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The status of medieval women
The Women’s Place in Medieval Society
Middle ages Eleanor of Aquitaine
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Eleanor of Aquitaine was an outstanding woman who lived from 1122 to 1204, contributing greatly to politics and the arts. She was a queen who influenced the face of England and France for centuries to come. Few women of her time were able to maintain control over their personal choices, especially the wealthy, as they were often married off as teenagers. Women were a means for men to achieve greater control over more land. However, Eleanor of Aquitaine had power over her life and decisions because she exercised her independence wisely, was not afraid to stand up to her husbands, and was the only one who could make peace and hold her kingdom together. Women in medieval times had few rights and little control over their own lives; however, …show more content…
She was also so smart that she was the only one deemed able enough to teach Richard how to lead peacefully (Jones 93). The Queen was released from prison in 1189, and she immediately began to work in the government (Hallam 195). Richard’s younger brother John felt deprived of power because his brother was king, and Eleanor was the only one able to stop him from allying and rebelling against Richard (Jones 119; Hallam 227). She made sure that each of her sons had the power he craved, effectively avoiding conflict (Jones 133). The two brothers to forgave each other at Eleanor’s coercion; no one else had been able to make them do so until this point (Jones 125). When Richard was unable to put down his brother’s rebellion or make peace, Eleanor did it for him, because she was the only one intelligent enough to know how (Jones 119). Richard gave her a place in the English government, and she ruled as regent when he was away (Hallam 195). When acting as regent for Richard, who was on the Third Crusade, Eleanor maintained peaceful relations with everyone and tried to form unlikely alliances (Hallam 226). Few other rulers had attempted to do the same. Richard honored his mother’s wishes, being generous and protecting the forests at her request (Hallam 198), and all of the princes in his kingdom were subject to her, demonstrating her influence (Hallam 195). Eleanor had widespread …show more content…
Eleanor herself led an army against Arthur to secure John’s leadership (Jones 135). She used her authority to persuade Poitiers not to rebel against John and acquired Aquitaine’s support, even though Anjou, Maine, and Touraine, three other major duchies, were for Arthur (Hallam 277). When Arthur tried to claim Plantagenet lands to become more powerful, Eleanor swayed the people to support John, and Arthur was unable to conquer any land (Hallam 262). Without Eleanor, John would not have been able to be king, and Aquitaine and Poitiers would have fallen to their enemy. When the Queen died, John lost his popularity and his most valuable, brightest advisor (Hallam 278). Poitou, Anjou, Maine, and Touraine rebelled against John, because Eleanor, the sole strength behind him, was gone (Hallam 275). Areas under Eleanor’s protection became extremely vulnerable, and John lost control of Eleanor’s most beloved place: Aquitaine (Hallam 275, 277-278). By the end of her life, Eleanor was the only person holding the Angevin empire in place, and no one else was strong enough to rule it without
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.
The Loss of the Throne by Richard III There are many views as to whether Richard III lost his throne, or if it was a mainly Tudor advance which secured it. Overall I think that Henry Tudor did not actively gain the throne decisively, in fact Richard III lost it from making key mistakes throughout his reign, and at Bosworth. Richard weakened his grasp on the throne by indulging in a vast plantations policy which gave too much power to Northerners and inevitably made him dependant on these few. The fact that Northerners were given such a huge dependence enraged the South, and rid Richard of many possible backers during a war. Richard had also been so determined to suppress any rebellions and secure Henry Tudors downfall that he spent vast National funds on these ventures.
That being said, women were extremely limited in their role in society. First of all, women were expected to be homemakers. By homemaker, I mean the women w... ... middle of paper ... ...ay."
...e over who should be the next king, John, or Eleanor's grandson, Arthur of Brittany. Eleanor helped defeat Arthur to help John to become the new King of England. Eleanor then started to take a less active political role and retired to Fontevrault Abbey. She died around 1204 at the age of 82 and was buried next to Richard's tomb.
Elizabeth inherited a tattered realm: dissension between Catholics and Protestants tore at the very foundation of society; the royal treasury had been bled dry by Mary and her advisors, Mary's loss of Calais left England with no continental possessions for the first time since the arrival of the Normans in 1066 and many (mainly Catholics) doubted Elizabeth's claim to the throne. Continental affairs added to the problems - France had a strong footland in Scotland, and Spain, the strongest western nation at the time, posed a threat to the security of the realm. Elizabeth proved most calm and calculating (even though she had a horrendous temper) in her political acumen, employing capable and distinguished men to carrying out royal prerogative.
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...
Women in the Elizabethan era were presented as very obedient to their husbands and respectful to them also. They had no power and no say, they were treated badly and nothing would be done to stop the behaviour. In modern society most women have as much say as the men, they are not expected to stay at home and clean etc, and instead they go to work as well. Some women are like Katherina before she was supposedly tamed, very out spoken, yet inequality still exists.
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.
Eleanor of Aquitaine Eleanor of Aquitaine is viewed as an influential figure of the Middle Ages for her role as queen of France, then England. She married Louis VII then Henry II successively and because of this, she was a very wealthy woman. This was also because her father, William X, left the Duchy of Aquitaine to her. This means I will prove that Eleanor of Aquitaine is not an important person in history. Eleanor only gained power because of other people, not because she necessarily deserved it.
For the first time in very long, Eleanor of Aquitaine was defeated and lost power, a phenomenon which she was not used to. Though in the past Henry II and others held great respect for Eleanor, now, because of the revolt, they had lost hope in her and resented her actions (Peter of Blois: Letter 154 to Queen Eleanor, 1173). Even though she was taken prisoner after her loss, she still was surrounded by many luxuries. Eleanor was held at Salisbury Castle and never spent time in a real prison. She was allowed out on occasion to attend public ceremonies with Henry II and keep up her appearances (Eleanor, Historic World leaders). Though resentful, her light treatment after trying to take down her husband was due to her husband’s past love for her, a love that transcended a coup attempt. Once again, Eleanor’s charisma and personality saved
The Middle Ages were not a fair time period, with power being distributed via the feudal system amongst nobles. Consequently, many groups did not benefit from this type of leadership. One of these groups were the women at the time. Although nowadays women have as much right as anybody in most places due to gender equality laws, it was very different back then. Thought of as nothing more than the property of their fathers or husbands, they were often neglected and ignored by most of society for their supposed stupidity. Even noble women did not have much power, having to rely on their spouses for it. Despite such restrictions, there were still some that were able to show through the veil of darkness. One such individual was Eleanor of Aquitaine,
Elizabeth I will always be remembered as a ruler who always supported her people. She provided stability and consistency to her country. She helped her country through political and religious challenges, and the arts grew during this time with all of her support.
Queen Elizabeth I was the strongest monarch in English history. Throughout her reign she proved that she really did care about her country and the people in it. She successful in keeping the country together and safe, as many before her had failed to do. Even after four-hundred years, the people of England still love and remember her.
The roles of women was an issue in medieval times and in The Canterbury Tales. In A Knight 's Tale, the women were portrayed as objects. To men they didn 't mean much. Women for them were there to help only when needed and didn 't hold an important role in society. Women were treated differently and had not much of importance.
When she was 15, she married Louis VII, the heir of the French throne. When she couldn’t give him a male child, King Louis VII ended the marriage. She regained Aquitaine. Soon after she married Henry II, king of England. When they got married, Henry II had more land in France then the king of France did. Although Henry II did own a lot of land, he did some things that did not make the archbishop Thomas Becket unhappy. He didn’t like how Henry II made priests under the authority of the royal