3 Quotes & Sayings By Eleanor Of Aquitaine

Eleanor of Aquitaine was a powerful and independent noblewoman of the early 12th century. She was the daughter of William IX, Duke of Aquitaine and Duchess of Gascony, and Agnes of Poitou. She married Louis VII of France in 1137, but had been betrothed to Henry Plantagenet since 1107. The marriage of Eleanor and Louis would be short-lived as she turned from her husband to Henry on 11 May 1137, five days before their wedding Read more

It was not uncommon for a woman of Eleanor's social standing to have mistresses, though she had several children with her many lovers. She was known as a mistress to Richard the Lionheart, Henry II, Louis VII, Philip Augustus, Richard I and Geoffrey II.

1
Pitiful and pitied by no one, why have I come to the ignominy of this detestable old age, who was ruler of two kingdoms, mother of two kings? My guts are torn from me, my family is carried off and removed from me. The young king [crown prince Henry, †1183] and the count of Britanny [prince Geoffrey, †1186] sleep in dust, and their most unhappy mother is compelled to be irremediably tormented by the memory of the dead. Two sons remain to my solace, who today survive to punish me, miserable and condemned. King Richard [the Lionheart] is held in chains [in captivity with Emperor Henry VI of Germany]. His brother, John, depletes his kingdom with iron [the sword] and lays it waste with fire. In all things the Lord has turned cruel to me and attacked me with the harshness of his hand. Truly his wrath battles against me: my sons fight amongst themselves, if it is a fight where where one is restrained in chains, the other, adding sorrow to sorrow, undertakes to usurp the kingdom of the exile by cruel tyranny. Good Jesus, who will grant that you protect me in hell and hide me until your fury passes, until the arrows which are in me cease, by which my whole spirit is sucked . Eleanor Of Aquitaine
2
Grief is not very different from illness: in the impetus of its fire it does not recognise lords, it does not fear colleagues, it does not respect or spare anyone, not even it Eleanor Of Aquitaine