Eleanor of Aquitaine was born in 1122 in Aquitaine to William X and Aenor of Chatellerault. During her time she was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women alive. She was crowned the queen of France on December 25, 1137, just fifteen years old. She was married to King Louis VII. Eleanor was said to have been very energetic and had a passion for hunting and poetry. She participated in the Second Crusade; she and 300 ladies and female servants dressed in armor and carried lances, despite not having done any fighting. She and Louis argued over how to fight the Crusade and Eleanor announced that she and Louis’ marriage was not valid in God’s eyes due to possibly being related through some family connections. However, Eleanor was still forced to carry on with Louis’ plans to reach Jerusalem rather than just recapture Edessa. The Second Crusade failed. Her marriage to Louis was annulled in 1152. Eleanor had bore him two daughters but no male heir. Because of this their marriage had been strained, and it didn’t help that rumors had been spreading of Eleanor having an affair with a fam...
While Eleanor was married to King Louis VII, Louis and Eleanor joined the second crusade and met up with Eleanor’s handsome uncle Raymond (Au, p.1). Louis began to notice Eleanor growing closer to Raymond (Au, p.1), so he forced her to go along with him to capture the Holy Land in Jerusalem, fearing an eventual love affair (Au, p.1). After the failed trip to Jerusalem, the pair went back to France, where Eleanor fell out of love with her husband. Even though the pope forbade them from dissolving the marriage (Goodman, 2013, p.3), she still found a way to divorce Louis, announcing that her marriage couldn’t be legal in God’s eyes since they were cousins (Au, p.1). Their marriage was annulled, and all of Eleanor’s property was then returned to her following medieval custom (Au, p.1). Hildegard of Bingen was the complete opposite in terms of how she went about achieving her goals, holding a religious authority’s opinion in the highest respect. Since Hildegard was especially concerned about sharing her visions because she lived in a period when the Church was torn apart by heresy, she didn’t want to do anything to label herself as a heretic (Hildegard of Bingen, 2015, p.1). With the permission of the abbot of St. Disibod, Hildegard began to write her vision down (Ferrante, 2014, p.1). Before she published it, it was approved by a papal commission named by Pope Eugene III, at the instigation of her archbishop, Henry of Mainz (Ferrante, 2014, p.1), and with support of Bernard of Clairvaux, who she had written to for advice (Delahoyde, Hildegard of Bingen, p.1). Eleanor always had her eye on the future, and didn’t allow her bad marriage with Louis to hold her back from further political influence. Just 2 months after she
Queenie Volupides had an argument with her husband the night of his death and went to the country club. At 1 am she left the country club and invited her friends over for another drink. Queenie’s friends got there 10 minutes after she did. She claimed that Arthur fell down the stairs going to get another drink. The autopsy report showed that Author died from a wound in the back of his head, and that he was drunk. I believe that
The multiple marriages, assassination of Alfonso of Aragon, and charges of incest within her family.
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...
Matilda of Flanders, the wife of William the Conqueror, was not only one of the most influential medieval Queens of England but the first woman to be crowned and titled Queen of England after the Norman Conquest. Matilda was of illustrious descent: her father, Baldwin V, was the Count of Flanders, and her mother Adela, was a daughter of the King of France. On one side or the other, Matilda was related to most of the royal families of Europe. She found the Abbaye-aux-Dames, paid to have the ship, the Mora, built, and most importantly, helped rule a powerful kingdom. She bore William eleven children including two kings, William II and Henry I. Any woman given the task to be a Queen knows they will have many responsibilities but not many could do what Matilda of Flanders did.
Madame de Pompadour may have only been chief mistress of the king of France, but she was most definitely a queen. Although she was common born, she could play the clavichord, was well learned in many arts, had a thirst for literature that lasted all her life, and seduced the king. She was admired by many, and thought to be beautiful and charming as well as extremely intelligent. Among her friends were intellectuals such as Voltaire, and the queen of France, despite her being a bourgeois mistress, and a rather different one at that.
Joan of Arc is perhaps one of the most well-known and influential women in Western history. Arthur Conan Doyle argued that “Next to the Christ the highest spiritual being of whom we have any exact record upon this earth is the girl Jeanne" (Denis 5). Her fearlessness and devotion to God has been praised by iconic figures such as Winston Churchill, Pope Benedict XVI and Mark Twain. Her accomplishments are immortalized in history books, art and pop culture. Unlike any other, Joan stands as a feminist leader and an inspiration to all Christians.
Cleopatra's family were the rulers of Egypt for more than 100 years before she was born around 69 B.C. The stories and myths surrounding Cleopatra's life inspired people to write a number of books, movies and plays, including Antony and Cleopatra by Shakespeare. Cleopatra has become one of the most well known ancient Egyptians.
Women in 17th century had limited freedom to speak out, also opportunity for the involvement in society. They were strictly taught to maintain the household and be at the command of her husband. Any women that did not follow the criteria of these aspect were looked down upon by society.
“I’m sorry, I did not mean to do it.” These were the last words of historical figure, Marie Antoinette, right before being executed for treason. Being viewed as very scandalous in her day, she lived a very interesting life: making the famous quote, “Let them eat cake,” and being accused of treason.
“I am not afraid… I was born to do this,” confidently stated the brave and courageous Joan of Arc on her feelings of leading an army into battle (Joan of Arc). From being born into an ordinary farming family in northeastern France to becoming canonized a saint, Joan lived a legacy. Her call to life a holy life from God and to lead France into many battles against England show her strong faith and trust in the Lord. The early life, uprising, downfall, and canonization of Joan of Arc are factors that summarize her extraordinary life. Her humility during the good times and her strength during bad times make Joan an admirable woman.
Throughout World War II, there were thousands of victims. Many persecuted were killed or tortured, but some lived to tell their story. Despite only living until she was 15, Anne Frank tried her best to survive in difficult conditions. Her story demonstrates the strength of the human nature when pushed to its limit.
The Renaissance in Europe marked a period of extreme development and improvement that had not ever taken place before on such large scale and would reach as far. Everything during this time was evolving, improving, or changing in some way. Just because of all these enhancements on society occurred does not mean there were not ant struggles, Europeans during this time period encountered many issues and conflicts that would lead to wars. These conflicts fueled by the need for power, the necessity for land, and the desire for religion would redefine the political and social structure of the era.
In the late 16th century England experienced poverty, starvation, increase in population, inequality amongst women and men, and lack of opportunity in the work force. During this time England was torn between two religions, Catholicism and Protestantism. England’s economy was primarily agricultural, workers were tied to their land. Due to the social inequality of the 16th century, women were limited to their rights and men were superior. Women worked in the clothing industry and men worked primarily on the farm. Due to the economic hardships in England, men and women migrated to London for a better life. The nation was under the rule of Queen Elizabeth, who surpassed the restrictions placed on women. This paper explores the shortcomings and hardships experienced in Elizabethan England.
Growing up Anne lived in a very wealthy and happy home. Her father was a very successful man. He owned his own business and provided more than enough for the Frank family. When Anne was born in Frankfurt am Maine, Germany on June 12, 1929 her mom and dad moved to Amsterdam, Germany. (Web. 5 Mar 2014.) Anne was one of many children, with one older sister and two brothers. (Web. 5 Mar 2014.) The Frank family always helped and served Germany whenever they could. (Web. 5 Mar 2014.) During WW1 Anne’s two brothers helped serve in the German army while her mom and older sister volunteered at different hospitals to help the troops. (Web. 5 Mar 2014.)