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Paternal Family Tree: Poitiers
Maternal Family Tree: Dangereuse Ile Bouchard Viscountess Chatellerault 1079-1151
Descendants Family Tree: Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England 1122-1204
In 1122 Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England was born to William "Saint" Poitiers X Duke Aquitaine (age 23) and Aenor Chatellerault Duchess Aquitaine (age 19).
In Mar 1130 [her mother] Aenor Chatellerault Duchess Aquitaine (age 27) died.
On 09 Apr 1137 [her father] William "Saint" Poitiers X Duke Aquitaine (age 38) died. His daughter Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 15) succeeded XI Duchess Aquitaine.
On 25 Jul 1137 Louis VII King Franks (age 17) and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 15) were married at the by Archbishop Geoffrey of Loroux. Her father William "Saint" Poitiers X Duke Aquitaine had died some three months previously leaving Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England as a ward of Louis's father King Louis VI of France (age 55) who quickly married her to his son Louis with a view to the Duchy of Aquitaine becoming joined with the Kingdom of France. A week later King Louis VI of France died and his son Louis and Eleanor became King and Queen of France. She the daughter of William "Saint" Poitiers X Duke Aquitaine and Aenor Chatellerault Duchess Aquitaine. He the son of King Louis VI of France and Adelaide Savoy Queen Consort France. They were fourth cousins.
Eleanor gave Louis a rock-crystal vase as a wedding gift which he subsequently gave to Abbot Suger of Saint-Denis. The vase is no in the Louvre.
Crystal vase, 'of Eleanor'. Crystal: Iran (?), 6th-7th century (?). Mounting: Saint-Denis, before 1147; 13th and 14th centuries. Rock crystal, nielloed and gilded silver, precious stones, pearls, champlevé enamels on silver. Originating from the treasury of the Abbey of Saint-Denis. Inscription: "+ HOC VAS SPONSA DEDIT A(ie)NOR-REGI LUDOVICO MITADOL(us) AVO MIHI REX S(an)C(tis)Q(ue) SUGER(ius)" (This vase, Eleanor, his spouse, gave it to King Louis, Mitadolus to his ancestor, the king to me, Suger, who have offered it to the saints).
Vase de cristal, "d’Aliénor". Cristal: Iran (?), VI-VII siécle (?). Monture: Saint-Denis, avant 1147; XIII et XIV siécles. Cristal de roche, argent niellé et doré, pierres pécieuses, perles, émaux champlevés sur argent Provient du trésor de I'abbaye de Saint-Denis. Inscription: "+ HOC VAS SPONSA DEDIT A(ie)NOR-REGI LUDOVICO MITADOL(us) AVO MIHI REX S(an)C(tis)Q(ue) SUGER(ius)". (ce vase, Aliénor, son épouse, l'a donné au roi Lous, Mitadolus a son aïeul, le roi à moi, Suger, qui l'ai offert aux saints).
Archbishop Geoffrey of Loroux: In 1137 he was appointed Archbishop of Bordeaux. On 18 Jul 1155 he died.
William "Saint" Poitiers X Duke Aquitaine: William "Saint" Poitiers X Duke Aquitaine and Aenor Chatellerault Duchess Aquitaine were married. She by marriage Duchess Aquitaine. He the son of William "Troubadour" Poitiers IX Duke Aquitaine and Philippa Rouerge Duchess Aquitaine. In 1099 he was born to William "Troubadour" Poitiers IX Duke Aquitaine and Philippa Rouerge Duchess Aquitaine at Toulose. On 10 Feb 1127 William "Troubadour" Poitiers IX Duke Aquitaine died. His son William "Saint" Poitiers X Duke Aquitaine succeeded X Duke Aquitaine. On 09 Apr 1137 William "Saint" Poitiers X Duke Aquitaine died. His daughter Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England succeeded XI Duchess Aquitaine.
On 01 Aug 1137 [her father-in-law] King Louis VI of France (age 55) died of dysentery. His son [her husband] Louis VII King Franks (age 17) succeeded VII King of the Franks. Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 15) by marriage Queen Consort Franks.
On 25 Dec 1137 Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 15) was crowned Queen Consort Franks.
In 1139 [her brother-in-law] Robert "Great" Capet I Count Dreux (age 16) and Agnes Garlande Countess Dreux (age 22) were married. She by marriage Countess Dreux. He the son of [her father-in-law] King Louis VI of France and [her mother-in-law] Adelaide Savoy Queen Consort France.
In 1145 [her brother-in-law] Robert "Great" Capet I Count Dreux (age 22) and Hawise Salisbury Countess Dreux (age 27) were married. She by marriage Countess Dreux. He the son of [her father-in-law] King Louis VI of France and [her mother-in-law] Adelaide Savoy Queen Consort France.
In 1145 [her daughter] Marie Capet Countess Champagne was born to [her husband] Louis VII King Franks (age 25) and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 23).
In 1148 Eustace Blois IV Count Boulogne (age 18) and [her sister-in-law] Constance Capet Countess Boulogne and Toulose (age 20) were married. She by marriage Countess Boulogne. She the daughter of [her father-in-law] King Louis VI of France and [her mother-in-law] Adelaide Savoy Queen Consort France. He the son of King Stephen I England (age 54) and Matilda Flanders (age 43). They were third cousin once removed.
In Jul 1150 [her daughter] Alix Capet Countess Blois was born to [her husband] Louis VII King Franks (age 30) and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 28).
