Jeanette Richardson, age 16, of Casper, Wyo., for her question:
WHO WAS ELEANOR OF AQUITAINE?
Eleanor of Aquitaine is the name of a colorful member of European royalty from the Middle Ages. Two of her husbands were kings, making her a two time queen consort, and two of her 10 children became kings.
Eleanor was born a duchess in southwestern France in 1122, the daughter of Duke William X of Aquitaine. As was the custom in those days, her father arranged for her to be married when she was just 15 years old. Her husband was a prince who became King Louis VII of France a month after the wedding.
Those were the days of the crusades. After one to the Holy Land by both the king and the queen that had been disappointing because it was poorly planned, the marriage was terminated with a divorce. Another factor in the split was that only two daughters had been born during the 15 year marriage, meaning the king did not have a male heir.
Very soon Eleanor married again. Her new husband was Henry Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, whom she had met in the French royal court. In 1554, two years after the wedding and when Eleanor was 32 years old, her husband was crowned King Henry II of England. He became the first of the Angevin kings of England.
There was a rebellion against King Henry in 1172 which Eleanor joined, along with her favorite of their eight children, Richard the Lion Hearted. The revolt didn't work, and as punishment for her part in the event, Eleanor was kept under guard by the king except when he wanted her to appear at public ceremonies.
Sixteen years later, Henry died and Richard the Lion Hearted was crowned the king of England. Eleanor then ruled the country wisely for a time when Richard went on a new Holy Land crusade.
When King Richard was held captive by Leonard of Austria, Eleanor raised ransom money for his release. Later, when Richard died, Eleanor's youngest son, John, was crowned King of England.
Eleanor helped her son John during a war that England fought against Arthur of Brittany.
In 1202, when she was 80, Eleanor retired to an abbey at Fontevrault, France. She died two years later and, as she had requested, was buried in nun robes next to her son Richard.
An interesting story involves Eleanor's two sons who became kings.
When Richard was on the Third Crusade, John conspired against his brother the king. But Eleanor learned of the plot and put as end to it. As soon as Richard returned to England, Eleanor arranged a reconciliation between the two brothers.
Eleanor continued to be actively involved in ail sorts of public and social affairs until she retired.