Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine was a whole new breed of woman. She married, lavishly loved, ruled two countries and was her own woman, all from a young age. As a queen and mother of many, both biologically and to her people, she set examples of early independence of women by standing out among a world ruled by man. Since birth, her father and grandfather were humungous influences in her everyday life. Her father was William X, Duke of Aquitaine and her grandfather was the infamous William IX, otherwise known as William the Troubadour. Her grandfather is known for his poetry, singing and entertainment, giving him the title as the earliest known Troubadour. Her mother, Aenor de Châtellerault, dying when Eleanor was just eight years old, was a big behavioral enforcer when Eleanor was young. Yet, once her mother died, Eleanor and her sister Petronilla had little restrictions in their young lives. Around the time her mother died, they had many activities passing throughout their exciting childhood. Sewing, playing instruments, singing and dancing, embroidering and even horseback riding, which was typically a boy’s pastime, was done often. She would go on tours with her father, which consisted of traveling around the duchy of Aquitaine, greeting the citizens of their beloved duchy, and delivering good will and good services. Though it was unusual of women to be famous at the time, little Eleanor was more than loved by all who inhabited Aquitaine. The entertainment and personality of her grandfather, and her close relationship with her father, as well as the liveliness that the throne radiated throughout the duchy and in her childhood, contributed to her outgoing, outspoken personality, which was very taken note of though all of her life... ... middle of paper ... ...l and royal stance for women. She was the first of her kind and will never be forgotten or understated. She is The Eleanor of Aquitaine, the mother of the French and English people and the feminine role model for the ages. Works Cited Davis, Mary Lee. “Eleanor of Aquitaine- Queen of France, Queen of England” Women Who Changed History: Five Famous Queens of Europe. Lerner Publications Company, 1975. 7-23. Print. Brooks, Polly Schoyer. Queen Eleanor, Independent Spirit of the Medieval World. 1983. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1983. Print. “Female Hero: Eleanor of Aquitaine (Women in World History Curriculum). “Women In World History Curriculum. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Feb. 2014 “BBC- History- Eleanor of Aquitaine.” BBC- Homepage. N.p., n.d. 9 Feb. 2014 “Eleanor of Aquitaine: Queen” eHistory at OSU/ Welcome to eHistory. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Feb. 2014
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
...s were introduced. American women are truly lucky to have had Abigail Adams. Abigail Adams' efforts have given education for females. Charles W. Akers, the author of Abigail Adams an American Women, as well as I believe that if Abigail hadn't spoken out on these subjects, who else would have? Even though she did not accomplish her crusades, she planted the idea of her goal and objective into other minds. For her courageous foresight, women now have equal rights. Abigail was a talented letter writer, a supporter of her husband in his long civic career, and the mother of the most significant family dynasty in American public life. Abigail Smith Adams was the first fully liberated woman in American history and an inspiration to women for generations to come.
B. Joan of Arc women, but have you ever read about a female general who led her troops against the enem and won? There are not many of them, and in medieval Europe there was only one loan of Arc, who was she? And how did it happen that a young girl who never learned to read and write became a general? At that time there were many wars between England and France to decide who should rule France. In i428 the English had almost won and there seemed to be no hope for the French. Then something strange happened. A 17-year-old girl came to the French King Charles VII and told him that she had been sent by God to drive the English out of France and to see him crowned. The girl was loan of Arc Joan of Arc is one of the most romantic figures
As child, Margaret was raised primarily by her mother and grandmother; her father had been taken hostage in Dijon, Burgundy when she was only a few years old. With her mother in charge of her education, Margaret was able to study with the same tutors who taught her brothers until the age of fift...
She argued and fought for all women to have access and with it freedom to choose when and or if they wanted to be mothers.
Another social matter in which she was concerned about was the treatment of the Jewish. The idea of Hitler wanting to exterminate all Jewish people brought up strong emotions in Eleanor. Her compassion towards the survivors of those concentration camps and gas chambers, made her take part in a memorial service of protest about it. She did what she could to help the survivors of the holocaust escape death, including getting visas for the refugees who managed to get to Spain and Portugal. The issuance of visas to children was another thing that she tried to do to help the younger people escape the violence...
paved the way for religious freedom. She was a great leader in the cause for
Abigail achieved many goals throughout her life and it was because of this that led her to be a Revolutionary women. Her ability to overcome literacy issues, the sacrifices she took for her husband, and the strength to “borne their five children” alone and raise them to be independent and successful. It was because of these events that made Abigail Adams a respected woman in the light of the colonies.
Thiebaux, Marcelle. The Writings of Medieval Women: An Anthology. New York: Garland Publishing. 1994. Print.
To start off, Eleanor was a reclusive person did not speak to anybody and was alone. As Jackson wrote “she had spent so long alone, with no one to love, that it was difficult to talk, even casually,..”(3). The thing about eleanor is that she had always hoped for a way out. She wanted freedom. So she imagined
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...
Marie Antoinette wrongfully suffered for many years under the pressures of court and the subjects under the crown. She redeemed herself from the immature spending and luxury of her earlier years by serving as a loving wife, mother and ruler later on. Despite her situation, she remained a fair, brave and respectable queen and should be remembered for her courageous acts in a time of revolutionary change.
Our protagonist, Eleanor, is nurturing, attentive, and full of love. She states she is drawn to weaknesses in her husband, and frequently shows that she enjoys simply loving and looking out for others. Protective and strong, she the perfect example of a good mother.
Though quiet, sickly, and shy, Abigail Adams, the wife of second president John Adams, helped plant the seeds that eventually led to the concept of women¹s rights and women¹s equality with men. For a country which had been founded on the idea of independence for all, these concepts were still considered radical and even ridiculous.