In 1152 [her brother-in-law] Robert "Great" Capet I Count Dreux (age 29) and Agnes Baudemont Countess Dreux (age 22) were married. She by marriage Countess Dreux. He the son of [her father-in-law] King Louis VI of France and [her mother-in-law] Adelaide Savoy Queen Consort France.
On 21 Mar 1152 the marriage of Louis VII King Franks (age 32) and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 30) was dissolved by Hugh Toucy Archbishop of Sens at the Château de Beaugency on the grounds of consanguinity. Both Louis and Eleanor were present as were the Archbishops of Rouen and Bordeaux. Samson Mauvoison Archbishop of Reims acted on behalf of Eleanor. In dissolving the marriage Louis lost control of the Duchy of Aquitaine which was to have far reaching consequences for the next three centuries.
After 21 Mar 1152 [her future son-in-law] Theobald "Good" Blois V Count Blois (age 22) attempted to abduct Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 30) from Blois. She fled in the middle of the night taking a barge to Tours.
Around 26 Mar 1152 [her future brother-in-law] Geoffrey Plantagenet Count Nantes (age 17) attempted to abduct Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 30) from Port de Piles, Vienne where she intended to cross the River Creuse. Once again Eleanor escaped.
On 18 May 1152 Whit Sunday King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 19) and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 30) were married at Poitiers Cathedral [Map]. They were more closely related than Eleanor and her previous husband Louis VII King Franks (age 32). The marriage would bring the Kingdom of England, and the Duchies of Normandy and Aquitaine under the control of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England. She the daughter of William "Saint" Poitiers X Duke Aquitaine and Aenor Chatellerault Duchess Aquitaine. He the son of Geoffrey Plantagenet Duke Normandy and Empress Matilda (age 50). They were half third cousins. He a grandson of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.
Around 05 Jun 1152 Eleanor of Aquitaine (age 30) visited Fontevraud Abbey [Map] where she met Abbess Matilda (age 41) (her husband's [her husband] Henry's (age 19) aunt by marriage - Abbess Matilda had married William Adelin brother of his mother [her mother-in-law] Empress Matilda (age 50) who had died in the White Ship Disaster).
On 17 Aug 1153 [her son] William Plantagenet IX Count Poitiers was born to [her husband] King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 20) and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 31) at Poitiers [Map].
In 1154 [her former husband] Louis VII King Franks (age 34) and Constance of Castile (age 14) were married in Orléans. Somewhat curiously they were more closely related than Louis VII King Franks and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 32) whose married had been annulled for that reason. The difference in their ages was 20 years. She the daughter of Alfonso VII King Castile VII King Leon (age 48) and Berenguela Barcelona Queen Consort Castile and Leon. He the son of [her former father-in-law] King Louis VI of France and [her former mother-in-law] Adelaide Savoy Queen Consort France. They were second cousins.
Around Mar 1154 [her husband] King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 20) returned to Rouen, France [Map] and met with his mother [her mother-in-law] Empress Matilda (age 52), and his brothers. Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 32) joined them to celebrate Easter with their first son [her son] William Plantagenet IX Count Poitiers who met his father for the first time aged around eight months.
On 07 Dec 1154 [her husband] King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 21), the seven months pregnant Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 32) and their son [her son] William Plantagenet IX Count Poitiers (age 1) left Barfleur for England. On 08 Dec 1154 King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England and his party landed near Southampton, Hampshire [Map].
On 19 Dec 1154 [her husband] King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 21) was crowned II King of England at Westminster Abbey [Map]. Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 32) was crowned Queen Consort England. Archbishop Theobald of Bec (age 64) presided.
On 28 Feb 1155 [her son] Henry the Young King was born to [her husband] King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 21) and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 33) at Bermondsey [Map].
On 06 Jan 1156 [her daughter] Matilda Plantagenet Duchess Saxony was born to [her husband] King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 22) and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 34) at Windsor Castle [Map] (probably) and named after her paternal grandmother [her mother-in-law] Empress Matilda (age 53).
On 10 Jan 1156 [her husband] King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 22) crossed from Dover, Kent [Map] to Wissant [Map]. Richard "The Loyal" Lucy (age 67) was appointed Regent in Henry's absence. Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 34) was placed in the care of Archbishop Theobald of Bec (age 66) and Bishop John of Salisbury (age 38). Her party included her sister [her sister] Petronilla Poitiers (age 31).
Before 29 Aug 1156 [her husband] King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 23) and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 34) were reunited in Saumur [Map].
In Dec 1156 [her husband] King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 23) and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 34) held Christmas in Bordeaux [Map].
Around 30 May 1157 [her husband] King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 24) and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 35) spent Whitsun at Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk [Map] for a ceremonial crown wearing.
On 08 Sep 1157 [her son] King Richard "Lionheart" I of England was born to [her husband] King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 24) and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 35) at Beaumont Palace, Oxfordshire [Map].
In Dec 1157 [her husband] King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 24) and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 35) held Christmas Court at Lincoln, Lincolnshire [Map].
In Dec 1157 [her husband] King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 24) and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 35) held Christmas Court at Cherbourg [Map].
On 23 Sep 1158 [her son] Geoffrey Plantagenet 2nd Duke Brittany was born to [her husband] King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 25) and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 36).
On 29 Dec 1158 Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 36) travelled from Normandy [Map] on board the Esnecca (Snake) with her children [her son] Henry the Young King (age 3) and [her daughter] Matilda Plantagenet Duchess Saxony (age 2) to Southampton, Hampshire [Map]. She then went to Winchester, Hampshire [Map] where she collected funds from the Royal Treasury and returned to Normandy.
