During a time when women were practically left invisible, had no say in government, and had almost no individual power, one woman defied all odds as one of the most influential rulers of the Middle Ages. It was Eleanor of Aquitaine’s brilliance, beauty, philanthropy, and funding of the arts were all qualities that made her, arguably, the most powerful woman to rule during the 12th Century. From the moment she took control over her father’s territories at the age of twelve, Eleanor was certain to grow into an impressive and authoritative ruler. Eleanor certainly became the most influential and powerful woman of the High Middle Ages.
Eleanor was born in the country of Aquitaine (what is now known as Southern France) approximately between the years of 1120 and 1124 (the exact date in unknown). Eleanor was became the eldest daughter of the tenth duke of Aquitaine (William X) and Aenor of Chatellerault. It is often said that Eleanor had been named after her mother Aenor from the Latin alia Aenor, which means the other Aenor. Unlike most of Europe during the twelfth century, the country of Aquitaine gave its women more liberties, and allowed them to mix with the men as much as they pleased. The
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Immediately after Henry’s death, Richard freed Eleanor. Richard was crowned king of England on September 3, 1189. Eleanor was the only woman present at Richard’s coronation (now at the age of 67). Richard soon went off on a crusade with king Phillip II of France and left Eleanor in charge of England as Regis. Eight years later, during an assault on the garrison at Chalis, Richard was killed by a crossbow that hit him in the shoulder (he later died in the arms of Eleanor on April 6, 1199). Eleanor left her only remaining son John as successor to the throne to retain her power (if her grandson was left in charge his mother, Constance, might have taken her
The achievements and expertise of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Hildegard of Bingen were similar in that both contributed to literature. Although Eleanor of Aquitaine was often up to her knees in political affairs, nevertheless found time to cultivate the arts and patronize literature (Lindenmuth, 2005, p.1). At the royal court at Poitiers, she dedicated much of her money toward the patronage of all kinds of rising artists in all areas, but she’s best known for promoting the troubadours and romance writers (Lindenmuth, 2005, p.1). Eleanor herself greatly contributed to the rules of courtly love (Au, p.1), whose key features became humility, courtesy, and adultery (Delahoyde, Courtly Love, p.1), but her main contributions to literature were indirect.
As the wife of a popular United States president, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was born in New York City, October 11, 1884, and died November 7, 1962. She was an active worker for social causes. She was the niece of President Theodore Roosevelt, and was raised by her maternal grandmother after the premature death of her parents. In 1905 she married her cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt. They had six children, but one of them died in infancy. Although she was extremely shy, Eleanor worked hard and became a well known and admired humanitarian. (Webster III, 100).
Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1884 in New York, New York. While her parent were alive she lived in Italy with them. He father was Elliot Roosevelt, he was a junior partner at a real estate firm. He had alcohol and narcotic issues. Her mother was Anna Rebecca Hall, she was a popular debutante and elite figure. She died when Eleanor was almost 10 and Eleanor was an orphan until she was given to her maternal grandmother. Eleanor Roosevelt was the oldest of her siblings, Elliot and Gracie Hall Roosevelt. Growing up she received private tutoring since she was wealthy. She was taught grammar, arithmetic, literature and poetry. Later, she was also taught German, French, Italian, composition, music, drawing, painting and dance. Although she was not taught on subjects like politics and history, geography and philosophy, her instructor informed her a limitedly exposed her to it. She was raised as Episcopalian, and she kept that as her religious affiliation. This religion is a form of Catechism, which is Catholic, which is the religion that most people were during the time she lived. When she was about 20 years old, instead of returning to the United States from England where she received her schooling but she became involved in the social reform movement during the Progressive Era. After a while, she moved to New York and became a teacher. She was 20 when she married Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was 22. They got married on March 17, 1905. They had one daughter and five sons. They were fifth cousins once removed. After she got married, she fulfilled her duties as a wife and a mother...
