while she established a court that primarily focused on courtly love and symbolic ritual. The court reportedly attracted troubadours, poets, writers, and artists who also contributed to the flowering of culture and arts.  The court did not survive Eleanor’s imprisonment.

Imprisonment and Later Years

  • Eleanor’s son, Henry The Young King fled to France to plot against his father to claim the throne.  Eleanor, accused of conspiring with her son, was arrested and imprisoned for treason. 
  • She was jailed for 16 years and transferred from one castle to another. She was also rumored to have something to do with the death of her ex-husband’s favorite mistress, Rosamund. 
  • In 1183, her son Henry died. He begged for his mother’s release on his deathbed. His father granted his last wish, allowing Eleanor to return to England in 1184 and rejoin his household. She resumed some of her ceremonial duties as queen. 
  • Upon the death of King Henry II, Eleanor’s son Richard succeeded him. One of his first acts was to grant his mother complete freedom. Richard took over his father’s Third Crusade, which barely began when he died, and his mother was appointed regent in his name. 
  • After the crusade, Richard returned and ruled England until his death in 1199. Eleanor was able to witness the coronation of her youngest son, John, after Richard’s death. The newly crowned King appointed his mother as an envoy to France. 
  • Eleanor retired as a nun to Fontevraud Abbey. She died in 1204 and was buried at the same abbey next to her husband Henry and her son Richard.

Eleanor of Aquitaine Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Eleanor of Aquitaine across 26 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching about Eleanor of Aquitaine who was the Duchess of Aquitaine from 1137 until her death.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Eleanor Of Aquitaine Facts
  • A Queen’s Childhood
  • The Queen’s Life
  • Torn Opinions
  • Becoming A Queen
  • The Young Duchess
  • Eleanor in Prison
  • The Queen’s Circle
  • Two Husbands
  • The Queen of England
  • Queen of France and England

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Use With Any Curriculum

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