On 13 Nov 1160 [her former husband] Louis VII King Franks (age 40) and Adèle Blois were married a month or so after his second wife (deceased) had died in childbirth; Louis needed an heir. She the daughter of Theobald Blois II Count Champagne IV Count Blois and Matilda Carinthia Countess Champagne and Blois. He the son of [her former father-in-law] King Louis VI of France and [her former mother-in-law] Adelaide Savoy Queen Consort France. They were fourth cousins. She a great granddaughter of King William "Conqueror" I of England.
On 13 Oct 1161 [her daughter] Eleanor Plantagenet Queen Consort Castile was born to [her husband] King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 28) and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 39) at Domfront Castle, Domfront named Eleanor after her mother Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England. She was baptised by Cardinal Henry of Pisa with Robert of Torigni as godfather.
In 1164 [her son-in-law] Henry Blois I Count Champagne (age 36) and [her daughter] Marie Capet Countess Champagne (age 19) were married. She by marriage Countess Champagne. She the daughter of [her former husband] Louis VII King Franks (age 44) and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 42). He the son of Theobald Blois II Count Champagne IV Count Blois and Matilda Carinthia Countess Champagne and Blois. They were fourth cousins. He a great grandson of King William "Conqueror" I of England.
In 1164 [her son-in-law] Theobald "Good" Blois V Count Blois (age 34) and [her daughter] Alix Capet Countess Blois (age 13) were married. She by marriage Countess Blois. The difference in their ages was 20 years. She the daughter of [her former husband] Louis VII King Franks (age 44) and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 42). He the son of Theobald Blois II Count Champagne IV Count Blois and Matilda Carinthia Countess Champagne and Blois. They were fourth cousins. He a great grandson of King William "Conqueror" I of England.
In Apr 1164 [her illegitimate brother-in-law] Hamelin Warenne Earl of Surrey (age 35) and Isabella Warenne Countess Boulogne 4th Countess of Surrey (age 27) were married by which Conisbrough Castle [Map] came into his posession. He rebuilt the castle in stone. He by marriage Earl Surrey. She the daughter of William Warenne 3rd Earl of Surrey and Adela Montgomery Countess of Salisbury and Surrey. He the illegitmate son of Geoffrey Plantagenet Duke Normandy and Mistress Unknown.
In Dec 1164 [her husband] King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 31) and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 42) held Christmas Court at Marlborough, Wiltshire [Map].
In Oct 1165 [her daughter] Joan Plantagenet Queen Consort Sicily was born to [her husband] King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 32) and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 43) at Chateau de Angers, Angers.
On 24 Dec 1166 [her son] King John of England was born to [her husband] King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 33) and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 44). He was given the nickname "Sans Terre", aka "without land", or in English "Lackland" as a consequence of his being the youngest son.
On 01 Feb 1168 [her son-in-law] Henry "Lion" Welf XII Duke Saxony III Duke Bavaria (age 39) and [her daughter] Matilda Plantagenet Duchess Saxony (age 12) were married. She by marriage Duchess Bavaria, Duchess Saxony. The difference in their ages was 27 years. She the daughter of [her husband] King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 34) and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 46). He the son of Henry "Proud" Welf X Duke Bavaria and Gertrude Süpplingenburg Duchess Bavaria.
On 27 Mar 1168 Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 46) and her party were ambushed by brothers Guy I King Jerusalem (age 18) and Geoffrey Lusignan (age 18).
Patrick of Salisbury 1st Earl Salisbury (age 46) was killed. His son William of Salisbury 2nd Earl Salisbury (age 18) succeeded 2nd Earl Salisbury.
William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke (age 22) held off the enemy, was wounded and captured whilst Eleanor escaped. Eleanor subsequently paid his ransom.
On 27 Aug 1172 [her son] Henry the Young King (age 17) and [her daughter-in-law] Margaret Capet (age 15) were married at Winchester Cathedral [Map]. Margaret's dowry included the Vexin; the border between France and Normandy. On the same day they were both crowned by Rotrou Newburgh Archbishop of Rouen. She the daughter of [her former husband] Louis VII King Franks (age 52) and Constance of Castile. He the son of [her husband] King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 39) and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 50). They were half fourth cousins.
On 16 Aug 1176 [her former sister-in-law] Constance Capet Countess Boulogne and Toulose (age 48) died.
In Feb 1177 [her son-in-law] William "Good" II King Sicily (age 22) and [her daughter] Joan Plantagenet Queen Consort Sicily (age 11) were married. She by marriage Queen Sicily. She the daughter of [her husband] King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 43) and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 55).
Before 17 Sep 1177 [her son-in-law] Alfonso VIII King Castile (age 21) and [her daughter] Eleanor Plantagenet Queen Consort Castile (age 15) were married. She by marriage Queen Consort Castile. She the daughter of [her husband] King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 44) and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 55). He the son of Sancho III King Castile and Blanche Ramirez Queen Consort Castile. They were half fourth cousins.
On 18 Sep 1180 [her former husband] Louis VII King Franks (age 60) died in Paris [Map]. His son King Philip II of France (age 15) succeeded II King France: Capet.