As the poems of Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight show, women have always had power, yet not as overt a power as wielded by their masculine counterparts. The only dynamic of women’s power that has changed in the later centuries is that the confines and conditions in which women have wielded their power has become more lax, thus yielding to women more freedom in the expression of their power. The structure, imagery, and theme in the excerpts from Beowulf (lines 744-71) and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (lines 2309-30) support the concept of more power in the later centuries, by contrasting the restriction of Wealhtheow and the power she practices in Beowulf with the Lady’s more direct assertion of power in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight five centuries later.
Eleanor was the eldest of three offspring of William X, the Duke of Aquitaine and Count of Poitiers (also one of the first Troubadours poets) and Eleanor Chatelleraul de Rochefourcaulb. As a child, Eleanor was educated in subjects girls were not supposed to learn. For example, she learned how to read and was educated in Latin, and she learned to ride a horse at a very young age. Her only brother died as a child, thus making Eleanor their father's heir. When Eleanor was 15 years old, William died and Eleanor became the Duchess of Aquitaine. She married Louis VII, the future king of France , a few months later.
Like many other women of her time Eleanor came from a long line of noble and royal blood. Her lineage can be traced back to the earliest kings of both England and France.(follow link to take a look at Eleanor’s very long family tree http://www.my-ged.com/db/page/scokin/12251) Her father William X was the son of France’s first troubadour, William IX and Eleanor’s early life was saturated with culture and learning. The court of her father and grandfather was thought to be the main culture center of the time. At age 15, with her father’s passing, Eleanor became the sole heiress and ruler of the largest duchy in France – Aquitane. Eleanor was then betrothed to Louis VII of France in order to unite their vast territories. In fifteen years however, Eleanor’s marriage and queenship were over. The pope on the pretext of close kinship ties annulled her unhappy marriage to Louis. At age 30 Eleanor had given up her throne and her daughters and returned to Aquitane to rule. Within a few years Eleanor was married to Henry Plantengent, the Duke of Normandy and ruler of the second most powerful duchy in France (second to her own Aquitane). In 1154 Henry was crowned King of England and Eleanor was now Queen of England, duchess of Aquitane and duchess of Normandy. Eleanor and Henry had eight children together, including Richard the Lionheart and John. In 1173, afte...
Eleanor became Duchess of Aquitaine, making her one of the most sought after women in Europe, at the time. When Eleanor was about 15, in 1137, she met King Louis VII of France. They married soon after, on July 25, 1137, in the Cathedral of Saint-Andrè, in Bordeaux, France. They were married by the Archbishop of Bordeaux. After Eleanor married Louis, they were immediately named the Duke and Duchess of Aquitaine, giving Eleanor more power and recognition than she had ever received before. As a wedding gift, Eleanor gave Louis a crystal vase, which is the only surviving artifact that belonged to Eleanor. Soon after the two had married, Louis VI, the father of Louis VII, died of dysentery. This made Louis VII the new king of France, and Eleanor the new queen of
Eleanor was born in Southern France, in year 1122. She was born into wealth, well educated by her father, William X, Duke of Aquitaine, thoroughly versed in literature, philosophy, and languages. Eleanor wasn’t only intellectual but an avid horse rider and by far one of the most eligible single young woman in Europe. Eleanor’s father was the Duke of Aquitaine and her mother Aénor of Châtellerault who died in 1130 when Eleanor was 8 years old, Eleanor was the eldest daughter of William and had 1 sister, Petronilla of Aquitaine, and 1 half brother, William Aigret
In the 16th century a king was required to preserve order within his kingdom by giving justice to his people and to ride into battle to defend its borders against external threat. This job was roughly not created for women.
Christine de Pizan is a woman who experienced multiple societal roles throughout the late Medieval and Renaissance time period. She made a living from her writing concerning the debate over misogyny. Pizan’s handbook The Treasure of the City of Ladies serves as a behavior manual for women during the medieval era of harsh realities (Dufrense, 1995). Women are seen as inferior to men, with limited roles such as mothers, daughters, wives, nuns, or prostitutes (Dufrense, 1995). Hierarchies of society are divided into three classes: clergy, nobility, and peasantry. Pizan educated all women of this time, from those with power and authority to the poorest peasant women (Dufrense, 1995). The same societal concerns can be applied to influential women today, specifically Hillary Clinton’s behavior in the media following her email scandal. A comparative analysis of Pizan’s behavioral guidelines to Hilary Clinton’s actions will determine if wealthy women of the 21st century are still following the advice from The Treasure of the City of Ladies.
