Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the most powerful and glamorous women of the 12th century, the Queen of two major European powers, France and England, was famous for her dramatic romantic choices that constantly reshaped the map of medieval Europe, and was defined by defiance, political turbulence, and scandal. Galloping off on crusade dressed as an Amazon and allegedly sleeping with her own uncle, supporting an illicit revolt, and holding courts of love in Poitiers, scandalously marrying the young Duke of Normandy, 11-years junior to her, after having allegedly slept with his father, she went on to live a life that ran the gamut from inspirational and groundbreaking to heartrending and utterly tragic. Her power was both a threat and a desire to the surrounding men, making her a target for multiple kidnapping attempts, while jealousy from her counterparts made her the subject of a number of derogatory comments, which described Eleanor as an evildoer, a she-wolf and a demon-queen. Nevertheless, despite everything, Eleanor remained a strong and independent leader with her influence spanning countries and lifetimes.

Eleanor of Aquitaine was, without doubt, one of the most charismatic, accomplished and powerful women of medieval Europe, and unlike any other woman of her time, because she was the progenitor for almost the entire royal houses of Europe. Born in Bordeaux in France in around 1122 AD, she was the eldest child and heiress of William X, duke of Aquitaine and count of Poitiers, possessing one of the largest domains in France, even larger than those held by the French king. She lost her mother at an early age, and after the death of William X in 1137, she became the sole heir to her father’s fortune. Being an orphan and only fifteen years of age, a marriage was arranged for her, and on 25 July 1137, she was married to Louis VII, who succeeded his father, Louis VI, the following month, making Eleanor the queen of France, a title she held for the next 15 years.

Louis VII was never meant to be a king. As he received a strict clerical education intended for the church rather than the throne, he developed a deeply pious demeanour and austere habits, which led Eleanor to famously complain that she had married a monk rather than a king. On the other hand, adored by Louis for her beauty and intelligence, she could exert considerable influence over him, often goading him into undertaking perilous ventures. During the Second Crusade that took place between 1147 and 1149, fought between European Christian forces led by the kings of France and Germany and various Muslim forces, to protect the fragile Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem and to re-capture the County of Edessa from the grip of the Muslims, Eleanor insisted on going with him, and ultimately accompanied Louis with her own personal army from her lands of Aquitaine, comprising close to 300 women, or Amazons, which was frowned upon by many, especially since the women were known to have worn armour and carried lances. However, although the goal of the Crusade was to reach Jerusalem, Eleanor thought that to be a less attainable objective, and instead of tending to the wounded, as she said earlier, rode through Antioch and found herself once again reunited with her uncle Raymond, who also maintained that Edessa would be a much greater strategic goal for protecting the Western front in the Holy Land. The claim combines a medieval rumour about Eleanor having an affair with her uncle and sleeping with him during the Crusade, with the later historical fact that she supported her sons in their 1173–1174 revolt against her second husband, King Henry II. However, modern historians view the alleged incestuous affair as an unproven smear rather than established fact, and the two events occurred decades apart. Nevertheless, Eleanor’s action of deserting the war aroused the wrath and jealousy of Louis and marked the beginning of their estrangement.

Unfortunately, the crusade was a disaster for Louis, and after being defeated at Damascus, Louis and the reluctant Eleanor returned to Paris. Although Eleanor bore him their second child, another daughter, their marriage was officially annulled on March 21, 1152, after 15 years together, due to a lack of a male heir and deep personal and cultural friction, using a blood relationship as the legal excuse, as Eleanor alleged that they were in fact fourth cousins and the church would not allow their marriage to continue. Their two daughters, Marie and Alix, were declared legitimate, and Louis was awarded their custody as per the custom and law, while Eleanor regained possession of Aquitaine, according to feudal customs. However, strangely enough, just eight weeks after her marriage to French King Louis VII was annulled, Eleanor of Aquitaine scandalously married Henry Plantagenet, the young Duke of Normandy, after allegedly having slept with his father, Geoffrey Plantagenet, the Count of Anjou, although historical evidence confirming this relationship does not exist. Nevertheless, in 1154, Henry Plantagenet became Henry II, the King of England, while Eleanor of Aquitaine became the queen, and the couple had eight children together, including two future kings of England, Richard I, famously known in history as Richard the Lionheart, and John I.

During her childbearing years, Eleanor of Aquitaine participated actively in the administration of the realm and even more actively in the management of her own domains, and established a vibrant cultural centre in Poitiers, famously known as Courts of love, where noblewomen allegedly judged romantic dilemmas and shaped the medieval code of chivalry and courtly love. However, Henry was never the most loyal of husbands, and Eleanor, 11 years her husband’s senior, had long resented his infidelities. With his infidelity came a secret hostility from Eleanor, and she conspired behind his back with her sons to rebel and overthrow her husband, their father. However, their plan was foiled, and Eleanor was captured while seeking refuge in the kingdom of her first husband, Louis VII. Her semi-imprisonment in England for sixteen years ended only with the death of Henry II in 1189, when Richard I ascended the throne. She also actively prepared for Richard’s coronation as king, and efficiently acted as regent during Richard's long absences from England and France during his Crusade to the Holy Land. But when John became the next King, she wanted no part of the throne, and retired to Aquitaine to live out the remaining days of her life.

Eleanor of Aquitaine spent most of the rest of her days at the monastery at Fontevrault, Anjou, where she died in 1204, at the age of around 82, leaving behind a legacy for women all over the world, as a symbol of power and elegance, wisdom and intelligence, and one of the most influential people in all of Western Europe. She was more than just a medieval queen; she was a political leader, a patron of the arts, and a key figure in shaping regional influence, with her legacy continuing to impact the Charente-Maritime region to this day. She was beautiful and just, imposing and modest, humble and elegant, but unfortunately, she has been misjudged by many French historians, who have noted only her youthful frivolity, ignoring her tenacity, political wisdom, while the nuns of Fontevrault wrote in their necrology, a queen who surpassed almost all the queens of the world.