In Jul 1181 [her son] Geoffrey Plantagenet 2nd Duke Brittany (age 22) and [her daughter-in-law] Constance Penthièvre Duchess Brittany (age 20) were married. She by marriage Duchess Brittany. He by marriage Duke Brittany. She the daughter of Conan "The Young" Penthièvre IV Duke Brittany and Margaret Dunkeld Duchess Brittany (age 36). He the son of [her husband] King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 48) and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 59). They were half second cousin once removed. She a great x 2 granddaughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.
On 06 Jul 1189 [her husband] King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England (age 56) died at Chinon Castle [Map]. William Mandeville 3rd Earl Essex Count Aumale was present. He was buried at Fontevraud Abbey [Map]. His son [her son] King Richard "Lionheart" I of England (age 31) succeeded I King of England.
On 29 Aug 1189 [her son] King John of England (age 22) and [her daughter-in-law] Isabella Fitzrobert 3rd Countess Gloucester and Essex (age 16) were married at Marlborough Castle [Map]. He by marriage Earl Gloucester. She the daughter of William Fitzrobert 2nd Earl Gloucester and Hawise Beaumont Countess Gloucester. He the son of [her former husband] King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 67). They were half second cousins. She a great granddaughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.
On 12 May 1191 [her son] King Richard "Lionheart" I of England (age 33) and [her daughter-in-law] Berengaria of Navarre Queen Consort England (age 26) were married at Chapel of St George at Limassol Castle [Map]. She was crowned Queen Consort England. She the daughter of Sancho "Wise" King Navarre (age 59) and Sancha Ivrea. He the son of [her former husband] King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 69). They were half fourth cousins.
Richard's sister [her daughter] Joan Plantagenet Queen Consort Sicily (age 25) was present.
Letters. 1192. Letter VI. Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 70) to Pope Celestine.
To the reverend father and lord Celestine, by God's grace highest pontiff, Eleanora the miserable, and I would I could add the commiserated, queen of England, duchess of Normandy, countess of Anjou, entreating him to shew himself a father of mercy to a miserable mother.
I am prevented, O holiest pope, by the great distance which parts us, from addressing you personally$1 yet I must bewail my grief a little, and who shall assist me to write my words?.
I am all anxiety, internally and externally, whence my very words are full of grief. Without are fears, within contentions; nor have I a moment wherein to breathe freely from the tribulation of evils, and the grief occasioned by the troubles which ever find me out. I am all defiled with grief, and my bones cleave to my skin, for my flesh is wasted away. My years pass away in groanings, and 1 would they were altogether passed away. O that the whole blood of my body would now die, that the brain of my head and the marrow of my bones were so dissolved into tears that I might melt away in weeping! My very bowels are torn away from me; I have lost the light of my eyes, the staff of my old age: and, would God accede to my wishes, he would condemn me to perpetual blindness, that my wretched eyes might no longer behold the woes of my people. Who will grant me the boon of dying for thee, my son? O mother of mercy! look upon a mother so wretched; or if thy Son, the inexhausted fount of mercy, is avenging the sins of the mother on the son, let him exact vengeance from her who has alone sinned: let him punish me, the wicked one, and not amuse himself with the punishment of an innocent person. Let him who hath begun the task, who now bruises me, take away his hand and slay me; and this shall be my consolation, that, afflicting me with grief, he spares me not. O wretched me, yet pitied by none! why have I, the mistress of two kingdoms, the mother of two kings, reached the ignominy of a detested old age?.
My bowels are torn away, my very race is destroyed and passing away from me. The [her son] young king and the [her son] Earl of Bretagne sleep in the dust, and their most unhappy mother is compelled to live that she may be ever tortured with the memory of the dead. Two sons yet survived to my solace, who now survive only to distress me, a miserable and condemned creature: [her son] King Richard (age 34) is detained in bonds, and [her son] John (age 25), his brother, depopulates the captive's kingdom with the sword, and lays it waste with fire. In all things the Lord is become cruel towards me, and opposes me with a heavy hand. Truly his anger fights against me, when my very sons fight against each other, if, indeed, that can be called a fight in which one party languishes in bonds, and the other, adding grief to grief, tries, by cruel tyranny to usurp the exile's kingdom to himself.
O good Jesus! who will grant me thy protection, and hide me in hell itself till thy fury passes away, and till thy arrows whiqh are in me, by whose vehemence my very spirit is drunk up, shall cease? I long for death, I am weary of life; and though I thus die incessantly, I yet desire to die more fally; I am reluctantly compelled to live, that my life may be the food of death and a means of torture. O happy ye who pass away by a fortunate abortion, without experiencing the waywardness of this life and the unexpected events of an uncertain condition! What do I? why do I remain? why do I wretched, delay? why do I not go, that I may see him whom my soul loves, bound in beggary and irons? as though, at such a time, a mother could forget the son of her womb! Affection to their young softens tigers, nay, even the fiercer sorceresses.
Yet I fluctuate in doubt: for, if I go away, deserting my son's kingdom, which is laid waste on all sides with fierce hostility, it will in my absence be destitute of all counsel and solace; again, if I stay, I shall not see the face of my son, that face which I so long for. There will be none who will study to procure the liberation of my son, and, what 1 fear still more, the most delicate youth will be tormented for an impossible quantity of money, and, impatient of so much affliction, will easily be brought to the agonies of death. Oh, impious, cruel, and dreadful tyrant! who hast not feared to lay sacrilegious hands on the anointed of the Lord! nor has the royal unction, nor the reverence due to a holy life, nor the fear of God, restrained thee from such inhumanity!