Queen Elizabeth I, also known as the “Iron Queen”, was a remarkable woman of her time, she ruled with great power and longevity. She was one of the greatest feminist of time. Coming to the throne in 1558, she took the place of her father, Henry VIII. She was given one of the most difficult jobs fit for a man or King, ruling England. At the time women were second class citizens, they could not vote nor own properties and such. Surprising England with her intelligence and fierce rulings, she changed herself to make better decisions. She proved through her rulings, to everyone that females were strong and could rule just as well as a king. She refused to marry, giving a feeling of “I don’t need a man for anything.” The Queen was responsible for giving females a voice in literature and it is shown through Shakespeare’s writings.
A huge obstacle that women only in the near past have been able to conquer is their status in society. Women today have the freedom to take up any profession they desire, attend any school they desire, and most importantly marry anyone they desire. In the 16th-18th centuries, the time of the Renaissance, rebirth, and discovery of grand new worlds, women possessed the status of children in many ways; women were considered minors dependent on their fathers until marriage when that dependency transferred to their husbands. They could not own land, they could not be educated, and they most importantly could not marry whom they chose. The poor could possibly marry for love, but the new wealthy merchant class and the nobility married for political reasons: to increase the fortunes of husbands, for women to enter nobility, or vise versa. This reasoning affected every facet of women’s lives. One of the most important women it affected was Queen Elizabeth I. However, it affected her in a less direct way, as she did not have a father arranging a marriage for her.
At the Battle of Bore Health, Richard defeated an army that Margaret organized. Margaret was Henry’s wife and still continued at attempting to gain the throne back for him. Again in 1459, Margaret and Henry gained an army of substantial size to face Richard. During the battle of Ludford Bridge, they drove Richard and his forces back, but Richard was not done harassing Henry and Margaret or their only son. In 1460, Warwick, who allied himself with Richard, forced Henry and Margaret to leave the country once more. Richard named himself Henry’s successor in which Henry agreed to as long as Henry was allowed to hold the throne until he died. Margaret did not like the idea of this because they had a son and raised another army. At the Battle of Wakefield, Richard wanted to settle this once and for all but he was murdered during the battle, his head being cut off. Richard’s son became king and in 1461, Edward confronted the Lancastrian army at the Battle of Towton and the York army prevailed forcing Henry, Margaret, and their son to flee the country. In 1470, Margaret out maneuvered Edward thus allowing henry to gain the throne once again, although this was not the last of Edward. He was able to muster an army and attacked the family, resulting in their only son being murdered and the couple being captured for the last time. In 1471, Henry died, and 11 years later Margaret died as well. When King Edward
Women of the early middle ages had some control over their fates but were never considered rulers in their own right or even as temporary regents. During the 12th century this concept began to change as the ideology of rulership changed to incorporate a greater emphasis on royal lineage and royal blood. Women from this point were at least considered possible claimants to a throne through their royal lineage, although they would never be considered before male heir with the same rank in the line of succession, such as a brother, even a younger one. It was only through accidents of fate that the world was introduced to the reality of capable female rulers; women rising to positions of power as Regent through the deaths of husband or rising to the position as heir apparent due to the lack of male heirs of equal succession status. Neither situation deliberately favored a woman over a male for a position of power but they did allow the precedent to be set that women were in fact capable of ruling. Although there was never a great call for any woman to take a throne over a man, there was a gradual acceptance of female rulers, starting in the 12th century and carrying on to the 16th. Men accepted that women could be capable but they never fully accepted them as women, more as women playing the role of a
During medieval times when “Lanval”, “The Wife’s Lament”, and “The Wife of Bath” were written, men held power and women were primarily excluded from the position of authority and making decisions. Women were primarily constrained to the well-being of the home and the role of being a wife, and thus they are rarely ever given a voice. As time progresses, the traditional roles of women and the presence of their voices begin to change. The circa of Arthurian myths began to demonstrate courtesy to women, and as a result, literature works about women and composed by women began to popularize.