Yet the prince of the apostles still rules and reigns in the apostolic seat, and his judicial rigour is set up as a means of resort: this one thing remains, that you, O father, draw against these evildoers the sword of Peter, which for this purpose is set over people and kingdoms. The cross of Christ excels the eagles of Ceasar, the sword of Peter the sword of Constantine, and the apostolic seat is placed above the imperial power. Is your power of God or of men? Has not the God of gods spoken to you by the Apostle Peter, that whatsoever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever you loose on earth shall be loosed also in heaven? Wherefore, then, do you so long negligently, nay, cruelly, delay to free my son, or rather do not dare to do it? You will, perhaps, say that this power is given to you over souls, not over bodies: be it so; it will certainly suffice me if you will bind their souls who hold my son bound in prison. It is your province to loose my son, unless the fear of God has given way to human fear. Restore my son to me, then, O man of God, if indeed thou art a man of God and not a man of blood; for know that, if thou art sluggish in the liberation of my son, from thy hand will the Most High require his blood. Alas, alas for us, when the chief shepherd has become a mercenary, when he flies from the face of the wolf, when he leaves the little sheep committed to him, or rather the elect ram, the leader of the Lord's flock, in the jaws of the bloody beast of prey! The good Shepherd instructs and informs other shepherds not to fly when they see the wolf coming, but to lay down their lives for the sheep. Save, therefore, I entreat thee, thine own soul, whilst, by urgent embassies, by salutary advice, by the thunders of excommunication, by general interdicts, by terrible sentences, thou endeavourest to procure the liberation, I will not say of thy sheep merely, but of thy son. Though late, you ought to give your life for him, for whom, as yet, you have refused to write or speak a single word. The Son of God, as testifies the prophet, came down from heaven that he might bring up them that were bound from the pit in which was no water. Now, would not that which was fitting for God to do become the servant of God? My son is tormented in bonds, yet you go not down to him, nor send, nor are moved by the sorrow of Joseph. Christ sees this and is silent; yet at the last there shall be fearful retribution for those who do the work of God negligently. Ambassadors have been promised to us three times, but never sent; so that« to speak the truth, they are bound rather than sent. If my son were in prosperity, they would eagerly hasten at his lightest call, because they would expect rich handfuls for their embassy from his great munificence and the public profit of the kingdom. But what profit could be more glorious to them than to liberate a captive king, to restore peace to the people, quiet to the religious, and joy to all? Now, truly, the sons of Ephraim, who bent and sent forth the bow, have turned round in the day of battle; and in the time of distress when the wolf comes upon the prey, they are dumb dogs who either cannot or will not bark. Is this the promise you made me at the castle of Ralph with such protestations of favour and good faith? What availed it to give words only to my simplicity, and to illude by a fond trust the wishes of the innocent? So, in olden time, was King Ahab forbidden to make alliance with Ben-hadad, and we have heard the fatal issue of their mutual love.*^ A heavenly providence prospered the wars of Judas, John, and Simon, the Maccabsean brothers, under happy auspices; but when they sent an embassy to secure the friendship of the Romans, they lost the help of God, and, not once alone, but often was their venal intimacy cause of bitter regret.* You alone, who were my hope after God, and the trust of my people, force me to despair. Cursed be he who trusteth in man. Where is now my refuge?.
Thou, O Lord my God. To thee, O Lord, who considerest my distress, are the eyes of thine handmaid lifted up. Thou, O King of kings and Lord of lords, look upon the face of thine Anointed, give empire to thy Son, and save the son of thine handmaid, nor visit upon him the crimes of his father or the wickedness of his mother!
We know by certain and public relation that the emperor, after the death of the Bishop of Liege (age 26) (whom he is said to have slain with a fiital sword, though wielded by a remote hand (age 42)), miserably imprisoned the Bishop of Ostia and four other provincials, the Bishop of Salerno, and the Archbishop of Treves; and the apostolic authority cannot deny that, to the perpetual prejudice of the Roman church, he has, in spite of embassies, supplications, and threats of the apostolic seat, taken possession of Sicily, which from the times of Constantine has been the patrimony of St. Peter. Yet with all this his fury is not yet turned away, but yet is his hand stretched forth. Fearful things he has already done, but worse are still certainly to be expected; for those who ought to be the Pillars of the church are swayed with reed-like lightness by every wind. Oh, would they but remember that it was through the negligence of Eli, the priest ministering in Shiloh, that the glory of the Lord passed away from Israel I. Nor is that a mere parable of the past, but of the present. For the Lord drove from Shiloh the tabernacle, his tabernacle, where he had dwelt amongst men, and gave their strength into captivity and, their beauty into the hands of the enemy.
It is imputed to your pusillanimity that the church is trampled upon, the faith perilled, liberty oppressed, deceit encouraged by patience, iniquity by impunity. Where is the promise of God when be said to his church, 'Thou shalt suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breasts of kings? I will make thee the pride of ages, and a joy from generation to generation. Once the church, by its own strength, trod upon the necks of the proud and the lofty, and the laws of emperors obeyed the' sacred canons. But things are changed, and not only the canons, but the very formers of the canons, are restrained by base laws and execrable customs. The detestable crimes of the powerful are borne with. None dare murmur, and canonical rigour falls on the sins of the poor alone. Therefore, not without reason did Anachar^is the philosopher compare laws and canons to spiders' webs, which reti^in weaker animals but let the stronger go. ^* The kings of the earth have set themselves, and the rulers have taken counsel together/*^ against my son, the anointed of the Lord. One binds him in chains, another devastates his lands with cruel hostility, or, to use a vulgar phrase. One clips and another plunders; one holds the foot and another skins it. The highest pontiff sees these things, and yet bids the sword of Peter slumber in its scabbard; so he adds boldness to the sinner, his silence being presumed to indicate consent. He who corrects^ not when he can and ought seems even to consent, and his dissimulating patience shall not want the scruple of hidden companionship.'* The time of dissension predicted by the apostle draws on, when the son of perdition shall be revealed; dangerous times are at hand, when the seamless garment of Christ is cut, the net of Peter is broken, and the solidity of Catholic unity dissolved. These are the beginnings of sorrows. We feel bad things; we fear worse. I am no prophetess, nor the daughter of a prophet, but grief has suggested many things about future disturbances; yet it steals away the very words which it suggests. A sob intercepts my breath, and absorbing grief shutS' up by its anxieties the vocal passages of my soul. Farewell.
In 1193 [her granddaughter] Eleanor "Fair Maid of Britanny" 4th Countess of Richmond (age 9) was engaged to Duke Frederick I of Austria (age 18), son of Leopold V Duke of Austria (age 36). Leopold had imprisoned [her son] King Richard (age 35) when he was returning from the crusade. Leopold demanded the marriage of King Richard's niece Eleanor to his son Frederick, as part of the ransom for Richard's release. Leopold V Duke of Austria died the following year so the marriage didn't take place. Eleanor "Fair Maid of Britanny" 4th Countess of Richmond was travelling to Austria, accompanied by Baldwin Béthune Count Aumale (age 35), when Leopold died. She returned with her grandmother Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 71).
In Dec 1193 Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 71) left Orford, Suffolk [Map] with her son [her son] Richard's (age 36) ranson of 100,000 marks in silver and 200 hostages. She was accompanied by Archbishop Walter de Coutances and Bishop William Longchamp. Hubert Walter Bishop of Salisbury (age 33) was Regent of England in her absence.
On 04 Feb 1194 [her son] King Richard "Lionheart" I of England (age 36) was released from his captivity; his mother Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 72) having brought the ransom of 100,000 pounds of silver. On release King Philip II of France (age 28) is said to have sent a message to [her son] the future King John (age 27) "Look to yourself; the devil is loose".
On 04 Mar 1194 [her son] King Richard "Lionheart" I of England (age 36) and his mother Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 72) sailed from Antwerp [Map] on board the Trenchemer. The royal admiral, Stephen of Turnham, who was commanding in person, had to employ experienced pilots to take her through the coastal islets and out into the estuary of the Scheldt. It was a long crossing, perhaps deliberately so, to avoid ambush. The Trenchemer was escorted by a large cog from the Cinque port of Rye [Map].
King Richard "Lionheart" I of England and his mother Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England landed in England at Sandwich, Kent [Map].
In Oct 1196 [her son-in-law] Raymond Rouerge Marquess Provence (age 39) and [her daughter] Joan Plantagenet Queen Consort Sicily (age 31) were married at Rouen, France [Map]. She by marriage Countess Toulose. She the daughter of [her former husband] King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 74). He the son of Raymond Rouerge V Count Toulose and [her former sister-in-law] Constance Capet Countess Boulogne and Toulose. They were third cousin once removed.
Before 06 Apr 1199 [her son] King John of England (age 32) and [her daughter-in-law] Isabella Fitzrobert 3rd Countess Gloucester and Essex (age 26) marriage annulled due to consanuinity but more likely because John's new status as heir to the English throne mean't he had better prospects. He may have already decided to marry [her future daughter-in-law] Isabella of Angoulême Queen Consort England (age 11) who he married on 24 Aug 1200.
On 06 Apr 1199 [her son] King Richard "Lionheart" I of England (age 41) was besieging Châlus Chabrol Castle, Domfront. During the course of the evening King Richard "Lionheart" I of England was shot by a crossbow. The wound quickly became gangrenous; Richard died in the arms of his mother Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 77). His brother [her son] King John of England (age 32) succeeded I King of England.
There was a brother between Richard and John named [her son] Geoffrey Duke of Brittany who had a son [her grandson] Arthur (age 12), who was around twelve, and a daughter [her granddaughter] Eleanor (age 15), who was around fifteen, whose mother was [her former daughter-in-law] Constance Penthièvre Duchess Brittany (age 38).
King Philip II of France (age 33) had planned for Eleanor to marry his son, probably to bring Brittany into the French Royal family, possibly to pursue a claim on England.
King Philip II of France supported Arthur's claim to the English throne. In the resulting war Arthur was captured, imprisoned and never seen again. Eleanor was captured, probably around the same time as Arthur, and imprisoned, more or less, for the remainder of her life, even after King John's death through the reign of [her grandson] King Henry III since she represented a threat to Henry's succession.
On 24 Aug 1200 [her son] King John of England (age 33) and [her daughter-in-law] Isabella of Angoulême Queen Consort England (age 12) were married. She had been engaged to Hugh Lusignan IX Count Lusignan (age 37) who subsequently appealed to King Philip II of France (age 35), their feudal overlord, who used the position to justify a war against John. The difference in their ages was 21 years. She the daughter of Aymer Angoulême I Count Angoulême (age 40) and Alice Courtenay Countess Angoulême. He the son of [her former husband] King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 78).
On 01 Aug 1202 [her son] King John of England (age 35) defeated the army of his nephew [her grandson] Arthur Plantagenet 3rd Duke Brittany (age 15) and Hugh Lusignan X Count Lusignan V Count La Marche (age 19) which was besieging John's mother Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 80) at Mirebeau Castle. King John of England took Arthur Plantagenet 3rd Duke Brittany 1187-1203's army by surprise capturing most. Arthur Plantagenet 3rd Duke Brittany and, probably, his sister [her granddaughter] Eleanor "Fair Maid of Britanny" 4th Countess of Richmond (age 18), both of whom arguably had better claims to the throne than King John of England were captured.
On 01 Apr 1204 Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England (age 82) died at Fontevraud Abbey [Map]. She was buried at Fontevraud Abbey [Map].
On 23 Dec 1230 [her former daughter-in-law] Berengaria of Navarre Queen Consort England (age 65) died. She the widow of [her son] King Richard "Lionheart" I of England who she had married in 1191 in Cyprus whilst he was on Crusade. She had been brought to Cyprus by his mother Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England who was near seventy at the time. Their marriage started with his taking Jerusalem then being captured and held hostage for three years. There were no children of the marriage. She is believed to have never set foot in England. She didn't marry again.
Effigy of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Eleanor of Aquitaine, or Guienne, was the eldest daughter and heiress of [her father] William V. Duke of Aquitaine, by [her mother] Eleanor of Chastelleraut, his wife. She was first married to [her former husband] Louis VII. of France, but, owing to some dissension which arose between them, Louis applied to the papal see for a divorce: and it appearing that there was consanguinity between the parties, they were separated by authority of the Church in Easter 1151. [her former husband] Henry the Second, then Duke of Normandy, thought that a marriage with the Countess of Poitou and Aquitaine offered too large an accession of dominion and political power to his crown to be neglected, and so promptly took his measures that he espoused her the following Whitsuntide. She bore King Henry six sons and three daughters. Their eldest daughter [her daughter] Matilda married [her former son-in-law] Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony; among the issue of which marriage was [her grandson] Otho the Fourth, Emperor of Germany, and [her grandson] William, progenitor of the Dukes of Brunswick, who assumed as his arms the two lions which his grandfather Henry bore, and which seem to have been the ensign of the early English Kings of the Norman race as Dukes of Normandy. Eleanor thwarting the amours of her husband, and taking part against him with their elder son [her son] Prince Henry (who had received the titular and aspired to the actual honours of King during his father's lifetime), incurred his deep displeasure, and, according to Matthew Paris, banished from his bed, passed sixteen years of her life in close confinement. On the death of Henry in 1189, and the accession of her third son [her son] Richard to the Crown, he invested her with sovereign authority during his absence in Normandy; and her first act was a very general release of malefactors from confinement. She accompanied Richard to the Holy Land, died in 1204, the sixth year of the reign of her son [her son] John, and was buried at Fontevraud [Map]. She lies, like the other effigies at that place, upon a bier, attired in her royal vestments, with a crown upon her head.
[her father] William "Saint" Poitiers X Duke Aquitaine and [her mother] Aenor Chatellerault Duchess Aquitaine were married. She by marriage Duchess Aquitaine. He the son of [her grandfather] William "Troubadour" Poitiers IX Duke Aquitaine and [her grandmother] Philippa Rouerge Duchess Aquitaine.
Kings Franks: Great x 10 Grand Daughter of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor
Kings France: Great x 3 Grand Daughter of Robert "Pious" II King France
Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 7 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine
Agnes La Marck Queen Consort Navarre
King Richard "Lionheart" I of England
Eleanor Plantagenet Queen Consort Castile
Eleanor "Fair Maid of Britanny" 4th Countess of Richmond
Henry Luxemburg VII Holy Roman Emperor
Louis Wittelsbach IV Holy Roman Emperor
Joan of Burgundy Queen Consort France
Blanche of Burgundy Queen Consort France
Margaret Hainault Holy Roman Empress
Philippa of Hainault Queen Consort England
Blanche Valois Holy Roman Empress Luxemburg
Blanche Dampierre Queen Consort Norway and Sweden
Joanna Bourbon Queen Consort France
Blanche Bourbon Queen Consort Castile
Yolande of Bar Queen Consort Aragon
Marie Valois Anjou Queen Consort France
Jacquetta of Luxemburg Duchess Bedford
Margaret of Anjou Queen Consort England
Mary of Guelders Queen Consort Scotland
Christina Queen Consort Denmark Norway and Sweden
Bianca Maria Sforza Holy Roman Empress
Anne of Brittany Queen Consort France
Philip "Handsome Fair" King Castile
Germaine Foix Queen Consort Aragon
Marguerite Valois Orléans Queen Consort Navarre
Anne Jagiellon Holy Roman Empress
Anne of Cleves Queen Consort England
Mary of Guise Queen Consort Scotland
Augustus Wettin Elector of Saxony
Louise Lorraine Queen Consort France
Sophie Mecklenburg-Schwerin Queen Consort Denmark
Maria Anna Wittelsbach Holy Roman Empress
Electress Louise Juliana of the Palatine Rhine
Ferdinand of Spain II Holy Roman Emperor
Margaret of Austria Queen Consort Spain
Anna of Austria Holy Roman Empress
Sophie Amalie Hanover Queen Consort Denmark
Eleonora Gonzaga Queen Consort Bohemia
Maria Leopoldine Habsburg Spain Queen Consort Bohemia
Marie Françoise Élisabeth of Savoy Queen Consort of Portugal
Charlotte Amalie Hesse-Kassel Queen Consort Denmark and Norway
Charles Palatinate Simmern II Elector Palatine Rhine
King George I of Great Britain and Ireland
Louise of Mecklenburg Güstrow Queen Consort Denmark and Norway
Maria Anna Neuburg Queen Consort Spain
Sophia Charlotte Hanover Queen Consort Prussia
Caroline Hohenzollern Queen Consort England
King George II of Great Britain and Ireland
Sophia Louise Mecklenburg-Schwerin Queen Consort Prussia
Charles Habsburg Spain VI Holy Roman Emperor
Sophia Dorothea Hanover Queen Consort Prussia
Charles Emmanuel III King Sardinia
Polyxena Hesse Rotenburg Queen Consort Sardinia
Louise Élisabeth Bourbon Queen Consort Spain
Elisabeth Therese Lorraine Queen Consort Sardinia
Maria Theresa Habsburg Spain Holy Roman Empress
Juliana Maria Welf Queen Consort Denmark and Norway
King George III of Great Britain and Ireland
Charlotte Mecklenburg Strelitz Queen Consort England
Caroline Matilda Hanover Queen Consort Denmark and Norway
Marie Sophie Hesse-Kassel Queen Consort Denmark and Norway
Caroline of Brunswick Queen Consort England
Frederick William III King Prussia
Frederica Mecklenburg Strelitz Queen Consort Hanover
King Christian I of Norway and VIII of Denmark
Frederick William IV King Prussia
Caroline Amalie Oldenburg Queen Norway
Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies Queen Consort Spain
Queen Louise Hesse-Kassel of Denmark
Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom
Queen Sophia of Sweden and Norway
Victoria Empress Germany Queen Consort Prussia
King Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Maria Christina of Austria Queen Consort Spain
Maria de las Mercedes Unknown Queen Consort Spain
Victoria Mary Teck Queen Consort England
Alexandrine Mecklenburg-Schwerin Queen Consort Denmark
Victoria Eugénie Mountbatten Queen Consort Spain
Louise Mountbatten Queen Consort Sweden
Philip Mountbatten Duke Edinburgh
Great x 4 Grandfather: William "Towhead" III Duke Aquitaine
Great x 3 Grandfather: William "Proud Arm" IV Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandmother: Gerloc aka Adela Normandy Duchess Aquitaine
Great x 2 Grandfather: William "Great" V Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Theobald "Trickster" Blois I Count Blois
Great x 3 Grandmother: Emma Blois Duchess Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandmother: Luitgarde Vermandois Duchess Normandy
Great x 1 Grandfather: Guy William Poitiers VIII Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Adalbert King of Italy
Great x 3 Grandfather: Otto William Ivrea I Count Burgundy
Great x 2 Grandmother: Agnes Ivrea Duchess Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Renaud Unknown
Great x 3 Grandmother: Ermentrude Countess Burgundy
GrandFather: William "Troubadour" Poitiers IX Duke Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Hugh I King France
Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert "Pious" II King France
Great x 4 Grandmother: Adelaide Poitiers Queen Consort France
Great x 2 Grandfather: Robert I Duke Burgundy
Great x 4 Grandfather: William "Liberator" Arles 1st Count Provence 1st Count Arles
Great x 3 Grandmother: Constance Arles Queen Consort France
Great x 4 Grandmother: Adelaide Blanche Ingelger Queen Consort West Francia
Great x 1 Grandmother: Hildegarde Burgundy Duchess Aquitaine
Great x 4 Grandfather: Geoffrey "Greygown" Ingelger 1st Count Anjou
Great x 3 Grandfather: Fulk "Black" Ingelger III Count Anjou
Great x 4 Grandmother: Adele Vermandois Countess Anjou
Great x 2 Grandmother: Ermengarde Blanche Ingelger Duchess Burgundy
Great x 3 Grandmother: Hildegarde Sundgau Countess Anjou
Father: William "Saint" Poitiers X Duke Aquitaine
Great x 2 Grandfather: Pons Rouerge Margrave Provence
Great x 1 Grandfather: William Rouerge Duke Narbonne
Great x 3 Grandfather: Bernard La Marche Count La Marche
Great x 2 Grandmother: Almodis La Marche Margrave Provence
GrandMother: Philippa Rouerge Duchess Aquitaine
Great x 3 Grandfather: Herluin de Conteville Mortain
Great x 2 Grandfather: Robert Mortain Count Mortain 1st Earl Cornwall
Great x 4 Grandfather: Father of Beatrix and Herleva
Great x 3 Grandmother: Herleva Falaise
Great x 1 Grandmother: Emma Mortain Duchess Narbonne
Great x 4 Grandfather: Roger Montgomery
Great x 3 Grandfather: Roger "The Great" Montgomery 1st Earl of Shrewsbury
Great x 2 Grandmother: Matilda or Maud Montgomery
Great x 4 Grandfather: William "Talvas" Belleme
Great x 3 Grandmother: Mabel Belleme
Great x 4 Grandmother: Hilderburg Unknown
Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England
GrandFather: Aimery Chatellerault Viscount Châtellerault
Mother: Aenor Chatellerault Duchess Aquitaine
Great x 1 Grandfather: Bartholomew Île Bouchard
GrandMother: Dangereuse Ile Bouchard Viscountess Chatellerault